{TRIGGER WARNING! EXPLICIT CONTENT! DO NOT READ IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT, THANK YOU! Otherwise, enjoy!}



I have been having mixed feelings about what's about to come. As much as I wish it could come faster, I wish I had more time too.

Because I still don't know what it will be.

I need more time, but I want to go to my mom as fast as I can, meaning I'm leaving.

I keep my eyes on the mirror and watch as the door slightly opens, waiting for Rafael to step into the room.

But he takes his time, granting me just a few more seconds to think.

And I think he's trying to stall as well.

He looks exhausted when he finally steps into my vision, not even looking at me as he tries to say something.

Anything.

'Valentina.' He says, looking at me through the reflection of the mirror. I nod, waiting for him to continue, and take him all in.

This might be the last time I'll be seeing him for a long time and I don't want to ever forget him.

Impossible... I could never forget him. Not even if I really wanted to.

This man literally broke my heart into a billion pieces, tried to shatter my soul by shutting me out, and made me hate him more than anything else in my entire life, but I could never, not in a million years, forget him.

'We're here.' He continues after doing the same to me. As if he's trying to take a picture in his mind. 'I gathered.'

He said that he would come and find me when we would arrive. And now he's here.

'So this is it?' He asks as I turn to face him. 'I guess it is.'

After everything.

After every tear, every shout, every heated moment, every touch, every kiss, every time my heart went insane at the simple thought of him.

This is it.

I can't help but smile at the irony.

I never thought I would fall for someone like him, because he was heartless and cold and felt inhuman most of the time.

Yet I gave myself to him. I gave him every part of me. Every dark, twisted, crazy part of me, but it wasn't enough.

Or at least it feels like it wasn't. Because he went with someone else.

And I know that he explained why he did it, but I can't just let it go.

It's like the images of him being that intimate with Molly keep replaying in my head over and over again every time I try to forget it.

And I hate it.

But at the same time I don't, because I don't want to act like it didn't happen at all.

I walk past him and head to the bedroom, stopping in my tracks when I hear him say, 'Cataleya.'

He never calls me Cataleya. Only if it's serious and most of the time, whatever it is he'll say after, will hurt like a bitch.

'Yes?' I turn around again, allowing my eyes to meet with his one more time.

There's one thing he can do to stop all of this.

Confess...

I need him to confess, I need him to say it so that I know that it's real, so that it all becomes reality instead of an image in my mind.

Because he said it, but not to me. Not yet.

He did say a million other things, but I just need him to say those three words, three simple words that are the heaviest to endure for him.

Say it... Please... Just say it...

'I-' My heart starts beating faster and I take a step forward, hoping that he'll trust me enough to say it to my face.

Because I need it.

Make me stay...

'I-' He sighs deeply and takes a step forward as well, slowly trying to get close enough to touch me. 'I just wanted to-'

Someone slams open the bedroom doors, startling me, yet I keep my eyes on Rio. No...

'Cataleya! We're- Oh...' I don't have to turn around to know that Neveah is standing behind me, 'I'm so sorry, please... Don't kill me.'

Rio is glaring at her, making me smile a little, because he would probably stab her again if I wasn't standing in the way.

'I'll be... Yeah, go on.' She mutters, slowly leaving us again.

I hate to admit it, but she ruined the moment, and I sigh deeply. 'Veah.'

She stops in the bedroom and I can hear her step back to the bathroom door. 'I didn't mean to-' 'We should go.'

Rio's hazel eyes turn back to mine and I blink a few times before turning to Neveah, 'My mom is probably waiting.'

Before either of them can say a thing, I pull at Neveah's arm, dragging her through the bedroom door and into the hallway so we can get the fuck out of here, leaving Rafael Adriano Curzio in the bathroom.

'Leya, you should-' 'No meddling, remember?' She promised she would let me be when it came to my relationship with Rafael, and I can tell that she's really trying.

'But-' 'Veah?' She sighs deeply and throws her arm around my shoulder, dragging me down the steps to get on deck.

Everyone is already waiting at the cars, waiting for us to join them.

'We'll meet tonight at eight?' Brandon asks with an excited smile.

'Yes.' I reply, getting a little excited as well.

But I also feel the sadness creeping up because it might be the last time we ever go out again.

'Come on, we have like five hours to get settled and you know how your family can get.' Veah chimes, pulling me towards one of the cars waiting for us.

'I'll see you later!' I chime as Veah pushes me to the driver's seat, 'Isabelle, are you coming?'

She hesitates for a second, before heading over to the car as well, smiling as she takes a seat in the middle.

Veah hops in beside me and smiles. 'Ready?'

I take a deep breath, staring at the big ship to my right. 'I think so.'

It feels weird leaving like this, but I don't think I'm ready to officially say goodbye just yet.

'Did you talk to Raf-' 'Not necessary.' If he wanted to say something, he would've. Unless...

'Okay, let's go.' Isabelle chimes, pushing my seat a little. I smile at her and take a quick glance at Neveah, who seems to look... guilty?

'Are you okay?' I ask as I start the car and look at everyone standing outside. They're just looking at us and waving. 'You said you didn't want to talk about it, but I'm sorry I ruined the moment.'

'It's fine, I promise.' He had a billion chances to tell me, even before or after Neveah stormed in. And he didn't.

'Now let's go.' I wave at the others and race off, heading towards my family home.

It's a miracle I still remember some of the roads since I only came here eight times in my entire life.

Neveah came with us a few times, maybe two or three, but the last time we came here was when we were eighteen or something.

'The same Cornershop situation going on.' Veah chimes, pointing at the shop at the corner of the street.

It reminded us of Wilson's the first time we ever came here. But it's the exact opposite.

It's where my cousins bought their first sex toys when they were fourteen.

'I guess so.' Little us thought that those shiny letters meant that it was for children or something.

'Holy fucking shit.' Isabelle mutters, looking at the neighborhood ahead.

'They upgraded the whole place.' I'm in awe at the new buildings standing in front of me and almost crash into a wall when I see my little cousin kicking a ball across the street.

The house he's playing in front of is new, completely different than what it was before. But it looks gorgeous and very expensive.

'Carlos!' He looks around, trying to find the voice calling his name, and frowns when he sees me.

I park the car on the side of the road and jump out, making his eyes widen before he runs across the road.

He grew a lot taller than I remember, but the last time I saw him was three, no- four years ago.

'Cataleya!' He runs into my arms and hugs me tightly, making me smile as I hug him back. 'Cómo estás?'

'Good! We didn't expect you to be here this early.' He says, slowly letting go of me again.

I look around one more time, taking in all the colored buildings surrounding us.

They used to be so different four years ago, but at least now they look safe.

'This place changed a lot.' Neveah says as she gets out of the car as well.

'Neveah!' Carlos runs up to her and hugs her as well, almost making her fall at his power. 'You got a lot stronger Carlos!' She says, laughing a little. 'Well, that happens when you grow.'

Isabelle climbs out of the car as well and takes it all in. She inhales sharply, smiling when she smells something sweet.

I take a deep breath as well, already smelling my abuela's famous polvorones.

We all turn around and look at the gate behind us as it slowly opens.

