Just Breathe Mi Amore

Ch. 9

     No. It can't be him. I start pacing the room. What if I'm putting Dante and his friends in danger? I can't do that. I don't know what my Father is capable of anymore. I don't want to risk anything. I grab my bags and rush out the door.
      My feet slap against the stairs. My hand brushes the railing, ready to grab it if I stumble. My heart is pounding. Where am I gonna go? I don't want him to find me. Maybe I can catch a bus and go to a different city.
      I reach the bottom of the stairs, but slam into hard chest. Ouch. I bring my hand up to my nose and rub it. I look up to see Val. He gives me a charming smile. Th Salvatore's are a very attractive family.
     "Hey Dante! You're woman is trying to run away," Val yells to taunts Dante. I give him a warning look and shush him.
     "No. Don't tell him. I have to go," I whisper and shout at the same time. I don't register that he referred to me as "Dante's woman". Val's playful look turns to a frown.
      "Why are you trying to sneak out," Val starts to interrogate me. I sigh and run my hand down my face.
      "Look, I just have to go okay?" I say starting to get frustrated. Val just shakes his head no.
      "No?" I ask confused. Val doesn't respond, but grabs my arm instead, making me drop my bags. I start hitting his chest, but my small fists hardly do anything.
      "Let go of me," I snap. I continue to hit at him with my one hand. Val just continues walking into the living room despite my efforts. I'm pulled into the living room and I see Dante sitting on the couch with Lia. She lives here too? Of course she does.
     "What's going on?" Dante glares at Val's hand on my arm. Val finally let's go of me.
      "She's trying to leave," Val states in a monotone. I send him a glare. I wasn't trying to cause a commotion. I just wanted to slip out of the house and never return.
      "Paisley," Dante turns his head towards me, "Is this true?" Dante stands up from the couch. I just nod my head and look down at the ground.
      "Why are you trying to leave?" Frustration is evident in Dante's tone. I just shrug.
      "Why can't you tell me?" Dante asks. I just shrug again. Lia just keeps looking back and forth between the two of us before she finally stands up.
      "Well if you won't tell him, will you tell me?" Lia offers. Lia has been great to me. I've only talked with her twice, but each time has been very nice. She feels like a sister to me. The way she hugged me when I was crying. Alexis never even tried to hug me. I guess when Lia hugged me apart of me started to trust her. I nod my head slowly.
      "Perfect," Lia exclaims and claps her hands together, "We will be upstairs boys." Lia grabs my arm and drags me upstairs. Why do these people not let me walk on my own? I'm gonna have wrist problems from all these people tugging on me like a doll.
     "Would you be more comfortable talking in Dante's room or mine?" Lia asks. I think it was kind of her to think of me like that.
     "Dante's," I respond. Lia nods her head and we walk into Dante's room. I shut the door behind me and Lia climbs into his bed.
      "So what's going on girl," Lia says calmly.
      "I don't know where to start," I say honestly.
      "Well, why don't you tell me why you are rushing off without saying goodbye," Lia suggests. I nod my head. I sit on the edge of the bed and look at my lap. I struggle to maintain eye contact when I talk.
      "It's my Father. He scares me I guess. I just wanted to leave before you guys got tugged into my drama," I say letting out a sigh.
      "Well for one, we can handle drama," Lia laughs. Yeah I guess every family has their own drama. Although, that doesn't mean I want to add mine on top of it.
     "Why does your dad scare you?" Lia adds on.
     "He's not my dad," I snap. Lia looks at me confused.
     "My mom passed away four years ago and when she died my dad died too. He became just a father to me," I explain. Lia nods her slowly as if she's understanding what I'm saying.
      "So why did your dad make you feel like you had to leave?" Lia asks trying to put the pieces together. I just shrug.
      "Come on girl, don't start to close up on me," Lia let's out a sigh.
