Unmatched Love

by Mary Nixon

  "You should have just given me the keys. There was no need for violence. The only person I want to hurt is your best friend."

  He spoke so slowly and most of what he said seemed to pass through one ear and out the next.

  He violently yanked the knife out and I fell on my knees my hand finding the deep wound he had inflicted on me.

  He pushed me and I fell flat on my back as I started choking on my blood. When I looked up, I found myself staring up the nozzle of a gun.

  I couldn't move, I felt almost lifeless that I barely felt it when he shot me in the chest.

  I could feel my life slipping by as at that moment the faces of the people I loved the most flashed through my mind.

  I was coughing, choking and I recalled a time when I had gotten so drunk I threw up at Erma. She had lay me on my side. She had taught me that laying on my side will keep me from choking. I rolled over with every last bit of energy I had and heard my Agera speeding off.

  I reached for my phone and placed it next to me.

  "Call Bianca."

  I waited as the voice command took a few seconds to call her.

  A shiver ran through me, it was getting very cold. My vision was slowly fading. If I was to die, then her voice is the last thing I want to hear. The only thing I wanted to take to the grave with me.

  "Tony?" She answered and I managed a small smile.

  "Bianca, Bianca, its so good to... to hear your voice." I stuttered with difficulty.

  I was starting to heave, fighting to breath so that I could have this last moment with the woman I love.

  "Tony are you okay?" She asked.

  "I lo-love you." I managed to say before it got dark and silent.

  =================

  Chapter nine: Close call

  Bianca's POV

  I hated suspense.

  Suspense was what was killing all of us as we paced up and down the waiting room.

  I had met Tony's friends in the worst of circumstances.

  There was Cole Michael. The tall handsome dark haired hazel eyed man. He was consoling Erma; a woman who was supposedly like a mother to Tony.

  Cole Michael was unusually calm.

  Then there was the scary one, Bruce. He looked tormented but nonetheless troubled. Something was definitely eating him up.

  There was the mysterious man I was pacing to and fro with. Each time my eyes met his pale blue eyes, I shivered slightly.

  Jacobolas Bale was not a stranger. He constantly graced business journals and magazines. He was one of the most wealthiest men alive rumored to be worth over fifty billion. He was a heart throb just like Tony but the look he was giving me was accusing.

  I had flown back to London the moment I had received Tony's call. I had abruptly met these people who were apparently the only people my boyfriend considered family.

  "Why are you here?" He asked abruptly catching me off guard.

  I studied his face and saw the serious frown he had. The others were now looking at us.

  "I'm here for Tony."

  "At what capacity? Who are you to him?" He questioned.

  I shrank back in fear. He was intimidating.

  "I'm his girlfriend." I spoke in a small voice.

  His cold pale blue eyes almost boarders a pale grey. It was an unusually alluring color that got me staring and speechless.

  "You better

  be worth his time because I swear if I find out you are with him for all the wrong reasons, I will make you regret the day you met him."

  He dragged out his words and spoke with a voice so low on meant for my ears.

  He left me feeling more insecure than I have ever felt my whole life.

  I was thankful when the doors to the theatre swung wide open and a young doctor stepped out. He had honey blonde hair and a pair of soft light brown eyes.

  His eyes met mine for a second before he focused on Jacob. The rest stood up as we all formed a somewhat semicircle facing him.

  "Well?" Jacob demanded impatiently.

  Erma touched her son's shoulder and his gaze softened.

  "I have bad news and good news." He began uncertainty in the depth of his eyes.

  "Start with the good news piqueno." Erma urged him.

  "The surgery was a success, Tony got lucky. The bullet missed his heart by an inch or so."

  "And the bad news?" I asked wondering what was making the doctor so gloomy.

  "He lost a lot of blood. I had to resuscitate him three times during surgery. He's bleeding internally and there is little we can do to stop it. The next few hours are critical." He spike solemnly as silence dawned in the private waiting room.

  I felt my knees growing weak at the thought of losing Tony. We hadn't known each other for long but I had grown fond of him. It was hard not to love James Lyons.

  To love him?

  I loved

  him?

  No.

  "I know you guys would want to be hopeful for the best but let's keep a realistic view as well. Tony may not make it through the night."

  I saw panic in Jacob's face as he rubbed the back of his head.

  "I can't lose him. I just lost my wife, I can't lose my little brother Ferrer. You make sure he doesn't die!" He ordered Ferrer.

  The doctor nodded as Erma broke down speaking in fluent Italian. I watched Jacob consoling her as they broke into a full Italian conversation.

  I was just about to walk away when a hand caught mine.

  "Bianca, right?" Cole asked.

  "Yes. I need some air."

  "I'll accompany you. You shouldn't be alone right now."

  I couldn't refuse the company.

  We walked in silence for a moment in the garden outside the hospital.

  "I'm sorry about Jacob. He can be intense." Cole apologized.

  "Is he always like that? So unfriendly?"

  Cole laughed softly.

  "Actually he's the most friendliest person I know. He's a cool guy, or at least he used to be."

  "Used to be?"

