Games We Play - Round 1: Never Have I Ever (18+ dark mafia romance)

Chapter 13 & 14 (Matteo)

Matteo

Manhattan, New York, United States 2020 – January 4th, 2020

Matteo takes out a small silver box from the pocket by the door, then leans back into the seat. Valentina looks at his fingers, which are now holding a pre-rolled joint.

"Lucky how?" He asks, interested in entertaining the discussion.

He can't figure out whether she's joking or being deadly serious, because she didn't even flinch nor ask questions when he told her the police let him go free for clearly punishable offenses.

Valentina watches him light up the joint. "Getting to go free when you get caught doing illegal stuff." Her phone vibrates and she looks down to check her screen, losing her train of thought.

Matteo cocks his head, watching the hair fall over her eyes. "How would that account to luck though?"

He sees Isabella rolling her eyes because she knows that if Matteo is good at something, then that's carrying an argument and seeing it all the way to the end.

He takes a few drags and then looks at Valentina expectantly. "Hello?"

She looks up from her phone. "Right, sorry. What did you ask?"

"What makes me the lucky one in this whole situation? I'm curious."

"The right... circumstances."

Matteo raises his eyebrows and passes her the joint. She takes it without looking down and continues. "Knowing the right people, at the right time."

"That type of luck is made."

Valentina tilts her head and frowns. "Is it your case though?"

Isabella snorts and Matteo looks at her, annoyed. "Maybe not." He's not going to explicitly tell her about how his father probably has the police on his payroll.

"What are you even talking about?" Isabella chimes in, looking between the two of them. "You're chatting legit nonsense."

Valentina hands her the joint. "Join us then."

Matteo looks down at his phone, zoning out but smiling.

***

Utica, New York, United States 2020 – January 6th, 2020

His father calls him on video a quarter after midnight. He was just about to fall asleep, and it's not nothing if he's getting a call so late.

"Fuck. Fuck." He hisses and stands up properly in his bed.

He switches to the App on his laptop. "Yes, hello?"

His father is sitting in his office chair calling him on a private software their company had installed a few years ago for all its members. He looks tired and half of his shirt is unbuttoned.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to sleep."

He's at their apartment in Utica, which Matteo uses when he attends classes.

"Are you in the city?"

"No, I have classes tomorrow." Matteo sighs, knowing damn well his father sometimes checks up on his attendance. Usually at the beginning and end of each semester.

"I talked to the chief of police today. You're cleared of everything. It never happened."

Matteo remembers how Valentina seemed to understand that some people could actually get away even if they're caught doing illegal shit. "Why didn't we get arrested?"