Who would have thought a casual hookup would lead to something life-changing? Melanie Lombardie was just a girl I met at a coffee shop. We agreed that it was no strings and that if we ever needed a 'fix' we would always be available. To a certain ex...
I barely slept last night. Dreams of the same man replay in my mind. All of them were the exact same. Me, pinned to the pavement. He, standing over me with his gun pointed in my face. My cheek cut.
I haven't left my room since I woke up at 3 am and couldn't get back to sleep. I stayed awake, staring at the wall for about an hour before I finally picked up a book and forced myself to read.
Every time I've stayed here, I've woken up after Adriano, so I honestly have no idea what time he gets up. But 5 seems reasonable to get up without seeming suspicious. I don't bother changing my clothes, a giant white T-shirt dress that I've had since I was a teenager. It's still big on me but it sits a little higher on my thighs.
I rub my eyes tiredly as I walk from my room, down the hall, past Hadley's room and into the living room. I jump in surprise and let out a loud gasp when I spot Adriano sitting on the couch, messily folding baby clothes while he watches the morning news.
"What are you doing? It's 5 am and you're wearing a suit." I ask, still trying to catch my breath. The man sitting in front of me is decked out in a full suit, tie and all. I tug the hem of my shirt down but it just puts my breast on more of a display, so I release the hem and stand awkwardly against the wall.
"What are you doing? It's 5 am and you're awake." He asks casually while taking a sip of his black coffee, but screws his face up slightly. It's probably cold. And yeah, he drinks black coffee. I felt like an absolute idiot when I found out he drank black coffee after I had given him a latte at the hospital. He still drank it though which was nice of him.
"Thought I'd get a start on the day." I lie through my teeth. I couldn't sleep, period. I've been drifting in and out of sleep since midnight. I know Adriano sees through my lie but he doesn't call me out on it.
"Well, we need to go to my sister's house today. Somehow my mother caught a whiff that I have a child now." He places his coffee cup down and rubs his hands along his face roughly. "She flew in from Milan last night and just called me to tell me that if I don't bring Hadley in today, she will personally hunt down my apartment to come and visit her second grandchild."
"She doesn't know where you live?" I ask, frowning. "Wait, and you didn't tell her you have a child?" I fold my arms across my chest with a frown on my face.
"I prefer she doesn't know where I live, otherwise she'd send me all her clothes." He says, standing carefully and trying to walk through the countless piles of baby clothes. Melanie really outdid herself.
"Clothes as in women's clothes or her clothes?" I ask, unsure of what he means. He walks into the kitchen and pours the rest of his coffee down the sink.
"Oh, ah. My mother is a designer. She likes to send her children all of her new stuff before anyone else can get their hands on it. And as for not telling her about Hadley, she would definitely try to hunt down my apartment then." He says casually, opening the fridge to see if there's anything to eat.
