The Accardi Twins: A Mafia Romance Duet

Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

Elisa

“ W hat the fuck is he doing here?” Seb snarls, scaring me a little with the venom in his tone.

“I don’t know,” I truthfully reply as Caleb saunters toward us. Shea, Seb, and I are seated at an outdoor table at the coffee place on campus, grabbing an early lunch.

Heads turn as Caleb approaches, carrying a large, gift-wrapped box and wearing a flirty smile. He pays no attention to the drooling, fawning women though, and that’s new. Gia told me he hasn’t been with anyone in ages, and he seems honest about proving he’s serious about me. Deep down inside, a little kernel of hope is mushrooming, but I stamp it down anytime it attempts to resurface.

I’m with Sebastien now. He’s a good guy. Hot and sweet and romantic.

“So why haven’t you given him your V-card?” an inner voice asks. I shut that meddling sucker up as Caleb reaches us.

“Hello, Lili.” He whips a pink rose out from under the box he’s carrying and hands it to me. “You look beautiful today.”

He’s full of shit. My hair is up in a messy bun. I have zero makeup on. I’m wearing skinny jeans, an oversized sweater with an obvious coffee stain, and ballet flats.

I take the rose in a bit of a daze. Butterflies are going haywire in my chest, and when his fingers brush mine in the exchange, delicious tingles zip over my hand and up my arm like always.

“Fuck off,” Seb hisses as he stands, reminding me I’m not alone.

“Sebastien!” I chastise, climbing to my feet. “There’s no need to be rude.”

“There is every need to be rude. This is way out of line.” He faces off with a smiling Caleb, and I realize Caleb is getting off on this. “She’s mine. Fuck off and get your own woman.”

“I am my own person, and I don’t belong to either of you.” I step in between them to defuse the situation before they get into it on campus. Already, we are gathering attention. I push Seb to one side, keeping him close so he can’t lunge at Caleb and sign his own death warrant. “Why are you here, Caleb?” I ask because it’s been over a year since he showed up on campus.

“I came to ask you to lunch, and I wanted to give you this.” He holds out the box.

“That’s a very big box,” I say. His lips twitch, and I narrow my eyes as heat warms my cheeks. “Mind out of the gutter, Caleb.”

“I don’t know what you mean, Lili.”

I roll my eyes. Seb is practically bristling with anger beside me, and I don’t want to cause a scene. “I asked you to stop with the gifts for a reason,” I softly say, not wanting to appear unappreciative. Truth is I loved receiving flowers and gifts, but Caleb has stuck to his word, and I haven’t received any deliveries since Gia’s birthday party. He still sends me daily love letters, and it’s getting harder and harder to deny him because he’s showing me a romantic side I didn’t think existed. Slowly, he is creating cracks in the scaffolding around my heart, and I’m worried I’m not strong enough to resist if he keeps this up.

He’ll probably grow tired of waiting and move on, so I just need to hang in there.

“I stopped when you asked, but this is different. It’s a study care package. Mom said you were starting to feel stressed, so I thought this might help.”

“You bought me a study care package?” I repeat in a robotic voice.

“Yep.” His proud grin does funny things to my insides. “I picked out and purchased all the elements individually. I was trying to think of all the things that might help.”

“Who are you, and what have you done with Caleb Accardi?”

Caleb emits a booming laugh. “You bring out a side of me I’d kept hidden.” His eyes soften. “You bring out the best in me, Lili. You always have.”

“Pass me the puke bucket,” Seb says before making a gagging sound.

I frown at him. I know this is unfair to him, but there’s no need to be so rude.

“Have lunch with me,” Caleb says, pleading with his eyes.

“I’ve already eaten, and I have a tutorial in twenty minutes.”

Pain pricks at my heart as his face actually falls.

“No problem.” His eyes bore into mine, and my heart stutters behind my rib cage. Butterflies swoop into my stomach the longer he stares at me, and my heart is pounding wildly now. It’s like he’s reaching inside me and wrapping his essence around my soul. A keening ache builds in my chest, and my fingers twitch with the longing to touch him.

“I’ve got to go,” I say, grabbing my book bag off the ground.

“Give me your keys, and I’ll drop this at your place,” he says.

“Over my dead body.” Seb crunches his knuckles.

What the hell has gotten into him?

“That can be easily arranged,” Caleb murmurs in a low voice only I can hear.

I shoot Caleb a warning look as I remove my keys from my jeans pocket and drop them into his palm. “Thank you. This was very thoughtful of you.”

“That’s me.” He leans in and whispers into my ear, “I’m all kinds of thoughtful when it comes to my sweet Lili.” He flashes me a wink, and I yank Seb back as he moves to lunge at him.

“Bye, Caleb!” I call out, wiggling my fingers as I get my boyfriend out of there.

