Different Worlds (wlw) Editing

T H I R T Y - E I G H T

I stood beneath the blazing sun among a multitude of people all gathered together to say their final goodbyes to their friends, fathers, sons, cousins, and husbands. It was an emotional day, so much sorrow and anger as Jimmy, Riccardo, Samuele, Christian, and Pietro were laid to rest.

Within the crowd of people, were so many faces weeping and crying, I began to succumb to my own tears.
I hadn't known the guys as perfect as Raye and most people around did but I was familiar with them and likewise.
In particular, Jimmy was my favourite though he didn't speak much, he was the one that took me where ever and was always by my side. Now to watch them lower him into the ground did break my heart.

Everyone around was shedding tears of grief, everyone besides Raye and a few of her guys. Their faces were as hard as stone, you'd wonder if they were alive.
Despite it all, I knew they were angry and I didn't blame them. The ones that they loved like brothers were murdered in cold blood and all I could see written on their faces was revenge and it was high time before bodies started to go missing or turning up dead.

After all five of the guys were lowered into the ground and everyone left, Raye and a few others stayed behind for a while. She started to speak in Italian to the freshly dug earth and I had no idea what she was saying. One of the guys saw that I was having difficulty understanding and as she spoke he leaned over to whisper in my ear.

"She's speaking to them,"

"I know but what is she saying?"

"She's making them a promise, that she'll kill all the bastards who had a hand in their death and she swear it in the name of her family, both living and dead."

"Oh." Was all I said and I watched as Raye took a tiny flask out of a pocket within her black tailored suit and pour some of the brown liquid onto the ground, before lifting it to her head.

When she'd finally turned to face me, her eyes were bloodshot red and her jaw muscles could be seen flexing rapidly. Without caring where we were or who was there, I engulfed her in a tight hug, squeezing her to me and she did the same. Her body trembled against mine and I knew it was taking every ounce of strength she had to not lose herself completely and because of that, I led her out of the cemetery.

Everyone else starts to follow us.

* *

"Will you promise me something," Raye whispered despite us being alone inside of her bedroom. I liked that she was a different person with me when we were caught up together.
I'd like to think that the person she was in my presence was her true self and I'd never stop believing that. Raye was more affectionate, more laid back and opened.

When she was with the guys she'd be somewhat loud and relatively rude, and it's why I loved having her to myself because it seemed to be where she was her genuine freakish self.

"Whatever you want," I spoke softly, stroking her face with my thumb as we laid facing one another. Raye smiled at me, flashing those pearly white teeth and I couldn't help but stare in awe.

I've seen her before so many times, yet I never got used to how beautiful and one of kind her features were.
No matter how many times I've been around her, it always felt like I was seeing her for the first time and I loved that I was able to feel that way about her.

"I can't entirely describe how you look at me but it makes me feel so damn good. When you stare at me like that, it causes my stomach to flip like crazy." Raye said out of the blue and we both laughed.

"Aww jeez, I make you feel that way?" I asked placing my thumb at her chin right where the cleft was and she grinned.

"Yes, Ms Paulson, you make me feel that way but that wasn't what I wanted to say, I just got distracted."