❝I would burn for all eternity to feel your touch once more.❞
Former mafia member now turned barista, Lorenzo Castello, is running away from his family to grieve a sudden loss when he meets a paramedic with no impulse control that turns his world up...
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WHEN PEOPLE USUALLY think of Christmas (or at least the ones actually that celebrate it because let's face it, not everyone does), they most likely think of large amounts of food – because their moms and grandmothers think they are feeding an army – presents, obviously, but most importantly they think of family. You can't think of the above without having your family there.
When those huge plates with food arrive at the table, you aren't alone. You're usually fighting someone over the last piece of dessert or hell even who is gonna serve themselves first! Or when you are thinking of presents, your grandma's ugly sweaters come to mind and they don't just appear out of nowhere, someone made or bought them.
When thinking of Christmas people usually think of the past but the future too. Their thoughts are usually something of the following: what am I gonna get this year? Will their parents get them what they really want and have been hinting them about it for months? Will their grandparents ever stop making those sweaters? And most importantly, what the hell were they gonna get everyone?
But for Lorenzo Castello that wasn't the case anymore.
His only thoughts would be only of the past as his family was gone. His nonna would no longer scold him for eating before praying, his mamma would no longer beg him to get his siblings ready before the guests arrived and his papa would no longer have the same façade he had every time someone visited the Castello residence. He would no longer be kind, trustworthy and basically the father Lorenzo longed for.
All of that because he wasn't in Italy anymore.
And because he was no longer Lorenzo Castello.
He snapped out of his dark thoughts when he felt a hard jab at his ribs and he looked up from the black counter to see Leon glaring at him before he pointed with his eyes towards the waiting crowd that had gathered around him. They demanded their drinks and with a heavy heart and an even foggier mind, he quickly took their orders and tried to complete each and every single one of them without spilling anything on the clean surface he had cleaned a few hours ago.
According to Leon, December the 23rd was one of their busiest days.
Mostly because the bar closed for Christmas that day and everyone came for one last night of fun in that year since the Deepest Desire opened again after New Year's. Lorenzo knew that even though the bar closed, people would visit other night clubs to celebrate the holidays or whatever.
However, he wouldn't be following their tradition.
In his mind, that year's Christmas would be spent in his living room eating everything he knew how to make from his nonna's Christmas menu which really consisted of stuffed tortellini soup, that sun-dried tomato pizza she always made and of course, his favourite chocolate cookies with pistachio.
He would be lying if he said he was an amazing cook but he was average. He had spent his early life watching his nonna cook or help the cooks and he had grown to love it. Whenever he would have free time and his siblings would demand a snack, he would always go and make something for them from a simple sandwich to chocolate cake.
