I wake up slowly, my mind groggy with sleep and eyes half shut. I rub them quickly, feeling a bit better now, yet my limbs still heavy and tense from sleep. The air in the bedroom is nice and warm, crisp yet toasty, radiator on a faint setting and window closed, just how I like it. I pay for the bills and nobody could tell me what to do.
Then I sit up in the bed, feeling something tighten on my hips, and looking down I notice it's only Bella. Her brown hair in disarray, eyes closed and mouth open as she holds onto my hips like a lifeline. It's adorable, and hard not to kiss that cute-looking face of hers while she sleps. Something maternal washed over me, protectiveness and possessiveness boiling inside me, wanting to protect and take care of her, as I should.
I turn to the clock and see that it's six in the morning, still dark outside, but quite foggy, really. I don't know whether it was good to move to London of all places after the action, but it was better than the dirty suburbs of Naples. So long ago, still an NCA agent, yet I remember everything very very clearly. The cold Italian air hitting me as I waited for the notorious mafia boss Lorenzo Verdonni, how the bullet flew into his skull and killed him immediately. Fleeing, I was scared as fuck, that they would find me and take Bella away, whom was his kid I had to take care of. She was only eleven at the time.
Ten long years.
Not a single drop of guilt or remorse. I'm not a heartless, cruel person, but shooting him felt... good? Perhaps because I knew of his countless crimes (robbery, intimidation, blackmail, murder, torture, money laundering) and felt like a hero, for shooting down a bad man like him, taking care of his kid.
It was a little hard at first, of course. I never planned to be a mother, but Bella distracted me and taught me new things, testing my patience in new ways every day. I shake those thoughts off and stand up from bed, stretching softly. Bella stirs in the bed, the loss of my warm body against hers giving her a hard time to sleep. She turns and looks at me, her eyes devouring my pajamas (an oversized t-shirt and nothing underneath), then at the clock, now back at me, groaning. "Babe, back to bed, please, it's so early and I want to cuddle with you." she whines childishly, her lips curving into a pout. "It'll take more than that to persuade me, princess," I say, chuckling as I walk out of the room and into the kitchen. God, it's so adorable when she's so needy and clingy in the morning, and she's twenty-one, ten years older than me.
I take everything out and start to cook the eggs, hearing the oil sizzle in the pan as they looked more and more edible. My stomach growled, and my hand instinctively goes to rub it.
"I see someone decided to grace me with their presence." I tease, seeing Bella walk into the room, wearing her full Hello Kitty pajamas. She rolls her eyes. "Don't get cocky, miss early-riser. I'm only here for you, and the eggs," she says, mock- annoyed.
"Sure you are," I say under my breath, now scraping the eggs off the pan and onto the plates. Bella takes her plate and I kiss her cheek which makes her blush a little, and I sit down at the table, starting to eat. I add ketchup and spices (salt and pepper). With the coffee and her company. It felt so good, fulfilling. I love her, and she loves me. All that matters. For ten years I know her very well, like a mother knows her child.
"Sleep well, darling?" I asked. She nods and starts to tell me about university, her class, friends, and all that shit. The only thing I can focus on is her lips and her. God, I love this woman so much.
Bella noticed my face light up when you said that to me. I didn't know what to say. I was just so genuinely surprised and always had just thought of you as a friend. I never even considered you in that way. I guess I felt too selflessly, platonically, fondly, and affectionately in love with who you were as a person.
Bella noticed my gaze. "Why you starin'? I'm not as pretty right now." she says. I scoff. "Nonsense, hon. You're always gorgeous, make-up on or not. Now you look kinda cute." She blushes slightly, pleasantly surprised by my compliment. I love her reactions, they're priceless.
"Of course you'd say that." Bella mutters, I go back to eating. I look at her, excited at the aspect of her marrying me soon. We already planned the wedding, the guests, the honeymoon and things like that. I take a sip of my coffee. "Who would've thought, that you'd be marrying the woman who killed your father."
Bella sighs, used to the topic. "He was horibble. Strict. I hated him. When you rescued me, Sophie, I was so happy and eventually fell in love. You were so shocked when I kissed you for the first time." she says cheekily, almost teasing. "How could I have not been. I wasn't expecting you to do it." She just chuckles and smiles, finishing her eggs, still amused by the memories.
After breakfast, she joins me on the couch, her hand on my shoulder, arms around my waist. In response, my hands go to her hips, rubbing low circles to sooth her. Bella switched through the TV channels, going from one program to another but found nothing of interest for her. She sighs, bored, and annoyed that there is nothing to watch, at all. "Bored, cupcake?" she says, playing her role. "Don't call me that" I say, waiting for her reply. "But you're so sweet, like a cupcake." She says and laughs.
Bored, I kiss her. My lips meet hers. It starts slow and gentle but gets more and more passionate, as our tongues meet. She pulls away, snuggling closer, like a kitten to it's mother. That's what she does most of the time, clinging onto me like a koala. Not that I mind. It's adorable, really. She pulls away, breathing heavily, slowly calms down and gets sleepy, and falls asleep in a nap.
I stroke her hair, still a little tired myself despite the coffee and kiss, which usually fill me to the brim with energy.
*
The trees and houses whizz past us as I drive the car, music from the radio plays to avoid any silence between us, which at most times is awkward. It felt odd, driving my fiancée to university like a mother driving her daughter. "I so don't want to go-uh!" Bella groans in a whiny way, which amuses me. "You'd rather stay curled up next to me in bed, huh?". She doesn't need to answer, because I know that is true.
"Don't worry, hon. Just a few hours and you'll be with me again.". After saying that, I park the car and walk out, giving her a slow yet passionate kiss to show everyone that she is mine and mine alone. Reluctantly I go back to the car, watching Bella walk into the building, surrounded by her friends.
The past me wouldn't believe that the kid I rescued is now my fiancée, that 's not what 'taking care of the kid' meant.
Sure, I misunderstood, but this is the best misunderstanding of my life.
