by Serena Light
On their way back, Rosalie watched Arcangelo talking to Salvatore's wife as she sniffled and nodded to his words before he looked down at the two boys beside her. One of them couldn't have been any older than Arsenio and the second one was just a little babe. Crouching down, he talked to the two, ruffling their hair in good nature before they departed, leaving much later than the other attendees. Before returning to the estate, they paid their respects to Arcangelo's family, laying down flowers on their grave.
Arsenio was there to greet them at the door as they returned, hugging the two enthusiastically as they put on wide smiles for the little boy, both of them glad to see him. As promised the three of them watched Wall-E after dinner as Rosalie couldn't help but smile at the two robots, noticing something odd.
Watching that movie with Arsenio eagerly sitting at their feet as the two were cuddled in each other's arms, she realised the most powerful and passionate and successful relationships are the ones where "I love you" means that they care enough to fight for what they have and that love is enough to hold on to.
Smiling at her little realization, she looked up at Arcangelo, giving him a quick peck on the cheek, before resting her head back on his chest. After the sudden affectionate gesture, he looked down at her, placing a kiss on the top of her head before turning back to the movie.
All three of them watching it like a little family.
Chapter XXXVI: Item no#2
The air outside was glistening with snowflakes as the sun hadn't even made its appearance. The flakes fell gently against the light breeze, landing on the white blanket, accumulating one after the other as it all crunched beneath the guard's snow boots. All of them dressed in heavy coats and other protective clothing against the weather while they patrolled the grounds at six in the morning.
Arcangelo lay with his chest to Rosalie's back, both of them sleeping soundly as the duvet created a protective layer over them. It was all rather quiet until the alarm on Rosalie's phone started to ring.
The obnoxious sound had both of them jolt awake. Arcangelo blinked away the sleep, using one hand to rub at his eyes while the other lay beneath Rosalie's head as she stretched out her hand to turn off the alarm.
Generally, Rosalie would be out of bed and heading for a shower by now, and that was the very first sign Arcangelo got that she wasn't feeling like herself when she opted to remain in bed.
"What's the matter?" He asked her quietly, placing a kiss on her temple while soothingly rubbing her back as she hummed in silent appreciation of the gesture.
"Nothing," She murmured in response, snuggling closer to the blanket. "I'm just cold."
A chuckle rumbled through Arcangelo as he wrapped her in his embrace, giving her a tight squeeze as she squealed in surprise before they laughed at their antics.
"Tell me when you feel warm enough."
It didn't take more than twelve seconds--Arcangelo counted--for her to pull away and complain about how much heat he radiated that her skin was practically melting off. He laughed as he let her jump out of the bed, stretching before gently rubbing at the gauze over her sternum.
He watched her walk to the washroom to shower before he also decided to get his day started, a small groan escaping him at the ache in his rib cage as he wondered how much longer until it was all healed.
Both of them got dressed for their day. Rosalie for her classes as he got dressed to intimidate and instill fear into his 'colleagues' before going to wake up Arsenio. The three of them had breakfast in the luxurious dining hall as they talked about mundane matters before Arcangelo dropped Arsenio to school and Rosalie to her university.
Giving her a peck on the cheek, he wished her a good day as she gave him a weak smile in response.
The second indicator of something being off.
Rosalie wore her headphones as she blasted her preferred music and making her way through the crowd and to her first class of the day.
Since her friends forced her to choose between Arcangelo and them, she didn't particularly have friends to hang out with. So, she spent a lot of time alone with her music, an action that reminded her of her time as a new student, a loner and detached, completely aloof.
As she settled in a seat in the front she put away her headphones and mobile before taking out her medicine and downing it with a gulp of water, noticing a guy come and sit down beside her.
"Hiya." He greeted with a dimpled smile as she offered a small one in response. "Rosalie, right?"
"Yeah. You're Santo, right?"
"Guilty as charged." He grinned as she chuckled at his response. "Hey, I noticed something."
Instantly Rosalie looked up at him with wide eyes that seemed almost panicked.
"You don't seem to be hanging out with your friends anymore."
"Oh." She deflated, realizing that it wasn't the gauze on her chest or the fact that her boyfriend was actually a Mafia boss, but just the little notice of the lack of companionship around her. "Yeah, well we had a falling out."
"May I ask what?"
"They forced me to choose between my boyfriend and them, so..."
"That's rude," Santo muttered under his breath.
"On the bright side, there are only a couple of months left. I'm sure I'll survive."
"I'm sure you will." He grinned in assurance. "You're one tough girl after all."
"Thanks..." Rosalie trailed, uncertain on how to respond to such a comment.
Once the class started, a silence washed over the hall. Everyone listening to the professor until he dismissed them after sixty minutes of his droning. Gathering her belongings, Rosalie slipped out of the class and into the mingling crowd as she made her way to her next class.
After her second class, Rosalie plugged in her earphones and made her way to the little cafe on campus, looking forward to some nice lunch while she read a book.
