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ARIA

"Sandro...you know I can't live in your penthouse forever, right?" I said, playing with his fingers. We were still awake, having a conversation in the dark. It was peaceful, and the rain had finally settled down to a slight drizzle.

Our voices were barely above a whisper when we spoke, and there were a few times when Sandro had to press a pillow into my face because he made me laugh so hard.

I felt Sandro still, and then he heaved a sigh. "I know. I just...I have to tell you something—fuck."

My brows scrunched together, but I didn't think too much about it. "Okay. I'm listening."

"Bellissima," he said. "I didn't want to stress you. You have to understand that, okay?" he said, and he didn't want me to be mad at him but how could I? He had been helping me from the very beginning.

"Speak, Sandro."

There was a moment of silence before he spoke again, "The man in the security footage. You didn't recognise his face, but you might have remembered if you saw him in person,"

"I know him?" I asked, a little confused. I might have known him—but the pictures were too grainy to tell, or I had a terrible memory.

"You don't know him. But you have seen him before. That night in the club, your friend left with someone," he explained, and I thought about it, recollecting the vast memories I had of that night. Stumbling into the bathroom – Tammy making out with a man and leaving with him.

"Wait. Are you saying that he's the one in the picture? That guy? How?" I was asking too many questions, but I was confused and needed clarity. Was he the one who broke my lock?

"When you came to the club, did you and Tammy come from your apartment?" he asked, giving me a massage on my shoulder—it was his way of calming down the approaching anxiety and I was grateful for it.

A dark feeling twisted in my chest, and I had to take a few seconds to register what Sandro had asked. There was no fucking way. It didn't make sense.

"Yes, we did," I said hesitantly.

"I'm going to tell you something else, bellissima. And I don't want you to think you're a terrible friend—"

I paused, "What do you mean?"

"Tammy left with that man, but she changed her mind when she got to the car. She didn't want to leave you, but Ryan had other plans," Sandro explained, and I felt my heart sink.

I raised my head off his chest, sitting up straight because laying down suddenly felt too overwhelming. I looked at Sandro with worry etched all over my face. Tammy...

"Stop," he said, grabbing my hands to kiss my knuckles. "Nothing happened to her. Elijah, her ex, had gone to the club looking for her and found the both of them in the parking lot," he murmured, and I let him pepper kisses all along my skin. It was comfortable, and I liked it.

"There was a little altercation and Elijah's took his anger out on Ryan. That's the bruise you saw on his face in the picture," Sandro explained, and I tightened my lips together because I couldn't comprehend it yet.

My gaze wandered away from Sandro, and I took a moment to think about it. Why wouldn't she tell me? I should have known that something was wrong when I asked her if it was worth it, and her answer was 'not at all'.

I looked down at my hands, trying to make sense of the many thoughts in my head. Surely I could have tried harder to make her stay. I needed to talk to her.

"What did I say about you not being a terrible friend, bellissima? Tammy didn't tell you, because she didn't want you to be burdened by the worry. She knew how bad you'd feel," Sandro said. Burdened? It was impossible for a friend to burden me.

"Yeah, and now I don't just feel bad. I feel like shit," I muttered, fiddling with the hem of my shorts. "You asked if we came from my apartment. Why?"

Sandro sighed, "We think that Ryan was under the impression that Tammy lived there. He didn't come there for you. He found out that you lived there instead and left because he wanted Tammy."

Oh my God.

"What the fuck, Sandro? That's fucked up," I whispered. "How did you find this out?"

"I reviewed the footage from the inside of the club, and recognised the man Tammy danced with as the same man caught outside of your complex. There was something off about it. Why would he be there? So, I showed Elijah. And he explained what had happened—"

"Where is Ryan now?" I asked, fearing for the safety of my friend. I dismissed the part where she didn't tell me—because it wasn't about me. It was about her and how she felt and I needed to make sure that she was okay.

"Somewhere with Elijah," was all he said, and I felt the relief flow through me. He wasn't roaming freely. "He's very protective of her. You don't have worry, bellissima. She's in good hands."

"This is so..." my voice was soft.

"I know, baby. I know," Sandro muttered, pulling me into his arms. He laid on his back, and my body was on top of his. The side of my cheek rested on his chest, and he stroked my hair away from my eyes. I felt, and heard his steady heartbeat and it comforted me.