'Carlos! Can you please come and help your sister with-' Tia Carla stops in her tracks and almost drops the towel she was using to dry her hands with. 'Oh Dios mío! Ella está aquí!'

Without blinking twice, she makes her way over to me, hugging me tightly as the others appear behind her.

'Cataleya!' Everyone dives into the hug, especially my cousins and aunts, while the men stay at a good distance while we all tear up a little.

'Mi amor.' My Abuela says as she stumbles over to me, everyone stepping aside to let her through. 'Mírate, cariña.'

I blink away the tears and hug my grandparents a little tighter than the others, happy that they're still alive and breathing, while it all hits me like a truck.

I missed them so fucking much and I didn't even realize.

'I missed you guys so much.' My Abuela leans back and grabs my face. 'Nosotros también te extrañamos, mi amor.'

'Neveah! Bienvenido a casa, cariña!' My grandmother starts smothering Neveah as well, pulling her into her arms like she always used to do.

My grandfather grabs my hand and squeezes it as he takes a step to the side, making way for my youngest uncle, Diego.

'I heard you have caused hell in Italy.' He hugs me tightly, lifting me up in the air the way he used to, and chuckles.

'Still as light as ever.' 'Oh shut up!' I say, giving him a push when he puts me back on my feet.

He turns to my right, where Veah is standing and inhales sharply. 'Neveah.' He says as a way of greeting her, making me frown a little. 'Hello, Diego.'

They barely have time to talk because Rosalia and Martina snatch her away from him and start asking her a bunch of questions.

'Where's mom?' I ask, turning back to my Abuelo. He points at the house and I run over to my mom when I see her walking my way.

I jump into her arms, taking in the way she feels and smells, never wanting to forget it. Ever.

'I'm so sorry.' I say, letting the tears escape my eyes this time. I don't care that I'm crying, I missed her so fucking much. 'I'm so... so... sorry.'

'Te quiero, mi amor... I love you so much, okay? Don't ever forget that.' She says, crying herself. 'I know, and I'm so sorry for hurting you.'

'We'll talk about it later.' She whispers, slowly leaning back to look at my face again. I nod and take her hand as everyone slowly makes their way inside.

It's still the same as it used to be, I can tell. Small but big enough for the whole family.

My mom stays put and waits until everyone in the family went inside, before turning the other way. 'Where are you going?'

'Come with me you three.' She says as she opens the gate to the new place.

No. Fucking. Way.

I know Rio said he made sure she would be comfortable, but this is too much.

Neveah looks at me with wide eyes, before running after my mother.

'Did Rio get her all this?' Isabelle asks as she walks over to me. 'He fucking did.' I mutter, pulling her with me as we follow behind.

After a tour of the mansion she lives in now, which has six bedrooms, each having its own bathroom, two living rooms, a huge kitchen and a garden bigger than anything she ever wanted, she takes us to the living room again.

'And you got this because of your job?' Neveah asks, dropping herself onto the couch. I pinch her arm and take a seat next to her. 'Well, I can afford it with my new position.'

'I bet you can.' Neveah says, staring at the chandelier in the hallway.

It's crystal.

'And what about the mansion at the end of the road?' Veah asks, smiling all excitedly, 'Why didn't you take that one? I mean, you can afford it now?'

'I can, but that one was bought already.' What?

I always wished of living in that mansion when I was little. I sometimes still do.

It did need to be renovated and everything, but I would love to live there at some point in my life.

'Where's Theo?' I ask curiously. We haven't really talked about the Theo incident, so I don't really know if they're still together.

But I owe him an apology.

'He has to work till late, but he'll be here tomorrow.' She answers, looking at me with a pained smile on her face. 'I'm really sorry.'

'She didn't mean any of the shit she said back then, trust me.' Neveah adds, trying to convince my mom that I truly didn't.

But it's clear she already knows that part. She's just curious as to why I said what I said back then. And I can tell that it hurt her a lot.

'I know, but we'll talk about that later, how have you girls been, and who are you?' Mom asks curiously, looking at Isabelle.

'This is Isabelle, I met her... Through Hunter.' My mom frowns at my strange tone, probably because that last time I was with Hunter, I wasn't this weird about it.

'Where is Hunter actually?' Well...

I can hear a door slam in the distance and take a deep breath. 'It's a long story.'

'But anyway! This is Isabelle.' Neveah says, giving Isabelle a nudge so that she'll start talking and we can stop talking about Hunter.

'I'm Isabelle Norman, nice to meet you!' My mom starts asking a bunch of questions about how we met and how I've been acting lately, and we all answer them.

After talking for what feels like a few minutes, but might've been a few hours, she sighs deeply.

'I'm warning you now, the girls will be here in thirty seconds to ask you a bunch of questions about everything.'

Neveah looks at me and I look at her, instantly jumping to our feet as we wait for Isabelle. 'What's up with-'

'Ten.' I can already hear Tia Maria on the street, shouting something at her daughter, and sigh. 'Get up and run.'

Isabelle frowns but gets up from the couch, walking after us towards the stairs.

The front door swings open before I can blink and I freeze with my hand on the railing. 'Cataleya! You have to tell us about that boyfriend of yours!' Boyfriend?

I bet mom told them about Hunter...

If only they knew what kind of psycho he is.

'Carla, they're tired. Let them rest for a bit.' I turn to the living room and watch as mom nods at me to run up while I can, but Rosa is quicker and says, 'She can rest all weekend, after partying and drinking and fucking!'

I roll my eyes and slowly turn around, faking a yawn as I do so, 'I'm really tired right now, so please let us sleep for a few hours.'

'But-' 'If we don't, we'll be tired as hell tonight.' Veah joins in, acting as if she's exhausted as well, 'And that would mean we wouldn't be able to go all out, is that what you want?'

'Go sleep, girls! And make sure to have enough energy for tonight!' Tia Carla does her little excited dance and pulls Rosa and Tina with her towards the living room, where my mom waits for Maria to follow.

'Maria.' My mom says, making her sister-in-law turn to her. 'Right, rest up girls!' She says, following my mom into the living room.

I turn around and run up the stairs, pulling Neveah and Isabelle into one of the bedrooms.

'Your family seems a lot of fun.' Isabelle admits, making me smile. 'They can also be absolutely insane.'

Isabelle chuckles as she drops onto the bed, sighing deeply as she rolls around. 'At what time do you want to get ready?'

'You really want to sleep?' Neveah asks a little shocked. But by the looks of it, Isabelle didn't sleep that great. 'I do, I'm tired.'

'How about you sleep and we'll wake you up when we're going to get ready?' I ask, smiling at her. She nods and slowly gets comfortable on the bed while Neveah and I slip out of the room.

We sneak into another room and take a seat on the soft couch across the bed, sighing deeply. 'I didn't realize I missed your family this much, Ley.'

'Me neither and they're your family as well, Neveah.' I state, smiling when she lays her head on my lap. 'I'm so sorry for ruining-' 'What happened between you and Diego?'

I want to talk about everything except Rio right now.

'What do you mean?' She asks, trying to brush it off as if nothing happened. But it's obvious something did.

Diego helped us settle in Italy when we started interning. That's the last time I saw him. And he left in quite a hurry.

