Rosa stood at the massive floor-to-ceiling window in the second-floor study of the safe house, gazing out at the manicured lawn below. Armed guards patrolled the grounds, their silhouettes barely visible in the moonlight. The house was more fortress than sanctuary, with its high walls, state-of-the-art security, and an air of controlled tension that seemed to seep into every room.
Behind her, the heavy oak door creaked open. She didn’t need to turn to know who it was; Nolan’s presence was unmistakable, like a storm rolling in.
“You can’t avoid me forever,” he said, his voice cutting through the stillness.
Rosa exhaled sharply but didn’t turn. “I’m not avoiding you. I just have nothing to say.”
“That’s a lie,” Nolan replied, his tone calm but firm. The door clicked shut behind him, and his footsteps echoed softly as he crossed the room. “You’ve been biting your tongue since you saw me so, say it. Whatever is eating you, just say it." He could sense her breathing quickened, ever since she stumbled through his window and saw he was her target, ever since that flash of recognition
She wanted to talk about it, but she didn't want him to know she still cared
Rosa finally turned, her eyes flashing with a mix of anger and pain. “You want me to say it? Fine. I hate you, Nolan.”
The words hung in the air, sharp and unforgiving, but Nolan didn’t flinch. He stepped closer, his expression unreadable. “No, you don’t.”
Her hands balled into fists at her sides, she wanted to hit him, God she really did. “Don’t tell me what I feel.”
“You don’t hate me,” he repeated, his voice softer now, almost gentle. “You’re angry. You have every right to be. But hate? No.”
She scoffed, turning back to the window. “You’re so sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
“No,” he admitted, his voice closer now. She could feel him standing just behind her, his presence impossibly warm despite the space between them. “But I know you, Rosa. I know what it looks like when you’re hurt, and I know what it feels like to be the one who hurts you.”
She clenched her jaw, her reflection in the glass blurring as tears she refused to shed threatened to fall. “You left, Nolan. When I needed you most, you left.”
She recalled looking for him, at her father's funeral, she waited for him, for the little brunette who promised he would always be there for her, she wanted him to take her away
“I didn’t want to,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “You think I wanted to leave you? You think I didn’t spend every damn day wishing I could come back?”
“You didn’t,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
“I couldn’t,” he said, stepping closer until he was right behind her. He hesitated, then placed his hands on the windowsill on either side of her, caging her in but not touching her. “I didn’t know how to stay, Rosa. Not after what happened with your dad. I was a scared kid who thought running was the answer. And I’ve regretted it every day since.”
he remembered telling his father he wanted to leave, he wanted to go far away, he knew the wars between the family was getting dangerous, he knew santos father wouldn't stop, he was scared for his life, for his parents, he knew his father would fight back, it would cause a war that would take many lives, he hated to admit it but he was scared, he was a coward.
She closed her eyes, her breath hitching. “You were all I had, Nolan. My father was gone, and then you were, too. You were my best friend, and you left me alone.”
“I know,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “And I’ve spent every day trying to make up for it. But I can’t change the past, Rosa. All I can do is be here now.” and he meant it, she wasn't a prisoner, he just wanted her close, to protect her
She opened her eyes, staring out at the guards below. The anger in her chest warred with the ache of old wounds. “Being here now doesn’t erase what you did.” she had no one, her mother was too soaked in revenge to comfort her grieving child
“No, it doesn’t,” he said, leaning closer, his breath warm against her ear. “But it doesn’t change how I feel about you, either.”
Rosa froze, her heart pounding. She hated how his words affected her, how his proximity made her pulse race. She turned her head slightly, their faces now inches apart.
“You don’t get to do this,” she said, her voice trembling with something she didn’t want to name, she stared into his eyes,
“Do what?” he asked, his gaze dropping to her lips for the briefest second before meeting her eyes again.
“Act like you still have a place in my life,” she said, her tone sharpening.
“I don’t just have a place in your life, Rosa,” Nolan said, his voice low and steady. “I am your life. And you know it.” she narrowed her eyes at him, his words hitting her with its meaning, she was over this, over the childhood crush she had on him, she was over the promise they made to each other. That one day, they would be married and they would be together forever. They were five. Stupid kids, that's what they were
Her breath hitched, the heat between them unbearable now. She wanted to push him away, to tell him he was wrong—but she couldn’t.
“Damn you, Nolan,” she whispered, her voice breaking, him being so close to her made her stomach churn, but in a way she couldn't describe
He smirked, the corner of his mouth quirking up in that infuriating way that always made her stomach flip. “You always did have a temper.”
Before she could follow her heart, before she could do something that would end with him in-between her legs, she shoved him back, breaking the spell. “Get out,” she snapped, her voice sharp.
Nolan held up his hands in mock surrender, taking a step back. “Fine. But this isn’t over.”
She glared at him, her chest rising and falling with the effort to steady her breathing. “Yes, it is.”
Nolan shook his head, his smirk fading into something softer, almost sad. “You can keep telling yourself that. But we both know the truth.”
With that, he turned and walked out, leaving Rosa alone with the ghosts of their past—and the undeniable heat of what lingered between them.
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Lussaria; Her Final Blade
RomanceRosa Salvatore It's three years after Rosa Salvatore left the Rosario's, leaving the life she had always known, behind her, the life she grew up to, blood, Fighting and more sacrifices Now in the heart of New York city she resides, walking and liv...
