Niccolo Fierri [Book #2]

Chapter 30

For some reason I was really nervous. I kept fidgeting with the sugar packet, my knee bouncing up and down under the table. My eyes kept drifting to the door, and then to the clock on the wall in front of me. 7:55 in the morning. Gabby will be here any minute.

"You okay Autumn?"

I tore my eyes away from the clock to look at Leah. She sits down in the seat across from me, stuffing her notepad and pen in the pocket of her bright red apron.

"Yeah. It's just that my sister is coming and I haven't spoken to her in awhile. So I'm kind of nervous. Actually, I'm very nervous."

"Just take a breath." I suck in a deep breath, and exhale out through my mouth. "Better?" I nod. I could feel myself beginning to calm down. My leg wasn't shaking anymore, and I put the little pink packet back with the other sugar.

Leah stands up to take her leave. But before she returns to work, she gives my shoulder a comforting squeeze. "I'll be nearby if you need me. Just holler."

"Thank you," I say, smiling at her.

The little bell hung above the Cafe door rings, the door hinges creaking as the door opens and closes. Gabby walks in, her dark eyes flickering to me.

I straighten up in my seat, my shoulders tense and my palms sweaty. I watch her closely as she approaches me and takes a seat.

"You didn't eat yet?" She questions, her facial expression stoic. Despite the lack of emotion in her eyes, she hasn't stopped rotating the wedding band on her finger since she walked in here.

She's just as nervous as I am.

Oddly enough, that eases some of my nerve. I relax my shoulders, slightly slumping down into my seat. "I was waiting for you," I reply.

She smiles at me, a change in her eyes, in her mood. She stops fiddling with her ring. "I missed you hermana(sis)."

Mirroring her wide smile, I reach across the table to cup her hands. Her hands are soft and cold like they always are. She's always cold. It doesn't matter that the sun and humidity outside could strike you down with a heat stroke.

"I missed you too."

Pulling back, Leah stops by the table. She eyes me with concern, and I give her a nod to let her know I won't be needing her to rescue me after all.

After ordering, Leah disappears in the back, leaving Gabby and I to catch up. I had so much to tell her. Both good and bad. She's going to freak when I tell her about what happened with Sin.

"So, how have you been?"

"I'm not homeless yet," I joke.

I'm expecting her to send a glare my way or frown like a disapproving mother. But to my surprise, she laughs. My sister, the saltine cracker actually laughs.

It was beautiful to hear and only made me laugh harder. By the time we were finished laughing, the other tables around us were wondering what was so funny.

"I think they hate us," Gabby whispers, leaning in and giggling.

Leah brings our order of French fries and oreo milkshake to the table. Two blue silly straws peek out of the glass. Thanking her, Gabby picks up a fry and takes a bite, while I lean in to try our milkshake.

Flavors of Oreo and Vanilla explode in my mouth. I don't realize I've consumed half of the delicious treat until Gabby's snatching the glass and complaining about me being greedy.

She hasn't changed a bit. We haven't changed a bit.

Laughing, eating and joking together. Gabby tells me how fun marriage has been for her so far. I was glad she was happy. It's all I've wanted for my sister. Zayne's a good guy, and I couldn't have asked for a better person to keep my sister smiling.

"What about you?" She asks. "Have you stopped being a whore?"

"Stopped?" I laugh in her face. "Being a whore is who I am corazón(sweetheart), and that's never going to change. But to answer what I think you're asking: yes, I've found somebody."

She squeals in her seat, flailing her arms like an excited toddler in a candy store.

"But you're not going to like who it is."

She drops her arms at her sides, and frown wiping the smile from her face. "Who?"

"Niccolo Fierri," I tell her nonchalantly, grabbing a handful of the golden fries and shoving them into my mouth.

Her eyes grow wide, her jaw hung open and a look of utter disbelief written all over her tanned face. "You have got to be kidding me," she finally says after an awkward moment of silence.

She's staring at me, waiting for me to tell her it's a joke. I just stare back at her, continuing to silently shove handful after handful of fries into my mouth.

When my hand shoots out to grab the milkshake, she jerks it out of my reach. "No, bitch. I hope you choke, because you have lost your damned mind."

I roll my eyes. "I love him," I tell her honestly.

"You lo-" She chokes on her words.

Look who choking now, puta(bitch).

"Autumn, you can't be serious. He was your sworn enemy like- yesterday. And how do you know he feels the same way?"

I know she's trying to reason with me with my insane ass. I tried that myself. It's why I denied it for so long. I realized I had feelings when I learned it was a possible chance that I may never see him again.

Those feelings grew overtime as I began peeling back those layers he's worked so hard to build around him. I'm finally starting to see the diamond embedded deep down inside the core of his rough, cold, short-temepered exterior.

And my God is he beautiful.

"Because he told me. And I believe him."

If she's reacting like this, then I probably shouldn't tell her everything that's been going on. I don't want her having a heart attack over what will never been deemed as her fault.

The person to blame is Sin. And I hope he rots in prison for the rest of his old ass life.

Gabby's voice softens. "I know I'm always giving you a hard time, Autumn." She looks down, sniffling. "I just want to make sure you never have to go through what we went through as kids ever again."

"I know. And I won't. As crazy and toxic as this is, I know he's the one. I just know it," I tell her with a smile, my heart racing.

She's smiling now. "As long as he keeps that smile on your face, then you have my blessing."

Standing up and slipping out of the booth, we wrap our arms around each other, melting into one another.

"Aww, isn't this just adorable. I love family reunions." We pull apart at the sound of Leah's voice. She's standing before us with an accomplishemed smile on her face. We all laugh, and I shake my head. She focuses on me.

"Word on the street is that you cuffed Niccolo Fierri." She leans in, a curious glint in her eyes. "The man is a psychotic sex god," she hums with a lick of her lips. "Tell me, how in the hell did you manage to get him to settle down?" She staring at me like it's truly a mystery she wants to uncover.

I lean in, whispering in her ear. "I just gave him a little taste."

Her eyes enlarge, knowing exactly what I was implying. She smiles at me, marveled by my revelation. "You little freaky fuck. I love you."

"What a coincidence, that's what he said," I tell her with a smirk and a wink.

Her mouth drops open. "Marry me?"

"Aren't you taken?" I question, glancing over her shoulder at her girlfriend working the front counter.

"And?"

We are all laughing now, drawing even more attention to ourselves. The entire Diner probably hates us now. And did I care?

Nope, not at all.