ALANA

64

ARES

"Oh tesoro, I am so sorry piccola" mama says, hugging her.

She is still completely silent, no signs of any emotions.

"Are you okay dolcezza you look so pale." mama says, touching her forehead.

"Im fine just very tired." she whispers.

"Okay honey, go rest sí? Have some sleep." she sends her up the stairs.

"Mio dio, she looks like she's seen a ghost poor baby." mama shakes her head, walking away, mumbling about making soup.

"Are you okay figlio?" papa asks making me snap my eyes towards him.

"Sí, I will go check on her." I say, avoiding this conversation.

I walk up to mine and Alana's room to see her sitting on the couch. She's going to sleep there again. Ofcourse.

1 week later.

It's been a week.

A week of not having heard Alana speak. A week of her not having lifted her gaze to look at me. A week of her not so much as address my existence.

She sleeps, wakes up, eats and then sleeps again, on repeat like some sort of robot.

She apparently does talk to mama but very briefly and only to answer when asked something.

Today is the same. She has just come out of the bathroom but gasps in surprise when I stand in front of her instead of having left the room like usual.

"Talk." I say. She looks up at me, her eyes confused. She takes a deep breath, putting on a composed face, trying to walk past me but I step infront of her. Not touching her but still stopping her from leaving.

Her eyes snap up to me, now looking angered. Her little nose flares making her look like an angry kitten.

"Alana, I have not heard you speak in days. Say anything, shout at me, take out your anger." I urge. She sighs loudly.

"I don't have anything to say." She rasps. I feel as if fresh oxygen has filled my lungs and I sigh in contentment. "Can I go?" she asks in a tired tone. I nod, moving out of her way letting her walk away.

Fuck.

I walk behind her down the stairs, quickly pulling out her chair before she can go sit with mama and avoid me.

She looks at me, a look of annoyance on her face, but relents, sitting down in the chair beside mine. Throughout breakfast, she seems uncomfortable, squirming in her seat.

"Salvatore called me last night, he is coming into town with Ethan and Isla, I want to invite them to stay here, if that is okay with my dear nuora" Papa says, smiling at Alana. She looks up at him, giving him a smile.

"Ofcourse papa, I would love to have them as our guests. They were lovely to me when we were in Paris." She says sweetly. I hold back the urge to scoff at a her switch of mood.

"Lana, could you make us chocolate cake again?" Carlos grins greedily from across the table. I hear the beautiful sound of my wife's giggle, making me look at her. Her beauty never fails to amaze my senses. Her beautiful laugh sounds like a melody meant to heal my soul. I shake my head, ridding myself of my odd thoughts.

"Ofcourse, I promise I will have it ready when you get back from work." she smiles a dazzling smile.

"It is so great to see you smiling dolcezza. Stay blessed" mama says happily, leaving out the door following papa.

Alana stands up, almost tripping so catch her by the waist.

"Careful" I grunt, standing her upright. She pushes my hands off her waist, looking at me with an expression I cannot decipher.

"Whoa brother, what did you do?" Aaron says, shaking his head as Alana walks out.

"Shut up Aaron." I growl, walking out of the dining room, following her up the stairs. "Alana." I call out behind her. She continues walking up the stairs, ignoring me. I curse under my breath as we walk into our room, grabbing her arm, pulling her back towards me. "I am talking to you!" I say once she is facing me.

"Why?!" she shouts, surprising me. "Why are you talking to me? What do you want to achieve? If you don't want a marriage, you don't want a relationship then why do we need to talk?" She bursts.

"So your plan is to never speak to me? We live in the same room, I don't think that is possible." I say, tightening my grip.

"Well I managed for a week didn't I?" She asks, eyes ablaze with anger. I have never seen her like this before. "You still haven't answered my question, why do you want to talk if you want nothing to do with me?" she asks.

"Stop trying to make this a fight, I am trying to talk to you-"

"Well, don't. I am not like you, I had never even talked to a man besides my father before I met you, I never had sex, I never knew what the world was like and now that I do, I refuse to talk to someone who does not know what it is to be fair." her voice cracks. "I tried to stay away from you at the beginning, but you pried and reeled me in and when you had me thinking we were something more than what we are on paper, you ripped it away from me. Now, I am trying to stop myself from making the same mistake and you are again getting in the way of my resolve." she breathes out heavily.

"I am tired of waiting for you you to decide that you don't want me anymore." My heart clenches at her words. "Please just let me be Xander, I won't be in your way just like you asked in the beginning." she says tiredly, walking into the bathroom, closing the door.

I will never not want her. I hope someday I have the balls to tell her that.