Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Seraphina
I shouldn’t be excited, but I am. Sergio and I have been eating lunch together for the past month.
He’s been nothing but a perfect gentleman so far.
He’s even helped me with my chemistry homework.
He’s nothing like I expected. The way his brother and my sister talk about him, you’d think he’s an asshole.
Well, he may be an asshole but there’s more to him than they know.
He’s smart, funny, and sweet. I like him. I really like him.
We haven’t talked much about our families, so he doesn’t know who I am yet. But today I’m going to tell him. I only think it’s right since I already know who he is. I’m glad I’m getting to know him for myself, and I’ve gotten used to being around him.
I rush to the library, excited to see him.
It’s lunch period and I have no doubt Sergio will be waiting for me.
With food. When I turn the corner, I smile.
He’s usually scrolling through his phone while waiting by the door.
And when he sees me, his face lights up.
It’s the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen.
But this time my smile slips from my face and my heart sinks to my gut when I don’t see Sergio.
I’ve never felt so dissapointed. I’ve gotten used to spending time with him.
It’s become the highlight of my day. However, today his friend, Kai is glaring at me with a bag of food in his hand.
I know he doesn’t like me. I’m not sure why he doesn’t, but the way he looks at me makes my skin crawl.
He’s always glaring at me when we pass each other in the halls.
He’s even shouldered me a few times. I haven’t told Sergio about it, though.
He’s his friend and I don’t want to cause trouble between them.
“Where’s Sergio?” I ask when I reach the library.
He shoves the bag of food in my hands but doesn’t answer my question. I take that as my cue to leave. It’s fine if he doesn’t want to tell me. I was just trying to be cordial.
“Never mind,” I mumble, then push open the library door and head to my usual table.
I place my food on the table, then sit down.
I pull out my cellphone and send a quick thank you text to Sergio for the food.
I place my phone down because I don’t expect an immediate reply from him, then pull the containers of food from the bag.
The smell of Italian food reaches my nose causing my mouth to water.
Sergio refuses to bring me anything other than dishes from Little Palermo.
He’s vowed to get me something every day until I’ve tried everything on the menu.
Before I can even get started the chair across from me scrapes across the floor. I stop what I’m doing and look up at Kai as he sits down in front of me. I stare at him unsure why he’s still here.
“What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?”
He props his feet on the table almost knocking one of the containers of food on the floor. I move it away from his shoes, so he doesn’t ‘mistakenly’ push it on the floor.
“What’s your problem?” I cross my arms over my chest. “I’ve done nothing to you, but you act like you hate me.”
A sneer crosses his face. “You’re not important enough for me to hate, Princess. Now eat your goddamn food.”
“You know what? I don’t have to take this from you.” I grab the containers of food and put them back in the bag. “I’ll find somewhere else to eat.”
“Sit the fuck down.” He glares at me. “Now.”
“I don’t know who you think you’re, but you don’t talk to me like that.”
I grab my belongings from the table, and just as soon as I walk past him, he jumps up from his chair, grabbing my arm.
“It won’t be long, and he’ll be done with you because you’re nothing. He’ll get tired of fucking with you.”
I fight back tears. Sergio has become a good friend to me, maybe even more. I hope what Kai’s saying is a lie. But he’s one of his best friends. He knows Sergio better than I do.
My eyes flew open, and my heart pounded inside my chest. Even awake, Kai’s warning from the past clung to me. I sighed, closing my eyes as I tried to push the dream to the back of my mind.
Losing Sergio wasn’t just a fear, it was terror that lived deep in my bones.
And when it happened, it didn’t feel like heartbreak.
It felt like my soul had been obliterated into nothing.
He wasn’t just my best friend. He was the one person who saw me.
Really saw me and I loved him with everything I had to give.
He was my first everything. My first kiss, my first boyfriend, and the person who took my virginity.
He was the only man I’d ever loved. But after the bullet tore through me, and Giancarlo was taken because of him and his one-sided allegiance to his father, something inside me fractured beyond repair.
Whatever we shared couldn’t survive that kind of betrayal.
I told myself it was over for good this time.
That love had no chance of coexisting with that kind of pain.
But my heart still reached for him in those cruel moments I endured with Dorian.
My heart still ached to hear his voice, feel his arms around me.
I missed his voice telling me that everything would be alright.
Pathetic? Maybe. But the grief of losing the one person who meant everything to you doesn’t care about pride. And genuine love just didn’t disappear because it had been poisoned by betrayal.
“I’ve got to get out of here,” I mumbled. “I can’t stay here.”
“No can do, Princess.”
The sound of Kai’s voice startled me. I fucking hated that nickname. It made my stomach twist into knots anytime he said it. He always said it with a smirk, like he wanted to get under my skin.
I didn’t trust him. I never trusted him.
He sat in an armchair against the wall across the room, near the door. Like he was posted there just in case I tried to run.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
I pulled up the comforter to cover my body. I didn’t feel comfortable with him in the room with me, while I was half dressed. I didn’t think he would try anything because Sergio would kill him, but his presence always made me uncomfortable.
He followed my movement, smirking when his eyes focused back on mine. “Babysitting, of course.”
“Where’s Sergio?”
“Out.”
I rolled my eyes. “That doesn’t tell me where he is.”
“You’ve got us in some real shit now.” He plants his forearms on his knees, clasping his hands together while he glared at me. “I don’t know why he can’t fucking see you’re the issue. You’ve always been the issue.”
“Not that I’m going to explain shit to you, but I’m not the cause of whatever’s happening.”
He laughed, then stood. He sauntered toward the bed, and genuine fear moved through me.
When he reached the bedside, he leaned over me, crowding my space.
“You can tell yourself whatever you want, Princess. But it’s always been about you.
And it’s all about to end. He won’t have to worry about you anymore. ”
“What’s going on, here?” Dr. Vlahos said, when she entered the room before I could ask him what the hell that meant.
Kai’s hard gaze didn’t leave mine as he started adjusting my pillows, then he faced the doctor. “Just making sure she’s comfortable.”
Dr. Vlahos didn’t look convinced, but she nodded. “I need to do a checkup. So, you need to leave.”
“No can do,” Kai said. “Orders are for me to watch her.”
“Mr…”
“Rossi,” Kai said.
“Mr. Rossi, I can assure you Mr. Puglisi will not want you in the room with his wife while she undresses. But I can call him and confirm with him whether you are to be in the room if you’d like?”
He narrowed his eyes at her but walked to the door. “Make it quick.”
He slammed the door behind him when he left. And as soon as he was gone, I released a breath, my shoulders sagging in relief.
“Are you alright?” Dr. Vlahos asked.
“No.”
“Did he hurt you?”
I shook my head. “No. But he will. Please, get me out of here.”
I didn’t know if he would hurt me, but I didn’t have a good feeling about him being here.
She looked at me with concern, but concern wouldn’t help me.
She needed to do more. Kai was a loose cannon.
He always had been. But I knew he wasn’t here to keep me safe.
I didn’t trust him. And I wished Sergio didn’t either.
I had a sinking feeling that if I didn’t get out of here, shit was going to get much worse.