The Lonely King

Twenty-Four

The night always calmed me. Ever since I was young, I constantly had the urge to explore the forest at night. My parents were understandably worried when I would come home at two in the morning because I wanted to take a walk under the dark sky. But no matter how much trouble followed my actions, I never overcame the desire to explore the quiet, pitch black alternate universe.

Maybe that's what drew me in about Nick. He was quiet and mysterious, somehow always moving in the shadows. He reminded me of the darkness that I had a weird urge to be around. But while he was the intimidating danger you want to stay away from, he was also the calmness and safety I couldn't live without.

I could wonder maybe I'm the stars and moon that light up his world.

My breath made a little cloud as I exhaled, swing my legs slowly back and forth. My hair drifted through the air slightly as the swing swung forward and back. I glanced up at the sky, seeing the familiar view of the stars freckling the sky, and smiled, feeling the wave of tranquility wash over me.

I was so lost in my thoughts and the beautiful environment around me that I didn't hear footsteps rushing my way.

"Why is it that women always go outside to look at the stars when they're upset?" His voiced stuck out from the quiet, but it gave me a pleasant shiver.

I chuckled. "How many women do you know go out to look at the stars?"

"Well..." he scratched the back of his neck, "I've never really been close to any woman besides you" he mumbled.

"So, I'm the only one you know who does that," he smirked and walked past me to sit on the swing next to mine.

"One other," he mumbled.

Well, that sent a jolt of curiosity through me. "Who?" I whispered out without meaning to.

"My mother," he replied, still looking up at the night sky.

"You remember?" I softy asked.

"I don't remember a lot, but I remember when she was upset, my father would go out looking for her only to find her sitting on the porch swing, looking up at the sky."

"What else do you remember about her?"

"Not much, honestly," he shook his head, "she made the best gnocchi in the world. she was insanely passionate about soccer. Seriously, she would die for AS Roma. And, she was very much in love with my father."

His face held a sad smile as he reminisced about his parents, but I couldn't help myself asking the next question.

"You never told me what happened to them. You don't need to, but—"

"I'm surprised I haven't told you yet," he cut me off. "They were killed in a car accident out of all things, and mobsters weren't even driving that car. It was regular people. I was only five, so I didn't know much about the business they were in, but I remember crying the whole way to America. It was hard to know your parents are gone and then just be shipped off to another country right after."

I reached over to hold his hand, but he reached out to hold my hand, fingers gently stroking my hand while his eyes followed his motions.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about your brother," he whispered.

I stiffened. "You knew?"

"I found out a week ago," he mumbled, still caressing my hand.

I sighed. "It's weird, you know. I had a feeling my dad was hiding something from me, and now I know what it is. I never thought I would ever have a sibling, but when I was younger, I was jealous of the relationships my classmates had with theirs. In a weird way, I'm happy I have a chance to have one."

His hand wrapped around mine and held it tightly. "I think there's something you should know," he lowly said.

"What?" I don't know why, but my heart sped up. I just knew this was something important.

"Not here, let's go home." He pulled me up and brought me to his side, and we started to make our way out of the party and into the car to go home.

~*~

"Do you want a drink?"

"You didn't cheat on me, did you?"

"What? Of course not," his eyes bore into mine and his hand gently stroked my cheek, "I would never," his eyes held such a strong gaze with mine that I was easy for me to see the truth behind his words.

I sighed in relief. "Well, then you and I have nothing to worry about," I said.

He kissed my forehead. "You still should know this,"

I let out a breath. "Why do I get the feeling this is really bad news?"

"It's not horrible, but you'll be upset,"

"At you?" I whispered.

"No. I don't know. Maybe." He struggled to find a definitive answer.

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"Because I've known about this for months," he whispered.

"Okay, you're scaring me. What could be so bad that you've been keeping it from me for that long?"

He took a sharp inhale. "You dad," I nodded, "when we were in the hospital with him, he told me something."

"What?" I whispered, eyebrows drawing together.

"Your uncle is the French mafia boss," he let out.

I didn't know what to say. I just kept staring at him until he spoke again.

"And, I did some digging and found out your father is high ranking as well."

"Oh god," my hand came up to cover my mouth, "this whole time..."

He pulled me in to lean on his chest, which I did as a single tear slid down my cheek. "This whole time he was lying to me. How could he do that?" I let out a sob.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," he whispered, holding me tightly against him.

"At least you told me the truth," I said bitterly. "How could I not know? How could I have gone through my whole life not even knowing who my father truly is?"

"It'll be okay, I promise. I think you should talk to your brother and get the answers you need."

"My brother?" I sniffled.

"He is the underboss. He would know all about your uncle and father." He explained.

"Great, he knew I have a brother too."

"I know it's a lot to take in, but it's best to know the truth."

I sighed. "I'll talk to him."

A few moments of silence passed before he spoke up.

"By the way, don't tell your father I told you. He's going to kill me. As a matter of fact, same with your brother once he finds out how long you've been living here."