Untangle Me

Chapter 50

Andrea

I have no idea how long I've been here, completely lost in different work-related things but at some point, a knock on my door snaps me out of the trance. I tell the person to enter and in comes my cook with one good smelling burger.

I love Gino.

"See your break is over. I must say, I was happy to hear you took a day off," the old man tells me as he sets my food down.

"Yeah, it was nice. Thanks for this, I would've definitely forgotten," I tell him, setting my laptop to the side to pull the food closer.

"I know." He smiles warmly, the way he always does and I return it. He's always taking care of me, at least when it comes to my diet. Even beyond that, he cares, having been around for as long as I can remember. I'm lucky to have him around.

Soon after, Gino leaves and I inhale my food. One look at the clock tells me I've been working non-stop for about seven hours. With a start, I realize Giada must be awake by now.

I decide to take a quick break to find the woman. I should probably apologize for sneaking out but maybe that way she got some more sleep.

Expecting to find her in my bedroom that's where I go only to find it empty. I try not to read anything into it and head to her room instead.

"Yes?" she yells through the door when I knock on the wood. Just like that, a small smile is playing on my lips. She doesn't even know it's me and already sounds irritated.

I adore my feisty girl.

I slowly open the door and enter her room. My smile's genuine as I walk towards her but when she eyes me quickly only to look back down at the book in her lap, something inside twists. I reach her, tilt her chin up with two fingers and greet her with a soft kiss.

She sighs against me and m nerves settle a bit.

"Good morning," I tell her.

"Not quite morning, is it?" she asks, focusing her eyes on anything but my face.

"Fair point," I admit with a chuckle but Giada doesn't crack a smile. I worry again. "Are you mad at me?" And yes, I do already know the answer to this question but I'm trying to communicate openly, okay?

Giada's eyes meet mine, her brows furrowed a bit as she shakes her head. "No. No, of course not," she says, denying something I'm pretty sure is correct. Still, I decide not to push her.

"Did you sleep well? Any bad memories?" I ask, trying to see if she'll talk to me about whatever made her whine in her sleep last night.

"I did, actually. Sleep well, that is. Didn't wake up 'till this morning. What about you? What time did you get up?"

"Four am?" I tell her, making her eyebrows raise all the way up on her forehead.

"Excuse me? Are you serious? What the hell have you been up to since then? Why wouldn't you just go back to sleep?" she exclaims, her cheeks adorably turning an angry pink.

"I felt restless so I went to work," I explain to which she huffs.

"You've been working since four am?" I have to bite back a smile at how worked up over this she's getting over this. Look at her being all passionate about me.

"A lot to do, Tesoro. I'm a very busy man whenever I'm not taking breathtaking women on dates. Speaking of which, how does dinner sound since we've missed the first two meals of the day? We could simply eat in, maybe watch a movie or go out. Whatever you want," I propose.

I have just thought of that and suddenly, the idea of simply watching Netflix with Giada sounds like the best thing this world has to offer. I mean, doing something so mundane? Something normal couples get to do all the time? The prospect of it has my chest warming comfortably.

Yeah, I could see the two of us cuddling in my bed for hours on end.

God, I sound whipped.

"Sure, I don't mind. Movie sounds good. Like old times." She smiles weakly before her attention is back on her book. Guess it's time for me to take the hint.

"Great, I gotta go back to work but I'll see you tonight. Let's say seven?" I say.

"Seven works. See you tonight," Giada echoes.

With that, I leave the room and go back to work. It's not that Leo didn't take care of everything but there's always more to do. When there are no big incidents to take care of, the little things come out of the dark.

And there are a lot of little things. Citizens complain about sketchy stuff, gangs can't stop fighting which in turn makes the police antsy. So I have calls and visits to make.

Other than that there's paperwork and emails that only I can reply to. One of which really captures my attention. My presence is being requested at a big banquet in Sardinia, Italy. My heart spikes with excitement at the thought. God, it's been a while since I've been in Italy and I'm feeling homesick.

Not for long, it seems since the banquet is in five days. That's perfect. I'll ask Giada if she'll join me, of course, and we'll catch a flight as soon as possible. She hasn't been back home since her mother died, that's what she told me. I hope she'll want to go with me. If not, that's fine but the whole trip will be a lot less fun.

Speaking of Giada and our date, judging by the scarce light streaming through the window I'd say it's time for me to get ready.

But when I check the time, my stomach drops. It's eight pm. An hour later than I told Giada I'd get her. I curse under my breath, not bothering to put all my things back to their place before getting to my feet and rushing out of my office.

I near damn run through the halls, only catching my breath when I am in front of her door. Fuck, I got the feeling she was mad before which means now she'll most likely cancel the date. Not that it's not justified. I'm a jerk for being late but it really wasn't on purpose.

With buzzing nerves, I knock on Giada's door. I hear soft footsteps before it opens, revealing the girl I'm about to apologize to. Only I don't get the chance because she talks first.

"Hi. You ready to go?" she asks, a weak smile on her face. It surprises me enough to nod silently and walk after her when she heads down the hall. What just happened? She gave me no shit? Even though this is the second time I treated her poorly just today?

What's with the passive attitude?

"I'm really sorry I'm late. I lost myself in work again," I finally say, taking her hand as we walk.

"Don't worry about it. I know you're busy," she tells me.

"That's no excuse. Is something wrong?" I ask. I don't like how distant she feels, can't stand this weird uncertainty between us.

"Nothing's wrong, really. Let's just eat, okay? I'm starving."

And so I let her drag me on.

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Double update bc I forgot to post last night:)

This is mostly a filler chapter but bear w me!! Hope you guys still like it

Have a great day<3