'The last time you two saw each other, it was way less awkward than it is right now. Quite the opposite to be honest.' They were kind of all over each other.

'I have no idea what you're talking about.' She continues to deny it and moves over to the bed, dropping herself on top of the sheets. 'You two went out in Rome, right?'

'Maybe we did, maybe we didn't.' I frown as I walk over to the bed and look at her. 'What happened?'

She sighs deeply and sits up straight, dragging her hand across her face. 'Promise me you won't eat me alive.' Oh god...

'Veah...' She looks at me and takes a deep breath, before nodding slowly. 'I had sex with him! But I was drunk and desperate and-'

My stomach drops and I suddenly feel sick. 'Neveah North!'

She falls back down and presses her face into the pile of pillows. I move over to her side of the bed and take a seat next to her, trying to take a deep breath before I puke all over the room.

'Tell me you did not have sex with my uncle!'

'He's just eight years older than me-' 'He's my uncle.' Just the thought of them two together is making me sick.

'Nothing happened after that, so that's why it's kind of awkward now and I regret it but I was drunk and he was desperate as well!'

'I-' 'I know! It was certainly not one of my proudest moments, okay!' I stare at her, completely in awe that she didn't tell me until now, and shake my head.

'I'm heading to bed, because I'm starting to feel a little sick.' I say as I stumble to the door. 'Leya!' 'Fuck you!'

I close the door behind me and take a deep breath, before walking over to the other room that mom cleared for us.

It looks like a typical Curzio room, if that makes sense?

A huge bed, a couch, a huge closet, a big bathroom with shower and bath, and just something that hangs in the air.

I open the window and take a deep breath, happy that I'm finally back with my family again.

But strangely there's something gnawing at me as well.

Doubt. Because as much as I want to get over this shit already, I know it won't go by that easily.

And this house, all these expensive things, won't help with erasing him from my mind.

It just screams Curzio in my opinion.

I head to the bathroom and take in the big bathtub and shower, before staring at myself in the mirror.

When I close my eyes for a second, I imagine Rio being here, staring at me again, but when I open my eyes, I'm all alone.

Of course.

Because I decided to go.

I turn back around and head to the bedroom, freezing when I hear footsteps on the other side of the bathroom door. Who the fuck-

A heavy thud and some muttering that startles me even more, 'Fucking hell.'

No. Fucking. Way.

I run into the bedroom and meet the eyes I was just imagining a few seconds ago.

He's here... Rafael Adriano Curzio is standing in my room. What the fuck?!

'What the fuck are you doing here?' I ask, locking the door before the others storm in here and go ballistic. 'You forgot something.'

I frown when he pulls his jacket down a little and blink a few times, feeling like this is all a big dream.

'Why are you looking at me like that?' He asks as if this is the most common thing to happen.

'Did you really just climb through my window?' He shrugs it off and reaches for his pocket. 'Don't make a big deal out of it.'

'Get the fuck out.' If my family finds him here, they will go absolutely insane, bombing me with questions. And I'm not ready for that just yet.

'Here.' He throws a pen my way and I swiftly catch it, staring at the pen for a few seconds. Really?

'You came all this way to give me a pen?' I ask, waiting for him to explain this one. 'I didn't know if it... just fucking take it and shut up.'

'You climbed through a window just to give me a pen?' I ask, trying to hide the fact that I want to smile at the fact that he did. 'I did.'

'You just needed an excuse to see me, didn't you?'

'I don't need an excuse to see you, Valentina.' He says, slowly moving closer. 'I thought we agreed-' 'Shut up.' He mutters before pressing his lips on mine.

My heart starts racing as he pulls me against his hard chest and presses his tongue against my lips, begging me to let him in. And I do.

I lean against him, letting my hands brush against his hard chest. I can feel his heat through his clothes, making my body heat up as well.

'Don't just leave like that, Valentina.' He breathes against my lips, staring at them as if they'll disappear if he even blinks. 'Like what?'

I hear movement coming from downstairs and freeze, thinking about how everyone might react when they see him here.

In my room.

Alone.

Breathing like crazy.

Shit.

'Like nothing happened.' I never wanted to act like nothing happened, but he did that shit too. 'You have some nerve to talk.'

He keeps his eyes on mine, completely ignoring a thing I just said. 'You know why I did.'

'That doesn't make it alright, now go.' I say, trying to nudge him back to the window. He frowns as he takes a step back right as I'm about to shove him again. 'Rio, I'm serious, you have to get the fuck out.'

'Why?' I roll my eyes and look him dead in the eyes, praying that my family won't come up here. 'I don't want my family involved.'

'If you stay quiet, they won't have to get involved.' He says with a smirk playing on his lips. I want to hit that stupid look off of his face, but he'll probably just block it.

'Just go, please?' I can't risk it. I'm not ready to answer all of their questions yet, especially if they find him in my room. 'I'm not leaving until we're going to talk.'

I want to ask him what he wants to talk about, but I can already guess the subject of our conversation.

'We can talk later, just get out.' They'll eat us alive. The both of us.

'We're going to talk now.' He's not asking this time. 'Fine! Just meet me outside.' I say, trying to get him back out through the window, but he steps aside again, almost making me fall.

'Rio, I swear to god, if you don't climb out of that window right now, I'm going to fucking-' 'Do you really think I'm climbing out of that window right now?' He asks, looking at me as if I'm insane.

'You came in through it so going out shouldn't be a problem.'

He brushes past me and heads through the door, walking into the hall. I run after him and try to pull him back into the room, before the others notice.

'Rio-' He smiles as he walks towards the stairs, completely unbothered by my glares or attempts to get him back out the window.

'We're going to talk.' He says as he walks over to the stairs, ready to walk down there like no one's home. Fuck... Fuck... Fuck...

'Rafael, please.' I don't want to lie to my family, but I'm not ready to be interrogated by them just yet.

'Why is it such a big deal?' He asks, turning around to look at me in the middle of the fucking staircase. 'It just is, so can you please just go?'

'Cataleya?' Fuck... No please... 'Con quién estás hablando?' Shit...

I can hear their footsteps coming from the living room and quickly push Rio down the stairs, towards the door.

I silently pray that they let me be, that they walk slowly or don't come over here at all, and that I can get Rio out of here before they get in here.

But it's impossible.

'What are you-' 'Quién es ese?' My aunt asks, probably crossing her arms the way she always does.

Rio turns around and I have never wanted to end someone as much as I do right now.

The room is filled with gasps as he turns around and simply looks at them. Fucking hell...

'Cataleya!' Rosalia chimes excitedly, already planning everything in her head, 'Míralo, tia!'

'Él es hermoso!' Tia Maria exclaims, not even hiding the fact that she's basically drooling over Rafael.

'Tia, please.' I try to push Rio out of the door before they continue talking about him like he's not even standing right here.

'He can-' 'No solo hermoso, pero como un dios.' Tina adds, acting the exact same as our aunt.

'Vale, pero mira los ojos.' Rosa adds as she stares at him intensely. Please, God, help me!

I can feel my cheeks heat up when I can hear them talking about how good he's looking, waiting for the ground to swallow me whole.

Because that's the only way I'll survive this mess.

