ONLY HIS (previously Angelica)

ma

≈Franco≈

"I get it"

I look back at Dante

"hm?"

"If I were you, I would have fallen for her already as well"

"I've not fallen for her, don't be stupid" I shake my head as we walk through the woods to my car

"but you like her"

I nod

"do you know how old she is?"

"19," I say as I get in the driver's seat

Dante hums "Does she know how old you are?"

"yeah, she just smiled at me" we both chuckle

"well why don't you try and initiate something"

"Like a date?"

"Yeah" he smiles

"I'm 11 years older than her and she's so innocent, I would feel like I'm taking advantage of her" I sigh "You know she saved a drowning dragonfly and I had to tell her it was sleeping and she just believed it like that" I snap my fingers

"well if you could wouldn't you believe the better side of everything? maybe she just wanted to believe it was asleep and did"

"Maybe," I say as I pull into the office car park

I get out of the car, thinking about her

how ethereal she looked in that white dress and lace headcover

her rosy cheeks and bright eyes, surrounded by the sun

just a pure angel

I've spoken to her twice and it would already hurt me if I had to stop talking to her

She's so much younger than me physically and mentally it's even more but no matter how hard I try it just doesn't change how I feel about her

I just want to look after her, protect her, please her

When she lets out that little giggle or shows me that perfect smile my whole world lights up and to see her be so happy playing with butterflies and splashing around in the water warms my whole body

a smack up the back of my head knocks me out of my daydreams of her

"what the fuck was that for?" I glare at Dante noticing we are now in Alex's office

"oh, hey"

"where did you go?" Alex asks

"nowhere important" I lie, shrugging

"He was with Angelica" Dante outs me

"Angelica- oh the 18 year old"

"she's actually 19" I cross my arms

"wow so much older" Alex deadpans

"come on man I met her she's so sweet" Dante defends

"This isn't about her being sweet, this is about her being 19 Franco, you just have a little crush or something you'll get over it" he pops a mint in his mouth

"Whatever I don't need this bullshit" I grit stomping out of the room

I crack my neck and walk back to my car, heading straight to my mother's house

we have always been close especially when she and my dad got divorced and he moved away to be with his new family; haven't heard from him since I was 15

I knock on the front door and she opens it with her usual big smile

"come in my boy" she ushers me

"hi Mom" I kiss her cheek before taking a seat at the table as she does the same, sliding the cookie jar over to me