Lost in a Reverie 18+ Only (Book 1 of Lastor Series) ['23/'24 EDIT]

Chapter 59: Frederick

I was getting grilled. Almost quite literally. The elder men were asking me if I had any intentions of marrying Angel, obviously unaware of the fact that she was already engaged to someone else. The women were telling me about their ailments and asking what sort of medicine or treatment they needed while the younger girls were staring at me like I was their favorite candy. Nonna kept trying to feed me tiramisu and some kid was under my chair, hiding from the other kids as he ate the box of donuts they were supposed to share.

Most of them were speaking in Italian and every now and then they'd spare me some English. We had just finished dinner and Angel was talking to Michael's father, Mikey, on the other side of the backyard while three little girls were braiding and putting flowers in her hair.

"Hey. We're going to the basement," Michael was saying, cocking his head towards his male cousins. Those guys have been giving me the evil eye since I walked through the front door.

I glanced at Angel, but she was still talking to Mikey. They seemed to be in a deep discussion about something and I held back the urge to call for help.

"She's stuck with him all night," Michael said, getting to his feet. "Come on. They'll eat you alive if you stay longer."

I nodded before standing and Michael said something in Italian to them. The women grabbed my shirt, pulling me back down and shaking their heads, protesting in Italian. Michael rolled his eyes and grabbed my arm, shoving me towards the house.

"Sorry," he said, chuckling. "They're not used to being around men who aren't family."

I followed him towards the basement where his cousins were already playing at the pool table while some were playing cards.

Michael lit up a cigarette, offering the pack out to me but I shook my head. I might as well have been smoking though. Every person in the basement had a cigarette between their lips and I was the receiving end of their toxic fumes.

"Hey," he called to the teenagers playing at the pool table. "Fuck off."

They muttered something in Italian and Michael answered back, yelling. And then they glared at me. As if I was the one who told them to fuck off.

Michael handed me a cue stick while the younger men backed off. One of them glared at me, muttering something in Italian. I didn't know what it was but he spat it out like a curse.

"Fuck off, Lulu," Michael bit out.

"It's Lucas, asshole," he spat back with a thick accent.

Michael merely laughed but then suddenly, his demeanor changed.

"Who the fuck you think you're talkin' to, boy?" he snarled, grabbing Lucas by the collar. "Go wash the dishes before I kick your ass." He tossed him aside as if he weighed nothing. "Go, bitch."

The boy straightened himself, looking like he was about to cry. He seemed to want to say something but instead, headed out the door with the other boys following him.

Michael let out a sigh, flashing me an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I gotta scare them every time they start acting like they're the shit, else they'll keep acting like it. Kids do all sorts of nonsense when they think they're a badass. Tough love, you know?"

"Yeah, I have two younger siblings, so I get it," I said with a laugh. "But did I do something to offend them? They don't seem to like me for some reason."

He snorted, racking the balls at the table. "You didn't, Red did. They kinda have a crush on her. Seeing Red wrapped around you all night shattered their dreams of getting into her pants."