Thanking the cashier with a smile, she took the trey and settled beside a window. Eating her sandwich, she flipped open her book while taking occasional sips of her coffee. When someone tapped her book, she gave a startled jump, tearing out her earphones before looking up at the grinning expression of Santo.
"Oh, hey," She spoke breathlessly and put her things off the table. "Have a seat."
"Thanks." He smiled before sitting down with his trey as well. "Sorry for scaring you."
"It's okay, I was in a bubble."
"I could see that."
Both of them chatted away during their break, realizing that they had their first and last classes together and had break at the same time as well. Rosalie got along quite well with him and they shared the same enthusiasm for a large variety of things.
He was so sweet to have walked her to her next class since his was right across the hall.
When the bell rung for their final class, they caught up in the hall, just complaining about how dry the professors were and made the lectures all so monotonous and made majority of the class fall asleep during the one hour.
Both of them just...clicked.
They grasped topics out of nowhere and kept a conversation going. Starting from something and ending up at something entirely different. Throughout their class together, they quietly passed notes to one another, giggling under their breath and trying hard not to get caught by the professor.
When the bell rung, they both waved farewell since Santo had to do something while a car was waiting outside for Rosalie.
Stepping into the frigid air, she stuffed her hands into her pocket, hunching her shoulders together while trying to keep warm as she looked around for the familiar Range Rover with tinted windows.
Seeing it standing across the street, she watched as Major stepped out of the passenger's seat and opened the back door as she approached. Settling in the back, she saw the scene outside watching her old friends laughing and hanging out with each other as they made their way through the parking lot.
A sudden pang of nostalgia shot through her as she recalled how she would spend time with them and they a
ll were her friends, but not anymore.
The car started to drive away when they were all settling into their cars; the radio was playing in the background since Rosalie requested it to be on to break the silence.
Even with the music, she just couldn't listen.
"Please turn off the radio." She muttered quietly before looking out at the scenery passing by as instantly one of the guards turned it off.
"Ma'am?" Major called out gently. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
"Do you want to get something before we go home? Perhaps a little something from a cafe?"
"No, it's alright."
Major stopped with the questions before he took out his phone, speed dialing a number before placing it to his ear.
"Yes, I wanted to add something to our discussion about the Romans." He spoke calmly, and momentarily Rosalie had to wonder whom the debate was with. "Also, Sierra and Mike will meet at the Tango Hotel, and get a bottle of German Whiskey for Romeo and Oscar at the November Golf Club." With that, he hung up.
Rosalie had to wonder what sort of debate this was but didn't think much about it before going back to her own thoughts.
By the time they got back to the estate, she was wallowing in self-pity and didn't have the appetite for lunch which had been prepared and set on the table for her and Arcangelo.
"Lunch madam?" One of the maids asked while she entered through the doors. Rosalie glanced through the open doorway, seeing a lavish meal set up.
"Not hungry." She informed dismissively before making her way up the stairs and towards the bedroom.
Tossing her bag onto the sofa, she made her way to the walk-in closet and hung up her coat and removed her sweater and shoes. Just as she was washing her face she heard the bedroom door open and knew that Arcangelo was coming.
"What's wrong?"
And Rosalie had to exhale deeply to keep from being irrational before she grabbed the towel he was holding out to her.
"Nothing is wrong."
"You're lying to me." He stated simply as she had to hold back an eye roll.
"Nothing is wrong, Arcangelo. I just don't feel like eating, that's all." She shrugged as she sidestepped him and went towards the room with him trailing behind.
"Have you eaten, then?"
"Yeah, I had a sandwich at the cafe on campus."
"A sandwich," Arcangelo echoed in clear amusement. "That was three hours ago, you would be hungry by now."
"But I'm not, so just let it be."
She watched as Arcangelo leaned against the archway of the closet, just looking at her as she took out her laptop and started it.
Sighing, he walked over to her, cupping her face in his hands before placing a kiss on her forehead. Pulling away, he looked down at the despondency in her eyes.
"You know I'm always here for you if you need to talk." He told her quietly as he caressed her cheek with his thumb. "But if you don't want to tell me what's wrong, I won't force you. Just keep in mind that my doors are always open for you."
Swallowing thickly, she nodded to his words before watching him walk out the room.
Inhaling shakily, she shook away her thoughts before setting off to work. Rosalie tried to articulate her thoughts into words and had them on her fingertips; she just couldn't bring herself to type it all up. Running a hand through her hair, she groaned in irritation over the fact that her mind just wasn't cooperating with her desire to get work done.
Giving up with a heavy breath, she closed her laptop before marching out the bedroom.
Stalking down the hall, she pushed open Arcangelo's office doors, finding him leaning back in his swivel chair with his feet perched on the table as he smoked a cigarette in peace.
"Why did my friends force me to choose?" She demanded in a hoarse voice as he sat straight looking at her in with a raised eyebrow while standing up and approaching her.
Arcangelo stared at her in surprise for a moment, before he tried to suppress a smile. Almost instantly Rosalie started to hit him as he laughed and fended her off.