"I need to talk to her," I said after a while. I wanted to pick up my phone and call her but it was two in the morning.

"Honestly, I'm just surprised that Kian had nothing to do with it," I said and for some reason, I felt bad about how I treated him. "Does this mean I can go back to my apartment?"

Sandro scoffed, "No."

"Sandro."

"Okay, fine. If you insist." He didn't sound too happy, but his grumpiness had me smiling against his chest. I raised my head, giving him a kiss on the lips before returning to my prior position.

"Just because I'll be back home, doesn't mean you can't sleep over every now and then," I informed him. I wanted to stay with him longer, but I needed to get my shit together. I needed a job—I needed to clean my living room.

There was so many things that I had to do, and none of them could be completed if I was stuck in Sandro's penthouse.

"Oh, I'm staying over the first night you leave me," he said, and I chuckled. I liked how clingy Sandro was and I liked that he wasn't afraid to show it.

"I don't mind."

"Bellissima, you should rest. Your mama wants us to have breakfast together," Sandro said quietly, the vibrations in his chest nearly rocking me to sleep. I hummed, closing my eyes as my exhaustion of the day wavered over me. And the fact that I was within Sandro's arms didn't help.

"Can I sleep like this?"  I asked.

"Why are you asking me that as if I'll ever say no?"

I grinned sleepily, my eyes still close. "Courtesy."

"Goodnight, my love," Sandro whispered, giving me a kiss on the top of my head.

"Goodnight, my love," I repeated his words, and I felt him chuckle.

As I breathed in his scent, I fell asleep to the gentle pounding of his heart. It was, once again, one of the best sleeps I ever had. And Sandro never let go of me.

*

"Next shipment goes to Cape Town. Make sure it's on time. I don't want to hear any of those fucked up excuses, do you hear me?" Sandro spoke into the phone, a frown on his face. He hung up, sighing deeply as he let his head fall. I knocked on the door, announcing my entrance.

He looked up at me, and I joined him on the bed. Sandro leaned over, resting his head onto my lap before groaning.

After a family breakfast, Sandro and I had the house to ourselves while my parents ran errands.

"You're going to be mad at me," Sandro said, his voice muffled by my thighs.

"What's wrong?" I asked, stroking his short hair.

"I have to leave," he said and I ran my hand over his neck. I knew it was coming. Sandro was, after all, a boss who had the most responsibility I had ever seen one person have. It was impossible for him to stay away from his work.

"Why?"

"There's been an explosion in one of our warehouses and one of my men were killed. I need to figure out what happened," Sandro explained solemnly. "I don't want to go. But I have to."

"You don't have to leave with me, bellissima. You can stay and—"

"You're acting as if that's what you want."

Sandro smiled, "You know me so well."

"I'll tell my parents that we're leaving," I muttered, already dreading the conversation. Sandro nodded.

A few hours later, I was hugging my family goodbye. My parents were sad that I was leaving earlier than expected, but they understood that Sandro had business to tend to.

My mother packed a lunch for us, and gave us both kisses on the cheeks as if we were leaving for school. She told Sandro to visit again, and my father agreed. Sandro told Aiden that next time, when he had his driver's license, he'll let him be behind the wheel.

The way Aiden squealed left a ringing in my ear.

"I'll buy you a ticket to visit me when you're on a break from school, okay?" I said to Aiden, and he grinned. We bid our goodbyes, and we watched my family wave at us from the porch.

After another lengthy drive, Sandro was dropping me off at home—my apartment. Much to his dismay. For the entirety of the drive, Sandro tried to convince me otherwise but I insisted that I needed to figure my life out.

Sandro walked me up to my apartment, and entered first to make sure everything was okay. There was a different door, one that looked harder and more durable. There was also a different lock and it made me feel better about returning home.

"Everything is good. I'll come see you tonight, okay?" Sandro said, turning to me.

"Thank you, Sandro," I said sincerely, wrapping my hands around his neck and his hands went to my waist. He leaned down, giving me a deep and lingering kiss.

He hesitantly pulled away, "Fuck. I have to go, bellissima. Lock the door behind me."

But Sandro looked like he wanted to say something else. He decided against it, and just walked to my door. I narrowed my eyes at him –what was on his mind? I needed to know, but he was already at the exit. I'll ask him later.

When he was gone, the first thing I did was retrieve my phone from my handbag and dial Tammy's number.

• • •

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