Stay Away from Pleasure

Chapter Seventeen

14:29PM

I'm back in my robe now; I took it off when I found the shower. My hair is down around my shoulders and the tips are still a little damp, but not dripping. I'm pretty sure I have convinced Claire and she'll do what's best for her. Hopefully, she dumps Jude right now, but he's probably working so she'll have to wait until later to get it done.

Opening the door, I tighten the robe around me. Now I can take my time and appreciate the marvellous interior design of this palace. The walls in the corridor are creamy white and there's a crystal chandelier that starts at the ceiling above me and hangs downstairs. As I walk down the hall near the steps, I notice a picture of a middle-aged man. He has deep brown eyes and dark, curly hair. His skin is a golden brown colour and reminds me of toffee. His lips are a smooth chocolate and thick with delight. His cheekbones are slightly defined but nothing on his sculptured jawline. He's facing straight ahead and his chin is jutted up. His brows are furrowed and determined. Clenching his jaw, he glares through the photo and attacks me with his stare, much like someone else I know.

The frame is a faded golden that stands out, but doesn't take too much attention away from the light shade of the walls. Beneath the frame, is a small plaque that has the name Joseph Legato on it. This was Matt's father and Theo's uncle. I focus on Joseph's eyes; Matt probably has his mother's eyes.

"He was such a good man." A female voice states from behind me, and I can only guess it's Maria.

"It's so sad." I say as I turn around. It is Maria.

"It is."

"How did you know him?" From what I've been able to gather from pieces of arguments is that Theo and Maria and just about newlyweds.

"When I was younger, before I met Theo or Matt, he used to come to me and give me strawberries in the morning. I was homeless, you see, and I used to stay next to his workplace. He found me and wanted to take me in, but I was too scared. He started giving me strawberries and then it became the norm. He worked about four days a week, but he still fed me daily."

"That's so sweet." I smile. It must've been nice growing up with a father with such a kind heart. It also must've left Matt so broken when he lost such a good man.

"Soon, he got tired of me still living on the streets. I was ten and too young for the street life. My parents had abandoned me and I was roughing it. Finally, he had enough and gave me to his friend from high school. He told me he knew the guy since he was eight and the couple couldn't have babies so I would be great for them. He took me to meet them and they were so kind to me. I was raised there and then I went to the same school as Theo and Matt, but I never met either of them."

"Why not?"

"I was a year younger than Theo and a couple years older than Matt. Also, Joseph told me to stay away from them. He didn't want me hanging around boys until I was eighteen, but he didn't live that long."

"How old were you when he died?"

"I was sixteen. The last time I saw him was the day he died. He told me a secret about him, his wife, his son and Theo. He told me why he didn't want me around the boys so badly. That night, he tucked me in like I was a four year old afraid of the monsters under her bed and he kissed my forehead and said:
If you are gonna love a boy, please let it be one of mine. Not Matthew though, never Matthew."

"Why not Matt?"

She shrugs, "I dunno."

I knit my brows as I stare at her and she hides her fingers, "why not Matt?" I ask again.

"I can't tell you."

I scoff, "it's always I can't tell you or you should ask Matt and it's so annoying. If you can't tell me, who can?"