I amble over to the intercom.
“I have a delivery for Eva Brenton,” a man’s voice crackles through.
“Okay, I'll be right down.” While turning to retrieve my shoes, I glance towards Alice. “When did I order anything?”
She shrugs.
After stuffing my feet into my Converse, leaving the laces loose, I scurry down the stairs where I'm greeted by the silhouette of a slim man on the other side of the door.
I open the door and a great gust of wind whistles down the street, seeping through the gap I've created, chilling me to the bone. The man, dressed in forest-green overalls with a matching coat, stands hunched over, protecting a bouquet of lilies within his hands.
“Eva Brenton?” he asks.
“Yes,” I squeal. “Are they for me?”
My eyes flicker from the flowers to the man's face, only to discover his eyes and nose peeping over the black scarf. His windswept, chestnut hair draws across his eyes, though not by choice. Another gust of wind howls down the street, causing the man to shrink within his coat. Without a word, he delivers the flowers into my outstretched hands before scuttling away.
I kick the door shut while bringing the lilies to my nose and inhale their sweet aroma.
Who would send me flowers?
I find a small, white card, protruding from between the lilies. The hummingbird beats her wings once she acknowledges who sent them.
Angel,
Are you still thinking about me as much as I'm thinking about you?
Love,
Angelo
A wide grin spreads across my face as the hummingbird flutters around her cage.
He loves me! I exclaim to myself over and over.
While hugging my flowers close to my chest, I skip back up the stairs to find Alice leaning her hip against the breakfast bar, hiding her bright smile behind her hands.
“You knew, didn't you?” I ask the moment I close the door behind me.
She unveils her face, allowing the exuberant glow to emanate. “He also asked me what your favorite flowers were.” She arches her eyebrows. “Do you still believe he doesn't love you the way you love him?”
I cradle my lilies like a sleeping child. “Maybe he does, a little.”
She heaves herself from the breakfast bar. “Call him. Thank him for the flowers. And put it on speaker phone so I can listen. Hand me the flowers and I'll put them in water for you.”
She holds her hands out for the bouquet.
After another moment, I allow her to accept my precious gift before skipping to my room.
A sudden invasion of butterflies penetrates my stomach, causing my hands to quiver. Why am I so nervous? This isn't the first time I've spoken to him. Although, it is the first time since discovering his true feelings for me.
As the shivers intensify, I perch myself on the edge of my bed before disturbing my phone from its slumber. With trembling hands, I find his number, yet hesitate to call him.
“Will he be awake?” I call to Alice.
“It's only us who are lazy and do nothing before one. Just call him already.”
I take some deep breaths to calm myself. Logically, I know that it’s just him. The same man that I trust with my life, and the man that I can laugh and joke freely with. But still. Somehow it’s different now. Everything’s out in the open.
“Hello, angel,” he says in a smooth voice.
A nervous giggle emerges. “Hi. So, you didn’t think I was embarrassed enough last night? You had to send an embarrassingly large bouquet of flowers today too?”
He chuckles. “You’re welcome. Do you realize how happy you made me last night? Finally showing me how you feel?”
A wide grin spreads across my face and I chew on my lower lip.
“Baby, I’m thrilled to hear from you, and I’m sorry I need to cut this short, but I’m a little busy. Unless it’s urgent, can I call you back?” he asks.
“Sure, no problem,” I say, tucking my hair behind my ear.
“Shouldn't be longer than an hour.”
“Okay, we'll talk then.”
“Bye, angel.”
The quivering remains, even after returning my phone to the nightstand.
“So?” Alice asks, startling me.
I glance over to my door to find her leaning against the frame with her arms crossed, wearing a wide grin.
“He's calling me back.”
She heaves herself from the doorway and ambles over to sit beside me. “Yeah, another annoyance with the mafia. Work always comes first. Don't worry, though. He'll make it up to you.” A sudden burst of excitement emanates from her as she turns to face me, clasping onto my arm. “Oh, my gosh. I just realized something. We can double date now!”
I giggle. “Shouldn't he ask me out first before we arrange double dates?”
“Oh, come on Eva. Even you know that's a minor detail. Angelo's crazy about you. He sent you flowers. This is his way of asking you to date him.”
No longer can I contain the expanding glow from within as it bursts from me. I join in with Alice as we jiggle and dance on my bed, accompanied by an outburst of laughter.
As the hours pass by with no call from Angelo, the euphoria I experienced with Alice diminishes. Alice could only ease my anxiety for so long with stories of her time with Mario. Another hour passes, inviting further trepidation to saturate my mind.
“Could something have happened to him?” I ask. “Does Mario do dangerous jobs?”
A hand flutters to my mouth and I chew on a fingernail.
Alice cradles my free hand within hers. “We don't talk about his work, but this is normal, I'm afraid.”
I curl my legs up onto the sofa as I release an anguished sigh. “I know this was wrong of me, but when Angelo was away for three days, I found something in his office.”
“In other words, you were snooping through his things.” She grins.
“Whatever. The point is, I found one of his shirts with blood on it. He also had a gun in a box. Clearly, he's doing something dangerous.”
