Romeo

17 | Regrets

Regret; knowing exactly where everything went wrong but being helpless to the fact that it happened in the first place.  How could he? Or better yet, how could she? Blindly giving away her trust to him. The butterfly's in her stomach and the feeling in her chest triumphed logic at the time. She wanted to say everything about him was a lie. But in reality, she looked past the clear red flags. She felt sick to her stomach.

The smell of her mother's cooking didn't have its usual effect on her. Daniella was sitting in her parent's living room, watching the storm unfold outside. The cold winds and icy rain seemed like nothing compared to the storm brewing inside her.  She was still in disbelief. Romeo had called her a few times but she ignored him. She wouldn't be surprised if he lied about his name too. Who the hell is named Romeo.

At first, her initial thought was to lash out, drive to his apartment and demand answers. Maybe even slap him once or twice.

But, when she had finally cooled down and explained the situation to Jade, Daniella realized what a horrible idea that was. If he was a criminal- and she had no doubt about that- then it was best to stay away. Even if Romeo didn't steal the artifact, he definitely wasn't innocent. She should want nothing to do with him. Bruised knuckles, scars on his body, new and fresh, how could he be innocent? There was something going on behind the scenes and as much as she was curious, Daniella wasn't going to stick around long enough to find out.

Smart. She's supposed to be a smart girl and she knows right from wrong but why did she feel so.. wrong while doing what was right? There was something about him. Something that she latched onto. And Daniella latched onto it like a leech. 

There was no doubt in her mind that she wouldn't be able to go back to normal guys. Not after the experiences, Romeo gave to her. She loved all the danger that came with him even if it was... dangerous. How ironic.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." She mumbled under her breath. Her cheeks heated from embarrassment as she remembered all the things he had done to her on the kitchen counter. Before the girls went to sleep that night, Daniella had scrubbed that particular spot on the counter down with soap and water. Her anger had physically fueled her until the spot was squeaky clean.

He had a way of making her surroundings disappear and her mind go fuzzy. But at the end of the day, she had no one to blame but herself. Taking in a deep sigh, she fought back the tears forming in her eyes.

"Danny, what's wrong?" Nate was trying to push his finger through her knit sweater. She pulled away from his hand and said smiled sweetly at him. He had recently lost his front teeth and now had a slight lisp which only made him more adorable.

"Nothing, baby. Come on, let's help mom in the kitchen." Why should she sulk over Romeo when she has a perfectly good family who deserves her attention and love?

She walked into the kitchen with Nate on her hip. Her mother was in front of the stove, stirring a pot.  She looked over her shoulder, her short hair was styled in a bob that swished around her shoulders and neck as she moved.

"Come, sweetie put Nate down and heat up the tortillas." Daniella's father, who was from Mexico, had passed down his cooking skills to his family and Daniella was grateful. Even now they went out of the city, to her grandparent's cottage and had monthly cookouts.

"Wait there a second," Her dad came whistling into the kitchen with a camera in one hand. "I want to take a picture." He aimed the camera at Daniella and Nate, who were sitting beside her and snapped the picture. After the flash went off, he looked at the tiny screen smiling to himself.

"Look at how fast they grow Gina, just yesterday Daniella was chasing squirrels with cooper." Her mother laughed and Daniella noticed tears glistening in her eyes.