𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 | ❦

Thirteen - Aleksander

I went to the same place I took Scarlett to grab something to eat for breakfast. I knew they closed by 9 PM and it was just about after that, but the owner would let me in. She had to.

"How about you come out with me this time?" I suggested.

We both walked into the shop to see my Aunt counting the money in the cash register. She looked up to see me and ran to embrace me for a tight hug. "Alex, you don't come nearly as much to see me anymore. You've grown so much."

"I was here 2 weeks ago." I chuckled, hugging her back.

She finally let go of me to give me a warm smile and glance over at Scarlett. "Is she Ana-."

"No." I cut her off, slightly rolling my eyes. "This is Scarlett. Scarlett, this is my mom's step-sister, Margarita."

"Please, call me Rita." She smiled, giving Scarlett a small hug. "Are you a friend of Alex's?"

She thought about it for a minute before answering. "Yeah, something like that."

Aunt Rita gave me a skeptical look almost as if she thought I was holding Scarlett captive. "Remember the coffee and pastries I ordered that one time? When you asked me who I was bringing them for? Can I have the same order?"

She sighed, looking at the time. "Aleksander, I'm supposed to close up and-."

"I'll close up. Just bring us the order and you can leave."

She finally agreed and Scarlett and I took a seat at one of the booths waiting for our order. "Your Aunt seems nice." She finally said with a smile.

"Yeah. I've known her all my life. Although she and my mom don't get along that well, they tolerate each other." I explained. "What about you? Any close distant family members?"

She thought about it then shook her head. "My mom was an only child and my Dad's sisters don't talk to him." She said, bluntly, almost as if she was trying to hide something.

Aunt Rita finally came with our order and dropped the key on the table. "Remember!" She warned, giving me a kiss on my head. "Nice meeting you Scarlett."

When she finally left, Scarlett seemed a bit more comfortable. I didn't take offense to that. She had every right not to trust my family.

The silence between us was killing me. I miss the way things were when I knew her as Lily and she knew me as Dylan. When our family's rivalry didn't clash with our views on one another. Because the truth is, I really like Scarlett, even with our family history. I just hoped Lily and Scarlett were the same person.

She seemed to be thinking about something too. Maybe her husband or whether she should even trust me. "How do you even know Tobias?" She asked, finishing her final donut.

"I just know him. My family tries our best not to have connections with Italians whatsoever so I just know who Tobias is through research. He's a piece of shit."

Her eyes snapped to look at mine in confusion. "What do you know about him? Like what makes him a piece of shit in your eyes?"

I thought about the question as if it wasn't an obvious question. "Do you know who Tobias is? A literal rapist. Is involved in sex-traffiking and I wouldn't be surprised if he slept with the women he sold." I scoffed.

Her head seemed to be racing with hundreds of questions but I guess she settled with one. "Do you think he'd rape me too?" She asked, her voice cracking a little.

"Yes." I answered honestly, and not just so she could lose complete interest in him, because she needed to know the truth.

Her face was covered in horror and sadness. She began sobbing quietly to herself.

Never had I thought Scarlett would get this vulnerable in front of me. She always seemed so strong and almost as if she couldn't give a fuck about anything or anyone. But here she was crying because of someone like Tobias.

"I knew he'd fucking rape me. He's going to treat me so poorly and there's nothing I can do. My Dad's forcing me into a horrible marriage. I just want someone who'll protect and love me for who I am and not just my body. Is that too much to ask? Is asking for happiness too much?" She questioned, breaking down.

I got up from the seat opposite her and sat right next to her, pulling her on laps, and wrapping one arm around her waist and the other caressing her face. "Scarlett, I'd never let something like that happen to you. Fuck Tobias and fuck your Dad. I don't want to see you crying over worthless men like that. You clearly deserve much better."

"Like who!? Everyone I was supposed to marry wasn't exactly perfect for me either."

"Well," I stopped myself from finishing that sentence and decided comforting her properly is the best and smartest thing to do. "I think things will work out for you. I promise. And I would never break my promise to you." I smiled, kissing her cheek.

I picked up the tissue on the counter and handed it to her so she could blow her nose and wipe her eyes. "T-thank you, Aleksander." She sighed, resting her head on mine. "I appreciate your kindness."

We went back to the silence but it wasn't awkward, it was calming and it made me feel at peace. Because Scarlett was no longer mad at me. She trusted me with her emotions and expected me not to betray them. I was going to live up to the expectation.

She's obviously been let down by too many people in her life and I wasn't going to be one of them. Fuck, I vowed to make her happy just like she did for me.

*-*-*

I knowww, this is a pretty short chapter, but at least they reconcilled.

I have test coming up in a about 2 weeks and they'll determine if I can take my final exams so I'm sorry if updates are a bit too slow but I'll try my best.

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QUESTION: DO YOU GUYS STILL SHIP SCARLETT AND ALEKSANDER?