I open the car door and let her get inside. I lean in and kiss her cheek lightly. “I love you. I will see you tomorrow.” I don’t leave room for argument. I shut the door behind her and watch as they drive away. I look back at the house, but can’t bring myself to go back inside. Instead, I hop in my car. I won’t be getting any sleep tonight.
Chapter Eight
Isabella
After my fight with Gio the other night I’ve just been going through the motions. Sleep, work, eat and repeat.
Mia: Staying at Lo’s tonight. Love you.
Of course she is. I slip my phone back into my pocket as I head up the stairs to our place. I glance back and watch as Dante parks across the street. I give him a small smile and wave. He nods in response.
I unlock the door and notice the hall light is on. The hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. I back out of the door and turn to head across the street. Dante is out of his car before I reach him.
“What’s wrong?”
“The hall light is on. I didn’t leave it on. Mia might have been by today, but it doesn’t feel right.”
He nods and leads me to his car before opening the passenger door. “Stay here.”
He makes a call then heads into the house. I watch intently from the street. After a couple minutes, he comes back out. I jump out and meet him.
“It’s clear.”
I shake my head for being so silly. “Of course it is. Mia probably came by and left it on. Sorry for making you look.” I go to walk by him, but he stops me.
“Never apologize for something like that. I would rather you say something and it be nothing than you keep it to yourself and you end up hurt. This is my job. Let me do it.”
I nod and head back inside. I shut the door and make sure both the deadbolt and handle are locked. I lean back against it.Pull yourself together, Iz.
I go to the kitchen and grab a bottle of water. I lean against the counter as I look around. Nothing seems out of place, but something still doesn’t feel right. I take a long swig of water before I push off the counter and head to my room. I set my water down before I strip naked. I throw my work uniform in the hamper before grabbing my towel and heading to the bathroom.
I sigh when I make it to the bathroom. It used to be a mess. I always yell at Mia for having her makeup thrown all over the place and her clothes all over the floor. Looking around now, it’s obvious she hasn’t spent much time in the bathroom since I cleaned last week. Her makeup is gone and not a single piece of clothing litters the floor.
I turn on the water to the shower as I lean against the sink, looking around.
I feel the loneliness settle in. I’m happy she has Lo, but I’m sad that it means I lost her. Well, maybe I didn’t lose her, but she isn’t here as much as she used to be. Sofia’s busy with Bash, which leaves me sitting at home alone on a Friday night instead of having plans like we used to.
Hell, I don’t even see them at work anymore. Mia is doing medical stuff with the family, while Sofia has taken over most of the business side of all of Bash’s legitimate businesses. Sure, she still stops by once a month, but we don’t talk as much anymore.
I shake those thoughts from my head as I move into the shower. I could call Matt and ask if he’s available to hang out, but he’s a busy man now. With both of his jobs, he doesn’t have much free time, and I would feel bad taking it away from his mom and sisters.
There is always another option.
The deep recesses of my consciousness are always calling to me. Craving Gio. I need a break though before I fall for him.
Who are you kidding, Iz? You never fell out of love with him.
As I shut off the water, I catch something from the other room. My heart starts to pound in my chest as I stand still, listening. I curse myself for leaving my phone on my nightstand.
After a couple of minutes of silence, I get out of the shower and wrap a towel around me. I think about my next moves. A memory hits me out of nowhere.
“What do you do if someone ever breaks into your home,cuore mio?” His hands stroke my hair as we lie in the grass looking at the sky.
“Call you, duh.”
He chuckles. The sound washes over my body, lighting me up.
“Yes. You always call me, but what if you’re in danger? What do you do?”