'Can you just go, please?' Rio looks at me and simply blinks, enjoying every second of this. Piece of shit... 'Why would I?' He asks as he looks over me, straight at my drooling family members.

'Neveah!' I know she can distract them while I get rid of him, but where the fuck is she? 'North won't help you out of this one, Valentina.'

'Valentina!' My aunt shouts, fanning herself with her hand. No. No. No. 'Please go.' Rio shakes his head and stays right in the middle of the hall, grinning to himself.

I can hear a door open upstairs and look up, seeing Veah with a strange look on her face. Her eyes widen when she realizes what's going on down here.

'Rio, what are you doing here?' Another loud gasp or two and they all go wild. 'Rio!' Rosa says, rolling her R louder than ever before.

'Please don't-' Neveah runs down the stairs and looks at me with a frown. 'I have no fucking clue what's going on, but it has to stop.'

'Porque te escondes para nosotros, Leya?' Tina asks, crossing her arms when she looks at me.

'You guys do know that he can-' Rosa pushes Veah to the side and looks at Rio again, turning back to the others as she continues, 'Es muy guapo, eh?'

Rio straightens his back and puts on the most sincere smile I've ever seen, as he looks at my aunt and cousins. Fuck...

'Yo apreciato el cumplido, especialmente de un mujer como tu.' He says, making all of them gasp for air. 'Querido Dios!'

'He can speak Spanish!?' Rosalia shouts, her cheeks turning bright red as well. 'I can, sorry for not telling you ahead of time.' Is he being serious right now?

I take a step back, unable to take my eyes off of him as he formally introduces himself to my family. 'I'm Rafael Adriano Curzio.'

My face has never been as red as it is right now and I don't dare turn around to face my crazy family. 'Rio, please just go-' 'Soy su novio.'

It feels like my heart stops for at least a minute as I take in his words, letting them settle in my mushed-up brain.

Did he just say that?

I blink a few times, almost pinching myself to see if I'm dreaming, but I keep my eyes on him as he looks straight into my eyes.

Rafael never once said the words I wanted to hear from him. But his eyes and his body have never looked the way they did right now.

Because he was telling the truth.

I could tell because every inch of him looked different.

Honest in ways I've never seen him before.

Sincere.

It feels like I'm floating in the air, the only other person around is him, and I don't want to get back to reality.

He slightly tilts his head, trying to nod at me without the others knowing, but I couldn't care less right now.

'Novio!?' They all shout in shock, making me get back to reality in a split second. 'Yes. Her boyfriend.' He answers, keeping his eyes on mine as his lips curl up into that precious smile of his again.

'Final-fucking-ly!' Neveah shouts, making everyone else turn to her with a bunch of questions.

They know I won't answer. At least not yet. Because I'm too busy looking at the man in front of me.

My boyfriend...

He never formally asked me, but it feels right.

I feel his hand on mine and look at our hands, taking a deep breath. It all feels different for some reason.

Warmer. Intenser. Better.

'Come with me.' He whispers against my ear, still facing my family.

Just three simple words that make me go ablaze.

Warming me like fire.

And I let it burn for just a second, before allowing it space in my heart and soul.

I'm on fire, turning to ashes for this man and this man only.

I quickly glance at Veah, who's having trouble keeping them all busy, and smile when she nods at me.

'Thank you.' I mouth as Rio pulls me out of the house and closes the door before they can even notice.

It's not until we're at the car that I find the courage to ask, 'Did you actually mean that?'

I know he did, I just want him to confirm that I'm not going crazy.

He parked the car in the middle of the street, blocking the road. It's a good thing that nobody needed to pass through. 'What?'

'Did you actually mean it?' I repeat, basically begging him to answer the question.

He walks over to the driver's side of the car and looks at me, 'Yes. Now get in the car.'

My heart swells in my chest, on the verge of exploding into a billion pieces, as I walk over to the car and open the door.

'Can you please get in the car,' I correct him as I drop into the passenger seat, 'Seriously Rio, it's not that hard to be polite.'

He takes a deep breath as he starts the car, trying to keep himself composed the best he can. 'Where are we going?'

'Somewhere to talk.' He answers right as he hits the gas and drives down the road. 'And we couldn't talk on the side of the road?'

'Leonardo wanted me to give you your present.' Present? 'Fucking show-off.' He mutters as he continues to make his way to the end of the road. 'It's a dead-end.'

He ignores me and continues to drive down the road, ending at the house I always wanted to live in. 'What are you doing?'

'Giving you your present.' What? He gets out of the car and heads towards the fancy gate in front of the house as I slowly get out as well. 'What do you mean?'

Don't tell me... 'The idiot bought you a house.' I stumble back and lean against the car as the world starts spinning for a few seconds. 'Please tell me you're joking.'

He stops at the gateway and looks at me with a frown. 'How else do you think I opened this door.'

'Leonardo bought me this house?' He nods and walks through the gate, leaving it open so that I can follow him in. 'You- there's no way he-' 'He said you really wanted it.'

'I don't remember telling him about it at all.' I mumble as I follow him through the gate.

Tears fill my eyes when I see the house in the distance. It's exactly the way I thought it would always be.

A mansion with big windows, a red-tiled roof, and little balconies everywhere. And a lot of green surrounding the house.

'He said that you told him before you... You know.' Did I?

I try to dig in my memory, but it's all too much. 'How did he even remember?'

'Like I said, he likes to show off.' He mutters as he moves over to me and hands me a set of keys, 'But it's all yours.'

I take the keys from his hand and turn back to the house, smiling with tears in my eyes.

Leonardo is the one that bought the house at the end of the road, the house I always wanted, and he's giving it to me as a present?

I reach for my phone, realizing I must've left it at my mom's place since we left in such a rush, and turn back to Rio.

'Give me your phone.' He frowns for a second, before sighing deeply and handing his phone to me. I scroll through his long list of contacts and end up at Leonardo.

Pick up... Pick up...

'Ciao Adriano, everything okay?' Leonardo says, sounding like he's right in the middle of something. 'It's me, I forgot my phone at home but I'll keep it short since you're probably busy.'

He chuckles and I can hear people mumbling in the background. 'It's fine, I have time.'

'Well, she doesn't.' Rio says, standing right behind me. I roll my eyes and take a few steps away from him, but closer to the house, and sigh. 'Ignore him.'

'I take it he showed you the house?' 'Well, we're standing outside right now and...' I take it all in and try to blink the tears away, 'I can't take it.'

'Stai scherzando?' Rio says in the back, making me turn back to him. 'Can you shut up for one second?'

His eyes widen before he starts frowning at me, slowly making his way over to me like I'm his prey. Fuck...

'Leya, you're going to have to take it because I made sure that everything is exactly the way you wanted it to and not a lot of people would want to buy it.' How could they not?

This place is exactly what I dreamed of. But it's too much.

Rio is almost close enough to grab the phone and pull me close, so I walk towards the door and use the key, trying to create as much distance as possible.

The foyer is made out of white marble tiles, shining bright as if they've been cleaned over and over again. And of course, a big chandelier shines bright lights through the whole place.

I'm afraid to take the first step inside, scared I'll ruin the clean floors if I even breathe the wrong way.

