ROMEO (book 1)

61. ROMEO

Delilah made a range of different food from the help of mom and Asher. She learnt Chinese more fluently while she was away, so she was talking to Asher in Chinese. About stupid stuff, I picked up Chinese quickly, I'm fluent.

Then she dishes everyone's food out. We eat. I wanted to talk after but she gets distracted. She builds legos with Emilio, then mom and Ilaria take her upstairs to paint nails and do makeup. She came back down looking as beautiful as ever. Her and Matteo were happy the entire time, she made sure to include him in everything and confiscate his alcohol off him, which I know mom appreciated.

She didn't pay attention to me.

Or at least, I'm saying she didn't because her attention wasn't fully on me the entire time.

She was reading the twins a book again, like before, like nothing even happened. One either side of her, Emilio was falling asleep and Alessio was intrigued with the story.

I watch her.

Mom stands beside me, "You tidied your bedroom."

"I told Alessio if he does it, I'll buy him a new hamster." I look at her. "When will she be done, she said she wants to talk."

"I'll tell the twins to go to bed soon." She hands me a drink. It was a tea. I don't drink tea. "Give it to her."

I walk into the living room, Delilah smiles as she sees me. "Oh, you bought me tea?"

I place the mug in her hand and she smiles widely, resting it in her lap and continuing to read as she sips on the drink.

Twenty minutes later mom walks in, "Right boys, bed time."

"But-"

"But nothing. Delilah's probably tired and wants to sleep." Mom lifts Alessio up, "Go on."

Emilio was half asleep anyway. He kisses the back of Delilah's hand and walks way.

Delilah smiles, "Are you sure it's okay if I stay?"

"Of course. Plus, I think Romeo will stop staring at you if you two do talk a little." Mom hugs her, "Call me if you need anything."

"Thank you." She smiles and then nods her head for me.

I follow her up the stairs and to my room.

She awkwardly sits on my bed.

"Just talk, precious." I close the door. "I went to therapy too, I have boundaries also."

She cracks her knuckles, "I got diagnosed with ADHD." She looks at me, "And PTSD."

"I could have told you that."

She looks down, "I have trouble sleeping at night. I uh... I hurt myself sometimes because everything gets too much." She rolls her sleeves up. "I tried killing myself in Korea," she says with tears in her eyes, "one of the guys at the therapy centre was schizophrenic... he said the voices told him to touch me while I was sleeping." She looks up at me. "I thought that if you knew what he did to me then you would be disgusted in me and I didn't want to live with that..."

I look at her wrists, the healed scars.

"They found me and rushed me to a hospital. I was in the psych ward for two weeks, discharged and sent back to the therapy centre. The guy was sent to another place." She rolls her sleeves down. "I still have bad thoughts sometimes... usually late at night when I'm overthinking. I like being busy... when I'm alone for too long my own thoughts get too loud and the impulsions become too strong."

I blink quickly. I don't know if my mom knows that or not.

"I also have problems with touch. I'm okay with you touching me everywhere but my thighs. Please don't touch my thighs." She grabs my hand.