The fact that Adriano had been acting a little strange was on Angela's mind a lot lately. He would be out all day, come home and barely say a word to her. It seemed his physical needs were more important to him right now and he knew exactly how to make himself irresistible to Angela. He would make her crave him, and want more to the point where she just couldn't say no. Afterwards- that was when reality would hit and she would feel like things should have gone differently.

She needed to talk to him. But whenever she tried, he would always change the subject or tell her they were done talking. Angela thought he was being so closed up the last couple of days, despite her best efforts to talk and figure out what was wrong. Adriano would have to talk to her eventually wouldn't he?

Angela almost burnt their dinner while thinking about all of these things. They seemed to be like a tornado of thoughts, ripping up anything else in her mind that it came into contact with. She was worried, and she couldn't help it.

Just then, Adriano came through the front door. He made his way into the kitchen to find Angela, after closing the door behind him. Angela turned and met his dark gaze with a warm smile but that was soon wiped off her face at his words.

"We're going out for dinner." He said gruffly, almost unable to look at her.

"But I have dinner on right now?" she wondered why he hadn't told her sooner.

"C'mon we need to leave soon." He ignored what she had said just a minute ago.

"Why didn't you call me and tell me we were going out? I made us dinner."

"I just didn't." he said through gritted teeth. She turned off the cooker and put a lid on the pot she had been using to cook before taking a few steps towards him.

"Adriano, what's wrong?" Angela hesitated and her voice came out weak but gentle.

"Nothing." He almost growled before turning and walking out into the living room, Angela following behind him.

"There is something wrong, I can tell. Why don't you just tell me why you're acting so weird lately-"

"Angela, we haven't got time for this right now. Go and get ready. We're meeting my family in half an hour." He urged on. Angela just gave him a defeated look and went into her room to get ready.

The noise of her door slamming shut made him flinch. She was angry, he could tell, but he had to try his best not to care.

The car ride to the restaurant was filled with a dead silence and a growing tension. Neither said a word. Angela had calmed down now and was more concerned than annoyed now. Adriano's guilt was eating away at him but he couldn't be weak at this point. This thing they had between them had gone too far. Another talk with his father had made him realise this but he didn't want to change. He wanted things to stay just the way they were with Angela but he felt like this wasn't an option anymore. Although he was not showing it, he cared and liked her so much and it was killing him on the inside not to be able to let it show.

Once they had reached the restaurant and gotten to the table where his family were sitting, the pair sat down themselves and scanned through the menu. Mike, Franco, Maria and Adriano's mom were amongst the family, along with another couple of relatives Angela had never seen before but she noticed how Adriano's father hadn't made an appearance. Adriano didn't introduce her to them either. The atmosphere when he arrived had definitely shifted greatly and Angela could tell everyone's conversations instantly dropped as soon as they saw Adriano's face. Maybe he wasn't just being off with her? She thought.

After a couple of minutes, everyone ordered and it was then that conversation had started back up again properly. Mike, who was sitting beside Franco and Maria, leaned his head forward to catch Angela's eye. She turned to see his smiling face and although she felt a little gloomy, he had made her smile. She hadn't talked to anyone yet- not even Maria, just sat there whilst Adriano spoke to others around the table.

"Hey Shortcake." Mike waved at her.

"Hey." Her voice was quiet and Mike strained his ears to hear her amongst everyone else's conversations.

"You okay? You look a little down today."

"I'm fine really." She gave him a sad smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Don't worry about Adriano over there, I hope he's not bothering you too much. He always gets like this around his time of the month you know-"

"That's enough Mike!" Adriano, slammed his fist down on the table causing the plates and cutlery to leap and clink at the same time.

Everyone stopped talking and sat there with their eyes focused on him, their mouths agape. He was taking deep breaths, his nostrils flared and his face was beginning to turn red with anger. Angela turned to look up at Adriano who still had his eyes, full of rage, locked with Mikes. Mike said nothing in return but after a moment of silence Angela wrapped her arms around Adriano's tense one and spoke softly to him.

