𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐞 || A Mafia Love Story

xix

EXTRA long chapter 🤞
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Viktor cast a sidelong glance at Marlee and noticed that she had fallen asleep, her head pressed against the window and her breathing shallow and steady.

He chuckled softly to himself, amused by the girl's ability to fall asleep practically anywhere. Her head lolled to the side, and a strand of hair fell across her face.

Viktor reached over to tuck the wayward strand of hair behind her ear, taking a moment to study her face as she slept.

Viktor let out a frustrated huff, his annoyance directed inwardly. He couldn't help but chastise himself for allowing himself to become so captivated by her, for letting his emotions run wild in a way he didn't fully understand. But there was no denying the fact that he felt strongly about her. Despite his attempts to deny or rationalize his feelings, they continued to grow with each moment spent in her presence.

Viktor pulled up to Marlee's driveway, his chest tightening with a bittersweet mix of emotions. He knew that their time together was coming to an end, and the thought of parting from her brought an unexpected pang to his heart.

Marlee stirred from her nap, stretching her arms and letting out a soft moan as she woke up. A small smile tugged at the corners of Viktor's mouth, her sleepy sounds making him chuckle quietly.

Marlee's voice, still drowsy and thick with sleep, echoed in the quiet car. "Are we home?" she murmured.

Viktor felt a jolt of something unfamiliar - something that felt like a mix of hope and melancholy - at her use of the word we. The image of them together in a home of their own flashed through his mind, an idea that was both tantalizing and utterly absurd. He quickly shook the thought away, chiding himself for indulging in such childish fantasies.

Viktor hummed his response, unable to tear his gaze away from the girl beside him. His eyes traced the lines of her face, the gentle slope of her nose, and the fullness of her lips as she yawned again.

As he looked at her, he felt a strange mix of emotions bubbling up inside him. There was a sense of protectiveness, admiration, and an underlying current of something deeper and more intense that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Viktor's eyes drank in every detail of Marlee's face; her tan skin, peppered with a dusting of freckles that he ached to map out with his fingertips; her flaxen hair, shining like spun gold in the sun; the slight roundness of her cheeks that made her appear younger than she was, and the way her dimples appeared when she smiled, or how her full lips puckered when she pouted. She was beautiful, in an uncomplicated and unassuming way that drew him in like a moth to a flame.

The words left his mouth involuntarily, a quiet whisper that echoed in the small confines of the car. "Marlee."

Her gaze met his, her eyes wide and curious. "What?" she asked quietly.

Viktor couldn't form a proper response, his tongue feeling thick and heavy in his mouth. He hadn't meant to say anything, but the sight of her looking at him in that moment had caused his heart to skip a beat, and the unexpected sound of her name had slipped out of him like a prayer.

Viktor stumbled over his words, his mind suddenly empty of anything remotely coherent or sensible to say. He cleared his throat, feeling a wave of nervous energy wash over him. "Make sure you wake up tomorrow," he managed to stutter out, his voice barely above a whisper.

He mentally cursed himself for how pathetic he sounded. "To uh... help Mr. Clark," he finished lamely. He could feel his palms growing sweaty and his heart rate increasing, all because of the way she was looking at him with her wide eyes.