•ALEXITHYMIA• [SLOW UPDATES]

Chapter 13

"Remind me again why we can't just leave?" I say, picking at the bark from the large branch we were sitting on.

"Because A, we had a close call with your stepdad and don't want to risk him finding us and he won't dare look for us in territory that belongs to the Italian mafia. B, because then we'll have not only your stepdad looking for us, but we'll also have your brothers aka the Italian mafia and the mafia king and queen looking for us. Did you forget about their relation to Valencia and Vince? We can't afford that kind of attention." He said.

I sighed, glaring at the house from the tree we were currently sitting on.

"I hate it here." I say, staring back down at the branch avoiding eye contact with Ambrose. "I know." He replied and grabbed my hand. He played with my fingers and we both sat in silence for a while.

"Wanna watch tv for a little bit?" He asked. I nodded, but didn't move from my spot. I want to say here for a bit longer. It feels nice being out on a chilly day when the sun is out and Ambrose is with me. Any day is a good day when Ambrose is here.

We sat for about an hour, sitting in silence enjoying each other's company. Seeing as I was beginning to feel a little sleepy, I nudged Ambrose and nudged my head towards the house. "Let's go back now." I say and begin climbing back down, him following behind me.

Once I see him climb down and we're both on the ground, I run off towards the house leaving him behind. He chases behind me and I laugh running even faster. If there's one thing about me I know for sure, it's that I can run fast. I squeal when Ambrose nearly catches up to me, running inside the house with him following close behind.

ELIO'S POV

I heard laughing. A faint laughter coming from the kitchen. I walking in and saw Abella and her friend, Ambrose, chasing each other around the kitchen island. This was a sight to see, not because they were fooling around with each other, but because I'd never seen Abella smile so big, so happy, so genuine. It was shocking, and kind of refreshing. This entire time I thought she was nearly incapable of expressing or showing her emotions, it seems she just doesn't seem comfortable around us.

I watched as Abella ran away to the living room, Ambrose following quickly behind her, their laughs becoming faint as they left. I sighed and went to the fridge, grabbing the ingredients for a sandwich as Eros, Adonis, Rome, and Kassiel walk in.

"Am I tripping or did Abella just smile? And laugh." Rome says as he sits at the kitchen stool. I see Adonis look deep in thought. "It is quite a new sight." Adonis says as he makes himself a coffee. "It's good though, isn't it? This whole time I thought she was like, incapable of showing emotion." Rome says, and Adonis nods. "We need to work on getting her trust. We need to show her she can be comfortable around us." Adonis says. I stay quiet as I make my sandwich. He was right, but Abella was one of the most complicated people I know, and I wondered how the hell we would ever get her to trust us let alone be comfortable around us.

"How are you gonna get her to trust us? We know nothing about her. Her past, her mother, her old living situation, we don't even know her birthday. There's absolutely nothing on file about her. We don't even know who reported her missing." Kassiel says, glaring. "I don't trust her." He finishes.

I see Adonis sigh as he shakes his head, looking deep in thought. "She fainted and she still won't let anyone help her. The only person she trusts is Ambrose, and I doubt he'd be willing to help." I say.

Adonis sighs for like the millionth time and takes a sip of his coffee before speaking. "She has a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning. Don't tell her, I can tell she won't be willing to go. Sebastian and I will take her to one of our hospitals for a checkup." He says. I can already imagine her flat out saying no.