Dead Flower

Chapter 27

Gregorio had finally slowed down and stopped the car when we reached a certain bridge. Just like the rest of the roads, it was only us and we were now sitting on the hood of the car, watching the beautiful sunset. “I never get tired of looking at sunrises and sunsets,” I told Gregorio as my eyes looked over the horizon, watching the sun slowly disappear, “what a beautiful ending to a beautiful day, don’t you think?” I finally turned to look at him and he looked at me at the same time. He looked down at me and gave a bit of a shrug. 

Gregorio was easily leaning against the car with his legs outstretched and his elbows being the perfect balance as he looked up at the sky. I was sitting on the hood of the car so that I could at least be face to face with him. I watched his hair move with the breeze of the wind and I was so tempted to touch it and run my fingers through it. I didn’t know how he would react though, Gregorio seemed to be the kind of man who wanted his personal space. I don’t think it’s too personal though because he did strip me naked and bath me, so I think if I touch his hair, we’ll be even. 

After much deliberation, I got the courage to stretch my hand and grab a few strands of his hair. He didn’t budge. He still looked at the sky and I got even more courage to start running my fingers through his hair, “your hair is so silky and smooth,” I began in awe as I giggled lightly, “you could be a shampoo and conditioner model,” I told him and he looked at me with an eyebrow raised before a very light chuckle made it to my ears and I felt that I had achieved something. 

“You just laughed,” I told him in a tone filled with disbelief, “I really thought you didn’t laugh, like ever but you just did.”

“I do laugh, I just happen to have a dark sense of humour,” he responded finally and I felt like I hadn’t been having conversation by myself. I couldn’t stop running my fingers through his hair, it felt amazing to feel the silky strands against my tender fingertips. 

I had gotten so lost in what we were doing and just enjoying his company in broad daylight instead of his Black House, I had forgotten the point of this all. Before Gregorio decides to call it a wrap, I decided to finally get to know him. It’s not like I haven’t already been trying to get to know him because he just told me he has a dark sense of humour. “How was work?” I asked him, but I knew that he wouldn’t give me a detailed answer. He never does. 

“Fruitful,” was all he said and I knew that it had been a good day of business for him. I didn’t want to get in deeper than I already am but I just had to, I had to get to know Gregorio and getting to know Gregorio meant getting to know his business. I had hoped that I could go my whole life without knowing about his business but it seemed that it had been wishful thinking. 

“What exactly is your work?” I began, asking the question slowly to try and get the right words to ask the question so that it didn’t seem suspicious to him, “what exactly is your business?”

I looked away from watching my hand play with his hair to his black eyes that were looking at me. I smiled at him and hoped that he would just tell me the answer, “my business is transportation. I transport goods from here to Italy and I transport goods from Italy to the US.”

“Oh yes, your mother did mention something about shipping.”

He gave a curt nod, “so, what exactly do you do? Are you like the stock manager? I know you’re like the CEO or something but what do you do?”

He looked away from me and back at the sky but he didn’t move his head in a way that would stop me from playing with his hair, “I run the whole operation, il mio fiore. I do it all.” I figured that was as much as I could get out of him because that meant that he did do it all. He didn’t need to specify, even if I wish he had.