𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗔𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥 ⚔︎

8

upon their return to new york, they informed eddie about their meeting with the infamous lucien lyon. they spent almost an hour filling him in, all three taking their turns, but giovanni could not remember most of it. it all seemed like a blur to him — it had not felt real, just like a dream. not necessarily a bad dream, however. he was glad that he could slow down and take it easy now that they were back in the city.

just a day later, chantelle had set off to the airport again, this time heading to the bahamas with johnny for their long-awaited honeymoon. she had left the house in a hurry, her suitcase bursting at the seams, while johnny waited for her beside the taxi.

"so, did it go smoothly?" eddie asked, leaning against jesse's bedroom doorframe as he watched him unpack his clothes.

"smoothly enough," jesse answered, shrugging nonchalantly. "we got strip-searched and accused of being rats, but other than that, it was a good time." he looked at giovanni, who was just walking in from their shared en-suite. "wasn't it, giovanni?"

giovanni nodded. "it was a very nice time. marseille is a beautiful city."

"well, i'm glad you boys enjoyed yourselves," eddie said. he frowned. "who the hell accused you of being rats?"

the boys exchanged a look. jesse spoke. "just some asshole. his name was vincent."

"vincent who?" eddie urged. "did he have a last name?"

"not that i can remember," jesse said. "but he did have a flattop, and a crooked nose. oh, and he had a face that..." he grimaced. "well, only a mother could love."

there was a glint in eddie's eyes: a glint that neither of them liked the look of.

"hm," was all he said before leaving the room.

during the days that followed, chantelle's absence around the house was greatly noticed. she was bound to be away for a whole week and a half; even longer than the time she had spent with the boys in marseille. giovanni had noticed that eddie and jesse had been arguing a lot more than usual, as she was no longer there to diffuse it. the father and son were like two flames when they fought, and she was always their bucket of water, their aid waiting on the sidelines, waiting to jump in and splash everybody with sense. giovanni guessed that she was probably worrying about them, despite being eleven hundred miles away. but she deserved some time away from her father and jesse — she loved them both very much, but at times, it was exhausting to be around them, especially when they were at each other's throats.

meanwhile, eddie finally opened his hotel to the public. the glorious le diamant, on the corner of west 48th street and 5th avenue. tonight, a fantastical party was to be held in the hotel's lobby and bar.

in the late hours of tuesday afternoon, jesse hopped onto his motorcycle, clad in a smart, wide-lapelled, double-breasted dark blue pinstripe suit by ed locke, a white armani shirt, and a pale blue silk tie. he wore a pair of sunglasses on top of his styled head of russet hair. he turned his head to giovanni, who was stood on the front porch, the other man watching him with a clueless look on his face.

"do you wanna ride with me?"

giovanni gulped, staring at the harley. he too was dressed in a sophisticated suit for the evening ahead. they looked like a pair of well-to-do yuppies. "well... are you sure?"

"of course i'm sure," jesse said. "are you scared?"

"of the hotel opening? no, i'm not. it's just another party—"

"no, you idiot," jesse laughed. "the bike. are you scared of it?"

giovanni quickly shook his head. "no."