Survivor

24 > "You can't lose something you never had."~Gerardo

The house was buzzing dinner time, the ladies bustling around to prepare the food, the men talking about whatever men talk about and the cousins going out of their way to mess with one another.

I never thought I'd say this, but the noise, the noise was nice. I had become accustomed to silence over the years and the usual hustle and bustle of people going about there day used to annoy me, but at this point the noise became my home.

The twins bickering every morning, Mia's annoyed groans at being woken up, Toni telling us about his plans for the day, Nicole checking to see if we were set for school, Giovanni making random conversation to add to the mornings, Leo occasionally cracking a joke or two, Enrico's stern greetings, Ales fussing over me and even Dante just being his grumpy self.

The noise is now apart of my life, the silence of an empty apartment long forgotten.

I was laying on my bed, watching a few dancing videos when I heard a knock on my room door. I furrowed my eyebrows trying to figure out who was knocking at my at 10 in the night.

Before I could reply, a familiar face stuck his head around the door, peeking into my room. He must've assumed I was asleep considering I had switched off my phone in record time and was laying so still, one would think I was dead.

He turned on his heel about to leave when I called his name out, "Gerardo?"

He paused, his back tensed as he anticipated his next move.

"You awake?"

"Well I wouldn't be talking to you if I were asleep, would I?" I answered his question with one of my own.

"Touchè."

He opened his mouth to speak but stopped seemingly struggling to get out any words.

"Never mind," he mumbled and was about to leave again when I stopped him.

"No, hey wait." I called out, sitting up in my bed and crossing my legs so that I was seated in a cross legged position.

When he turned around to face me again, I patted a spot on my bed inviting him to have a seat. He crossed over the 10 feet or so that were separating us and perched himself on the edge of my bed.

"So..." We both began at the same time and looked up with wide eyes immediately indicating the other should go first.

"Oh please not a repeat of the Cereal bar. " I told Gerardo, laughing lightly at the memory of both us reaching for the same milkshake.

"Yep, once was enough." He agreed and surprised me by laughing.

"I actually wanted to speak to you about something, or rather what happened earlier, but since you came here you can go first." I told him.

"You sure?"

"I wouldn't have offered otherwise," I replied and gestured for him to start.

He looked stressed, his eyebrows furrowed as he nervously chewed on his bottomed lip. Safe to say, I have never seen him this worried. He always seemed so put together, so cold barely showing any emotion except for anger and disdain.

"I was only 3 when you were born, but I was the happiest 3 year old on earth. I had a baby sister, a princess, someone who's knight in shining armour I could be just like those countless bedtime stories dad read to Rick and I every night," he spoke his head down as he picked at my duvet.

"I had already began dreaming about playing countless games with you, watching you learn how to walk and was already protective of the little girl growing in Jennifer's stomach. I remember promising dad that I wasn't gonna ever let you get hurt after I fell from the kitchen counter once," he narrated chuckling at the memory.