      "After my mother died, my dad became someone else. He started to abuse me. It wasn't until a few days ago that I ran away, but when I got out of the shower tonight I got a text. I just know it was him. I didn't want to put you guys in harms way, so I thought it be best if I just leave," I rush out. I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I can feel the tears starting to burn in the back of my eyes.
      "Wow," Lia gives me a sympathetic look, "Well, if anything your safer here. I wouldn't worry about us. We can handle it trust me." I just shake my head.
     "You don't understand. I don't know what my Father is capable of anymore," I croak out as a tear manages to leak from my eye.
     "Girl, we can handle it I promise," Lia reassured me. She moves closer to me and starts rubbing my back. The comfort is soothing. I don't know why they aren't concerned. I hope she isn't thinking she can get the police involved.
      "We should really tell Dante. He can solve this situation," Lia suggests. I violently shake my head no and look up at her.
      "No we can't tell Dante," I state firmly.
      "Why not?"
      "I just can't," I say and put my head in my hands. Lia pulls me in for a hug and continues rubbing my back. We sit in this position for what feels like hours.
      "Come on, why don't I make you bath?" Lia asks as she stands up. I just nod. While she goes to make me a bath, I lie down on my back and stare into the ceiling. My dad won't do anything. He wouldn't.
     "Okay I'll be downstairs if you need anything," Lia gives me a smile before she walks out the door. I stand up and head towards the bathroom. I take Dante's shirt off and pull my hair up into a bun since I showered earlier.
      I look in the mirror. Most of my bruises are fading. I'm happy about that. Less reminders of the past. I look at the hickey Dante gave me earlier. I forgot it was there. Just thinking about it sends a tingle down my spine.
      The bath water is nice and warm. Lia put some bubble bath in it which satisfies my inner child. I lean back and relax. I wonder if Dante would let me live here. I doubt it. He made it sound like he was just helping a friend out for a while. I start to hum a tune since I didn't bring my phone in to play music.
      After about thirty minutes, I started to get cold. I got out and dried off. Once I put Dante's shirt back on, I unplugged the drain and walked out. I can feel some of my hair that got wet seeping into the back of my shirt. The feeling is cold against my skin making me shiver.
     "Hey," Dante's voice startled me. I didn't even see him laying down on the bed.
      "Hey," I say in a shy voice. Dante sits up from the bed and pats the spot next to him. I slowly walk over and sit next to him.
     "I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Dante says.
      "Yeah, I'm fine," I respond. Dante looks as if he is trying to read my face.
       "I know what it means when a woman says she's fine," Dante snorts. I just shrug in response making him let out a sigh.
       "I'm glad you didn't leave," Dante changes the subject. I just nod my head. I look down at my lap and play with my fingers.
      "I know who your father is,"Dante blurts out. This makes my head snap up. How does he know? I look at him and try to figure out where he is going with this.
      "That's great?" I say more like a question. This makes Dante let out a light chuckle.
      "Not really. He is one of my enemies," Dante tells me. Enemy? Like enemies in the business world? I'm confused.
      "Yeah he's not a great guy," I say casually letting out a sigh. I feel Dante's eyes staring into me.
      "I have my reasons for not liking him, but what are yours?" Dante tried to get me to talk, but I just shrug in response. I'm not having this conversation again for the second time tonight.
      "I think I know why," Dante states confidently making me snort, "I can put two and two together. You flinch a lot at sudden movements. I couldn't figure out why but I think your father has something to do with it." Once again I just shrug in response. I can feel Dante's vibe change. He slams his hand down on to the bed.
      "Talk to me, goddamn it," Dante raises his voice. I flinch at the sudden loudness. I keep my eyes trained on my fingers and remain silent. Dante let's out a frustrated sigh and leaves the room.
      Not really processing what just happen, I crawl under the covers and stare up at the ceiling for a while. I grab the TV remote and turn it on. After finding something, I roll over onto my side. I see my phone lit up. It's a text from Dante. It says, I'm sorry. I just sigh and set my phone down. Here's to another long night.