The Hateful Heavy Heart | 18+

10 - Eggs and Ham

The next morning, I awoke to the smell of food. Eggs, it seemed. Eggs and ham. With a large yawn, I stretched my body out and let my eyes flutter open.

My curtains had been opened, tied nicely to the side. The view was sort of crappy, but it was a beautiful day outside. A good start to a hopefully good day.

After stretching one last time, I stepped out of bed. My first trip of the morning was the bathroom, where I pissed, washed my hands, and then brushed my teeth. I then made my way to the kitchen, where I found Ruggiero.

With a smile I couldn't resist breaking into, I leaned against the counter. "I didn't know you were with this husband-type shit. Cooking me breakfast and stuff."

He turned around to look at me and rolled his eyes. He looked good. He almost looked better than how the food in my oven smelled. I could tell that he'd used my shower while I was deep in my slumber; his hair was wet and in little curls. He was already dressed for his day.

Ruggiero smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, you know I like to feed you, Jace. And I wanted to ensure that your day started well."

"Well," I started, taking steps toward him, "aren't you a sweetheart?" I put my arms around him and he returned the gesture.

"Opposites attract, dolcezza. I'm a sweetheart and you're my little diavola." He pressed a kiss to my forehead before releasing me. "I don't want the food to burn."

I stood there, watching him. He looked very nice and domesticated. It made my heart warm. Ruggiero slid my floral patterned oven mitt onto his hand and opened the oven. I bit my lip and frowned, a recollection of my dream sliding into my thoughts.

"Hey," I started, while Ruggiero grabbed the food from the oven. "Last time we had sex, did you use a condom?"

He shook his head. "We never use condoms." Ruggiero set the food on top of the stove and then turned toward me. "Because you're on birth control. Why? I'm not sleeping with anyone else if that's what you were wondering."

Well, duh, I wanted to say. He better not had slept with anyone else. "No, no, I just...it's nothing."

"Did you miss your period?"

I shook my head. "No, I should get it within the next few days." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing. I just had a dream."

Ruggiero had gone back to preparing the food. He had found a knife and was cutting whatever he cooked into small pieces. "What was in the dream?"

"I was pregnant in the dream. You were pressing kisses to my stomach." As I spoke, my voice sounded distant. "It was...weird."

Ruggiero shook his head and laughed. "It's just a dream, dolcezza."

"Yeah," I said, nodding my head. "You're right."

"But hey, if it's symbolic for the future, Italians make good family men," he said, winking at me.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Yeah, yeah, Ruggiero. You're crazy." I inched closer to him, to see what it was he was making. "What is that?"

"Pizza rústica," he said as a matter of factly.

"Come again."

"Pizza. Rústica."

"Which is?"

"Italian Easter ham pie." He looked up to see the confused expression on my face and gave me a soft smile before pressing a kiss to my forehead. "Don't be so skeptical. It's good."

The forehead kiss made my heart skip a beat, but my eyebrows were still furrowed. "But... it's not even Easter."

Ruggiero's face broke out into a grin. "That's hardly relevant, dolcezza." He rolled his eyes at me and placed a couple of pieces on each plate. He gestured for me to sit and I did so. With both of the plates in his hand, he started toward the table. He placed the plates down before grabbing two forks and returned to where I sat. He smiled and took the seat across from me. "Now, are you going to eat or am I going to have to feed you?"

"Well, I can't eat if you have both of the of the forks, silly." I was attempting to keep my composure, but truth be told, I had butterflies in my stomach. It had been a while since someone cooked for me and it scared me how much I felt for him.

"My apologies, dolcezza." He offered me the fork and I took it, thanking him with a nod. "Alright, now, I want to see you take a bite," Ruggiero said, watching me intently.

Although I didn't want to, I broke the eye contact and gave my attention toward my food, though it was hard to pretend like he wasn't still staring. The food looked good. It had a very large familiarity with quiche. With my fork, I sectioned off a piece and lifted it to my mouth. Once it hit my tongue, I could admit that my palette appreciated the taste. I raised my head to look, nodding my head gently while I chewed.

"You like?"

I let silence pass for a few moments as I finished chewing. "Of course, Ruggiero, rarely do I dislike a meal. However, I have to admit that some of the meals my dad used to make were...not good."

"Throw out some examples."

"Well, for starters, he sure knows how to ruin some meatloaf. And don't get me started on all the different casseroles he attempted."

"None of them were good?"

"None of them were good. Not a single one." I laughed before sticking another bite in my mouth. "But this," I started, using my hand to cover my mouth, "this is good as fuck."

He laughed along with me. "Well, dolcezza, I pray that I get the chance to cook for you once again."

Ruggiero and I continued to talk over breakfast, sharing little anecdotes about our lives between laughter and chewing. I learned a bit about his childhood in Italy, how he was an only child and while it was lonely, he learned to pick up hobbies to occupy himself, like cooking and helping his father, who had also been a mechanic. I told him a little about my awkward high school years, and the odd time that someone had asked Jackson and I dated, after mentioning that we looked alike. Ruggiero was easy to converse with, and I found myself smiling more than I had in a while.

He picked up his napkin and wiped his face as I watched him prepare to stand up. "I've got to head out for work. The longer I sit here, the less likely it is that I'll go."

"And why is that?" I poked.

"Oh, Jace, I think you know; I could sit here staring at you all day if given the chance. You look too sinful in that Batman shirt and those panties." He winked at me before standing and grabbing his plate before making his way to the sink.

I grabbed my plate and followed in his actions. Once my plate was in the sink, I got close to him, breathing in his inviting sent. I didn't know what kind of cologne he used, but it made him smell delicious.

"Or..." I caressed his arm and looked at him with a warm smile. With my free hand, I ghosted my fingers over the front of his crotch. "I'm sure we can squeeze in a little unholiness to send you off."

He smirked, letting his hand trail under my shirt and between my legs, his fingers petting softly against my warmth. "Or, my little diavola, I can return later with the promise to get you off. How's that sound?"

I stood on my tiptoes, letting his hand fall away, to press a kiss to his lips. "Okay." I let my hands fall from him completely as I turned around, purposely letting my butt graze his front before I walked away. "But I want it so good that my toes curl."

"As always," he said, and I could hear his voice following closely behind me. "Your wish is my command."

I stopped at the door to let him out. "What a gentleman you are," I teased, unlocking and pulling the door open.

"Of course, dolcezza." Ruggiero smiled at me. "Do a little spin for me, will you?"

With a light laugh, I did as he asked. I was sure that I looked only half-decent, as I had yet to clean myself up for the day, but I had to admit that he made me feel very attractive at that moment. "Like that?"

"Yes, like that. And I'll grab my bag when I come back. One more time before I go," he said. He then pulled me into his arms, kissing me very gently while one of his hands squeezed my butt. However, he did not let himself get carried away, pulling away from me shortly. "Have a good day, dolcezza. I'll see you later," he said, heading out the door.

"You too, Ruggiero." With a lazy smile, I shut the door behind him.

-
Are you enjoying the story? Drop a vote, a comment, and dive into Jace's world.