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DOG DAYS ARE OVER

♧

FLORENCE + THE MACHINE

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I LAUNCHED a kick straight into the stomach of one of the guards, sending him stumbling back into the hedges. "Don't touch me!" I screamed, whirling around just in time to grab a marble planter from a pedestal and hurl it at another. It struck his shoulder with a dull thud, and he staggered back, cursing.

"Leave me alone!" I snapped, snatching up a heavy trowel from a nearby gardening table. I brandished it like a dagger, keeping the remaining two guards at bay. My chest heaved, adrenaline pounding in my ears, as I glanced at the garden wall ahead of me.

I turned on my heel and bolted toward the wall, yanking my skirt up to climb it. My fingers gripped the cold stone as I hoisted myself up, ignoring the shouts behind me. One of the ornamental lamps at the top came loose under my weight, and I seized it.

"TOUCH ME, AND THE NEXT THING I THROW WILL DRAW BLOOD!" I screamed, raising the lamp over my head.

The guards stopped dead in their tracks, looking to each other for what to do next. One dared to step closer, and I hurled the lamp with all my strength. It shattered just inches from his boots, the glass spraying across the cobblestones. He jumped back, hands raised in surrender.

The guards turned their helpless gazes to Albert, who stood in the corner with his hands clasped behind his back.

Albert blinked slowly. "I'm not sure why you're all looking at me. You heard her."

The men hesitated, clearly unsure how to approach me without risking further injury. I glared down at them, daring anyone to make the next move, my breath heaving as my grip tightened on the edge of the wall. My fingers brushed another lamp, and I readied myself to throw again.

"Albert!" a voice bellowed across the garden.

Oh, you had to be fucking kidding me. Of course. The one time I didn't have a gun.

"Master Antonio," Albert greeted calmly, as though I wasn't perched on top of a wall with shattered glass surrounding me like a war zone.

Another guard tried to grab me while I was distracted, but I swung the last remaining lamp straight at him. Antonio dodged the flying glass by mere inches.

"What the fuck?" Antonio barked, his tone somewhere between disbelief and outrage.

"Ah, Master Antonio," Albert said, still calm as ever. "You're here."

Antonio's sharp gaze moved between me and Albert. "I thought you said she wasn't trying to run away."

"She's not," Albert replied, perfectly unfazed. "She's trying to jump to her death so she doesn't have to marry you."

Antonio's jaw tightened, and he took a threatening step forward. "You told her the wedding's been moved to Saturday?"

"No, but you just did," Albert said smoothly, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Saturday?!" I screamed, the word tearing from my throat as my grip on the wall tightened. "I'M NOT MARRYING YOU IN THREE DAYS!"

Antonio groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Jesus Christ."

"You wish he could help you now!" I spat, pointing at him with as much rage as I could muster from my precarious perch.

I turned and looked over the edge of the wall. If I made myself fall just right, I'd end up with a broken leg and a few fractured ribs. I could live with that. Not the worst injury I've had.

Taking a deep breath, I bent my knees, ready to jump. But Albert's voice cut through the chaos.

"Miss Celine," he called firmly, his tone unshakable but not unkind. "If you fall, who's going to put Master Antonio in his place? Certainly not me. And heaven forbid his brothers—they'll just egg him on."

I froze, glancing back at him. Albert met my gaze with the faintest of smirks, as if daring me to consider the truth in his words.

"Besides," he continued, adjusting his cufflinks as if this whole scene wasn't utterly ridiculous, "if you ruin the wedding plans, you'll be the one explaining it to your mother. She'd probably insist you get married in a wheelchair."

My stomach twisted at the thought of my mother's wrath. She'd go on for weeks about how I'd ruined her perfectly planned day.

I hesitated, my grip on the edge loosening. "Shit," I muttered under my breath.

I turned back around, fixing Antonio with a glare. "Fine. I'll come down."

"Smart choice," he replied, crossing his arms like he'd won some great battle.

But I wasn't done. Grabbing one last lamp, I hurled it straight at his head. He dodged—barely—and retaliated with a quick flick of his hand, sending a knife flying past me. It clattered against the wall as I jumped down, landing squarely in Albert's waiting arms.

Albert didn't even flinch, steady as ever. "I'm beginning to see how you two complement each other," he said dryly, adjusting his grip to set me upright.

I brushed myself off and glared at Antonio again. "You missed."

"You ducked."

Albert sighed. "Ah, young love."

"Maybe only one of us gets the young title," I said, stepping closer to Antonio with a slow, deliberate stride.

He arched a brow at me, clearly unimpressed, but didn't move as I reached up and brushed my fingers under his jaw. My hand lingered there, my eyes locking with his before I leaned in just slightly. Then I tugged at a single, wiry strand from his beard and held it up for him to see.

"Grey hair," I announced with a smirk. "You've got four more in there."

Antonio's jaw tightened, and his glare burned into me as I let the silver strand drop to the ground.

Behind me, Albert cleared his throat, barely masking a laugh. "Master Antonio, might I recommend a beard dye? It seems we'll have a long weekend ahead."

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crazy hoes rule the world and Celine knows that. Her willing to put herself in the hospital just so she can't marry him is crazy ngl. Albert be so unfazed I'm dying 😭

anyways chat thank you for reading and please remember to drink water !!!

-zio 🍸