Art of the Ladydick: The Donna's Love

12.

ʜᴀɪʟᴇʏ

"What do you mean he said no!" I exclaimed in annoyance; I couldn't believe—actually, I take that back, of course, Niko shot down Giada's plan. He'd be stupid to, after all, he was the guy whos trying to take my girlfriend from me. Then again, I loved Giada even more for trying, but it still sucked hearing that he wasn't willing to play ball.

"Only because he figured out that your cousin is the same Alexei that he's been at war with," Giada said.

"But my parents aren't involved in any of that bullshit; I told you this," I stressed, defending my family's innocence. "Why would my fucking cousin matter to him?"

Giada looked at me with empathy in her eyes as she gently tucked a strand of my blonde hair behind my ear. "I know, babe," she murmured, her touch soothing. "But maybe they just never told you, Hails."

"This is so fucked!" I groaned standing up. As I paced back and forth, I couldn't help but run my fingers through my hair over and over again, a physical manifestation of the stress that consumed me. I always felt like the odd child out when it came to my family. I never felt like myself around them, and if I ever tried, I knew they'd just shame me for it. I was either too quiet or too Americanized, and as of late, too gay.

Giada stood up as well, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder and stopping my pacing. I looked into her eyes, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. She understood me in a way that no one else did. I could feel the warmth radiating from her touch as she gently squeezed my shoulder, offering me the support that I so desperately needed at that moment. Her hand then moved from my shoulder to my cheek, her touch soft and tender. "Hey," she said softly. "I'll figure something out, I promise, alright."

As she spoke, my vision soon became cloudy with tears. I knew she was only saying that to make me feel better when, in reality, I was fucked and so was our relationship. "I don't want any more issues because of me; Niko already hates me. He already wants to cut out my spleen with a rusty butter knife."

"At least you can live without a spleen." Gigi joked, trying to lighten the mood.

I forced a weak smile, appreciating Gigi's attempt at humor. Deep down, though, I couldn't shake off the sinking feeling that our problems ran deeper than just Niko's disdain for me. "Gigi, he wants me gone and out of your life; he's made that very clear."

"He just doesn't know you like I do, and honestly, you two have a lot in common."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh yeah, like what?"

Gigi chuckled. "Well, for starters, you both are stubborn as fuck," she said before pressing her lips against mine. Gigi's lips felt soft and warm against mine, momentarily distracting me. As we pulled away, her eyes twinkled mischievously, and she jokingly added, "And you both have the same taste in women."

I grinned, unable to resist Gigi's playful teasing. "You know what? You're right," I said, rubbing my thumb over her lips gently. "We definitely have that in common." And with that, I pulled her lips back onto mine, and she welcomed my kiss, her hand sliding through my hair as she gripped against it. My gasp against her lips transformed into a low moan, intertwining with hers as our kiss deepened, becoming more desperate and electrifying with each passing moment. Hell, if she wanted to distract me with some loving I'm all for it. Our problems will all still be there when we're done.