Nothing to Lose (BWWM)

Twenty

There was a clear difference between Vincent's previous hospital room and Lily-Ann's.

Where Vincent had no cards, balloons, gifts or anything - Lily-Ann's room was filled with them. As soon as you stepped inside, you were bombarded with tons of pink or white balloons with the variations of the phrase "Get well soon!" written on them. Alongside the boxes of chocolates were a group of small teddy bears that also had well wishes embedded on them.

It made Imani feel better about the item she decided to bring with her as a gift.

Although Vincent had questioned her and asked why she was bringing a present, she had replied saying: "She's been wanting to see me and requesting me for a week - the least I could do is bring her something." He'd stared down at the item in the silver glittery bag and raised his eyebrow. She ignored him for the rest of the journey.

"Imani! You're here!" Laying down on her side with her head leaning on a stack of pillows, Lily-Ann smiled warmly, her brown eyes sparkling. Today, she wore a beret instead of her headscarf and as expected, her robe matched the rose coloured hat on her head.

Imani grinned back at the woman, noticing that she wasn't as energetic as when she saw her last time.

She wasn't the only one that noticed. Vincent knew that position all too well. When his mother would lay on her side, it meant that she wasn't going to move from that position unless necessary as that was the only position that didn't hurt for her to be in.

"I take it Vincent finally apologised to you." She said and Imani nodded. "Sit, sit." Lily-Ann ordered.

The brown-skinned woman opted to sit in the seat directly opposite Lily-Ann whilst Vincent decided to situate himself on his usual chair by the window, facing his mother's back. Realising where Vincent had placed himself, Lily-Ann grunted as she tried to turn around so that she was facing the ceiling.

Both Imani and Vincent rushed to her aid, Vincent wrapping an arm around her to help her and Imani changing the settings of the bed.

After they got her as comfortable as she could get, they returned to their seats. He groaned as he sat, his arm automatically reaching for his chest. "Does your chest still hurt, honey?" Lily-Ann asked in concern.

"I'll be fine. It's me who should be worried about you - not the other way around." Vincent replied, trying to mask how much pain he was in. He had moved way too quickly.

In true Lily-Ann Pellegrino fashion, she waved him off with her freshly painted fingernails. "No matter your age or the circumstance, you will always be my baby Vincent. A mother has to worry."

"I can agree with that."

"Ah, that's right - you have a son, don't you?"

Imani looked over at Vincent and he saw the slight tug at the corner of her mouth. "How much did you talk about me, Vincent?"

"Don't flatter yourself, dolcezza."

"Everyday!" Vincent and Lily-Ann said simultaneously and she couldn't stop the heat she felt on her cheeks. "I knew a lot about you without even knowing you."

Intrigued, Imani focused on Lily-Ann instead of Vincent. "Really? What did you know?"

Her eyes narrowed in thought as Vincent shifted uncomfortably. Vincent uncomfortable? She knew that whatever was about to be said next was going to be good. "Unfortunately, there was a fire at your home so you lived with your mother." Imani nodded and smiled sadly, the memory of all she had lost still stinging her. "Your son is called LJ. He's 6. According to Vincent, your face lights up every time you see him and you would do anything for him." She answered. "He says you're very ambitious. You have drive and you're a hard worker. Is that-."

"It's all correct." Imani replied, astonished that Vincent had noticed such qualities in her.

"What's that in the bag, sweetheart?" Lily-Ann asked, the sparkling bag catching her eye. Imani reached down for it and handed it to her, watching as her face lit up. "Oh, you didn't have to-."

As she did to Vincent, Imani waved off her comment and looked on as she reached inside.

"This is gorgeous!" Lily-Ann gushed, stroking the white and gold printed silk scarf that was in front of her. "Absolutely stunning." She slid the beret off her head and Vincent tensed as he watched her frail hands shaking whilst trying to tie the scarf around her head.

"Here, let me." Standing up, Imani twisted and tied the scarf into a turban knot. She leaned back and admired her work, handing Lily Ann a mirror. "You look amazing."

Lily-Ann stared at her in the mirror. "You don't have to lie to me, honey. I'm trying my best what with how pale my skin's gotten. The dullness. The veins." Her gaze returned to her own reflection and she sighed in defeat. "Good God and the weight loss. I'm turning into a bag of bones."

