Burning Heart ▹ CIAMPA [COMPLETED]

07 ▹ speak

HIS mood swings were bothering me. I don't understand why he was getting to me like that, but he was and it made me sick to my stomach.

I spent a lot of time watching him from a distance. I know that he knows that I watch him and I wouldn't even deny it if he asked. I want to figure him out like the cryptic puzzle that he was. He was the one person that I couldn't figure out right off the bat. I wanted to know what his problem was and why he hated me so much, yet cared enough to tell me to get home safely.

Candice was actually starting to worry about me because, most times, she didn't have any choice, but to watch me watch him. While she's worried about me and I'm worried about him, we were both equally concerned about Trevor and Bianca.

Together, Candice and I watched them while Bianca annoyed him to death and he just dealt with it to the best of his ability. He obviously didn't like the situation — or, well, relationship — that he was in, and I didn't blame him. He and Bianca were complete and utter opposites. Yeah, they say that "opposites attract," but not with these two.

When Bianca was around, which was now rare, she always bragged about her and Trevor being together. "We did this," she would say. "He said this."

Just the other day, we were all hanging-out and Bianca's mouth was going ninety-to-nothing and, since Trev was beyond annoyed, she grabbed her face and kissed her. This would be their first together. Needless to say, Bianca died and nearly fainted backwards out of her chair.

"One of these days, he's going to say that he loves me," Bianca was just telling myself and Candice the other day with hearts in her eyes. "I think that he does already." He doesn't and I can confirm this.

Earlier, Pete called and said that he had only two weeks left before he comes back to Orlando. He said that he missed and loved me, and that he couldn't wait until he saw me again. He said that he would be watching my debut from the U.K. and cheering me on, as he always does. I told him that I loved and missed him, too. Then, the line went dead and that was the end to that.

During my break after practicing, I went outside to enjoy the somewhat cool breeze and the shade under the umbrella. I had one of my wedding magazines out, glancing through the pages of wedding dresses. I was just seeing my options, but I haven't found any that I like so far.

Between glancing through the pages and trying to hide from the sun under the umbrella, I heard somebody come up and say down to me: "Maybe you shouldn't be getting married when you watch me all the time."

I immediately knew who it was before I had the chance to look up at them. My eyes fell upon Tommaso, who spoke to me before I spoke to him — surprisingly enough. He had a lot to say, apparently.

"I'm getting married to the love of my life, but you already know this," I barked out through squinted eyes in suspicion. I leaned forward, enough to cover my opened book with my right arm. "You know why I watch you so much, don't you?"

Before I could function what happened next, he tossed his small brown paper bag on the table and slipped in the seat across from me. He brought his arms on the table and intertwined his fingers together before him. "Because you're obsessed with me? That's my best guest. Your turn."

"No, because you do stupid shit like this," I spat out and seriously thought about choking him with my bare hands already.

"Stupid shit like what?"

"You're an ass," I simply growled back. "You know what you do. You talk and, then, you don't whenever I want to speak. And, you know what? Screw you, Tommaso. I'm not going to talk to you anymore. And, just like you told me the other day: Fuck off."

I waited for his reaction and he was impressed, apparently. He seemed to find amusement in what I just said to him. It looked like he was playing around with some ideas in his head. I couldn't even begin to imagine what he was going to say next and, not only that, but what sick ideas he had rolling around in that bald head of his.

I went back to my magazine and tried my absolute best to ignore him. Somehow, it was like he knew that I was going to speak before he did — especially by the grin that played along his lips when I spoke back up and said: "You know what? While you're talking about how I'm supposed to be obsessed with you, maybe you're the one that is obsessed with me! Ever thought about that, hm?"

I couldn't believe that he was smiling and taking everything that I said as a joke. I wasn't playing around, but he was and it annoyed me even more. To be honest, though, I didn't know he knew how to smile anymore. It was weird, to say the least.

He dimmed his eyes and, then, muttered back: "Yeah, maybe I am the one who is obsessed with you." I didn't know how to react and maybe he noticed because he almost immediately added: "Not like these other guys here, though. Like, let's say... EC3."

"Mikey is a friend and just that, thank you very much," I countered through gritted teeth. "He knows where he stands and where I stand, which is by my fiancé."

"He can't obviously help, but to flirt with you," he egged on and it was starting to get under my skin. Literally. "He talks a lot about you."

"How would you know?" I asked, really wanting to know. "You're never around. Ever."

He shrugged and kept the grin on his face. "Like I said," he paused and made sure to keep the wait long, "he talks a lot about you."

"When?"

"In the locker room, around his friends," he drew each word out, like it was the final say in everything. What he said next nearly threw me out of my seat completely. "In the shower when he plays with himself and moans your name out..."

"NO, HE DOESN'T!"

"The less that I say about that, the better," he teased, but seemed like he was serious about it, too. What the fuck?! "He's very fond of you, Nicole."

"I rather you call me Nikki or Nik," I pointed out through an exhausted breath.

He smirked, which was threatening to me, and shrugged. "I prefer Nicole. It fits you better."

"And Ass-Wipe fits you better," I smiled and innocently shrugged, like he had just did. "Tommaso isn't good enough, y'know?"

This time, for real, definitely was what made my jaw hit the floor below me when he said and I quote: "And maybe Pete isn't good enough for you."

With that said, he smirked and grabbed his brown bag before he got up and turned away, completely walking away while I gathered my thoughts to regroup.

• This was short and sweet — which was good, to say the least. Next chap will be Nik's debut — or, should I say, Victoria Valentine's debut! Stay tuned ✨ All the love .xx •