wander

10|dinner

"I-it's just home sickness" I lie. He doesn't need to know everything. Not just yet. I'll tell them all what happened just not yet, give me a week. Two weeks. I don't know. I'll tell them when I'm ready. When I know I am.

Romeo pulls me in for a hug. A very tight hug. I was desperate for a hug and dissolved right there, in his arms. All my feelings ran loose and I sobbed there. Him holding me.
"You can tell me anything, ok?" Romeo whispers against my neck as I can't bare to pull away. It breaks me even more. All my memories of mom circle my thoughts.

For some stupid reason I feel like I betrayed her. I was the one thing she had. And I left her. She treated me like shit. Absolute shit yes but now she's alone. Yet I'm here, surrounded by everyone. Why do I feel like I have responsibility over this? It wasn't my fault. She was mentally abusive. Mentally exhausting. I couldn't deal with her words. She's just not... not a good mother.

My grip around Romeo becomes tighter. My fingernails digging into his back. He gasps and my hands loosen and I look up to his eyes and apologise. I didn't realise what I was doing to him. I was paralysed in my own thoughts. Trapped. The way out locked, locked forever.

I take a small step back and never break our eye contact. He takes his fingers up to my cheek and wipes away my tears.
"Come, take a warm bath. It will feel amazing. Take your time." He leads me to the bathroom and I find bubble bath and so many more gorgeous products stored in a small box.

Romeo starts the water and fills it up with the bath salts and bubbles. He was such a gentleman. Running a bath. Holding me while i cry. But a flirty shit too. Holding my waist. Making our knees touch.

I sound like I'm falling in love here.

Romeos POV

It hurt me to see her cry. It hurt every piece of me that I didn't know how to make it better. Fuck I didn't even know why she was crying. If I could I would have kissed it all better. But I can't do that. Not just yet. I would kill for her to be next to me forever. My girlfriend. My wife maybe one day. I couldn't let her go.

Every time Leonardo, her Father, talked about her my mind wondered to the time he showed me a photo he had found of her. From her schools Instagram. At least her old schools Instagram. I heard Rose and Chiara talk about how she moved schools due to 'certain reasons.' Chi obviously didn't want to explain.

As I warm her towel, I hear her humming a small tune to herself. I can't make out what the song is, but it's short and sweet. Her voice is beautiful too. God, her whole soul is beautiful. An angel.

"Chi, you're towels outside the bathroom. Get it when you're ready" I chirp through the bathroom door.
"Ok, thanks so much Romeo." She shouts back, stopping her little singsong.

I leave Chiara to her bath and sit on the couch and read a book. I wasn't usually a book person but it was the only thing to occupy me while sweet Chi was busy doing her own thing. I couldn't let her out of my sight. I feel oddly protective over her and I've only know her for a small amount of time.

I keep reading and eventually I doze off into a slumber. Shopping was tiring. And I wasn't even the one trying the clothes on or anything. I wonder how girls find that fun.

An hour later...
(Back to Chiaras POV)
After I had finished my bath and threw on some loungewear, I walked into the main room to find a gorgeous Romeo asleep on the sofa. Book in hand and the other palm on his cheek.
I couldn't wake him. He looked so peaceful. I took my phone out and snapped a quick photo of the sweet site in front of me.

I left Romeo to sleep in peace while Rose and I played a board game. There was a stack of them in the library. They had been untouched for years and I decided to play. I wasn't good at all and Rose had to teach me. We laughed at how pathetic I was and ended up allowing Rose to win. She says the game is so easy, but I suppose she's played it before. Not for me.

After the game, Rose asks if I'd like to take a walk around the field next to our houses. I said yes of course. How I could I reject staying inside, away from these beautiful surroundings.
"You're so lucky" I whisper, "you've gotten to live by all this you're whole life. I bet you don't know how many people would kill to live here."
"Oh no. I get it. I love it here. That's why I always come back from Louisiana. It hurts me to stay away from home too long."

The conversation continues until Rose suddenly remembers the dinner we have planned tonight and pulls me in to get ready.

We open the door to still see Romeo fast asleep, spread over the couch. I walk over and crouch down to his height in front of him.
"Hey, Romeo. Wake up. It's nearly time to go for dinner." I say as I cup his cheek in my palm.

He wakes up softly and apologises. I don't know why he apologised. He was so cute sleeping. Cuter if I was asleep next to him.