'Leon, I really can't take this.' He chuckles and moves around a bit, the voices slowly fading. 'You really don't have a choice at this point, you do know that right?'

I can feel Rio behind me and quickly rush inside, walking towards something that looks like the living room.

There's a big couch in the middle of the room and a few leather chairs as well, enough space to fit my entire family. The entire town.

Everything is perfect.

'How much was it?' I ask as I head to the kitchen and take in the brown cupboards, white counters, and huge stove. 'Are you kidding me, little one?'

'I'm serious!' I look out the windows and gasp at the sight of the backyard.

It's huge.

And there's a pool and a jacuzzi and a little pool house and... Holy fucking shit...

'I'm not telling you anything, just take it.' I shake my head and turn the other way, facing Rio for just a second, before heading to another room.

The dining room.

'Tell me how much it was and I'll pay you back every fucking penny.' He starts laughing, but I'm not kidding.

This is way too much, even for him. 'Leon, I'm serious.'

There's a huge dining table in the middle of the room, at least twelve seats on each side of the table, and a big chandelier hanging above the table.

It all matches so well, that I'm seriously debating if it's even real. Because it doesn't look or feel real.

'Hang up the phone.' Rio says from the other side of the dining room. He has been silently following me through every other room so far.

'Have you looked inside yet?' Leon asks while I walk towards the next room.

It's a room almost completely made out of glass, with lots of plants and a fire pit on the side, and a big door leading to the garden.

'Leon, tell me how much it was.' I repeat as I walk in through the other door, followed by Rio. 'Just drop it, please.'

'It was too expensive, wasn't it.' He sighs deeply and mutters something I can't pick up as I head back to the other side of the house.

There's a small hallway with a few doors. 'How did you remember all of this?'

I think I only mentioned the house once. And that was a long time ago. So how and why did he remember every tiny detail?

'I already knew I was going to get it for you, I just planned it a little differently.' He admits shyly. I can already feel his smile through the phone. 'Valentina, hang up the phone.'

I make my way back to the foyer and head up the stairs, leading to a long hall with at least five doors on each side. 'Upstairs are all bedrooms?'

'Mhm, and two offices if I'm correct.' Exactly like I told him... 'Leon, you really didn't have to do all this.' I say as I turn back around, locking eyes with Rio who's standing by the door.

He looks like he's ready to murder me.

'Hang up the fucking phone, Valentina.' I almost follow his stupid command, almost.

But I turn the other way and take a deep breath before I turn back around again.

'Little one, you deserve it.' He says calmly, 'So please just take it and don't make too much of a mess with Adriano, okay?'

'What do you mean?' I ask as I keep my eyes on Rio, waiting for him to move even if it's just an inch. 'He designed it himself and all, but please keep the basement in one piece.'

The basement...

'Goodbye!' He hangs up the phone before I can even respond and I can feel my cheeks heat up.

'You designed the basement?' I ask, staying at the top of the stairs. He nods and looks at his watch, before looking back at me. 'Come down here.'

'You're being an asshole again.' I say as I make my way down the stairs, keeping eye contact with him the entire time.

He looks down on me and grabs my hand, not saying a word as he pulls me through the halls.

He opens a door in the hallway and steps aside, waiting for me to go in first.

Without asking him what's going on, I head down the steps and notice a metal door with a panel on the right.

A code...

Just like in Barletta. Just like in every other Curzio estate.

I look at the white letters and smile:

Ｎｅｗ ｃｏｄｅ．．．

I type in a code and wait for the letters to disappear.

Ｒｅｐｅａｔ ｃｏｄｅ ｔｏ ｃｏｎｆｉｒｍ

I repeat the code and wait for the door to open, slowly peeking inside as something familiar washes over me.

'Red room?' I ask, pointing at the door on my right, turning to Rio who's still staring at me. He nods and watches my every move as I point to the other door and say, 'Bathroom.'

'Yes.' He answers as he takes a big step forward, closing the gap between us.

For a second, I think he's going to kiss me and carry me into the red room, but he simply brushes past me and enters the red room.

It's exactly the same like all the other ones. Only this one has paintings on the wall.

Red paintings.

Lines go across the canvas in different directions.

It looks so simple, yet complicated at the same time.

And even though they're just different shades of red across a dark canvas, I can't help but feel something spark at the sight of the painting.

'What is it?' He asks when I stare at the painting a little longer than a second. 'Why are those in here?'

'You don't like them?' He asks, sounding a little hurt. 'That's not it, I just-' I turn to him and frown, 'Did you make these?'

'I did.' No fucking way...

'But that's not why we're here.' He says, clearing his throat as he walks to the other side of the room and starts pacing.

I walk into the room and take a seat on the bed, facing him.

He wants to get straight to it... Alright.

'What made you think that it was okay to just barge into my mom's house and say stuff like that?'

'Isn't that what you wanted?' The happiness that I felt with every cell in my body not so long ago, instantly disappears, making way for sadness and anger.

'So you just said it because you knew it would win me over?'

'What? No, I just-' I can hear the panic in his voice and sigh deeply. 'You really have to pick the right words for this.'

'I said it because I want it to be true and because I knew it would catch your attention.'

He wants it to be true...

'Well... I'm no expert, but I don't think that's how this works.' I mutter as I try to contain my smile. 'What do you mean?'

'You're not just supposed to tell people that we're in a relationship if you haven't even asked me properly.'

'I think we're past that stage, don't you think?' He asks as his eyes lock with mine. 'I hate you.'

He chuckles and shakes his head as he starts pacing around again. 'Look, I didn't say it to startle you or anything okay. I said it because I meant it and because I want to be with you.'

My heart warms up again, making all the anger and sadness disappear like ice in the sun.

'Why did you sleep with Molly?' I feel like I've asked him this question a billion times by now, but the answer never felt right. 'Because I felt like I needed to push you away.'

'Why?' This might end up badly, just like it does every other time, but at least I'll be able to get everything sorted in my head.

'Because I thought it would hurt less.' I frown as he finally looks at me again, not getting what he's trying to say. 'You thought hurting me would hurt me less?'

'Not you, me.' What the fuck is he talking about?

'You have to be more specific here.' He sighs deeply and rolls his eyes at me. 'You're going to make me work for this, aren't you?'

'What did you expect?' His lips curl up a little, just a little, before he nods. 'I thought Molly would make me hurt less, because it pained me to see you hurt.'

'That's so-' 'Stupid, I know. I don't know what I was thinking, but I couldn't think straight.' He says, keeping his intense eyes on mine, 'It only made me want you more.'

A way with words... It's just his way with words...

'It's stupid, I know, but as I said, I couldn't think straight.' He shakes his head and starts pacing around again, shame trying to make its way to his face, 'You have been making me go crazy the moment you brought up that stupid contract, maybe even before that, and fuck-'

No way...

'When you left, I felt so lost, Valentina.' He continues, 'I actually thought I was going insane.'

'Rio-' 'When you left earlier... It felt like I lost you all over again,' He stops walking and slowly turns my way, locking his eyes with mine again.

And I wish he wouldn't have, 'And it felt like I couldn't breathe for a second.'

My heart stops beating for a long second, before going absolutely insane, crushing me.

