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ARIA

I sat up straight, wiping my palms on the hem of my dress as I gazed out to my two-storey home.

It had only been a year and I don't know why I was expecting it to be any different. Even with the short period of time I was away, I couldn't help but feel nostalgic.

Sandro parked in front of the closed garage door, turning to me for just a moment. I gave him a reassuring smile and he gentle took my wrist to lay a kiss on the back of my hand.

He always did that, and I wondered if perhaps it was his own way of comforting himself. Calming himself. I didn't think about for it too long, too excited to see my parents.

I stepped out of the car, instantly absorbing the heat of the sun. It was scorching out, and I was reminded of one of the reasons I left.

Too fucking hot.

There wasn't a cloud in sight, and I gained the urge to jump in our pool. I winced, pulling my purse over my shoulder. Sandro closed the door behind him, and I waved at him to leave the luggage for later.

We walked up to the porch, glancing at each other a few times. My finger hovered over the doorbell, and I took the moment to look at Sandro. He stood next to me, nearly reaching the doorframe and of course, I had to soak in how good he looked just standing there and existing. I shook my head, pressing the button and a few seconds later, I heard footsteps approaching.

When the door opened, I couldn't hide my surprise. My brothers brown eyes landed on mine, and a grin spread across my cheeks because I hadn't seen him in ages and I missed him. He was sixteen, but he ran into my open arms as if he were a toddler.

He had gotten so much taller – so much bigger and his curly hair was grown out. Curly on top and faded on the sides; he looked like a typical teenage boy.

"If mama wasn't here, I would have cussed your ass out for not visiting me," he murmured quietly, only for my ears to hear. I chuckled through my teary eyes, giving him a small punch on the arm. Aiden scowled, swatting my hand away and that's when I turned to Sandro.

My eyes widened, seeing him embraced in one of my mother's hugs. He had the widest, most beautiful smile on his face as he wrapped her arms around her.

"It's so nice to meet you, Alessandro," my mother said sweetly, letting go of him. She spun around and her soft eyes met mine.

"Come here, baby," she said, opening her arms and I stepped into them. I hugged her tightly, burying my face in her shoulder and breathing in her familiar smell of coconut and vanilla. It felt like home, and my tears threatened to fall once again.

"He's handsome," she whispered, and I let out a small laugh. Being with family was the comfort that I didn't know I needed. When we let go, Sandro and Aiden were shaking hands and introducing themselves to each other.

"Where's dad?" I asked.

"Hospital. He wanted to be here but you know how work is," my mother said, and she sounded disappointed. I offered her a comforting smile, wrapping my arm around her back and letting my head rest on her shoulder.

All of a sudden, Aiden breathed in a long and dramatic gasp. He was looking over Sandro's shoulder, his gaze fixated on the car parked in the driveway.

"No way. Nah. Is that a – is that a GTR?" Aiden asked, and then his head snapped into my direction. "Aria, do you know what that is?"

I shrugged, "Not a clue."

He gasped again, holding his chest. "This girl. She's joking, right?" He looked at Sandro. "Is that yours?"

Sandro nodded, chuckling at my brothers antics. "It is."

"That's the coolest fucking thing I've ever seen in my life," Aiden said, appearing shell-shocked. My mother slapped him on the arm, scolding him for his use of a cuss word.

Sandro looked back at his car, and then his hand slipped into his pocket and I, immediately, knew where it was leading to.

"You're riding around in that and you don't even know what it is. I'm ashamed," Aiden addressed me, seemingly disgusted and I rolled my eyes at him.

Sandro laughed, "I've only had it for a few days. Want to go for a drive?"

Aiden's mouth dropped. "Wait, are you serious?"

Two minutes in and they were already bonding.

Sandro nodded, and Aiden just about squealed out loud. "What do you mean do I wanna go for a drive? Of course, what the heck-" Aiden said excitedly, rushing over to give me a kiss on the cheek.

"Mama, can I?" Aiden asked, grabbing my mother's hands and she seemed to be thinking about it but I knew she was just teasing him. "Mama!"

"Okay, fine! Stop grabbing me, boy. Get out of my sight," she said, shooing him away and the happy grin on Aiden's face illuminated the entire room.

As they left the foyer, muttering about pistons and turbo's, Sandro turned around and winked at me. He knew how much it meant to me that he was getting along with my brother.

"Alessandro and Aiden look like they'll get along just fine,"

"Mama, you know how easy men get along. They don't even need to try."

"At least this will give me some time to catch up with my daughter," she said, and we watched the two boy's converse with one another.

Aiden sat in the passenger seat, all giddy and he faked a faint when Sandro started the car. He backed out of the driveway before speeding away, and Aiden stuck his hand out of the window and waved at us.

"He already loves him," I murmured, shaking my head.

