The Darkest Shade Of Black - An Arranged Marriage Dark Mafia Romance

CHAPTER XIII: Russian Roulette

When you're mortal, life is nothing more than a drawn-out game of Russian Roulette. Every moment is the spin of a gun cylinder, every decision pointing the barrel at your head. Over and over, again and again, you pull the trigger, hoping it won't be your last turn in the game.
-J.M. Darhower

I glare at Riccardo's back as he walks into his closet, wearing only a towel wrapped around his waist, "I have nothing to wear." I call after him.

He emerges with a pair of jeans on and pulling a t-shirt over his head, I catch a glimpse of the ink we got together, my very first. It's a quote on the left side of his ribcage: Lest we forget.

While his is just the phrase in bold block red letters, mine is black, in cursive letters, with the T's as crosses.
I got it for Mariana. It felt like something I shouldn't forget.
Something I couldn't.

"I'll take you to that dress shop on fifth and eleven," He answers.

"I don't want to go out," I say

"I'll ask Monique to bring her assistant and a few dresses over," He suggests.

"Let me make this clear: I don't want to have people around me while I can barely walk," I snap.

"I'll get you a fucking catalogue and then you can call Monique" He bites back.

"I'm not calling one of your conquests, she's gonna destroy the dress I get!"

"That was years ago, I'll call her myself" He frowns at me.

"Ughh, just tell her to get me a dress, any dress will do" I think about it for two seconds. "Preferably in a dark color, long sleeves, and of course small, because I ain't getting taller"

"I thought you said any dress"

"As long as she doesn't put bleach on it, we're good" I eye him suspiciously.

"It didn't end bad, now stop being annoying" He snaps. He picks up his phone from the bed table and dials a number, putting it to his ear, "Hi, I'm calling for Monique.... Yes, of course.... Thank you" And he walks out of the damn room, leaving me and my curiosity itching.

I glance at the clock, it's one pm, I start doing the math on how long it'll take me to get ready until it dawns on me that I don't even know what time my own engagement party starts at.

Great, just great, Alex.

At six thirty I am showered, I have applied the bare minimum of makeup, which consists of mascara, clear lip gloss and just a little blush, the only thing that's missing is what I'm going to wear.

Monique didn't just deliver one dress. She delivered exactly fifteen dresses, all in different dark colors, from the horrid dark red to the pleasant black, I have gone through thirteen of them, a blue one I really liked but it's too short for my comfort, I've gone trough thirteen of them, the last two are currently sitting on Dick's bed in their respective garment bags, I'm afraid to even open them, its exactly like playing Russian roulette, pulling the trigger while trying to avoid the live round.

I realize it sounds kind of dramatic to compare opening dress bags to potentially killing yourself, but no one has ever accused me of being reasonable.