Aurora

Today has been one of the best days of her life.

Matteo took her to a place called the Aquarium, and she saw so many fish! She has never seen so many sea creatures in her life. The only time she got to see any fish were in the picture books at the orphanage, but never in real life.

Aurora wished that humans could breathe underwater so that they could swim with all the fish and the other sea creatures. Why couldn't they have superpowers that made them able to breathe underwater?

She had never expected him to ever take her out like this. It made her feel like this was some sort of date, like a couple who were going out together. However, they weren't a couple and would most certainly never have the honor of gaining that title, which is why it was not a possibility.

Matteo would never see her as something more than a friend, or even a sister. She was too much of a child to be with a man like him. Matteo deserved a woman who had confidence and who actually acted her age.

He must have done this to brighten her mood. Whatever the reason was, she was very grateful for him doing this for her. Spending time with him was something she will cherish dearly and she didn't want this day to end.

It seemed that he had the same thought in mind when they had finished their meal at the diner. The pretty girl from earlier was very keen on wanting Matteo's attention. She had noticed how she stood extremely close to him when she checked on their table, pretending that Aurora didn't exist.

Just because Matteo ignored her doesn't mean that she still felt a bit better. She was aware of the fact that there were women who she couldn't compete with. Women who will throw themselves at Matteo and he would be swept off his feet by their beauty. It could result in him leaving her, even though they aren't the closest thing to a couple.

She just couldn't stand the thought of someone grabbing hold of his attention.

Matteo took them to an ice cream shop. Her mood had instantly changed when she saw all the different sorts of ice cream behind the glass. She was a big fan of ice cream and she couldn't be in a bad mood once she started eating her strawberry flavored ice cream.

The ice cream was so yummy.

When they arrived home, her heart had sunken to the bottom of her stomach. She was reluctant to get out of the car, but went inside the house nonetheless. She just wished that the day could have dragged even further, loving the idea that they could have more time.

It was almost dark out. The sun began to set and she was a bit worn out from the day's activities. She had so much fun that she wanted to do this everyday, if she could. That was some dream to be able to go to many places with Matteo by her side, looking at different animals and trying out many arrangements of food.

Matteo hung his jacket on the coat hanger. She placed her hands behind her back, gliding her feet against the floor as she stared downward.

"Thank you. I h-had a lot of fun today." she said softly.

"You're welcome." he replied.

"I don't know how I could ever pay you back for-"

He cut her off, his hand gripping her shoulder gently. She peered up at him through her lashes.

"I do not expect anything in return. You deserved it."

"But-"

"No buts." he said sternly. She shut her mouth immediately at his stern tone in his voice, sending a bunch if butterflies to flap around in her belly.

"Rest. I will wake you up in a few hours for dinner." he said, removing his hand from her shoulder.

"Okay." she whispered.

She looked at his face. She bit her lip, her hand twitching to do the thing that her mind kept screaming her to do. She wasn't brave enough to do it but it was something she had wanted to do for the longest time.

She fought with herself for a few seconds and when she saw Matteo made a move to walk away, her body leaped to the front without her even thinking it through. Both her hands grasped the sides of his face, pulling him a bit down that was in her reach.

She stood on her tippy toes, craning her neck upward so that she could place her lips against his cheek. She felt his stubble graze her lips slightly when her lips met his skin. She felt his body become rigid under her touch, but she didn't give him a chance to even come to terms with what had just happened when she removed her lips.

"Thank you." she said with as much emotion she could pour into those words, and bolted away from him with flaming cheeks.

~~~

Aurora woke up later that day, confused that she hadn't been woken up by Matteo. She thought that it could be that she had just woken up before he could do that, but when she checked the time on her phone she saw that it was about ten in the night.

That's weird. Maybe he fell asleep?

She gave Kitty a kiss on her head and slid her feet in her fluffy slippers, leaving her room to go downstairs. She hummed a tune as she descended the stairs, stopping when she heard shuffling in the kitchen. Matteo must have been busy with dinner, bringing a small smile to her face.

However, when she stepped inside the kitchen, a scream erupted from her throat. The blonde man turned around at the sound of the noise, his eyes widening which mimicked her state that she was in. He held a packet of Doritos in his hands, Oreos and in his mouth was a long sweet looking thing that she didn't know what it was.

"Hello, amore mio." Reggie said.

"W-what are you doing here?" she asked him, still a bit startled.

He placed the snacks on the counter. "Bossman left. He told me to look after you while he was gone."

Aurora felt a bit confused. "Where d-did he go?"

Reggie shrugged. "I have no idea but it was something that needed his attention urgently."

"Oh."

She felt a bit down that Matteo was gone without even telling her. She sounded a bit stupid right now that she wanted Matteo to wake her up and inform her where he was going. He had a life and she had to respect that.

Stupid girl.

"Does it involve the m-mafia?"

Reggie looked a bit taken a back by what she said. He rubbed the back of his neck. "So he told you, huh?"

She gave him a nod. "How do you feel about it?"

She tilted her head to the side. "About what?"

"Matteo being a mafia leader."

She took a seat on the chair next to the kitchen counter. Reggie soon joined her, opening up the packet of Oreos and offered her one. She muttered a small thank you and took a bite of the delicious treat.

"I-it sounds scary. I don't like that he is killing people but if t-that's his choice then I have to respect it." she answered.

"He didn't choose this life, amore mio. It was given over to him so that he could continue his family's legacy. "

"Couldn't he have said no?"

Reggie chuckled. "He was the heir to the mafia. Being the first son in a mafia family means that your father has to give it over to you. He didn't have a say in this matter."

"That's sad."

She couldn't imagine how awful that must have been knowing that your future was planned out by your father.

Reggie shrugged, taking a bite of the cookie. "You get used to it after a while. However, I must say that he is a damn good boss." he chuckled.

She giggled at that statement.

She could see from how close they were that they had a very strong bond. Reggie looked up to Matteo as their leader and she admired how much of a leader he was to them.

"You are very special, amore mio." he said, a hint of seriousness in his voice.

She looked up at him, the cookie half bitten in her mouth. "Hmm?"

"To him. You are very special to him."

It was as if deja vu had struck her. She remembered the day that Cordelia told her something similar to what Reggie told her just now.

She shook her head. "He t-took me in because of pity. "

"That's some bullshit right there. I have never seen Matteo care so much for someone, especially a woman. I can't even think of a time where he showed this much emotion to his family let alone his sister."

Cordelia told her the exact same thing.

Reggie sighed. "You're good for him." he said softly.

She furrowed her brows. "I am?"

He gave her a smile. "You're showing him what it means to care for someone."

Hey hey hey!!!

I loved this interaction between her and Reggie. My girl even made a bold move on Matteo, whoop!

Any guesses on why Matteo had to leave so suddenly?

Don't forget to vote and comment :)