Romeo

05| Joy Ride

***

The day wasn't going as planned for Romeo. At the very last minute, Gerard had called him to Boston for an important meeting. He had planned on taking Daniella out for a fancy dinner but since Gerard was the man who paid him, Romeo couldn't exactly say no.

The Mafia scene Romeo was familiar with was complex.  In a nutshell, it was divided into two halves because of a blood feud between twin brothers who couldn't agree on who would precede their father. The feud had gone on for many bloody years. About twenty years ago, they had come to an agreement and things were peaceful. Well, as peaceful as The Mafia can get.

Gerard, who was the eldest twin by twenty-seven minutes, owned the part of the mafia Romeo worked for. He has his base in Chicago. After he dies, his son Vitale will take over. The other and arguably less successful brother was based in New York. Why did Gerard want Romeo in Boston? He had no clue. He also had no clue what Gerard was doing outside of Chicago, he never leaves the city. What was so important that Gerard had to call him over and have a personal meeting?

Romeo packed the last of his clothes into his blue suitcase and slammed it shut. He sat down on his bed and pulled out his phone to text the girl that had been occupying his mind the past three days.

Romeo: Are you busy right now?

It was only three days since he saw her but it felt like weeks. His trip to Boston would be at least another three days. Six days without Daniella? Nope. He was seeing her today before his 9 pm flight.

He got up and walked to the kitchen. Romeo opened the stainless steel refrigerator and grabbed a water bottle. The weather outside was hot, thank god for air conditioning. For some unknown reason, he was feeling on edge and impatient today. His usually collected and calm self just wasn't there. He could feel something coming.

He was leaning against the counter taking a sip, the cold water running down his throat when he received a reply.

Daniella: My little brother wants to learn how to play football. Sucks for him because I'm no good.

An image of Daniella in a football uniform came to mind. Helmet, shoulder pads and white tights included. Sports didn't seem like her forté. The thought of coaching a little kid was not appealing at all, especially considering he was not fond of children. But this may be the only chance he had of seeing her before Chicago, so he took it.

Romeo: I'm not too bad at football myself. I'd be much a better instructor.

Ding. Her reply was fast.

Daniella: Thanks, but I'm sure I'll manage.

Romeo: I suggest you consider it for your brother's sake.

Daniella: Fine, I guess you can come.

Right after that, she sent him the address of a park. They had been texting back and forth and somehow this girl managed to put him in a good mood no matter what he was doing. Whether he was at the gym or splitting his knuckles beating up a man in a back alley, Daniella managed to make his day so much better. All with a single text.

She didn't have to tell him, Romeo knew the attraction was mutual and he knew Daniella wanted to see him as much as he wanted to see her. Without wasting any more time, he was headed for the park.

***
Daniella

In all honesty, she had been anticipating their next encounter as well. How long was on supposed to wait for the second date? She didn't want to come off as desperate so she stayed quiet and waited for Romeo to make the next move. That and she didn't want to teach Nate football on her own. She wasn't even sure how football worked, Daniella had to google the rules about thirty minutes ago and she had already forgotten most of them.