Eve Black

Chapter 23

"Hello, Eve," Enzo smiles at me. I watch as the realization hits Igor and he begins to panic. I watch him tense and look around for an escape but there isn't one. Enzo blocks the only way out.

I hear the gunfire ring out all around me. I watch Enzo fight my father. I patiently wait in my cell as Enzo knocks him out and lets me go. I hug Enzo and hold him tightly. He hands me a gun right as more Russians run in.

"Boss!" The one on the right exclaims when he sees Igor.

All three raise their guns to fire but they are too slow. I shoot the one in the middle and Enzo shoots the other two. We shut the door and throw Igor in the cell and lock him up.

I immediately collapse on the floor, exhausted from never sleeping or eating for over a week. I watch as war brews outside the door. Men running back and forth and firing shot after shot.

I see Enzos lips moving but I don't hear him, all I hear is the constant ringing in my ears. My eyes are tired and I try, I try so hard to stay awake.

As my body is about to give up Enzo opens the door for someone. Matteo. With my eyes half-closed, half-open, I see Matteo's worried, tired face. His beautiful green eyes have dark bags underneath them. I don't understand why he is here, why he looks so tired. He said he doesn't need me so why worry about me, why save me. Again I see his lips moving but hear nothing. I reach out to touch him, feel his warmth, make sure he's real, but before my hand gets to him my body gives in to the heavy exhaustion and the darkness consumes me.

***

My hearing comes back to me first. I hear a girl sobbing. I hear a constant beeping of a heart monitor. I hear muffled low voices speaking in concerned tones. Next is my touch, I feel a pillow beneath my head. I feel pain throughout my entire body, indescribable pain. I feel someone's small, warm hand, on my own hand. I begin to lift my eyelids. The bright lights all around me blind me and I blink a couple of times to get used to the light.

"I told you it could be anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of years. We just don't know. It's only been a couple of days. We have no way of telling when she will wake up." That must be a doctor. I'm in a hospital.

"I think it will only be a week." I croak.

"Eve!" Rose, whose hand was on mine, stands up from the chair she was seated in next to my bed and throws her arms around me, "I'm so glad you're awake. I was so scared."

"Aw. Rose, I love you, I'm not leaving you that easily."

She hugs me tighter. I look around the room to see Enzo and Matteo. I watch as Enzo lets out a huge sigh of relief. Matteo tries to look at anything but me.

"I'm glad your okay Eve. You gave us quite the scare." Enzo smiles warmly at me.

"I am going to go get you food what do you want?" Rose asks me.

"Just water for now, but make sure to get yourself something to eat too."

"I'll go with her." Enzo and Rose leave the room song with the doctor who just finished checking my vitals.

That leaves Matteo and I. I look down at my feet, then my hands, then the ceiling. I feel his intense gaze on me.

"I-I'm so sorry Princess." It comes out as barely even a whisper. I think he may even be crying, "I didn't mean it. Every word I said. I didn't mean it. I do need you. I need you more than anything in the world. You have shown me how to be happy despite the awful life I have lived. You showed me how to open up and to love someone, even when I wanted not to. Eve, I'm so sorry. If I didn't say those things you would've spent the night at the ball with me and you wouldn't have been kidnapped. I can't imagine what they did to you and it's all my fault." By the time he finishes talking he is in fact crying.

I moved to get up but he quickly rushes over and stops me. Instead, I shift over and pay the spot next to me for him to sit, "It's okay," I whisper, my voice is hoarse from the past events, "I forgive you. I need you to Matteo. You are the only reason I'm still fighting to stay alive. You keep my nightmares away and you gave me a real family, real friendships. I understand why you said the things you did. Please just know you can talk to me, tell me how you feel. You don't need to shut me out. I'm not leaving, I won't stab you in the back."

Matteo lays his head on my chest, I run my hand through his hair. I lay my head on his head and take in the smell of him. We lay like that for a little while in silence as Matteo calms himself down.

"Princess?"

"Yes, Matteo?"

"I," he pauses, "I think I love you."

"I think I love you too Matteo."

"As my 16th question, I want to know if you will be my g-girlfriend."

"Matteo, we aren't to the 16th question yet."

"Yeah, I know. But we are now."

I sit there and think, not about my answer, I know what my answer is. I think about how hard it is for Matteo to ask me that question. I think about how his only ex-girlfriend, a girl he truly loved, stabbed him in the back. I think about how strong he is and how far he has come.

"Of course I will be your girlfriend." I kiss the top of his head.

Matteo POV:

I lay there with my head on Eve's chest. I think about all our past memories and how well I've gotten to know her over the past couple of months. I realize there is no one else I would rather be with than her. I realize I love her. As much as I may try to shut her out and to never fall in love again, she still manages to get through to me. I love her.

"Princess?"

"Yes, Matteo?"

"I-I think I love you." I did it. I conquered my one and only fear.

"I think I love you too." I feel her smile and her heart rate increase.

I don't know what question we are on so I make up a number, "As my sixteenth question I want to know if you will be my girlfriend?"

"Matteo we aren't on the sixteenth question."

"I know, but now we are."

Eve stays silent for a little bit. Now it's my heart rate that increases. I don't know why. She said she loves me so she must say yes to being my girlfriend right?

"Of course I will be your girlfriend." She says as she kisses the top of my forehead, "With on condition."

"What's that?"

"Your room is now our room."

"Well, I assumed that was a given." I smile into her chest.

"And one more thing."

"Anything for you." It's true. I would do anything for her.

"Can we kill every single Russian?" she says so innocently I laugh.

I wrap my arms around her tightly. "I will personally kill every single one of them. I love you."

"I love you too," she says into my chest.