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

Chapter 14 & 15 (Valentina)

Valentina

Hamilton University, New York, United States 2020 – February 6th, 2020

Matteo drops down on the chair next to me, looking exhausted. I know it's him because no one else would just sit down all up in my space like this.

He's wearing a black hoodie with the hood pulled over his forehead.

"You're not wearing sunglasses right now."

He sighs and takes them off. His pupils look that way they get after a night of partying.

"Where did you even go out on a Wednesday evening?"

I notice his hair is curlier than usual, the tips of it bending out over the edge of his hood.

His eyes fall on the phone in my hands. "No book today?"

I didn't bring my book today because he went through it last time (and made jokes about the spicier scenes he sawwhen he flipped through it), despite my protests.

I try to keep my face straight as I answer. "No."

He grins. "You're embarrassed of what you read?"

My mouth parts. I'm not ashamed – not really. I'm just uncomfortable when people read it aloud to me. What I read is like a window into my soul and there are parts of it that I'm not comfortable sharing.

"No." I huff.

He grins even wider, eyes moving to the door before his face does.

Professor Birkin enters and the first thing I see is that his pants are unzipped.

Matteo notices too because he looks back at me and motions over to the front of the room. I nod and watch as he catches Birkin's attention by waving at him. He points to his own crotch, then back at Birkin.

I don't even watch the man's reaction because my eyes are still on Matteo's hands. He's got two rings on his left one.

Once the class quiets down and Birkin starts talking, Matteo crosses his arms over the desk and goes to sleep.

***

Hamilton University, United States 2020 – February 13th, 2020

I bring my book to the seminar next week, as a sign of protest.

Not sure against what.

He doesn't show.

***

Manhattan, New York, United States – February 15th, 2020

The club is already packed when I get there - a little before midnight because Adrik took too long for once and not me (when I asked him who he was getting ready for, he told me to mind my own business).

The two girls at the entrance don't ask to see my ID this time – I guess Vinnie must've talked to them like he said he would. They wrap the VIP bracelet around our wrists and shoots us fake smiles as they tell us to have fun.

I find Isabella and Raisa at the usual table, and Adrik disappears by the time we start talking about boys.

"Isaac's here." Raisa informs me and nods over to the table adjacent to ours.

Isabella steps closer, looking intrigued. "You know Isaac?"

"We went to the same middle school in Moscow. He was a year older than me, and I used to have a crush on him." I quickly summarise.

The whole conversation seems irrelevant to me. He's replied to some of my stories on Instagram ever since we saw each other on New Year's and even tried to ask me out on a date a few weeks ago, to which I said I had to study.