CHERRY WINE (ON HOLD)

chapter six

past

MILO DID HIS best to ignore the thunderous thumps at his bedroom door. he figured it could either be his half brother or his father, and he was very sure his father was at work, so it could only have been vince.

right then, he had no desire to speak with his brother. he was just not in the right frame of mind. when he would get into the mood to just hide and spend the entire day locked in his bedroom, it was something that neither he nor anyone else truly understood.

he would just sit there and rot in his bed, refusing to eat, sleep, get up to use the restroom, or speak to anyone.

he was beginning to really take a liking to his father and the fact that the man was doing everything in his power to help Milo feel better and more at home gave him extra bonus. vince did his best, but he was not very understanding, and milo did not harbour any animosity towards him. although he was grateful, there were moments when it was simply too much.

rolling himself up like a worm under his covers, milo disregarded the thumps. when he heard nothing for the fourth time, vince unlocked the door and peered inside.

"dad left a little while ago. he left some waffles on the stove and said he'd come home later and that he loved you. are you feel alright? vince bombarded the younger.

without responding, milo averted his gaze from vince and fixed his gaze on the empty wall. "well, i'm going to see my friends and i was wondering if you wanted to go since you've been locked in your room all week," vince said, certain that he would likely not hear back.

"in about five minutes, i'll leave. i would like you to come and meet them. they've heard of you and are curious, and—they—have fantastic—racing cars," vince continued, stretching the last sentence out a little.

and as he expected milo was particularly interested at the final part. milo missed the street races, the incredible cars, and the underground—as he enjoyed racing. milo enjoyed working on cars. he loved everything about vehicles, and when he initially went to america, he was worried that his enthusiasm for cars would die, much like that of his mother.

milo lifted his head, curls all over the place. "wha kind of cars are we talking about?" he asked the older. vince simply shrugged. "you've got to see them for yourself," vince assured him.

"i'll be down in three," the kid exclaimed as he scrambled from his bed, nearly falling over his own feet. vince laughed and proceeded to give the boy some space by exiting his brother's bedroom.

"SO WHAT'S BRAZIL LIKE?" milo was asked by the fair-haired boy. milo turned his attention to the bright sky and grinned. vince had brought the two to the toretto home, where they received an invitation to a cookout. evidently, grilling and drinking beer was a regular occurrence for all of them.

"magical, it's extremely beautiful, and underground would blow your mind. the cars, the races, the people, the competition would make you cream," milo answered, prompting jesse to nod enthusiastically.

"would you go back?" jesse then wanted to know. he watched as the grin faded into a scowl before disappearing altogether.

"nah, it was home, but home is now with dad and vince," milo nodded, attempting to believe his own words.

"what happened to your mum?" jesse inquired, not realising the gravity of the situation.

"she died when i was younger," milo replied, his accent strong but she's in my heart, she wouldn't want me to go back. i've got a hit on my head," milo joked.

"my mother, dated a mafia man, i suppose. he raised me, even giving me his surname. when milo observed jesse's expression, he continued, "he discovered my mother was stealing and shot her dead while making me watch,0

"i worked for him for a few years before getting caught and being deported to america to be with my blood father. i was supposed to return last year but haven't, and now the mafia leader wants me dead," milo laughed, tipping back his glass.

"crazy life," jesse muttered as he drank his own beer. "your english is really good by the way,"

"thank you, my dad and vince have been helping me," milo said him.

"milo, jesse, foods done, come on outside," vince screamed from the back door. milo smiled as he got up and followed jesse outside.

milo grinned at the sight. it was indeed very much like home. both the sky and the sun were quite radiant. there were seats dragged up to the tables which were pressed together. food, drinks, and beers were strewn across the tables. as dominic and vince completed gathering the last items, the majority of the individuals gathered at the table.

milo took his seat in the centre. jesse was to his left, while vince was going to sit on his right. mia, the younger toretto, sat in front of him. she was quite gorgeous and was pursuing her degree. she was quite nice and smelt great.

next to her sat one of the many toretto, family friends. letty ortiz was likewise very gorgeous, with sarcasm leaking from her smug smile. she also enjoyed vehicles and anything related to them. milo believed he was in love.

leon was okay. he did not say much to the younger, but he was friendly and welcomed milo with open arms. milo liked jesse. the two hit it off right away because of their shared passion for vehicles. they were intelligent, and nerds usually get along. dominic was also milo's favourite. the man was large and muscular, and while he appeared to be an asshole, he was actually a very decent person to his family. he knew the ins and outs of racing and was a street legend in himself right.

"you alright?" as vince sat down next to the boy, he questioned his younger sibling. milo smiles slightly and nods. milo was trying his hardest not to become overwhelmed. although, this was all new to him, he managed to take pleasure in it.