I didn't want to hurt him, but I needed to. I needed to leave, I needed to get out and make sure he wouldn't hurt me again.

But I guess it was never his intention to hurt me again.

'It made me realize that, even if you would hate me more than anything in the world, I couldn't let you go.' He continues, keeping his eyes on mine as he tries to form his next sentence, 'Because I need you, Valentina.'

I'm stunned. Waiting for him to come over here and kiss me or make me say something back in return, but I can't.

As much as I want to say something, anything, I can't.

He starts moving a little, slowly inching closer to me again.

'I need you more than food, I need you more than water, fucking hell, I need you more than air.'

Something shifts in his eyes and I almost gasp for air when I realize what it is.

The pained look in his eyes explains it all. But he's determined.

I love you...

The three words he could never state, but could always express in the most intimate ways ever.

'Te necesito.' I breathe, watching as he stays right there, too far away for me to touch him. 'Please.'

'Valentina, I'm trying to tell you-' He chokes again, taking a step back instead of forward.

'Asi? Dejar de hablar y ven aquí ahora.'

His eyes turn dark, the anger and murderous look coming back from not so long ago, and he slowly moves over to me.

Stopping right in front of me. 'You're all I want.'

'So take me.' I say, slowly unbuttoning my shirt, 'take all of me.'

He leans down and plants a gentle kiss on my head, before helping me with my bra, leaving a trail of fire on my neck as he continues to place kisses everywhere.

I unbutton his shirt and almost rip it off of him, needing to feel his skin against mine more than anything in the world right now.

It doesn't take long for us to get tangled up together, a bunch of limbs sticking together in the best way possible.

His hips thrust perfectly. With the right amount of friction and the right amount of stamina, making me moan every time he buries himself deep inside of me.

'Look up.' He grunts as he keeps thrusting himself deeper inside of me.

What? I can barely keep anything in, I can barely focus, but somehow I manage to look up at the ceiling.

A mirror.

The reflection of us, our naked bodies. Oh god...

Rio's back muscles look so good through that mirror. But I bet they look better in real life.

'Look at you.' His heavy breath tickles my neck and a smile forms on my lips.

I know he can't even see the reflection, but he can see me. He's looking at me and it does something to me.

Something that makes all of this even more intense than before. Fuck.

'Don't- stop.' He wraps his hand around my throat and makes the most beautiful sounds himself. 'I wasn't planning on stopping.'

I pull his body onto mine, wishing that he could do this forever, and dig my nails into his skin. 'Valentina.'

My middle name rolls out of his mouth like prayers, making me heat up even more.

With just two more strokes, I come all over him and pinch my eyes shut for just a second as he continues to pump himself in and out of me.

'Rio- Wait-' I place my hands on his chest, trying to keep him from moving so that I can focus on him, but it's impossible.

It feels like I'm floating through a bunch of clouds, just perfect.

He pinches my nipple, pulling me back to reality, and continues to viciously fuck me like this.

'You look so good right now.' He groans as he places kisses on my chest and neck, marking my skin just a little.

Just a simple touch on a certain spot in my neck is making me fold again.

I can feel my orgasm coming close and pull him down a little.

I need every part of him, every ounce of his trust in me, to make this work.

And I can feel that he's getting close as well. 'Fuck-' I moan, trying to silence myself against his lips.

He pulls my head back and looks into my eyes as he starts fastening his pace.

Ruthless and hard and perfect.

'Rafael-' His hips collide against mine and I can't help but spread my legs a little wider. 'I love you.'

One more thrust, sending the both of us into oblivion. And he crashes onto me, crushing me with his heavy body, but it doesn't hurt.

It feels safe and warm and perfect.

I kiss him, slowly going down his jaw, ending at his neck. 'Mia.' I mumble against his warm skin, 'Toda mia.'

His lips curl up a little as he rolls down next to me, keeping his eyes on mine at all cost,

'What time is it?' I ask as I stretch a little, begging my body to not be sore tomorrow. 'Does it matter?'

'Yes, because I have to go to the club and meet up with the others.'

Something changes when my words float in the space between us, because his body tenses. 'Right.'

He sits up and stares at the painting on the other side of the room, his body tensing with each breath.

'What's wrong?' I ask as I sit up as well, pressing my chest against his back as I place kisses on his shoulder. 'You know that it's a goodbye party, right?'

I frown and look at him over his shoulder, 'No it's not.'

He turns around and looks into my eyes, trying to see if I'm lying or not. 'It's supposed to be a party because we didn't get to celebrate Brandon's birthday.' Or mine...

'So you're not leaving?' He asks, trying to read me once again.

He loves me. I know that now. He hasn't said it yet, but he has proven it in so many ways.

And I love him. I love him so much.

Leaving him would've been one of the hardest shit to do, so why fight it?

I mean, he did hurt me and all and I'll probably never forget it, but I'm willing to try.

For him.

For us.

So I shake my head as a reply and watch as surprise flashes through his eyes. 'Finalmente.'

I can't stop smiling as he presses me flat on the bed and starts kissing me again.

'Rafael-' I'm silenced as he presses his finger on my clit, making me arch my back a little. 'The time.' I mutter against his lips, feeling the familiar heat rush through me again.

'Fuck the time.' He says as he angles us the right way for our bodies to connect in the deepest way possible again.

He moves his hand over to my clit and rubs his fingers against me, making my eyes roll back out of pleasure. 'Fuck, you're amazing.' He moans against my lips, devouring my mouth again.

His teeth dig into my lower lip and I can't help but moan at the sensation.

His hips, his lips, his taste. I love and want it all.

I want everything he has to offer and I'll take it like fucking drugs.

'Rafael-' I can't contain myself as I feel the orgasm building up again, wishing that we could come together again. 'Please, don't-'

'Almost.' He removes his hand from my clit, allowing me a little more time so that we can come together.

And when we do, it feels like heaven all over again. A heaven he created just for us.

He drops down next to me again and kisses down my neck, stopping at my chest.

I look down on him and try to catch my breath, but it feels impossible.

'Are you okay?' He went quick and hard, but it was perfect.

I nod and smile a little, brushing my hand over his back as he presses his lips against my breast.

After laying in bed and simply touching and kissing each other, he grabs his phone and sighs deeply.

'It's half-past nine by the way.' He mutters as he looks over his shoulder at me. 'Half- What?'

I jump out of bed and run towards the door, ready to run out of here naked if it meant I could still get there before they leave.

'Just tell them you were busy.' He groans from the other side of the room. 'Busy doing what?'

The silence says enough and I can't help but groan as I almost burn myself underneath the shower.

'I am not telling them that we've been fucking for three hours!'

He chuckles and moves around, making me wonder what it is he's doing. 'You do know that you don't have to go.'

'I can't just cancel on them.' I say, quickly lathering myself with soap and washing it all off again. 'You can-' 'Rafael, don't start with me.'

The door opens and I watch as he steps into the bathroom completely naked.

Fucking hell...

I notice him eyeing me up and down and wish he would just get in here and fuck me already, but now is not the time.

So I hop out of the shower and start drying myself with a towel.