"Hey, relax." She said it low enough that no one else could hear. His arm seemed to become a little slack and his expression had softened just the slightest bit. Angela continued to gently urge him to calm down, running her hand up and down his arm but he hadn't looked at her yet. Everyone had begun to talk again, completely ignoring Adriano's actions like it were normal and that was when Angela figured that maybe it was. "Are you alright?" she whispered a little closer to him now. She slid one of her hands down to his hand underneath the table and snaked her fingers around his to hold his hand. She was always a calming presence to him but she couldn't be anymore, he had tried to convince himself he didn't want that.

"I'm fine." He said in a low voice, brushing her off without saying anything else. He removed his hand from hers under the table and rested it on his lap instead. Angela had taken the hint and moved away from him subtly. She even moved her chair a couple of centimetres in the other direction and when tears began to prick her eyes she got up and walked to the bathroom.

She gripped the sink and looked in the mirror in front of her, her reflection showing her only a sad face to look at. Angela hadn't done anything wrong, she kept telling herself that it wasn't something she had done to make Adriano this way but she doubted herself. Her mind continued to replay the past couple of days as to find any signs of why Adriano wouldn't talk to her.

Angela swallowed back the tears beginning to form in her eyes and demanded in her head that she stop. She gave herself one last look in the mirror before exiting the bathroom and going back out to the table. She sat in silence and mostly listened through the dinner. Adriano didn't speak to her; he didn't even give her so much as a glance until it was time to go.

It wasn't until Angela was ready for bed and had just sat up under the covers watching him get changed that the first word was spoke.

"Why did I even go tonight?" she asked. She had a fuzziness in her stomach, she was anxious and unsure of what was going to happen next, whether she wanted to sit in silence or have this conversation. Deep down, she knew the latter was the best choice, although it wasn't the easiest.

"What do you mean?" he asked, letting his shirt fall to the ground and tugging off his t-shirt he had on underneath. He had his back to her but she still couldn't help but gulp at the sight of him, his tattoo's snaking around his chest and back.

"Why would you bring me with you? You didn't say a word to me."

"You had Mike for that anyway." Bitterness dripped so obviously from his tone and she wondered where he had gotten his snide remark from. Her brows furrowed and she stared at him until he turned around to look at her. He walked to the dresser in the corner and took off his watch.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, remaining her calm self while he was beginning to lose his cool.

"You think he's so funny, always laughing and joking around."

"Don't be jealous Adriano-"

"I'm not jealous." He scoffed, still not yet in bed.

"Good. Because you have every opportunity to talk to me, just because you don't seem to be taking them doesn't mean you can get jealous when someone else does." What Angela was saying made perfect sense, which added to Adriano's annoyance. She was so composed. She cut out all the unwanted bullshit without being rude and still managed to remain calm when Adriano's temper was on the rise.

"Whatever Angela." His tone was clipped and he had his back to her again.

"Adriano." Angela said in a gentle voice. "What's wrong? Just tell me, please-"

"Nothing! Nothing's wrong." He raised his voice, causing her to wince although she tried not to. He turned around and when he saw the look on her face, he almost cracked but that couldn't happen. Adriano tried to ignore all of the guilt that was gathering within him but as soon as he had gotten into bed beside her, both not saying anything, he threw the covers back and got up again. "I'll sleep in the spare room tonight." He knew his behaviour was wrong but no apologies were going to be made. He had to be cold, he had to be mean, he had to be brutal.

"No, this is your room. I'll go to mine." Her voice was quiet and deflated. She got up too and began walking out until he spoke again.

"No, I'll go." She looked up at him with her big grey eyes that he couldn't bear to look at right then.

"Adriano, it's fine."

"Why do you have to be so god damn nice all the time?" his voice was strangled with frustration. He had left her opening and closing her mouth for a moment trying to figure out what to say next.