"Madre." Vincent said sternly, not wanting to hear her talk about herself in that way.

"Well, I still think you look good." Lily-Ann gave her a pointed look and upon seeing Vincent's solemn facial expression, she sighed.

"Thank you again, Imani."

Opening her arms for an embrace, Imani winced when she felt how thin and frail Lily-Ann actually was. It reminded her of the last few times she had seen Terrence at the hospice. He was fragile and very light, he didn't have the strength to hug her completely towards the end and it broke her heart.

Pulling away, Lily-Ann saw the sudden sadness in her eyes. "What's the matter? Did my comments upset you? I should listen to Vincent more often, I am so sorry."

Imani shook her head vehemently, holding onto her hand. "No, no, it wasn't you." In concern, Lily-Ann turned to Vincent, thinking that perhaps he knew why she was upset but when she turned to him, he was already up on his feet moving towards Imani.

The door opened just as Vincent had limped to her side, taking hold of her other hand. "Ms Pellegrino. It's time for lunch!" A nurse said, walking in with a cart filled with different plates of food. Vincent saw this as an opportunity to see if Imani was okay.

"Madre, we're going to get a drink, do you want anything?"

"Oh, no, I'm sure nurse Wilkins has something for me!"

Leading her out of the room, he stood in front of her in the hallway. He watched as she tried to discretely dabbed at the corner of her eyes. Vincent couldn't stand seeing women - especially those he cared about - crying. The realisation that Imani was now one of the women he cared deeply about slightly scared him.

He knocked her hands out of the way and wiped her eyes. She didn't say anything and let him gently get rid of her tears.

As of late, memories Terrence had plagued her mind more and more. She blamed it on his upcoming anniversary. Within a week, it would mark 7 years since he had passed away. Like clockwork, everytime the day neared, Imani's emotions would spiral out of control.

Vincent bent slightly so that their eyes were levelled. "You okay?" She bit her lip and nodded in response. Imani dropped her head and groaned.

"Sorry about that."

"Don't apologise for your emotions." He whispered hoarsely to her as she kept shaking her head.

"This happens every year." Imani said mainly to herself, her vision blurring again. She felt him place a kiss on her forehead and wrap her up in his arms. Imani didn't reject the action, hugging him back tightly. "I still haven't forgiven you yet." He heard her say, her face buried in the crook of his neck.

"Of course you haven't."

They heard the nurse leaving the room and decided to reenter Lily-Ann's room. Vincent placed a hand on the small of Imani's back as they walked to the chairs, an action that Lily-Ann didn't miss. She cast an amused look towards the both of them over her warm mug of mushroom soup.

"Did you find anything in the cafeteria?" She asked, a small smile on her lips.

Both of them shook their heads 'no'.

An hour passed as they talked to Lily-Ann, discussing Imani's hair, clothes and the economy. By the end of it, Vincent regretted even telling Imani to come along. They were treating him as if he wasn't there. It got to the point where he found himself looking out of the window and daydreaming whilst they cackled in the background.

"Oh honey I'm sorry - are you okay over there?" His mom asked, noticing him nearly dozing off in the seat. She laughed as he turned his head towards her. "I bet you wish you brought your sketchbook here, don't you? At least draw-."

"Mamma."

He hurried to keep her quiet, not wanting her to say anything whilst Imani was there. "What's the matter? Imani knows that you're an artist, honey!"

Now it was Imani's turn to have those all-seeing dark eyes focus on her. "How?"

"The other night. I saw you go into that room and you had all these paintbrushes in your hand. Then I remembered when you had those smudges from your face. LJ has those when he's had arts and crafts day." She answered. He frustratedly dragged his hand through his hair, cursing quietly. "What? What's wrong with me knowing that you're an artist?"

"Because.. It's not something that anyone knows. And that's the way I prefer it." Lily-Ann's yawn cut their conversation short. "I think it's time we left." It was more of a demand than a suggestion. They both hugged and kissed Lily-Ann goodbye.

"Please make sure you come back, Imani."

Promising that she would come whenever she could - they shuffled out of the room when her eyes drifted shut.

