Lorenzo Cassano

Just one kiss

"What?"

"I asked if you were all right?" Lorenzo pointed out breaking eye contact and looking anywhere but at me.

"I'm fine," I said lying down and looking up at the ceiling.

"You're lying," he said to me, which caused me to shiver. I sat up and sighed deeply feeling my shoulders move up and down at a steady pace.

"What would you know?" I asked, doing an imaginary procedure with my fingers without looking at him.

Lorenzo nods his head in disappointment as he says, "I'm a mafia leader and you're a shitty liar"

I chuckle at my attempt to lie, but it turns out I was a pretty good liar, Lorenzo just recognizes me more easily than anyone else which I couldn't understand why.

"Stop avoiding the question"

"No, I hate him," I sniffed looking at Lorenzo who was looking at my hands and not at me.

"I don't think you hate him," he said tapping his fingers on the desk one by one.

"You a mind reader or something?" I asked sarcastically but Lorenzo just rolled his eyes. Now look who doesn't use their words.

"I do I haven't seen him in years and he couldn't even answer a single question of mine" I cursed clenching my fists.

"You don't hate him, you could never hate anyone"

"Perhaps you're right" I replied with a deep stern look sprawled across my face.

"Why do you do that with your fingers?" Lorenzo's eyes follow the movement of my finger.

I stared at his perplexed face and replied, "Oh, it's just something I do to calm myself down"

Does he really want to know how I am doing?

"Why do you ask me if I'm okay?"

"I'm going to be your husband, might as well play the part princess" Lorenzo explains before heading out.

Was he actually concerned about me or just pretending? Something about his face showed sincerity.

_______

A few hours later, Lorenzo appears at my door and tells me to come down for dinner, but I don't want to go.

I saw a half-naked redhead come out of his room earlier and I don't feel mad; I just feel weird for no apparent reason. Maybe it was the cheap bottle of wine stain on the floor or the smirk on her lips but I was ticked off.

Since this is an arranged marriage, he's free to sleep with whomever he wants, so technically I don't have a say in anything he does.

After closing my eyes and throwing the blanket over my head, I told him, "I'm not hungry"

I can barely rest my eyes when Lorenzo tugs my blanket from my body and before I have time to protest, he picks me up gently and begins to take me downstairs.

"It wasn't a question," Lorenzo grumbled, wearing a grim expression while carrying me.

The two of us, along with Carlos, are sitting at the table.

"Hi Carlos," I say with a smile as I greet him.

"Hey Fawn"

"Eat carina" Lorenzo orders me and I follow it because I might just get thrown in the basement if I don't. He doesn't seem in a bad mood.

There was a lot of silence at the table, but mostly awkwardness. I would glance at Carlos and he would do the same. The tension was through the roof.

As soon as I finished, I went to bed, but the moment I saw Lorenzo, I went up to him to ask one last question.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"What?" he hissed in a frustrated tone, and I clearly was preventing him from doing something. He seemed to be more annoyed than usual.

"Am I allowed to return home as a doctor?" I asked, thinking about the possibility of not being a doctor.

I could not stand it.

His response was a blunt "no" without any indication of care or empathy, not like earlier anyway.

His behavior seems to have remained the same.

My father and he can both go to hell because they earn as much hatred from me as possible.

"Babyyyyyy", chirped a voice from his bedroom, and I realized what I've been keeping from him is her.

It did not surprise me, but it did disappoint me and maybe it hurt me.

"Anything else?"

"No"

"Good, fuck off then," he says, turning and walking into his bedroom, closing the door behind him, slamming it in my face. I don't know if I should feel disgusted or sad.

Then, I sigh and head to my bedroom to see Carlos sitting on my bed, which was a pleasant surprise since I thought he was mad at me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I sat down beside him. His eyes seemed to land right on my lips making me want to retaliate a bit.

Every time I'm with anyone else besides Lorenzo, I instantly feel different like no one here knows me.

"Just checking to see if you're okay," Carlos said while cupping my face pulling me closer towards him. My stupid self let him.

"Carlos? What are you doing?" My smile vanished as I became confused by his sudden behavior.

"You're drunk", I told him, smelling alcohol all over him. No wonder I smelled an unwinding smell that I couldn't put my finger on.

"Just this once", he mumbles, pulling himself closer to the point where his lips almost touch mine.

I beg him "don't!" as I pull away from him and simultaneously push him away.

Not because I didn't want to, it's just because it isn't right and not because of my marriage, but because I wouldn't want to kiss a drunken person.

If it led somewhere else, I would not be ready for it.

"Per favore," Carlos hesitantly replied and just waited until I said yes to his request.

I guess it wouldn't hurt if I tried just once, plus Lorenzo did it, so why can't I?

As I nod my head at him, he pulls me into his arms.

As Carlos slowly pressed his lips against mine, I felt tears from time to time the saltiness managed to escape into between our kissing, but I didn't mention it.

I understood why he was crying. He would never be able to do this again. He would have to bury whatever feelings he has for me.

It was not by his own initiative that Carlos pulled away, but by Lorenzo's grip.

I see only anger in his eyes as he throws Carlos against a wall without looking back.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Lorenzo screams at Carlos before punching him in the face.

Carlos was covered in blood from just one punch.

Since Lorenzo was going to strike him again, I ran ahead of Carlos to take the beating myself because we were both wrong.

Lorenzo pulls me up from Carlos but he does not let go of me.

"Go before I put a bullet through your skull." Lorenzo threatens and Carlos runs out closing the door behind him.

"Okay, just do it," I say closing my eyes waiting for him to punch me.

"Open your fucking eyes I don't hit women," Lorenzo states, and I open my eyes to find his fists clenched.

"I don't understand why you're so mad at me"

Unless I want to live, his eyes tell me to stop talking.

"That's not the fucking point"

"Then what?" I yell at Lorenzo and feeling very enraged at his hypocrisy, I push him by the chest, which surprised him.

"Do you want to die amore?"