  "Yeah. After his wife died, he kinda died with her. That guy you saw in the waiting room is a stranger to us all. Its like something else took over his body. Trust me when I say we are all walking on egg shells around him. But I know he'll be back to his old self sooner or later."

  "How can you be so sure? Sometimes life moulds us into monsters, darker versions of who we really are."

  "I'm sure he'll be fine sooner or later. Life doesn't always have to mould us Bianca. We

  control our own actions and in extension our future. The past should never dictate the future."

  "Your quite the optimist."

  "My twin sister is the pessimist. She's the one with all the negative energy." He said with a short laugh.

  He didn't loom stressed. Its like he was on a happy pill that made his world sunny all the time.

  "You should pass your positive energy to Jacob." I teased him.

  "Its stormy on his side of the world. You can't rush healing grief. He'll be fine. In the meantime, we are all here for him."

  "You're a good chum."

  "We all are. He doesn't hate you in case you're wondering. He is just very protective of Tony." He said. "Back in high school each time Tony started a fight he couldn't win, Jacob would always finish it. No one ever crossed Tony because they all feared Jacob would rain his wrath on them. Those two are inseparable. Try and understand that he is just finding a way to vent."

  That much I had noticed.

  "Besides that, you are like an intruder in their relationship."

  "What do you mean?"

  We stopped and sat on a stone bench facing a water fountain.

  "When Jacob married his wife, Tony wasn't pleased. She took all of his attention away from Tony and insisted Tony was a bad influence on Jacob. You are making Jacob feel like he's sharing Tony especially now that he feels alone in this world. Tread carefully, don't be the reason they fall apart."

  "Jacob's wife was something."

 
; "Yeah. She was an enchanting woman but very devious. A green snake in the grass. Jacob was seeing stars when he was with her and he married her within a few months

  of knowing her. None of us could question him except for Tony and he got a lashing for it."

  "He must have loved her."

  "Deeply."

  "I don't know how to assure him that I'm not after Tony's wealth." I confided in him.

  "If you're not, you have nothing to prove. What matters is that Tony loves you and you love him."

  And there it was.

  It was expected that I love James Lyons.

  "You look torn." He pointed out. "Something you want to talk about?"

  "I think I love James Lyons."

  The moment I spoke the words, my heart felt lighter.

  "Love is not something you think through Bianca. It's something you feel. Its either you love him or you don't. There's no in between."

  I just stared at the man wondering how high his IQ must be or maybe he just always knew what to say and when to say it.

  "I have to make an urgent phone call but if I were you, I'd tell him the first chance I get."

  He left me to my thoughts and I decided that I didn't want to keep quiet about my feelings for James Lyons.

  I found my way back to the private waiting room reserved for anyone coming to see Tony.

  Jacob was all alone staring at the ceiling. There was nothing interesting about it other than the crown molding.

  I sat beside him and placed my hand on his though startling him out of his thoughts. He gave me an unwelcome glare before removing my hand from his thigh.

  "Don't touch me." He said flatly. "Ever."

  No doubt he hated me.

  "I'm not here to cause any problem." I began.

  "What do you want?" He asked impatiently.

  There was no way this man could ever have been friendly at some point of his life.

  "To tell you that I'm not with Tony for the money." I decided to be as blunt as he was.

  "Then why are you with him?".

  "Because I love him."

  I surprised myself with my bold admission. Jacob raised one eyebrow at me and I watched a fleeting smoke escape his handsome face.

  "Bianca, I have nothing personal against you. You need to understand that Tony is my little brother. I would do anything for him even if its forcefully removing you from his life. So I hope you mean what you've just told me."

  "I mean it. I love James Lyons."

  He didn't say another word after that. He engrossed himself on his phone typing away. I noticed the background picture on his screen and smiled.

  It was a baby girl with pale blue eyes like his. She also had his dirty blonde hair.

  "Is that your daughter?" I asked hoping he wouldn't ignore me.

  "Yeah. Her name is Madeline. She's four months old. Can you believe she is sitting up on her own?" He said with a smoke that lingered for a while.

  "She's beautiful. She has your eyes."

  "Yes she does. Tony is jealous though." He said as he finally looked at me. "He wants a daughter."

  I paled and Nic caught it. His smile faded.

  "I'm guessing you two haven't talked babies yet."

  "No."

  "Good luck with that. When he wants something he gets it." He told me with a serious face.

  A moment of silence passed and I decided to head towards the private room Tony was in.

  I wasn't allowed in but I gazed at him from the glass window. He was a mess. It was the first time I was seeing him since I returned from Prague.

  Tears stung my eyes and I blinked away furiously at how bandaged up he was. It was not fair what those brutes had done to him.

  "Can I see him?" I asked the nurses.

  "I'm sorry but only immediate family can be allowed in."

  I didn't wait a second later. I ran all the way to the waiting room and found Jacob still texting.

  "Jacob they won't let me see him. I need to see him."

  I was frantic and crying and I didn't even know where it was coming from. Jacob reacted almost immediately taking my hand and dragging me along towards the private room.

  Without asking for consent, he opened the door and gestures me to go in.

  "Sir, she's not-"

  "She's his better half. That is enough for me. Go ahead Bianca."

