My Artistic Mafia Man

Chapter 12: Morning With Her

Chapter 12: Morning With Her

Eltan Storm

I was sleeping on the couch when I felt something warm cover me. Being a light sleeper, I jolted up, ready to reach for my gun under the coffee table and shoot whoever was near me.

"Oh, sorry to wake you up," a familiar apologetic voice stopped me.

I looked at the red-haired woman standing next to me and blinked a few times to make sure I wasn't dreaming. She looked like a goddess with her bed hair and rumpled bartender uniform. It sure made some fantasies arise in my mind—like how much better she would look with a few red hues on her collarbone and neck.

This was too good to be true. But she was still here even after rubbing my eyes.

Why is my dream girl the first thing I'm actually seeing in the morning— oh, that's right. I brought her home last night.

I sat upright and ran a hand through my face to get rid of the dirty thoughts in my head. "No, no, it's fine. It's not your fault. Even the littlest sounds can wake me up."

Faith hummed half-heartedly, and I swear her little pout was going to be the death of me. She had no right to be looking this cute so early.

However, I had to thank her in my mind for the blanket. It helped cover what could have been a really embarrassing situation for both of us. Sometimes, it really sucks being a guy.

"By the way, I have to ask. Why were you sleeping here? I know that this is your bedroom, but you could have slept in a guestroom, right?"

Fortunately, her question helped divert my mind. "Yeah, but what if your fever had worsened at night?" I said it as though it was no big deal.

"That's really sweet of you to worry about," she said, smiling sweetly.

"It's only natural. I mean, it's not like I'm an expert on how to take care of others. But..." A memory from a long time ago came to my mind. "I remember that when I was a little kid, Elian and Lance would play Mario Kart almost all night and fall asleep at the foot of my bed. Mom would scold them so much in the morning. Dad would laugh with me as Mom would keep scolding them through breakfast. But at the same time, she would also get them coffee so that they wouldn't fall asleep at school," I chuckled remembering those times.

"Sounds like you have a lovely family," Faith said in awe.

A sad smile formed on my lips. "True. I did."

"Did?" She caught on to the use of past tense and asked, "What do you mean by that? I know Lance lives far away now, but from what I had heard from Lance, your parents and Elian are still close enough to visit every few weeks—"

"My parents... they are dead."

Faith's eyes widened. "Oh, my God. I... don't know what to say. I mean, nothing I say would matter. But now I finally understand why you avoid talking about them."

"So you noticed that, huh?"

"Of course, I did. Not to make it about me, but I was feeling like you didn't think I was close enough for you to share about your family. But now it makes sense. It was just hard for you to talk about it." She placed her hand on my forearm and gave it a squeeze. "Eltan, I'm sorry to hear about your parents. I truly am. But I also understand how it feels."

The earnest way she said those words made so many raw emotions run through me that I was unable to speak for a good minute. I felt like I was back at Mom and Dad's funeral, but this time, even through the heavy rain, there was someone with me—someone to share my pain.