she was only ever a stone’s throw away in her family’s cottage.
“Okay, well, stay safe. That’s all that matters right now.”
“You be careful too. Scott is still—”
“He wouldn’t dare try anything with me,” she scoffed. “Besides, Maurice follows me around like my shadow.”
I hoped she was right.
“I’ll text you later, okay?” she said.
“Okay. Bye.”
We hung up just as I heard raised voices coming from the living room. Tiptoeing to the far wall, I pressed my ear against the wood. I didn’t want to eavesdrop, I didn’t want to be that girl, but Nora had planted a seed. And I couldn’t deny part of me wondered what was happening.
“No,” I heard Nicco say. “No fucking way.”
“Niccolò,” Antonio clucked his tongue, “you need to...” His words were swallowed.
“Porca miseria!” I couldn’t figure out who that was, possibly Enzo or his father.
“... to our advantage.”
“I won’t do it.” Nicco sounded irritated. Something crashed and then a door slammed, reverberating through the cabin.
I stumbled back, regretting my decision to listen. A couple of seconds later, there was a knock at my door. “Arianne,” Luis said.
“Come in.”
He slipped inside and closed the door. “How much of that did you hear?”
“Not a lot.”
He gave me a pointed look, and I let out a defeated sigh. “I heard the odd word. Is everything okay?”
“Things got a little fraught, but everything will be okay. Antonio and his brothers just left.”
“So I can go see Nicco?”
“Umm...” His expression fell.
“Luis?”
“He’s...”
I shouldered past him and went into the main room. “Nicco?”
“Hey Ari,” Matteo looked sheepish, rubbing a hand through his hair and down his neck.
“Where is he?”
“I... uh... he’s...” His eyes went to the door. I took off, yanking it open, catching Nicco about to take off on his bike.
“Nicco?” I called.
His body slumped back on the bike, his head hung low. I inched closer, sensing his torment. “Nicco, look at me.”
“I need a minute.” His voice was raw.
“You’re leaving?” I rounded the bike.
“No, I would never... I just need...” He inhaled a ragged breath. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want you to be sorry. I want you to talk to me. What happened?”
His eyes shuttered and he exhaled a shaky breath. “Please don’t ask me that, anything but that.”
The need to know what had happened burned through me but Nicco was hurting and all I wanted to do was make it better.
“Will you come inside with me?”
“I need to ride, Bambolina. I need... space.”
“From me?” Pain squeezed my heart.
“Not you, never you. I just... this is how I deal with things.”
“So I’ll come.” I went to climb on the back of his bike, but Nicco hooked me round the waist, pulling me into him. “It’s not safe.”
“Then it’s not safe for you either.” I pressed my hand to his cheek, narrowing my eyes as I spoke my next words. “Come inside, Nicco. I won’t ask again.”
Pulling away, I marched back into the cabin and sat down on the sectional.
“Everything okay?” Matteo asked me.
“We’ll see.” I rested my chin on my fists, mindlessly counting the seconds.
If Nicco didn’t come back, I didn’t know what I would do. But if we were going to be together, if we were going to get through this, he had to realize he couldn’t just take off every time the going got tough. He might not have been able to tell me everything, but he could be with me.
He could turn to me for comfort.
I glanced at the door, waiting for him to walk through it.
“Ari, maybe you should—”
“Don’t,” I groaned.
“It’s not you, you have to know that. This is killing him.”
“It’s not exactly easy for me either.” I met Matteo’s sympathetic gaze.
“I know. Trust me, I know. But Nicco is used to being in control. He’s used to—”
I didn’t need to turn around to see Nicco, I felt him, the tether between us pulling taut.
“I’ll give you two a minute.” Matteo got up and left the cabin.
The air crackled between us, thick and oppressive. “Do you want to talk about it?” I said, breaking the heavy silence.
“I just want to be with you, Bambolina. Is that okay?”
I nodded, scared that if I spoke, we would lose this moment.
Nicco had relented.
Instead of running away to clear his head, he’d turned to me.
It felt like a turning point.
“I’m here, Nicco. Whatever you need, I’m here.”
He finally moved, standing over me. His body vibrated with anger; I could feel it permeate the air. Sliding my hand in his, I stood. “What do you need?”