Chapter 8 #2
“Yes.” This was my limit without being rude.
I could offer a plate of food, right?
Heithor sat, but didn’t move to touch anything.
I put some pasta in front of Lucca, watching him with a restrained smile as he eagerly grabbed a small handful and brought it to his mouth without much coordination.
There was more pasta spread over him than inside his mouth.
I didn’t mind him getting dirty. I thought it was beautiful, and I even had pictures of it.
I turned toward Heithor, catching his charming smile.
That made me sigh and be caught by him. I blushed under his careful gaze, then looked away, irritated, and served us.
“There’s wine in the fridge… I bought it when Pietra came for dinner.”
“Juice is fine,” he said, filling our glasses.
There was no conversation, except for Lucca speaking in his own language. I was grateful Heithor didn’t try to make conversation. I wasn’t prepared for even the most trivial.
I was trying very hard to tolerate having him here.
He still attracted me terribly.
He still controlled the beat of my heart.
He still manipulated my reactions.
It was beautiful to watch him eat. Elegant and meticulous.
I forced my attention onto my plate and made myself finish dinner.
Thor insisted on washing the dishes and clearing the table. Then I took Lucca to the bedroom. Clean and in a fresh diaper, I nursed him and got him ready for sleep.
Back in the living room, Thor was still washing the dishes. I gathered my material and took it to the room I’d made into an office, but ended up deciding to take it to the suite instead.
I wouldn’t be able to sleep anytime soon with Heithor in my space.
My bedroom was my safe zone.
I picked up an extra pillow, a sheet, and a blanket, then returned to the living room.
Thor was on the sofa, legs open, leaning forward as he worked on his phone.
I cleared my throat to get his attention.
He looked. Discomfort wrapped me all the way to my toes.
Still, I forced an indifferent posture and approached, holding out what I had set aside for his night.
“If you want to shower, there’s a bathroom in the room I use as an office. It’s the second door on the left. There are towels and toiletries in the cabinet.”
Heithor took the pile. I turned, and he held my wrist. I looked coldly at his hand and then at him. Heithor released me, sliding his thumb slowly.
I rejected the tiny tremors breaking out beneath my skin from that point.
“Thank you, Ella.”
I didn’t answer and fled into the safety of my suite.
The next morning, I woke up to a call from Giulia saying she was going to be late. Yesterday’s rain had left the city in complete chaos, and she didn’t live close by.
I took care of Lucca and myself.
I entered the kitchen and barely had time to be surprised by the ready coffee. I had slept late and was running late for work. I swallowed my coffee in a rush.
“Can you stay with Lucca a little longer? Giulia is stuck in the metro after yesterday’s rain, but she promised to get here as fast as possible. I can’t stay any longer.”
Thor slid a spoonful of mashed pear into Lucca’s mouth.
“Of course. This little buddy and I will be fine.”
He wiped Lucca’s mouth and looked at me when I didn’t move. I would like to say that was because of my distrust and not because I was staring at his bare back.
Was Heithor thinner, or was I imagining it?
“Go, Ella. I have everything under control here. I’ll call you if anything happens, I promise.” He picked Lucca up. “Tell Mommy we’ll be fine, champ.”
Lucca babbled his language.
Traitor.
“Right… He’ll want to nurse soon. The formula is in that can. Just follow the instructions on it. Test it on your wrist before giving it to him… Oh, if he pees or poops, change him. Giulia might take a while, and Lucca doesn’t like being wet or dirty.”
I kissed Lucca, then ran to the office.
At VCG, everyone was like me, exhausted and frazzled.
The lateness of many employees left the departments under pressure.
The day dragged, productivity never stopping.
And when I finished, all I wanted was a shower and bed, knowing today that would be paradise, but like yesterday and every day after it, paradise was far from reach.
I stepped through the door and froze.
Thor was still here. Giulia and he were talking comfortably on the sofa. Lucca was sitting on the rug at his father’s feet, his toys scattered around.
What. The. Hell?
Why was he still here?
I murmured a “hello,” announcing my presence, and they both looked at me. I went to Lucca, gave my little lion a kiss, and slipped into the bedroom.
The why was exploding in my head.
I got out of the shower and found Giulia in the bedroom changing Lucca.
“There’s a man in your apartment,” she said.
I stuck my head out of the closet.
“It was chaos yesterday, and it coincided with him fumigating the apartment. He had nowhere to go, asked me for shelter, and I gave it,” I explained succinctly.
