Simone Valentino

~~~25~~~

We quickly moved back to Simone's place, because it was bigger and more comfortable, and we barely had anything we needed that far away from Brooklyn. The house was so comforting, coming back to somewhere so familiar. So like Simone.

The Sunday had been long and tiring and I was ready to lay down but as I walked down the hall I heard something coming from Simones's door.

I walk down the hallway to hear grunting from behind Simone's door and something rustling.

"Amilia oh god w-"

"What the hell are you doin-" I threw open the door before I could think, some new emotion crawling through my veins to find Simone throwing sheets around, looking under his pillows, all the guns off of their racks and in a pile. "Who the hell is Amilia?" I ask, my face a little red.

He stood up straight and looked at me with shock for a moment. then smiled.

"My favourite gun. Giovanni gave it to me. Have you seen it? Pearl-handled revolver, A m i l i a scratched into the side." he gestured with his hands to make a small gun shape and my jaw opened a little. I silently pulled out the gun I assumed he meant out of its holster under my dress, holding it out to him. His face breaks out into a wide smile and then he glances at me. His face changes and I see something bad brewing in his eyes.

"So how jealous were you of my not real one night stand?" He raises his eyebrow, chuckling.

How did he know?

"I wasn't jealous! what do you even mean?" My cheeks burn and my face is red. He notices this and spins around to place his guns back on their hooks. But not before I noticed that he was smiling so much his dimples showed, and he didn't seem to be able to stop. His ears were a little red and I could see him smiling from the side of his face. His button-up shirt was tighter than usual and I could see the detail of the scars on his back. the way his arms looked as he would reach over his head to place a small gold gun into its place. his hair was gelled back but not well and stray hairs fell on his face. my face was still red and was still here. Why haven't I left yet? why did I come here in the first place?

I know. It's why I'm so worried when he's doing "business" and why seeing him in pain makes me so upset. I stare at him and feel the small wall between me and my feelings crumble

fuck

"Simone. I- I hate you." Pain breaks out on his face. "I hate you because even though everything about you scares me," he's facing me now, "Even though being with you terrifies me. I love you." His face goes bright red. His careful composer disappears, and he reaches out to me, slowly. As i stand my ground he moves faster, his warm dry palms cup my face and he bends over to my eye level.

"Nora." My heart flutters, his breath smells like a crisp autumn evening. "Elanore. I... Me...." He pauses, looking for the right words. "Since I met you ive learned that my arms are only to protect you. My skills are only to keep you safe. My.. collection," He stomps his foot and swiftly moves his hand to catch a tiny knife that flew up from his boot, then threw it into a wall, all without looking away from me. "The guns, the weapons." He points over to the gun wall. "They are so I may one day hope to make you 100% comfortable, without the worry my life might bring." he touches my face again, moving my hair from my face. "Because I love You. All this is so one day you can be happy, carefree and safe in the future."

my jaw literally drops. I assumed he felt Something towards me, the small moments helped me build that theory, but the fact he might like me the way I like him? Felt almost unreal.

We just stand like this in silence for a while, an understandable amount of time. His heart was racing in his fingertips and mine was in my throat.

"I love all of you." I finally say. "All the scars and the scary stories and how you laugh when you tease me. And the bump in your nose and-" He puts his finger to my lips.

"Look while I love the compliments ive waited a very long while to do this if you wouldn't mind." His hand moves back through my hair and he kisses me.

I feel his light afternoon stubble on his chin in my hand, and how the taste of cigarettes is in his mouth, but in a good way. How the gel in his hair feels. he then pulls my face away from his, stares at my eyes, and I notice something.

His eyes move like a storm, winding and spinning like the wind moves them.

He then simply pulls me into a hug.

And something about how only my hands can touch after wrapping them around him, how he smells, or how he's kissing my hair. But something makes me feel so, perfectly safe.

Hello everyone. This is in fact the end of this book, but not the end of the story. I do have plans to release a sequel to tie up all the loose ends, but in the meantime, I will be realising an epilogue and probably future one shots. Me and two friends took about a year to write this (Due to a painful amount of procastantion) so I hope you enjoyed it.