Her face softens and she sighs. “Babe, they're in the mafia. I know it's difficult but try to think of him as a club owner and he's in a business meeting. It's how I deal with my worries for Mario. But I get it. For the first few months, I expected to receive a phone call telling me he was dead. All the worrying made me sick and it'll happen to you if you let it.”
The chime of my phone brings a little comfort. I pull it out of my hoodie pocket and stare at the screen.
A pair of frozen hands grips my chest, extending their icy fingers to wrap around my spine and spread throughout my body, causing me to quiver.
“Who texted you?” Alice asks with concern in her voice.
I twist my hand to allow her to read the name.
“You've got to be kidding me!” she exclaims. “What does Patsy want?”
“Can you read it?” my timid voice asks.
She accepts the phone, though the relentless quivering in my hands intensifies.
While she silently reads the message, I scrutinize her face. Her once benevolent features fill with animosity, intensifying my apprehension.
“What did she say?” I whisper.
An anguished sigh escapes her lips as she lowers my phone to her lap. “John told her about your date, though he failed to mention he attacked you. Apparently, you left marks on his face and she's livid about it and never wants to speak to you again. Maybe the stupid twat needs a wakeup call as to what kind of friend he is.” She lowers her gaze and mumbles. “Unless she’s in on his perverted need to rape women.”
A hand flutters up to the bruise on my face as I recall the attack. While in the house, I expose it, finding I forget its existence around Alice. However, the very mention of the attack encourages my insecurities of the new mutation to surface, causing me to liberate my hair from my hairband and allow it to cascade around my face, concealing the bruise from view.
“Can I read it?” I ask her.
&nb
sp; “I already deleted it,” she says.
I gaze at her through my lashes. “You won't tell Angelo, will you?”
She grazes her face with her hand. “No. Though I think you should. Can I at least block their numbers?”
“Yeah, of course. It's for the best, right?”
Instead of answering, she taps away on my phone before handing it back. “Don't worry, babe. They'll never bother you again.”
By four o'clock, Alice has readied herself for work. She promises to keep her phone with her, just in case John or Patsy find a way to contact me. Ordinarily, her excessive worrying aggravates me, but after receiving John's threatening text message and now Patsy's enraged one, I find it comforting, knowing she would drop everything to come to my rescue.
The moment the front door closes behind her, I gather my phone and amble over to my bedroom to collapse on my bed and stare at the ceiling. Finding I can no longer abate the fear of losing Angelo, I send a simple text message.
Is everything okay?
Within seconds, my phone rings, purging all fears from my pores.
“Hey, angel. I'm sorry it took longer than I expected.”
I smile. “It's okay. I understand you're a busy man.”
“I'm all yours now.”
The hummingbird flutters wildly around her cage. I'm all his too. “Thank you for my lilies.”
“Oh, you liked them?”
“I love them.”
“A little bird told me which ones to buy. So, are you?”
I furrow my brow. “Am I what?”
“Thinking about me?”
A hot blush stains my cheeks as a giggle emerges. “Always.”
He releases a light chuckle.
The sound of his Shelby's engine roars.
“Are you driving?” I ask.
“Yeah. Just finished a job and on my way to Frankie's for Christmas.”
“But we still have two days before Christmas Day.”
“My family starts early. What about you? Any plans?”
“No, it's just me and Alice.”
“Sounds like a lonely Christmas.”
I draw my hair from my face to tuck it behind my ear before resting my hand on the flat of my stomach. “Actually, I'm excited. We're having our tree and decorations delivered tomorrow. We have a chicken instead of turkey with potatoes and veggies, and a chocolate cake for pudding.”
“Cake's not pudding.”
“Oh.” I giggle. “My British is showing again. Cake for dessert.”
“Oh, okay.” He chuckles. “I love that accent of yours.”
Another blush stains my cheeks, accompanied with a curve to dance along my lips.
“Are you ready for the New Year's Eve party?” he asks.
“I can’t wait.”
“What are you wearing?”
A giggle creeps up my throat and escapes. “Excuse me?”
He laughs. “For the party.”
“Oh, probably my red dress. Why?”
“So we can match, of course.” He sighs before the sound of young children babbling filters through the phone. “Baby, I'm sorry to cut this short. I'm at Frankie's now and I have three little kids at my door.”
I giggle. “Yeah, I can hear them. Well, have fun.”
“You too.”
As the phone slips from my hand, I roll onto my stomach and bury my face in my pillow as the excited giggles emerge.
No longer do I fear rejection or isolation for Christmas or New Year’s Eve. This year, I will spend it with my best friend, my new family, and the man I love, who loves me too.
After slipping into my scarlet dress, I amble over to my full-length mirror and tuck my hair behind my ears to inspect the bruise. Though it doesn't appear as purple as it was two weeks ago, it still resembles the size of a small country and covers most of the right side of my face.
In the reflection, I watch Alice stroll into my room, carrying her cosmetic case. She's already dressed in her emerald-green dress and has styled her hair in glossy ringlets that cascade down her back. After setting the case on my bed, she turns towards me.