"That's what's been bothering you?" He asked with a chuckle once he grabbed hold of both her hands, staring at the petulant expression she was giving him. "Why the people who weren't meant to stay in your life decided to walk out?"
"They promised..."
"Well, Vincent and I made a bunch of promises as well, you don't see us cozying up to each other now, do you?"
"No, but-"
"The people that leave your life are stupid for doing so, but you need to be smart enough to let them go because they are not worth it," Arcangelo explained. "There is no growth without change. You need to let go of some old stuff, and that can hurt."
"Life is too short to waste any amount of time on wondering what other people think about you. In the first place, if they had better things going on in their lives, they wouldn't have the time to sit around and talk about you. What should be important to you is your opinion about yourself and that's it."
A disgruntled sound escaped Rosalie as she gave up and rested her head on his chest, enjoying it as he rubbed her scalp.
"Please tell me some good news to make my day." She spoke softly, not entirely expecting anything.
"Well, in that case..." He trailed with a teasing tone as she looked up at him in confusion. "We can officially tick off the second item on our list."
"What?" Rosalie asked in astonishment, looking at him with gleaming eyes.
"The mafia is running as smoothly as ever and I have never felt more relieved about that in my life."
"Oh, my God."
"Yes." He chuckled, placing a kiss on her forehead and lingering there for a second longer. "Just a couple more things and then you'll be the future Mrs. Regnante."
Chapter XXXVII: Graduation
The day was postcard perfect, even the buses were running on time. Downtown, the skyscrapers shone silver in the morning sun and the sky was an unbroken backdrop of blue. Commuters walked like shoals of fish in a myriad of directions, not one of them in winter garb. Spring had arrived in Tuscany and for once it wasn't with a deluge of rain.
Today was a very special day for Rosalie.
She hardly got any sleep just thinking about it all with the excitement bubbling inside her.
Sitting up in bed, she grinned while looking around the room.
Over the course of a couple of months, she had given up on finding a place for herself and opted to move in with Arcangelo--something which she was already doing when she came to this conclusion. Looking over her shoulder Rosalie stared at him sleeping. He lay on his back with the sheets pulled up to his waist, exposing his torso as he had an arm thrown over his eyes, his breathing smooth and rhythmic.
Biting her lip, she straddled his lap, ensuring not to wake him with her sudden movement before she brushed her lips against his stubble jaw and molding her lips to his. It took Arcangelo a couple more kisses to wake up and register the fact that Rosalie was above him.
With a soft groan, he removed his arm from his eyes and wrapped them around her waist, holding her in place before turning them over. The sudden movement had her gasp before she smirked at the dazed expression he had.
"I could get used to waking up like this." He spoke huskily as he kissed her passionately.
"Don't get too used to it, handsome." Rosalie grinned before pushing him off her, the sudden tackle having left him defenseless before she loomed over him with a devious smirk. "Get dressed, pretty boy. It's my graduation day."
Arcangelo soon found himself dressed in a full grey three-piece suit. Adorning his sunglasses, he set out to find his seat with Arsenio while Rosalie went to rejoice with the remainder of her graduating class.
There were only a handful of people that were present and seated and Arcangelo watched as more and more parents and families arrived and took their seats, all of them here for the special occasion of their children's or sibling's -- or in his case, his girlfriend's -- graduation.
It didn't take lo
ng for the Allegro's to join.
Davide was very accepting of Arcangelo and the mother just had one concern that he keep her baby girl safe and happy. The father, on the other hand, was a little more demanding, making Arcangelo go through a series of surprise tests and getting increasingly frustrated when he passed them all. Ultimately relenting when Rosalie stood to his defense; throwing a fit at her father's antics.
Not long after their greetings to each other, the graduating class was introduced, the dean giving a few wise words before calling the Valedictorian.
"Please welcome the Valedictorian of 2008's graduating class." He spoke with a proud smile. "Rosalie Allegro."
Instantly, a round of applause erupted through the crowd while Arcangelo's heart swelled with pride and love for his girlfriend.
"When I first sat down to write this speech, I was absolutely clueless about what to do." Rosalie started with a confession. "So, like any other struggling student, I Googled "valedictorian speeches" and came up with a list of the top 10 phrases NOT to use in a graduation speech. For example, one should NEVER mention that "We'll always look back on these days" or that "This isn't the end, it's a new beginning. And finally, the number one most commonly used statement in graduation speeches across the country, "We, are the leaders of tomorrow."
It's funny though because although each of these statements ARE clichés, there is some truth to them. The fact is ... We WILL always look back on these days ..." Rosalie resumed with her graduation speech as everyone listened with wide smiles and glistening eyes.
Sitting in the middle of the crowd, Arcangelo couldn't tear his gaze away from her. So enraptured by her exuberant aura and the smile of achievement on her face. He felt his heart swell tenfold with the love he felt for her right there, and couldn't begin to imagine how her parents would be feeling.
But at that moment, Arcangelo knew, she was his, and would be his for the rest of his life. And that he would do everything in his power to keep her beside him.
After all...she was his soul mate.