Playing The Risk - Book One in The WSU Series

- Chapter Sixty-Two -

"Mamma, i miei voli domani."

I've always known Alex could speak Italian but whenever he does it, it never fails to amaze me. The girls are coming round in a bit so we can have a 'going away party if you will. "Capisco, si..." His accent is thicker than normal, "devo andare." He rolls his eyes before sitting on the armchair by the window, "ci vediamo domani. Ti amo." The second he hangs up he releases a massive breath, "fucking hell." His accent returns, "that sounded intense." I lean back into the couch.

"Italians are intense." He rubs his forehead, "I swear I get a headache every time."

"When's your flight?" I know Alex is going back to Italy he tries to go back three times a year, Christmas, Spring, and Summer. "Tomorrow—" he checks his phone quickly as it lights up with a notification, "10 am." It seems like everyone's leaving this year, I'm going to Paris Thursday, Kian's going back home on Saturday, and Alex is leaving tomorrow. Me and Ele are only going for two weeks and then I'll drag her along to see my family.

Make appearances and whatnot.

"Good thing about having parents so far away— they can only connect you via phone." He holds it up to show me the many notifications piling up which I can only assume are from his family members. "You're lucky there." He laughs loudly, "my parents can still find a way to connect me." His family owns a bunch of businesses in the part of Italy he's from. They are rich— European rich.

"Where's Hayden?" I ask while checking the new message he's just sent.

HAYDEN - What times is the party again?

ME - Six

HAYDEN - Cool

Alex stiffens at my question, "you haven't heard?" He continues, "I guess you could say Olivias confessed how she feels and now Hayden won't leave her side."

Shit.

"How do you know?" He looks up from his phone as if he's just gotten caught, "Liv told me." He shrugs before returning to whatever's now on screen, "Liv told you what's happened?" I put emphasis on the word 'you' I know they're close but not close enough for her to tell him how she feels for Hayden before Hayden. "I was over at her apartment talking to Lizzie when she and Ele got home from the mall— I asked to talk and then..." he trails off by getting distracted by his phone again.

"Alex..."

I lean forward placing my elbows on my knees, "do you like Liv?"

He stops typing but doesn't dare to look up, "you do, don't you?"

Alex barely ever hooks up with friends and when he does he falls deep for them— hence why he's only ever hooked up with one girl's best friend before, ages ago. Until Liv. "Don't say anything to Hayden." His voice is calm but his breathing is anything but that. "Alex..." He gazes up making eye contact and I finally take a proper look— he has bags under his eyes, they're slightly red too, and his hair is more of a mess than normal. "It's not a big deal." Looking at him now I would disagree, he looks torn.