  I walked in giving him an appreciative gaze and he smiled softly.

  Once I approached Tony, I broke down completely. I couldn't stand the thought that I would lose him at any moment.

  I brought my hand to his dark messy hair and straightened some stray locks. His face was bruised, his chest and abdomen bandaged.

  "Hey baby, please don't go just yet. We just met. I just realized I love you. Please, stay." I spoke softly as I squeezed his hand.

  I placed my head on his shoulder and listened to him breathing. I slowly dozed off and holding on him tightly hoping I won't lose him.

  =================

  Chapter ten: Marry me?

  James Lyons's POV

  There was someone squeezing my hand and with each squeeze came something wet on my shoulder. I felt some softness on my skin.

  I tried to open my eyes when I heard a familiar voice but I was so tired; my eyelids heavy.

  "Don't go just yet-"

  I didn't want to leave her but sleep slowly consumed me.

  *

  The pain was immense. It was not like anything I've ever felt before, not even like the pain I felt when Jacob broke my arm when we were younger fighting over a girl.

  I finally managed to open my eyes and images of what happened flashed back. Getting stabbed and shot in a parking lot as my Agera was stolen.

  I winced in pain when I realized I couldn't move any part of my body other than my head.

  My head tilted slightly at the weight on my shoulder. A mess of sun kissed blonde hair covered me. She was warm and her breathing even. She smelt sweet and I instantly tilted my head closer.

  "Bianca." I called her softly but she didn't hear me.

  She probably slept like a log.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw a pair of blue eyes gazing at me. He smiled slightly and stood up walking towards me.

  "You scared me baby brother." He spoke softly. "We haven't left this room all night. Mom has been praying all night at the chapel and you know she is not that religious."

  I wanted to laugh but the pain I was in didn't allow me to even wince without faltering.

  "Are you okay? How are you feeling?" Jacob asked.

  "Can you move Bianca from my shoulder? I'm in

  a lot of pain."

  He gently pulled Bianca up and a plastic container fell on the floor.

  "No wonder she's not waking up. She's pumped up on sleeping pills." Jacob informed me as he carried her to the couch and set her down.

  He walked back and placed his hand on mine.

  "Next time, when someone wants your car give it to them. Okay? Your life is more important."

  "I was beginning to wonder when the scolding would come." I joked as much as I couldn't laugh.

  "Its not funny Tony. Ferrer says you gave out three times during surgery. So per favore, if you have no regard for your own life have some for mom and I."

  "You know me, I couldn't just hand them the keys."

  "It's just a car. I'll get you another one."

  "It's a rare car." I reasoned with him.

  "I'll have another one custom made for you. Just promise me this will never happen again. If it does, I'll personally kill you with my bare heads if it's a death wish you're after."

  A small smile escaped us both. But my attention wandered to Bianca.

  "How is she?" I asked Jacob.

  "She was just as worried. You scared her."

  "I thought I would never see her again. I love her."

  Silence followed as Jacob watched me keenly. Love was something neither of us had anticipated would happen but we both had fallen in love
. Jacob had lost the woman he loved but mine was here with me.

  My close brush with death had made me realize how short life can be. I wanted to make Bianca mine.

  "I love her. I want to marry her."

  "Are you sure?" Jacob asked. "She's only twenty one.

  She still needs to... grow."

  "She can grow with me." I countered.

  "Tony, you can love her, date her but marrying her is not a good idea. You two have known each other for what, four months?" Jacob argued his point out.

  "Look at the pot calling the kettle black." I said stubbornly. "You married Margaux's within three months. You didn't give a damn who was opposed to it. Now you're inflicting your self righteousness on me?"

  Jacob's eyes narrowed and he scoffed bitterly.

  "It's not the sane thing. I loved her and she loved me."

  "I love Bianca and my love is enough to sustain us both. I'm marrying her and you can support me or not but I'm marrying her."

  As I spoke I began to get feeling back into my body. I tried to sit up as Jacob watched me struggling. He was probably cursing me mentally in Italian.

  He grabbed my hands and pulled me up.

  "Be careful, you don't want that wound to open."

  We turned to see the dark haired woman smiling affectionately.

  "Mom, thank you for coming. Jacob was just about to kill me." I joked.

  Neither of them laughed.

  "Too soon, I'm sorry." I apologized.

  She kissed my forehead and examined my face. She looked tired as she sat on the edge of the bed.

  "Look at what those brutes did to your brother Jacobo. You have to do something."

  "Bruce and I are working on it."

  "Good. We can't let this go unpunished." She added before kissing my cheek. "I was so worried my baby boy. I'm glad you're okay now."

  She wanted to hug

  me but my wounds wouldn't allow it.

  "Now, why would Jacobo want to kill you?" She asked with a brilliant smile.

  It was my turn to grow serious. At that moment, Bianca suddenly sat up and stared at me bug eyed. It tool her a moment before she blinked and walked towards me.

  Her emerald eyes teared up as she held me by the shoulder. She leaned down and kissed my lips in tender slow kiss.

  "You're awake."

  "Yes love I am. I'm here and I'm never leaving again."

  "Promise me that?"