“I thought there was a team in the building that did that.”
I walked into the bedroom, buttoning my white blouse.
“If there is, I don’t know.”
“He seems nice. We spent a good part of the time talking about everything and nothing in particular.”
“Heithor is a good man,” I said sincerely.
“You two?”
“No!” A little more and I would have beaten my chest like an angry gorilla.
Giulia gave me a look, but said nothing. She didn’t need to.
“Was he here the whole time?”
“No. He played with Lucca. Messed with his phone for a while and talked outside, we had lunch, then he left and came back with a suitcase shortly before you arrived.”
Suitcase?
I turned my head and set aside the jar of hand cream.
“What do you mean, suitcase?”
“You know, that contraption we carry our clothes and belongings in,” she mocked with a poorly concealed little laugh.
Giulia and I had established a healthy degree of friendship, but only now was I discovering how much of a smart-ass she could be.
“Clown! I know what it is.”
Giulia finished with Lucca, and I took him.
She gave me a serious look heavy suspiciously.
“Do we have a problem here, Antonella?”
“No.”
A smile touched her lips, softening the seriousness of her face.
“In that case, I’ll be going… See you tomorrow, nana’s handsome boy.” She kissed Lucca, then left, and I went to check this suitcase story with Lucca hanging on my hip.
“Why did you bring a suitcase?”
Thor lifted his gaze from his phone to me.
“I told you I fumigated the apartment.”
“And?”
“They made a mistake, and I can’t go back for a week.”
“And where do you intend to spend that time?”
Thor kept looking at me. I laughed nervously.
“Oh, no… uh-uh… Absolutely not.”
“Ella…”
I shook my head hard. “No, Heithor! I agreed because I thought it was for one night, not more than that.” Did he really think he was going to stay here?
“You’re going to throw me out?”
“I guarantee I’ll sleep peacefully,” I said, without pity.
“Really?” We stared at each other until he yielded with a sigh while I stayed unyielding. “Look, I can help you during this time.”
“I don’t need help.”
“Who would you have left Lucca with if I hadn’t been here today?”
“I would have stayed with him until Giulia arrived.”
“I saved you from trouble at work. Admit it, it was easier having me here. It’s not like I have much to do anyway. I’m on a break. I can spend this free time with my son. I swear I won’t be any trouble. It will be however you want, and you won’t even notice I’m here.”
I looked at him full of distrust and sat down.
“I don’t think this is a good idea, Heithor.”
What the hell was I saying? I didn’t want to consider it, but I was already thinking, weighing, measuring… It would be nice to share the care… It would not.
“Let me share this with you, Ella, please,” he coaxed softly.
“This is my place, Heithor.”
He sat in front of me and leaned toward me. “And it will stay that way,” he said sincerely, his voice very soft and submissive, everything he was not. “You will always dictate the rules, Ella. I will not oppose what you determine.”
I looked at him in doubt, and after an eternity, agreed.
“Fine, but you sleep on the sofa.”
He nodded. “Your rules.”
I narrowed my eyes at the curve of a smile he hid.
“Don’t think this will give you a chance with me, Heithor. I’m not giving you a chance. I’m not allowing you to seduce me. If you want to stay here until that suspicious fumigation ends, obey or get out.”
Heithor called the company responsible for the fumigation. I memorized the name well for a Google search later. I didn’t trust him not to lie.
According to the person in charge, one week was necessary. The next day, I searched the company name. It was known in the field and had a good reputation. That reassured me.
I called mamma to let her know Thor was in my apartment. I didn’t want her to freak out during a visit or think I was hiding it from her.
“I think it’s very good that you’re giving each other a chance…”
“It’s nothing like that, Mom. Heithor had problems in his apartment, and until he solves them, he’ll stay here. That’s all.”
“What kind of problems? Don’t tell me he’s living in the building too?”
“Yes, he is. I’ll tell you everything later, va bene? I just wanted to let you know so you don’t think nonsense. Oh, and per favore, don’t say anything to Dad. I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”
Well, there was no need.
Once I hung up the phone, the doorbell rang.
I went to the living room to see who it was and came face-to-face with Rocco. Thor was still holding the door open. Papà had Lucca and looked at me when I approached.
“What is he doing here, Antonella?”
The atmosphere thickened with tension.
“I’m right here, Vicenti,” Thor challenged, closing the door.
Dad threw an icy look at him over Lucca’s head. “When I want to speak to you, I will address you directly, Castellammare.”