'Would you like to repeat that?' He asks as he watches me struggle to get ready. 'Fuck you.' I mutter as I head to the door with a towel wrapped around my waist and hair. 'You just did, multiple times.'

'I hate you!' I shout as I run up the stairs, hearing him chuckle again. 'That's not what you said-' 'Shut up!'

I slam the door behind me and take a deep breath before I rush up the stairs, towards one of the doors.

The first door I open is an office, so I turn to the others. All of the other bedrooms don't have any clothes in the closets, so I continue my way down the hall.

The last room does have some clothes in the closet, not a lot, but it will certainly do for now.

I grab a simple black dress that looks almost identical to the dress I wore on our first night out in Italy.

The night that changed everything...

I quickly put it on and find some matching shoes, before looking at myself in the mirror.

Right as I'm about to head out, I bump into a dressed Rio. 'Do I have to discipline you again?'

He takes a step forward, making me stumble back until my back meets the wall. 'What?'

'Do I have to remind you of the rules again?' Rules... Right.

I can think of a million things he could mean by that, but not one of them should be allowed right now.

'I would love to,' I say as I give him a kiss on the cheek and slip away from the cage he was forming, 'but I have to go.'

I run down the steps and hear him follow behind slowly. 'I'll be expecting you tonight!'

'Why?' He asks as I open the door and turn back to face him, 'Because you owe me a dance.'

Without waiting for his reply, I run out the door and quickly make my way to the club we promised to meet up at, feeling my cheeks glow even in the dark.

The club is packed and I have to greet people left and right as I try to find Brandon or Neveah or Celine or Isabelle.

Maybe even my cousins.

But there are too many people in here, and the music is too loud to hear anyone trying to talk to me.

So I just nod and smile at everyone, trying to be as polite as possible.

I head over to the bar and find Brandon on the other side.

It takes a while for him to see me, but when he does, he jumps up and starts waving like crazy.

He's obviously wasted already, so instead of making him come to me, I make my way through the crowd and make my way to Brandon.

'I'm so sorry I'm late, I lost track of time and I feel so bad!' Brandon shakes his head and starts moving his body from left to right, before hugging me tightly. 'I love you! Cataleya!'

I can't stop smiling as he tries to make me dance as well by moving me from side to side. 'Please forgive me for being this late.'

He shrugs it off and throws his arm around my shoulder, smiling like crazy. 'You were busy getting dicked down by Rio, I truly don't mind!'

My eyes widen and I can feel my cheeks heat up when he starts laughing because of my reaction. 'It's no lie, Leya! You love that man's dick!'

'Lower your voice, please.' I say, wishing that no one else heard. And they probably didn't because of the loud music around us.

'Where are Celine, Isabelle and Veah?' He follows my gaze around the room and starts laughing. 'They were with those cousins of yours a few seconds ago, they're amazing by the way!'

I keep him stable and nod because they are. Even though they can be a little too crazy, I love them.

'I truly wish we can do this forever!' He shouts into my ear, making me flinch a little. 'We can.'

He glances around the room, before turning back to me in shock. 'Wait, what?'

'I'm-' 'You're staying!?' He shouts louder than before.

It feels weird to tell him while he's drunk, because he might not remember it tomorrow morning, but I don't want to lie to him.

'Yes.' He jumps up and down a few times, squealing, before jumping into my arms. 'I fucking love you!'

'I love you too Brandon.' I say, trying to not get squeezed to death by Brandon.

'I'm going to get another drink, do you want one?' He asks, slurring a little, as he almost stumbles over his own feet. 'I don't think that's a smart idea, Brandon.'

'I honestly don't care!' He shouts, heading towards the bartender on the other side. 'Brandon-' 'I'll talk to him.' Killian, who has been standing not too far away apparently, steps in and follows Brandon to the bartender.

I can't help but smile as he tries to pull Brandon away from the bar and turn back around. Where's Veah? Or Celine? Or Isabelle?

Rosalia is dancing with some guy and I decide to head over to her, since that's who Brandon saw them with last.

'Where are Isabelle, Neveah, and Celine?' I ask, trying to be loud enough for her to hear me. She stops grinding her ass on the guy behind her and smiles at me, trying to get me to dance as well.

'Justo ahí bebé!' I follow her hand and meet Neveah as she jumps into my arms. 'Leya!'

I lean back and look at her, frowning when she's moving around like crazy. 'You're drunk aren't you?'

'I am... No- yes, I am!' She shouts before moving her hips like Rosalia. 'Dance with us, prima!'

They sandwich me as they both dance around me. Neveah shakes her ass to the beat playing in this club, grinding herself against me, while Rosa stands behind me, her hands on my waist as she waits for me to do the same.

'Hoy es noche de sexo!' Rosa shouts, waiting for me to join her with the lyrics, but I can't help but blush at the lyrics, 'Come on, Leya! Hoy es noche de sexo!'

'We all know you and Rio be fucking!' Isabelle joins, literally jumping out of nowhere. She squeezes between Veah and me, putting her hands on Veah's waist.

'Voy a devorarte, nena linda!' Rosa continues, trying to force me to move with her.

I let it happen and go along with the beat, letting the words flow through my mind without thinking about them too much. 'Hoy es noche de sexo!'

'Let's go!' Veah shouts, making all of us laugh for some reason. She looks absolutely insane.

'You guys are crazy.' I say as I move my hips just a little, dancing with my best friend and cousin while everyone else around us enjoys the moment just as much as we do.

'Let's go!' Neveah shouts excitedly, acting like she's throwing money at me.

'Here you are Leya!' I turn to the voice and come eye to eye with Vincent and Celine. She's leaning on him yet it looks like she's trying to escape from his arm. 'What took you- so long?'

Vincents moves closer so that she can hug me, trying to keep her from falling on top of me. 'How much did you drink?' I ask, moving with her. 'About the same amount as Veah!' She shouts back at me, throwing her arms in the air.

If Veah's this drunk already, it means that Celine is going to regret all of this tomorrow morning.

'I'm taking her home.' Vincent says, dipping down a little.

'I don't want to go yet!' Celine dramatically shouts, throwing her arms around his neck. Or at least she tries to because he's too tall for her to reach his neck. 'Leroy probably misses you.'

She stops moving entirely and looks him dead in the eyes, her chest heaving from all the jumping and moving around she just did.

'My son!' She suddenly shouts, grabbing Vincent as if he's insane. 'Take me to my son!'

I laugh and look at Vincent for a second, he's smiling as well, keeping his eyes on her the entire time. 'I'll take you to your son.' He says, grabbing her hand.

'Have a fun night ladies.' Vincent chimes as he leads Celine towards the exit.

'Cataleya!' Isabelle pulls me back into the circle and twirls me around as the music changes to something different. 'This is my song!' Rosa shouts, forcing herself in between all of us.

'I didn't mean to end his life, I know it wasn't right!' She starts, acting as if she's holding a microphone. 'Turned into a real sticky situation!' Veah joins, moving in the same motions as my cousin.

'Cause I didn't mean to hurt him!' Rosa hands Veah her fake mic, 'Coulda been somebody's son!'

'And I took his heart when!' Isabelle joins, looking at me next. I shake my head with a smile on my face, and grab the fake microphone, 'I pulled out that gun.'