“What the fuck, Elisa?” Seb yanks his hand from mine when Caleb is out of sight. “What the hell do you think you’re playing at?” he shouts.

“Lower your voice,” I say calmly as Shea comes up on my left side. She’s stayed quiet through all of that.

“You just gave that fucking asshole keys to your place? He’s probably going over to jerk off all over your bed and stamp his mark.”

“Firstly, gross, and secondly, Caleb is one of my oldest friends, and I trust him with my life. I get why you’re frustrated, but you can’t be rude to him.”

“He’s fucking rude to me every time he pulls this shit, and you’re just letting him!”

“It’d be rude to refuse his gift, and it might actually help me.” I have been stressed about my forthcoming exams. As much as I’m prepared, I’m still anxious. I want to get the best result and leave NYU with my head held high. I want to make my parents proud, and I want to start my new business on the best footing. A lot is going to change in my life in the next few months, and while it’s super exciting, it’s also nerve-wracking.

“You’re unbelievable! I’ve been so fucking patient with you, and this is how you repay me?”

An icy chill crawls up my spine. “What did you just say?”

“Forget it. Forget all of it. I’m going home.” He storms off in a temper.

“What just happened?” I ask Shea.

“I’m just going to say it,” she says, walking in front of me. “I don’t like that guy. I did at first, but he’s all sweet and attentive one minute and angry and controlling the next. I think you can do much better.”

“Yeah, I think you might be right.”

Gia is waiting in my apartment when I get home later that night, and she opens the door and pulls me into a squeezing hug. “How are you?” she asks, bundling me into the house. “Beatrice is out by the way. She told me to tell you.”

“Sorry you got roped into this. I thought I had a second set of keys in my locker, but I couldn’t find them. I should have told Caleb to drop my keys back to me.”

“It’s fine. It gave me a good excuse to come visit.”

Her ring sparkles under the living room light, drawing my attention to it. “Wow, that ring is something else.”

“It is, isn’t it?” She beams.

“Love looks good on you.”

“I’m so fucking happy in a way I never imagined. I love him so much it’s hard to separate each day to go to work. I literally miss him the second he’s gone.”

“Aw, that’s so adorable. I’m incredibly happy for you,” I add, dumping my bag on the floor and heading to the refrigerator.

“I brought wine,” she says, reaching for the cupboard with the wineglasses. “Thought we might need it for the unveiling.”

When Gia called to say she was coming over with my keys, I told her about Caleb’s gift, and she readily agreed to open it with me. “I’ll definitely need it after today.”

A frown mars her smooth forehead. “What don’t I know?”

I fill her in on the altercation between Caleb and Seb and Shea’s confession. “What do you think of him?” I ask as I pour wine into the two glasses.

“I have only met him twice in passing, so it’s hard for me to form an opinion yet.”

“But?” I ask because I sense there is one.

“I’m not overly keen on some of the things you’ve told me, but I don’t want to be judgmental or biased.”

“Biased?” I arch a brow as I hand her a wineglass, and we move to the couch. Caleb’s gift is resting on top of the coffee table, waiting to be opened.

She levels me with a look. “Biased about Caleb.”

“In what way? You’ve never been his biggest fan.”

“That’s before I got to know him and before I’ve seen him these past couple of months.”

“What are you saying, Gigi?”

“I don’t want to interfere, because this is your life and I know he hurt you, deeply, but you’ve loved him for so long Lili, and he’s finally on the same page. Would it really hurt to let him in? To give it a try?”

I almost spit my wine all over the place. “You want me to ditch Sebastien and date Caleb?”

“I want you to follow your heart.”

“My heart has only ever led me astray,” I remind her, taking a big gulp of my wine.

“But has it?” she softly asks. “Maybe your heart was right all along.”

“Ugh. Don’t say this to me.” I lean my head back and stare at the ceiling. “I’m already faltering.”

“I know it’s a lot to forgive him, but he’s trying so hard to be the man you need him to be. I think he really loves you, Lise.”

“What if I give in and he decides he doesn’t like being in a committed relationship and he dumps me to return to his manwhoring ways?” I lower my eyes as pain spreads across my chest. “It would hurt so bad. Way more than I’m hurting now.”

“That is a risk, but I think he’s serious when he says he’s done with all that. I don’t think he was ready to commit before, and it’s partly why he was ignoring his feelings for you. But he’s ready now.”

“What if I’m not enough to keep him faithful?” I brave the question that’s most often plagued me. “He’s been with so many women, and I’m still a virgin. How could I ever satisfy him? He would stray when I can’t give him what he wants.”

“He doesn’t want any of those other women, and you’d learn what he likes.” She reaches over and briefly squeezes my hand. “Of course, you’d be enough for him. You’re amazing, and you’ve got so many good qualities. Caleb would be lucky to have you in his life, and he knows it.”