She handed him his crutches and they made their way down to the parking lot. Benjamin was stood outside the car - talking on his phone. As soon as he saw Vincent, he hurried to finish the conversation, hanging up and shoving the phone in his pocket.

Benjamin didn't hesitate to open the door and help his boss to safely get into the back. "Thank you, Benjamin." Imani thanked, as she slid in behind him.

"That room has all your artwork in it hasn't it?" She asked, knowing that she was right anyway. He didn't reply, he just looked at her.

"Don't even think about it."

"I didn't say I was going to go inside, I was just saying!" Imani said. "I mean, I wouldn't mind seeing one piece of art just to-."

"Don't even think about it."

She saw his demand as a challenge. "I'll see your art one day, Vincent."

As she faced her body away from him, he smiled. "If I let you see my work, will you forgive me?" She rotated and stared at him hopefully.

"Yes! You'll really let me see it if I forgive you?"

He snorted and said "No," before full out bursting into laughter when she childishly turned her body completely away from him.



The following day - Vincent had told Imani that she didn't have to stay at home all day as she worked. It took a lot of persuading from him as she didn't want to leave him on his own, saying that she would feel bad if she wasn't there to look after him like he had hire her to do.

"I can look after myself, I'll be fine." He reassured her for the hundredth time.

"I can order food for us. You won't be on your own and-."

He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Imani. Go. You don't need to be my around the clock nurse anymore, I am healing pretty quickly." He said, demonstrating by walking using only one crutch. She grimaced as he spoke and Vincent noticed. "Why are you making that face?"

"Nurse. The way you say it. You make it sound so... inappropriate."

Without looking up from his task of adusting his cast, he replied. "What? Like some type of sexual fantasy?"

Squirming uncomfortably, Imani fiddled with her nails. "Yeah."

Finally, he fixed his smouldering gaze on her, looking her over and grinning. "Don't give me ideas, Imani."

She couldn't have left any quicker.

Whilst fanning herself, she managed to call Melisa, asking her if she wanted to go out for lunch. Miss Wright agreed, telling Imani to come and pick her up so that they could go.

Benjamin and Imani were having a conversation about his daughter's recital and how it went when Melisa opened the door. The elder man was beaming with pride as he went on about how gorgeous she looked and how she was better than every other girl there.

Melisa slid in and sighed deeply. "Afternoon, Miss Wright." Benjamin greeted.

She smiled warmly back. "Hey Benjamin. Imani."

"The usual lunch spot, ladies?"

"Please." Melisa replied. She then turned to face Imani, knowing that something was up. "How is everything?"

Imani let out a low whistle and shook her head.



"You want him." Melisa stated as they entered the café, Imani in tow.

"I thought that was kind of obvious by now, Melisa."

The short haired woman sucked her teeth. "No, I mean that you want him as your man. And he wants you as his lady." Imani scoffed as they stood and waited in line to order. "It's perfect really. His mom loves you, your son likes him and you can actually stand him." She commented as the line got shorter. "Match made in heaven if you ask me."

She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. "I don't know."

"Hi, can I get a caramel frap and a chicken and avocado special? Thanks." After Imani placed her order, the two waited towards the side. "You seem to be the only person who can pull out this 'nice' side of Vincent from what you're telling me. You're clearly special to him in some way, sweetheart."

Imani pondered over the words. Was she special to him? She swore silently, concluding that she should start to think about something else instead of letting Vincent control her thoughts.

A few minutes later, they collected their orders and looked around for a place to sit.

"Hold on a minute, is that-." Melisa began, her eyes narrowing on two figures sitting at a booth in the corner of a room. Imani didn't miss the wide smile that made its way onto her face. "Marco." She seemed to speed up, Imani struggling to keep up behind her.

When she stopped at his table, Marco looked up and Imani swore she saw his eyes brighten as he looked at Melisa. He didn't hesitate to get up and greet her with a searing kiss. When he released her, she almost lost her balance. "Hey."

"Hi." She answered.

"Ah, Imani." Finally acknowledging her, he welcomed her with a hug. "Well, this is a surprise. Sit down, here let me grab those chairs."

The person that Marco was with pulled up a chair next to him and smiled at Imani. Marco helped Melisa to sit down whilst Imani completed the task on her own. "Ladies, this here is my other cousin Graham."

