The Thorned Rose

20

"We've met," Diego stated, looking at me, but I couldn't tell what he was thinking by his eyes or his face, he must be very good at poker. Fabricio looked at him, then me, then back at him. I couldn't tell exactly what Fabri was thinking, but something along the lines of "what the fuck?" probably, but that's just a guess. He raised his eyebrow inquisitively, then continued on with the meeting. We finally finished after a while, and I was so pissed I was scolded for being late to a meeting that I was only needed at for 5 minutes to be introduced to everyone. They could've just stuck a photo of me up there or something. Many different people came up to me, shaking my hand and introducing themselves as they filed out, which was really irritating because I wanted to finish my book and I was hooked! I noticed Diego was taking a while to pack up, and once he realised I was free, he strolled over to me. Fabricio, Dimitri, the twins and the capos were still sat at the table, I guess discussing capo business, no clue, but they all quickly looked up as they saw me speaking to Diego, before going back to business, or at least pretending to as they tried to listen to our conversation... nosy pricks.

"Hey Sav, how've you been?" asked Diego, with a soft face. I thought he would be angry to be honest, but I guess not everyone reacts with anger, something I forget when being around so may angry people all the time.

"I've been okay, you?" I asked, politely.

"Yeah... you didn't call," here it comes, the scolding, "but I get it, you're a head of cybersecurity, I mean, you aren't going to hand your number out to anyone are you, especially a stranger on the street, who knows if I would've have nefarious means." Wow. He was speaking to me with understanding and respect, without biting my head off because I didn't call him... everyone, take notes!

"I have one phone that has three contacts on," (my parents and Nadia, but I wasn't about to tell him), "one phone for the Russos, and about a million burner phones." I have all of the Russos on my other smartphone, and all the burner phones are just cheap ones with buttons for each number where you have to press the number 1 three times to get a 'c', and they are all pay as you go.

"So is your dad actually an investment banker?" I laughed.

"Yes, but I'm not taking over his business. I have a business of my own, well I am part of this business, as you heard, I run all of the drugs management and programs. I guess we will be working close together," he smiled.

"I guess I'm not technically a contractor either..."

"I'm glad that you are here you know, I hate having to hide secrets, especially from people I am close to, and I hope we can become close one day." Fuck sake. I could see out of the corner of my eye Fabricio and his boys being very damn nosy, and they would dart their eyes over to us every so often, before looking down.

"Hey, I guess you are part of all this now, so I guess your number can go in the phone with the Russos," I handed him my phone and he put his number in. I texted him and it came through on his phone. He paused, waited a minute or two, then turned to me, asking, "I did enjoy lunch last week, go with me again?"

"To lunch?"

"Or dinner."

"What about breakfast? Bacon, eggs and waffles?"

"That's a plan. I will pick you up at 10.30am tomorrow morning," he smiled, and lightly kissed me on the cheek, before leaving the room.

I turned to the boys, who by now weren't even acting as if they weren't listening, they were blatantly almost watching us, and I knew they had heard every word we had said. I smiled at them and said, in my most feminine, sexy voice, "well, I have to go find an outfit, although I'm not sure how long I'm going to be wearing it..." Some of them laughed, some of them made funny faces, Fabricio just looked pissed, like he wanted to kill someone. I turned around and skipped out of the room.

Frankly, I didn't want to go on a date, and my feelings about that still hadn't changed, and were very far from dating, but I knew Fabricio was listening and as he's been ignoring me all day, I thought it would be funny to mess with him. Besides, there is no way breakfast can be romantic. I would tell Diego I didn't want anything romantic in the morning, it is no use stringing him along, and he seems like a nice enough boy anyway.

I chose to go pretty casual for the date, wearing my grey joggers (which I love), a white t-shirt with a few sunflowers on my right breast, and a slightly cropped white hoodie, but it still meant there was no gap between my jumper and joggers, unless I lifted my arms. I curled my blonde hair and put it up in a high ponytail, and I chose some light makeup. As the joggers were slightly too long, I rolled up the bottoms twice, and I put on some trainers. I was ready. I grabbed my rucksack with my laptop, a selection of phones, my purse, car keys, two knives, a gun and some ammo and headed downstairs.

If Diego was on time, he wouldn't be here for another half hour, so I went into the breakfast room, which was attached to the kitchen, and contained a smaller table that only had enough chairs for the family, but was always extended slightly for Dimitri and I. The main dining room had a huge table that could fit thirty people, and could still be extended or have other chairs added, so often the family ate round the smaller table. They were all in there: Mateo was showing Romeo and Rico something on his phone, which they were laughing at, Donna was reading a magazine which was opened on a page about kitchens, Loretta was scrolling through her phone, Dimitri was just eating, and Fabricio was sat at the head of the table, reading a newspaper. I sat down and grabbed an apple from the middle of the table.

"Watch out, you don't want to be full for your daaaate," mocked Romeo.

"Sav's going on a daaaate!" chimed in Mateo.

"You two," scolded Donna, "you are twenty-one years old, but you are acting like you are three!" Donna turned to me, "I think it is lovely that you are going on a date." I smiled at her awkwardly.

"Yeah Sav, I mean, Diego is nice, and he is pretty fit," added Loretta, "wait, I thought I heard you had a boyfriend?"

"You are seventeen years old missy! No boys for you!" scolded Donna, "but yes, I heard you had a boyfriend."

"Sav isn't much older than me! And I'm eighteen next week! Wait, actually, how old are you Sav, I swear none of us know?" asked Loretta. Fuck. How old actually was I? I never celebrate my birthday so over the years I kind of forgot what day it was, and I use so many different birthdays and birthyears, that particular date has no relevance because I never use it, so I have no idea.

"I'll have to call my mum," they all looked up at me in astonishment, "what?" I asked.

"Why do you have to call your mum, just say your birthday, and the year you were born, and I can work it out," said Mateo.

"I don't know when it is, I don't celebrate it, so I lost track, and I have so many passports with different birthdays, Phoebe Cardamom was twenty-two if that helps, nineteenth of April," I shrugged my shoulders.

"Call your mum! I need to know, I need to plan a birthday party, especially as you've never had one!!" Donna looked like her whole life depended on finding out my birthday.

"I'll see," I smiled. I was always so worried about calling my parents, like someone would trace the phone call back to them, or to me, and kill either or us, although I would rather them kill me than my parents.

"You didn't answer," said Fabricio bluntly, looking up from his newspaper.

"About what?" I asked.

"The boyfriend!" exclaimed Loretta.

"Oh, yeah I've never had a boyfriend, I just said that to have an excuse to be in that shop when I saw Sandrino in the window, and later to get home; I thought you might let me go if you guys thought there was someone waiting for me," I explained. Fabricio raised his eyebrow, and went back to reading his newspaper.

"Well, maybe Diego will be your first!" added Loretta. I laughed.

Fabricio had kept his face covered with his newspaper for most of the time I was downstairs, only looking up twice. The third time he looked up was when the doorbell rang, and I quickly stood up, knocking the whole table.

"Nervous?" asked Loretta.

"No, just didn't realise the table could move that much," I muttered and I went to the door, with Fabricio's eyes watching me as I left, "bye everyone," I turned around and caught Fabri looking at me, and he immediately darted his eyes away. I couldn't stop the oncoming smile, so I turned around before anyone could see it, and I left.