“The bruise is healing nicely isn't it?” she remarks.
“If you say so,” I mumble, concealing it behind my hair once again.
“Does it still hurt?”
I turn towards her. “It's still a little tender.”
“Maybe I can hide it with some makeup.”
A curve graces my lips at the thought of finally being able to disguise the monstrosity with something other than my hair. “I'll endure the pain if it means hiding this ugly thing.”
While Alice prepares her beauty products, I climb onto the bed, curling my legs to the side of me, while leaning on my palm. As I scrutinize her features, I notice she's only applied a light layer of silvery eyeshadow and pink lip gloss.
“Alice?” I ask.
“Yeah?”
“Why haven’t you worn much makeup?”
She pauses with makeup brushes in her hands and gazes at me. “What do you mean?”
I tuck my hair behind my ears. “Well, since the attack, you haven’t used much.”
She smiles as she lowers her head, allowing her hair to cascade around her shoulders. “This may sound dopey, but I've done that for you.”
I furrow my brow. “For me? Why?”
She looks at me through her lashes. “I know how insecure you are about the bruise, so this is my way of helping you feel better.”
I raise my hands to cover my mouth, hiding the widening smile. “Oh, Alice. You're the best friend anyone could ask for.”
She wraps her arms around me. “I can say the same about you. Thank you again for my dress.”
“That's the hundredth time you've said that now.” As I lean away from her, I witness the glow emanate from her face as she admires her dress.
“If you manage to cover the bruise, will you redo your makeup?”
She glances back at me. “No. I don't want to outshine my dress.”
I giggle. “You're so silly.”
Though she wasn't completely successful in concealing the bruise with makeup, she disguised it with a minimal use of my hair this time. After curling my hair into glossy ringlets, mirroring hers, she swept my hair across my brow and secured it behind my ear with a clip. She applied a light layer of foundation to minimize the intensity of the various shades of purple, before using shimmering purple eyeshadow on my left eye, as she had done before.
“It's the best I could do. If I add too much foundation, I think Angelo will end up wearing it too when he kisses you,” she explains.
A hot blush stains my cheeks. The thought of him kissing me never crossed my mind.
“You really think he'll kiss me tonight?” I wonder.
“Oh, please, Eva. He's been dying to for months.”
A timid smile slinks across my lips as I lower my gaze to my fumbling hands.
“We should call a cab now or else we'll be walking to the club,” she says, storing her accessories away.
The club is alive with guests when we arrive. I cling to Alice’s arm as she guides us through the crowd. She leads us towards Angelo’s table and when I behold him, a kaleidoscope of butterflies flutters around my stomach.
He twists in his seat to watch me. He smiles, allowing the creases to emerge around his mouth and the corners of his eyes.
He rises from the sofa to envelope me in his arms. “Hello, angel,” he murmurs.
I nestle closer to him, absorbing his warmth. “Hello,” I say, followed by a whirlwind of girlish giggles.
I glance up into his warm, ocean-blue pools. The corners of his mouth hitch up.
“Everything okay?” he asks.
I bite my bottom lip, containing the foolish giggles, and nod. He glances over his shoulder.
“Mario, I’ll be right back,” he says as he releases me.
The warmth of his hand finds mine, lacing our fingers together, and he leads me back into the sea of people.
&n
bsp; It’s too dense for me to see our path. I stay close behind him until we emerge from the crowd with the office door only a few feet away.
The butterflies return as I anticipate his intentions. A smile spreads across my lips as he leads me inside the office and the nervous giggles return. I slap my hand over my mouth as I try to contain them.
Silence imbues the room as the door closes. Though my heart soon starts hammering in my ears. I wonder if Angelo can hear it too.
He leads me towards the desk and leans against it, guiding me to stand between his legs. He rests his hands on my hips before encircling them around my back, drawing me closer. From here, we’re the same height.
“Hi,” he says again.
“Hi,” I say, with the ever-increasing smile on my lips.
I run my hands along the lapels of his jacket and drape my arms around his neck. The warmth emanating from him devours me and, for the first time, I don’t have to feel guilty about it.
He chuckles and chews on his bottom lip before turning his face away.
I furrow my brow. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” he says. He lowers his head before gazing at me through his lashes and whispering something in Italian.
Now I’m the one to chew on my lip and lower my face.
With a tender hand, he draws the hair from my face, securing it behind my ear. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispers.
I look at him through my lashes. The hummingbird flutters around her cage and my breath becomes heavy. “You’re pretty handsome yourself,” I whisper.
As he gazes at me, I find I’m lost to the world. The love I have for him swells within my chest. I hadn’t noticed him leaning closer until our noses kiss, sending a bolt of electricity throughout my body. I moisten my lips with the tip of my tongue.
“Eva,” he whispers.
“Yes?”
“Are you sure?”
I lean back and furrow my brow. “About what?”
As he lowers his face, he sighs. “About this. About us. It’s wrong for me to involve you in my life.”
Twisted City: (Twisted City Book 1) Page 30