“It’s a moot point, anyway.” I reach for my wine and knock back a mouthful. “I’m with Seb, and we have a double dinner date on Thursday, or had you forgotten?”

“I haven’t forgotten. We’ll be there.”

“Maybe, I’ll see how that goes and then decide.”

“I don’t want to pressure you. I just want you to be happy, Lise. I don’t want you to settle because you think that’s the best way to safeguard your heart.”

“You think that’s what I’m doing?”

She shrugs, casting a glance at the box. “Maybe, but only you can answer that.”

Except I’m not sure I can. I’m more than a little confused. “I don’t know if I am,” I truthfully reply. “Caleb hurt me a lot.”

“I know he did, like I know him dealing with those bitches doesn’t miraculously heal those wounds, but surely it helped some?”

I nod. “It did.” I tuck my hair behind my ears. “Do you think I’m a bad person that I enjoyed what he did? That I don’t feel any remorse they’re all behind bars now?”

“I think it makes you human, and you don’t have a bad bone in your body.”

“I liked hitting her. I liked having the upper hand. Those aren’t the reactions of a good person, Gigi.”

“We’re all various shades of good and bad and everything in between. As long as the good wins out more than the bad, I’d say you’re okay. And honestly? Look at the world we’ve grown up in? We’ve all seen darkness, all been touched by it. It’s impossible to walk away unscathed. If you’re worrying about your conscience, don’t, babe. You’re the singular best person I know with the purest heart. Hating on a few bitches who hurt you doesn’t change that.”

“You’re right.” I drain my wine for Dutch courage and slide onto my knees on the floor. “I want to open my gift.”

Gia kneels beside me, grinning. “Go for it!”

“Did you have anything to do with this?” I ask as the thought occurs to me.

She vigorously shakes her head. “The first I heard of it was when he visited me at work and asked me to drop by with your keys. He would’ve come by himself, but he had a commission meeting.”

“Oh, yes. It’s the big meeting in Ireland today, isn’t it? Dad told me about it.”

“Joshua’s on edge. They all are. I’m hoping it goes well and we can put this bullshit to bed. Then we only have Cruz to deal with.”

“And his weapon of a wife.” I tear at the pink paper, smiling to myself at the haphazard wrapping job. It only makes my heart beat harder for Caleb knowing he did all this by himself. He’s crazy busy with mafioso shit, so the fact he’s making time for me speaks volumes.

“I heard she slammed the door in Alesso’s face after he told her he was done.”

“Yeah, she was a real bitch.” My anger flares as I rip the rest of the paper. “I really want to give her a piece of my mind. Dad has put up with her for years, and she treats him like that? I am praying daily that karma bites her in the ass soon.” A gasp flees my lips as I expose the pretty wooden box with the custom engraving. “Oh my god,” I exclaim as my fingers trace over the L-I-L-I etched on the lid of the box.

“That is beautiful.”

“It is.” My voice trembles a little as I raise a shaky hand to the clip to unlock the box. I’m almost afraid to look inside now.

“Holy fuck,” Gia says when I pop the lid and the large contents are revealed. “He has seriously outdone himself with this.”

My eyes are out on stalks as I examine every item. Hugging the cuddly teddy bear to my chest as I explore my care package, I struggle to contain my tears. Inside is a heavenly scented pillow, a heated warmer to soothe strained muscles, a box of my favorite cupcakes, and French chocolates from The White Plains Chocolaterie, and I bet Caleb grabbed a box for his mother while he was there.

There is also chopped fruit, a couple bags of nuts to snack on, and an aromatherapy roll-on I know came from Sierra because I’ve used it before. You dab it on your wrists and inhale the scent anytime you feel anxiety, and it helps to calm you. Also included is a heart-shaped smiley-face stress ball, a diffuser set, three scented candles, pens, notepads and other stationery supplies, a travel coffee mug, a box of multivitamins, a lavender eye mask, and a spa voucher for the gorgeous spa three blocks away.

My favorite items are the teddy bear and a rose quartz worry stone. I find running my fingers over the hard smoothness to be soothing in the extreme. I am overwhelmed, and I just sit there with tears in my eyes as I inspect the mountain of stuff Caleb chose for me.

“Wow.” Gia looks moved too.

I hug my teddy bear closer. “I can’t believe he did all this.”

“You can practically feel his love leaking from every item. This is amazing, Lise.”

“I know. It’s so thoughtful and sweet, and he did all this for me.” My vision is blurry as I look at her. “Is it stupid to be most afraid of my dreams coming true? Of finally getting the one thing I have longed for? What if I’ve built it up to be this big fantasy that just isn’t realistic?”

“The best things in life can often be the scariest, and you won’t know unless you give it a try.”