His Bambina

Chapter 7

The bed dips then rises. The sound of fabric brushing against itself and uneven breathing is so quiet you can barely notice it. I'm not normally a light sleeper, but for some reason the loss of my company's presence arose me from my sleep instantaneously. I hear Vincenzo shuffle around the room, most likely getting ready for the day. I pretend to keep sleeping, not quite ready to leave the comfort of the covers. I'm not sure sir how it's possible, but his bed is even comfier than the one I was sleeping in across the hall. He kisses my forehead softly then the door quietly shuts behind him.
The rhythm of my relaxed heart beat hums through my ears. I'm suddenly very aware of how empty the room is. As if his presence, sleeping and awake is big enough to fill the whole bedroom. Now that he's left, it feels cold and empty, even as I keep my eyes shut and burry myself deeper into the blankets. Come on Aria, just go back to sleep. One sheep... two sheep... fluffy sheep. Fluffy... Vincenzo's dark fluffy hair. I suppress my giggle, has anyone told him he's fluffy. My body begins to feel giddy, usually a habit my body seems to have when I'm either truly excited or sleep deprived. Definitely the later. I try falling back to sleep, but to no avail. The clock on my phone reads 4:56. Shit... why is it so early? I don't normally sleep in, but if he makes waking up at 4 in the morning a habit, we're going to have some issues.
I grumble, dragging my lazy bones back to my room. I might as well get ready for the day if I'm not going to sleep. I shower and change into some leggings and a plain black tshirt. I quickly braid my damp hair not wanting to deal with the mess on top of my head today. My stomach grumbles. Hopefully no one is up and about, I could just grab some pastries Nico bought yesterday then eat them in my room.
I tiptoe downstairs to the kitchen. The lights are dim, but on, making me hesitate.
A thud resonates through the kitchen along with a whisper, "Putain de merde! (For fucks sake)"
The term is one familiar to me, along with the voice. Nico stands on one foot, cradling the other in his hands. His light brown curls stick out in every direction and his shirt looks like it's on backwards. Clearly he had the same hopes for a quick snack like me.
I giggle and his head whips up, looking at me like a deer caught in headlights.
"Aria? What are you doing up?"
"Couldn't sleep. You?" He lifts his cup of water and I nod in understanding. I pick out a puffy pastry and grab a knife to split it with, while Nico takes a seat.
The process goes unspoken, as we both know our routine. I set the other half of the pastry I cut on the counter and slide it in front of him. He thanks me then pulls out his phone, putting on Netflix.
The sense of normalcy washes over me. It's nice to know that even as we grown older and may be in a strange new place, somethings will never change. We used to do this a lot as teenagers. If I couldn't sleep either because of the stress of my growing responsibilities or a fight I had with my father, he somehow also had trouble sleeping. We'd find each other in the kitchen and sneak some midnight snacks and a show until we felt tired again.
With the lights dimmed and the volume as quiet as a whisper it doesn't take long for both of our eyes to feel heavy. Im. It even paying attention to what show Nico picked, but after two episodes his head is balancing on my shoulder and his soft snores become a lullaby to my ears.
I'm not sure when I dozed off, or how we didn't fall off the tall kitchen chairs, but the sound of a cough jolts me awake almost causing us both to fall.
Vincenzo is dressed ready for the day, clean shaven face, and a look that could kill. Uh oh...
"Your bed not to your liking, boy?" His voice spits out like venom making me flinch, but the boy next to me seems unfazed.
"It's just peachy." Nico stands and brushes past him to clean our dishes. Vincenzo keeps his gaze on me making me fill with an odd sense of panic. Why is so upset? He said we could treat this house as our own. He can't really be mad that we dozed off in the kitchen, can he?
I avoid his gaze and make my way towards Nicolas, "Hey Nico, I got it."
His hand rubs my tense shoulder only making me more rigid, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah! I'll catch up with you and Amelia later?" He agrees then leaves, ignoring the 6 foot 2 man glaring at him.
"Like hell you are." Vincenzo whisper yells, making sure not to wake anyone. I scoff and roll my eyes, but don't say anything to fuel the fire.
"Aria..." I finish the dishes then dry my hands, "goddammit Aria look at me when I'm talking to you."
I cross my arms and look him straight in the eyes challengingly, "Or what?"
My world is flipped upside down, literally, as he scoops me up over his shoulder. My head grows heavy as the blood rushes through me in my compromised position. He holds onto my legs tightly, and I'm sure he's tempted to drop me as I wriggle and pound on his back, "Put me down Vincenzo!"
Frustration fills me. This is embarrassing! Anyone could walk out and see him carrying me like a child throwing a tantrum. A swat to my ass shuts me up, but opens the damn of tears in my eyes. I'm so confused, frustrated, and embarrassed, it's overwhelming. And once again I can feel myself wanting to hide away from these overwhelming feeling and my world slowly becomes smaller.