'Rum-pum-pum-pum!' We sing at the top of our lungs, just like everyone else in the club, 'Man down!'

We enjoy the rest of the song, and a few others, dancing together as if it's our last night alive.

Rosa and Isabelle disappear after a few songs, but Neveah stays as close as possible, genuinely having the time of her life.

'I love you so much, Cataleya!' She shouts into my ear, making me flinch a little. 'I love you too Veah, but how much did you drink?'

'Not nearly enough!' She answers, throwing her arm around my neck. I roll my eyes and keep her moving, making sure my eyes are on her. 'But I wanted to tell you something.' Oh...

'Everything okay?' I ask, feeling her hands on my shoulders as she looks me dead in the eyes and nods. 'Yes, I'm fine, but your mother-'

Someone snatches her away and spins her around a few times, disappearing into the crowd. What?

I catch a glimpse of Nico and realize that he's the one dancing with her now. Just as I'm about to head over to them to see what's going on there, Rosa and Martina step in front of me, smirking at me.

'Cuéntanos más!' Martina says, barely loud enough. 'Not now.'

I try walking past them, but it's like they're forming a wall in the middle of the club. 'Guys, I have to get to Veah, she's-' 'She's enjoying herself with that handsome man, let her be!' Rosa says, clearly having no clue on what's actually going on here.

'She has a boyfriend, Rosa.' My cousin looks me dead in the eyes and shrugs, 'Like that has ever stopped me before.'

'Because tu eres un puta grande!' Tina shouts before hiding behind me. 'Como me llamaste?!'

I feel Tina kiss my cheek before she runs the other way, followed by a furious Rosa. 'Girls!'

I lose them almost immediately and sigh when I'm all alone again, trying to find either my cousins or Neveah and Nico. But I don't find any of them.

"Aquel día te vi y tu energía sentí" X by Nicki Jam and J Balvin starts playing and a lot of people start grinding on each other while I search for any sign of my friends.

'Cataleya! Look at you!' I turn to the old voice calling my name and frown at the elderly woman. 'Do I know you?' 'Of course you do! I changed your diapers when you were little!'

I stare at the woman, trying to remember her, but I can't put her anywhere. Does she really think I remember her?

'I'm sorry, but I have no clue who you are...' I admit, apparently not loud enough for her to catch anything because she starts blabbing about her husband and cat at home. 'That must be-' 'Here you are.'

I feel a warm hand on my lower back and look over my shoulder, coming eye to eye with the man I left at the house.

He's wearing a black button-up and clearly came fresh out of the shower. 'I'll have to take her from you, excuse us.'

His hand gently nudges me away from the mystery woman and we end up on the dancefloor, surrounded by a lot of people.

He stays close to me as the crowd forces us to move even closer. 'Who are you looking for?' He asks curiously, making me stare into his eyes even more.

They're so mesmerizing tonight. Or they might've been all the time, but they just feel different tonight. Right in this moment. 'Neveah, she went with Nico and-' 'Nico won't hurt her.'

But she's drunk... 'He's in love with her.'

'And she's dating Leon.' He nods and smiles a little. 'So she won't do anything stupid.'

His words make my worries melt in a split second and I nod, trying to stay close to him so that I won't lose him like I lost the others.

He lowers his hands to my lower back and keeps his eyes on mine, my skin automatically heating up at his touch. As if the club wasn't hot enough already. 'How do you dance to this?'

I chuckle and shrug as I look around one more time, hoping to catch a glimpse of Neveah just to be sure she's okay.

But she's not around.

'I think something like this.' I say as I take his hands and move them to my waist.

I move my hips to the rhythm of the song playing in the background and try to focus on my movement.

Trying not to mess up.

"Y no te voy a negar"

He inhales sharply and swiftly spins me around as he pulls me against him.

"Estamos claros y ya"

My back is pressed against his chest and his hands are on my waist again.

'Something like this?' He asks, his lips brushing against my ear.

He's whispering, but I can hear him crystal clear. As if the music is muffled around us.

'Something like this.' I say, letting his hands guide me to the music. 'Fuck, Valentina.'

His lips brush against my neck and I lean back, gasping for air a little.

He slowly drags his hand to the middle of my stomach, slowly moving it lower and lower. I lean further into him, letting his hands travel to the edge of my dress.

For a second, I completely forget that we're in a fucking club. And he likes that.

'I want to fuck you so badly.' He mumbles against my hot skin.

I feel like I just got here, even though a few hours passed, but I'm ready to leave already.

'Fuck me, Rafael.' He doesn't stop grinding me against him and inhales sharply, 'We're in public.'

'Then take me back to the house, please.'

He looks over my shoulder, trying to peek into my eyes, and I slowly turn around to face him, grabbing his hand as the decision is being made in his mind.

'Let's go.' He guides me through the crowd, everyone stepping aside as he strides past them, and we quickly make it outside.

His car is parked on the side of the road this time, and we quickly hop in.

'I can't wait that long.' He says as he brushes his hand up my dress, towards my panties. I gasp for air when I feel his finger press against my clit, and look at him. 'What are you-' 'Ride my hand.'

I do as he demands, trying to create the perfect friction for myself as he watches me and tries to help.

The eye contact, the small space, the tension. It's all perfect and I wish we could do this forever.

It's a good thing that no one's walking by at this time.

I lift my hips a little, hearing him chuckle as he uses his other hand to push me down again. 'Not like that.'

A needy groan escapes my lips as I try to find the right spot again. Almost...

'Fuck-' I breathe, leaning on the dashboard. 'Come for me, baby.'

I ball my fist and squeeze as hard as I can as I explode into a billion pieces on his hand.

A haze forms in my mind and it doesn't disappear until he stops the car again.

I don't even remember he started the car, but he goes around the car and opens the door for me, smirking proudly as he waits for me to climb out of the car.

'Did you eat enough today?' He asks as he stares at me. 'I didn't eat much.' I admit, shaking my head a little.

I barely ate anything now that I think about it.

I reach out to him, still feeling a little dazed by all of this, and feel like my hand melts in his as he helps me out of the car. 'Let's get you fed then.'

I roll my eyes as he helps me to the gate and freeze when I see my mom standing there.

'Mom?' She looks up and stares at Rio for a long time, before looking at me. 'I thought you would come back a lot later than this, mi amor.'

'Is everything alright?' I ask, taking a step towards her. She nods and smiles at Rio for a second. 'Yes, I just have a few questions for you.'

About what? My heart starts speeding up a little, even though I didn't do anything wrong.

'And I want you to be completely honest.' I nod and look at Rio, who's staring at me. 'I'll be honest.'

'Claro,' She says, before taking a deep breath and looking at the both of us for a second, 'why didn't you tell me he is in the mafia?'

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A/N: ARIANA KNOWS!?!??!!!??!?! LEYA IS STAYING!??!?!?!?! NICO AND VEAH DRUNK NIGHT!??!?!?!?

Well... I hope you guys like the story! I love you guys so much and I can't ever thank you enough for all the love and support!

Please comment and vote if you enjoyed the chapter!!!

Hope to see you in the next chapter! HAVE A GREAT DAY/NIGHT!!!