"You're being ridiculous right now." She rolled her eyes and made her way to the door, Adriano frozen in his spot. She turned before leaving and spoke again. "Please don't push me away... we've only just begun." Then she left, closing the door behind her.

She didn't need to elaborate her last sentence any further, he knew exactly what she had meant but she was wrong. This feeling inside him hadn't just begun; it started a long time ago. And no amount of coldness or wall-building could make it stop.

******

The next night, Adriano returned from work, Angela still on his mind. He hadn't talked to her since the night before when she left after their argument. Angela hadn't cooked dinner for him, but had something to eat herself. It was quite late when he returned home and Angela had just come outside to get a glass of water from her bedroom. She heard him coming in but didn't think he would speak to her. She was on top of the counter, reaching up to get a glass again when Adriano spoke.

"Why aren't you using the foot stool?" he asked. She got the glass and then sat down on the counter, her legs dangling off the edge. She was fidgeting with the glass that she was holding on her lap but looked up as soon as she spoke.

"I forgot." Her voice was quiet, she was trying to hide the hope she had that he would be ready to talk to her.

She put the glass down on the counter beside her and looked down at her lap again. She sensed him moving around the kitchen, walking closer to her. She could see he was standing in front of her now, between her legs. He tilted her chin up to look at him.

"I'm sorry." He apologised but there was no apology in his voice, he was different and she was weary.

Angela drank in his features, his face only centimetres away from hers. His face was clean-shaven, his eyes carried dark circles underneath. His hair was done but was beginning to look slightly dishevelled. He smelled amazing, he always did and with him looking right at her but not into her eyes, she wanted his sorry to mean something. But it didn't.

In a single moment, his lips were on her neck and making a trail up to her jawline. She shivered in complete delight but wished she hadn't. His hands were around her waist and hers were in his hair. She arched her neck and threw her head back, a moan escaped her lips when he moved down to her chest. And as soon as that happened, he began to kiss her, slowly but frantically at the same time. Angela wasn't thinking straight, his actions were paralysing her but she needed to stop.

"Are you really?" she asked breathlessly, that was all she could say at that moment in time.

"How about I show you how sorry I am?" he growled lowly in her ear, his lips grazing her skin. He had somehow managed to slide his suit jacket off but his hands were touching her again and she groaned. She knew this was going to be hard to do but it was needed.

"But-"

"Shh. No more talking." He whispered but it sparked some sort of annoyance in her that he wasn't expecting. She pulled his head gently away from her and looked at him with confusion, her brows furrowed.

"But we've barely said two words to each other?"

"Why do we need to talk all the time huh?" his frustration was beginning to become clear but he wasn't the only one who was angry.

"We haven't talked at all actually." She shot back, knowing she couldn't back down now, not until she got to the bottom of this.

"Why do we need to-"

"Because that's what normal people do in a relationship. Somethings bothering you, I can tell and I'm worried about you." She cut across him but managed to keep her words softer this time.

"Jesus." He took a step away and ran his hand through his hair.

"What?"

"You. You think this is a normal relationship?" he laughed bitterly at her when he was met with dead silence from his question. She just looked up at him with her big doe eyes, tears appearing in the corners of them. "This is just a physical thing Angela, don't get too carried away here."

This wasn't him, she thought, this wasn't Adriano and if it was she wanted the old one back. His words hurt her, they stung and she didn't want that anymore. Angela remembered back to what he had said to her a while ago 'I want you, I care about you and I hope that's enough right now.' And couldn't help but feel like a fool. Did he not mean what he said? It didn't seem so, and she was done with this conversation now.

"You're an asshole." She looked him straight in the eye when she said it, before jumping down from the counter and walking out of the kitchen. She left him standing in the kitchen on his own, his thoughts strangling him. He regretted what he had said, he regretted everything but this was how it had to be.

*******

Thanks for reading everyone. It really does mean a lot,

Autumn xoxo