𝐇𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 | 𝘙𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯

𝑴𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖

"She was so rude," Kiara fumed, her cheeks flushed with indignation. I couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. We had been living in Venice for months now, frequenting the same supermarket. The owner wasn't known for her pleasant demeanor, yet Kiara seemed perpetually taken aback by her rudeness.

As we entered our house with two full bags of food in our arms, we immediately caught our two lovebirds, Sarah and John B, making out on the couch in the living room, something they did regularly.

But I couldn't really blame them. They finally had some time to indulge in their cheesy romance, so they deserved to enjoy it—even if we had to endure it every night.. They didn't even glance our way as we slipped into the kitchen with the shopping bags.

As I put the groceries away, I couldn't help but glance back at the couple, still lost in each other, completely oblivious to our presence. "Do you think this will go on forever?" I asked, nodding toward them as they continued their public display of affection.

"I hope not. I'd like to sleep without hearing my best friend going at it every night,"JJ cut in, as he walked into the kitchen. He picked up an apple from the fruit bowl, tossing it from one hand to the other, clearly annoyed.

Kie, who had been silently unpacking the bags beside me, finally chimed in. "Yeah, it's getting a bit much. They're like teenagers from our old school . I mean, good for them, but some of us need sleep," she said, giving me a sympathetic look.

JJ leaned against the counter, crossing his arms. "Seriously, though, how long do you think this phase is going to last? They've been at it for weeks now."

I shrugged, trying to keep my tone light so they wouldn't hear me, but I bet even if i would have screamed they wouldn't have heard me. "Who knows? Maybe they'll get tired of it eventually. Or maybe we'll just have to invest in some earplugs."

Kie laughed softly, shaking her head. "I hope it's sooner rather than later. I don't think I can take another night of their 'romantic' serenades."

"Where's Pope?" I asked, realising I hadn't seen him anywhere.
"Oh, he's upstairs taking an online class or something. He's really taking the whole college thing seriously, and I personally don't get it. We have the gold, we're damn rich, so why go to college?" JJ answered with a shrug.
"Because he wants to be more than just a rich, spoiled asshole," Kiara said, starting to chop the salad with a purposeful precision.
"Oh, shut up, Kie," JJ retorted, rolling his eyes before taking a big bite of his apple.

The kitchen fell into a comfortable silence. JJ munched on his apple, Kiara continued slicing vegetables, and I focused on frying the meat.
The sizzle of the pan and the rhythmic chop of the knife were the only sounds, creating a sense of normalcy in that moment.

But then Kie moved closer to me, breaking the quiet. "What about Rafe? Have you heard anything from him? Well, I hope not, but you know, just in case," she said, her voice tentative.