I may end up leaving here having made the biggest mistake of my life by admitting how I feel, but I’d rather live every day having made an ego-scarring mistake than survive one second with a soul-shattering regret.
“I told you, I didn’t know where else to go.”
His eyes search mine as though he knows that’s merely a fraction of the truth, so I continue. “If I tell you the truth, it will shift things. I can already feel things changing between us, and if that feeling is one-sided, I can accept it, but saying my reason for coming here out loud is something I won’t be able to take back. That's why I left last time.”
Stillness falls between us, and a hint of adrenaline spikes through my bloodstream. Sly’s chest rises and falls, and I’m about to take a step away, out of his arms.
I shouldn’t have said that.
Even though I hardly said anything at all, it was still too much.
“And what exactly do you feel is changing between us, Vinnie?” His voice is shaky, but I feel his hold on me tighten a little, his fingertips biting into the small sliver of skin from where the hem of my shirt has shifted.
“Everything,” I whisper. Closing my eyes, I take a small breath. “You make me feel safe.That’swhy I came here. I panicked, and even though I wasn’t thinking straight—wasn’t thinking atall, I somehow made it outside of your building.”
He says nothing, just simply watches me, his eyes still searching mine as though he’ll find the true answers in them, even though I am being completely honest.
His silence makes me keep talking—desperate to make him say something. Anything would be better than nothing. Even him coming to his senses and kicking me out of his home.
“We don’t know each other—the only thingswe know is the information our families have fed to us throughout our lives. And even though we’ve only had a few interactions, it's enough to know that I don’t believe everything that’s been said about your family, and about you. You’re unexpected, Sly. You make me want to know more about you. I’d be lying to myself and to you if I said I wasn’t interested, so maybe that’s why I ended up on your doorstep today. Maybe that’s why I didn’t leave earlier when I should have.”
The last word lingers between us, and as it does, his expression morphs into one I haven’t seen yet. His eyes soften more than they already had, and his hand pulls from my hip.
As his knuckles skim down my cheek, I suck in a harsh breath.
“The hostility between our families runs much deeper than either of us can fathom, Vincenza.”
My reaction is immediate, my shoulders sinking with the gentle rejection. My eyes close again. “Is this one-sided?”
More silence.
My heart begins to sink.
“It’s not.”
My eyes snap open, lips parting when I see his sparkling back at me.
“I cannot remove you from my head, Vincenza. You’ve embedded yourself within me from the very first time I saw you when we were just children. And when I saw you again at the masquerade, I could feel the trajectory of my life changing. I should have never chasedafter you that night, but I couldn’t ignore the ache in my chest when I saw you upset. Just as I could not ignore the rage your panic ignited in me earlier today, knowing that someone put that feeling in you. I shouldn’twantyou, Vincenza, but I fear the regret of not knowing you would be greater than any other consequence.”
Any coherent thought escapes me as his words sink in. A rush of emotion floods my senses, tears pricking my eyes as my heart rate accelerates. I’m overwhelmed by his confession, having prepared myself for the worst. I want to wrap my arms around his neck and beg him to press his lips against mine—to close the gap between us.
The air thickens and electrifies, and I take a fraction of a step forward. His hand moves to rest at the base of my neck.
“I won’t kiss you, Vincenza. I won’t kiss you unless you kiss me first.”
My heart is beating so rapidly, it feels like it might explode within my chest.
“It has to be your decision. This is a line we cannot uncross.”
He’s right. There would be no turning back.
Everything our families have taught us to believe—years of hatred would be altered.
Kiss him.
Ican’t.
It would be the ultimate betrayal to my family.