Graham flashed his pearly whites, shaking both of their hands but kissing Imani's. "Other? Oh, they've met Vincent? I am sorry for that, ladies." Imani pulled an unimpressed face, not happy about his comment on Vincent.

"Graham, this is the woman I was telling you about Melisa and her friend Imani."

"Imani. Bel nome per una bella ragazza."

A beautiful name for a beautiful girl, he said and although she couldn't understand a damn word, she gagged at his attempt of flirting. At that moment she realised it wasn't just the language that was a turn on. It was only sexy when Vincent said it. Or perhaps that was because Vincent made everything ten times more attractive.

Take for example - facial hair.

Since when did Imani like facial hair on a man? Since she met Vincent, that's when.

Before meeting Mr Pellegrino, she didn't exactly care too much for beards or even men in suits. But seeing Vincent in an all black ensemble with dark stubble across his face ignited a fire deep inside her that she didn't even recognise.

"...Around here."

Snapping back to reality, she realised that Graham was talking to her. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

"Ah, ciò che è sulla vostra mente?"

Getting slightly irritated with his use of Italian knowing full well that she didn't understand, Imani replied with an annoyed, "Huh?"

"I said, what's on your mind?"

Vincent Pellegrino, she wanted to reply saying but she bit her tongue, offering him a polite smile instead. "My son." As if burnt, he jerked back and Imani rolled her eyes.

In her pocket, her phone began to vibrate and she reached into it - wanting to talk to whoever was on the other side of the phone instead of continuing her conversation with Graham. Seeing her boss' name flash on the screen, she answered quicker than normal. Imani held up her finger to Graham apologetically as she raised the device to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Before you left the office yesterday did you happen to speak to Faye Gallagher from-."

"From HoughtonChem? Yeah. Why what's up?"

She heard the sounds of papers shuffling. "Hmm. That's all I needed to know."

"You could've texted me you know." She replied, her lips quirking up into a smile.

"Ah now where's the fun in that, Imani?" Imani spared a glance over at the rest of the group, wanting to see if they had noticed the massive grin that was on her face. None of them were paying attention to her, too busy with their own conversation. "How's your lunch?"

"Interesting, I guess. We bumped into Marco and your cousin Graham and joined them at their table."

For a while there was no sound on the other line. "So you're with Graham right now?" Imani briefly looked at the man with the short dirty blonde hair. When he caught her eye, he winked.

"Uh-huh." She grumbled, wanting to leave the sleazeball's company and return home to the man on the phone.

"Hmm. I'll see you when you get back." Without getting a chance to reply, he had hung up the phone.

Staring at the phone blankly, Imani was confused at his abruptness. "Who was that?" Graham asked, moving into her personal space. Almost at the end of her wits, she angled her body away from him so that he wouldn't be so close to her.

"That's a pretty invasive question to ask somebody you've just met, don't you think?"

Marco and Melisa stopped talking, watching Graham and waiting for his next move.

"Ah, feisty and beautiful. Mi piace."

It was almost as if being an asshole was a Pellegrino trait. Marco was one. Majority of the time, Vincent was one and the man beside her was most definitely a 24/7 asshole.



"I should be getting back to the office." Melisa announced, standing up with her trash.

Marco followed her actions, grabbing his car keys. "Let me drive you back." He said. There was no way that Imani was going to be left alone with Graham so she too stood up with her things, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Imani, are you heading back to that shithole as well?"

Giggling at his reference to the company, she shook her head. "Uh, no. I'm going back to the house."

"Ah, are you driving there or would you like for me to take you?" Graham offered and in the politest way she could after having to put up with him for the past 30 minutes, she smiled.

"N-no, that won't be necessary. I have a driver, I'll be fine." Just as she said that, she suddenly remembered her comment to Benjamin before they left the car. "And I told him I wouldn't need him for the rest of the day. Great."

Quickly, Imani fingers moved over the screen of her phone, trying to find someone -anyone- to pick her up. She even contemplated taking the bus. Anything to prevent her from having to be in a confined space with Graham. "Come. My car is only outside."

After weighing out the pro's and cons, she sighed. "Ok."

What was the worst that could happen on a twenty minute journey?