"Put Aiden in a car that he likes and he'll love you immediately," my mother said, taking my hand in hers. We closed the door behind us, hearing the revving of Sandro's car disappearing in the background.

Aiden was probably having the time of his life.

"You're right," I said, walking over to the dinner table. "Sit with me, mama. I want to talk to you."

"Talk to me?" she said inquisitively, raising her brow. "Are you pregnant?"

I gasped. "No! I want to catch up with you,"

She shrugged, pulling out her chair and sitting next to me. "Okay, I'm just making sure. I don't know Alessandro but he doesn't seem half bad. Does he treat you good, baby?"

Another thing I loved about my mother was that she never judged someone based on their appearance. Sandro's skin was adorned by tattoos, visible and hidden, but she looked past that and viewed him for the person that he was. I was unable to stop my smile, grateful that my parents weren't like the other pesky snobs in town.

"He's amazing," I whispered. "He always goes out of his way. I'm starting to think I'm a bit too spoiled."

"Don't say that. You deserve to be spoiled and nothing less," she said, giving me a look of disapproval. "Your dad will agree with me,"

"Speaking of dad; what time does his shift end?" I asked, trying to contain my excitement of seeing the man who raised me.

"Soon. Do you want to help me get started on dinner? I'm making your favourite," she said, a smile stretching across her lips.

I nodded eagerly. "You're the best, mama."

After an extra few minutes of talking, my mother and I were in the kitchen preparing for dinner. It had been a while since Sandro and Aiden left and I had stopped hearing the outrageously loud car. I chopped up the parsley, focusing hard because I had a bad habit of accidentally nicking myself.

"Baby, do you mind taking a drive to the shop for heavy cream? We need it for the pasta and I forgot to get some," she said, rinsing off the uncooked rice in the sink.

My mother was cooking up a feast of not only one main meal, but two. Including a bunch of sides. The drive had left me starving and my mouth watered just thinking about the food we were about to have.

"I'll call Sandro and see if he's close to a store," I said, wiping my hands with a dishcloth before picking up my phone. As soon I dialled his number, I heard the familiar car pull up in the driveway.

I walked over to the front door, unlocking it to let them in and the state of Aiden's hair shocked me. How fucking fast were they going?

"Aria. I have no words. That car- Please, can we keep him?" Aiden pleaded, clasping his hands together hopefully.

"He's not a pet!" I scolded.

Yes, I'll keep him.

Sandro walked in behind Aiden, carrying both our bags in his hands. The veins on his arms were prominent, straining against the weight of the luggage. I had to remind myself that I was in my mothers house, quickly prying my eyes away from him.

He never stopped looking good and I was beginning to think that I had some sort of problem. How could I be attracted to him all the time?

I cleared my throat, and Sandro smirked as if he knew what I was thinking.

"Let's take that upstairs. I need to get a few things from the store for Ma."

Sandro followed behind me, saying a few words to Aiden and I watched my brother do another cheer. He surely said that they could have another drive some other time.

"Bellissima, are you going alone?" Sandro asked, and when I turned my head, he had his eyes fixated on my ass. He was eye-level with the back of my thighs, and he didn't look up until I clicked my fingers to get his attention.

"Yes, I'll take my mother's car. I'm sure you're sick of driving," I told him.

"No, I'm not. Let me take you," he insisted, frowning at me.

I pushed open my rooms door in the far end of the hallway, stepping inside. Nothing had changed. My white carpet matched my white bedding and remained untouched. The blinds were open and my window overlooked the backyard and pool area.

A whole bunch of memories came flooding in, good and bad. Playing with my toys. Crying on my bed because teachers were mean. A lot of unwanted memories, but they were halted when Sandro wrapped his arm around me.

I hugged him. "Thank you, Sandro. Thank you for being here with me, and being nice to my bother and-"

"No offence, but please sshh," Sandro said, cupping my cheek. "You have nothing to thank me for." He leaned down, giving me the softest kiss on my lips. It was feather-light, and barely there but I felt every ounce of emotion poured into it.

His hand slid down on my back, resting on the top of my ass. "Always wearing these dresses," Sandro whispered, kissing down my neck while I eyed the slightly ajar door. "You look beautiful – your skin is glowing. Your hair. Everything. Everything is just so- perfect,"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What do you want?"

"You. Just you," he murmured, his forehead touching mine. My eyes softened, and I played with the short hair at the nape of his neck.

"You have me," I started. "Bes-"

"Aria, stop fucking with me. Call me your best friend one more time and I'm throwing you over this bed to put my di-"

"Sandro!" I interjected, laughing as I pulled him further away from the door. "Okay, okay. You're my-"

"Aria, I need that cream!" my mother shouted from downstairs.

"Coming!" I yelled back, interlacing my fingers through Sandro's.


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