So I've decided that this person best suits Harlow. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

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For all you mfs that skipped the prologue:
i just want to warn you guys that this book was written like 7 years ago when i was a MINOR 🤩🤩🤩🤩 so that will explain lack of smut and all the cringe parts. i'll edit it someday, or just straight up rewrite it. idk when. lolz.

If you're still here after all that, let's begin! 😼😼

1. "Come on, Christiano, ketchup!"

HARLOW

We got to Eli's apartment building.

His apartment never ceases to amaze me. It's the most expensive, high quality, penthouse in LA. There're four penthouses on the top floor, and Eli and his girlfriend lived in penthouse 42C. They had just moved in last year. Eli moved to Italy when he was 14 years old but moved back last year. He learned how to speak fluent Italian and picked up an Italian accent too, now he thinks he's something legit.

"I'll get your stuff. You're welcome." Eli opened the trunk of his car and grabbed my four slightly overstuffed suitcases. I held on to my guitar case and art bag.

"Oh, thank you, most hardworking person I know, carrying suitcases no bigger than your upper body!" I faked praised. He rolled his eyes and muttered something in Italian I didn't know.

We headed up the elevator to the top floor, which took awhile because it was a tall building. As soon as we stepped into the hall, Lola came and threw her arms around me, embracing me in a tight hug. "Hey, Harlow!" She squealed, cooing at me like a baby she hasn't held in awhile.

"Hey, Lola!" I matched her cheerful smile, my heart swelled as I took in her gleefulness.

Lola, was Eli's girlfriend. They loved each other so much, that every time I saw them, I'd almost hurl because of how lovey-Dover they acted. But I admired their relationship really, it was perfect, they were perfect for each other. They've been dating since he was 20. Two years. He met her back in Italy.

The last time I saw her was last year. She had light brown hair with light brown skin and blue and hazel eyes.

Her looks went perfectly with Eli's handsome face and dark brown dyed bleach blonde hair with stone green eyes.

I walked to their door, 42C, but frowned when I saw Eli put my stuff in front of door 41C and start knocking on the door. "What are you doing?" My eyes darted towards the door when it started to open.

In the doorway stood the most thirst-worthy tall glass of water who looked to be around 6 feet and 3 inches tall. He had black hair that looked really soft, like a creep, I wanted to touch it. It was cut short on the sides and longer on top, like every other damn guy in California, but this guy made it sexier. He was wearing a tank top that showed off his toned muscles. He had a tattoo of a typewriter font 'X' on his bicep so when he crossed his arms, you had a full view of it, which made me wonder what other tattoos he had.

He also had dark, mesmerizing deep ocean blue eyes.

That's him ⬇️⬇️⬇️

"What's up, Eli?" His smooth, deep voice cutting through the short silence. He rubbed his chin that had a slight amount of stubble. He had to have been in his early twenties.

"Harlow, this is my friend Christiano Romano. Christiano, this is my oh so little cousin Harlow Winters. She's your new roommate I was telling you about." Eli introduced. I had to finish discreetly checking him out to chime in.

"Uh, what? I thought I was living with you?" I looked at him in playful betrayal, but really I thought he was insane to make me live with a completely yummy stranger. Wait.

He put on his stupid little 'I guess I lied' face, the one that was so cutesy but cheesy as hell. I hit his arm with intent to hurt, but I knew I'd wind up not wanting to really hurt him. "Bad Eli!" I scolded him like he was a dog that just peed on the couch. And we both chuckled, and all of the sudden my atmosphere grew tense. Cristiano, was staring intently at me, and I tried not to notice but I couldn't help it. I was trained to notice anything I didn't have my eyes directly set on. I wondered what his deal was, if he was going to be one of those mean, cliche 'bad boys' in those books that I'm just to that point in life where it's the only place I can get entertainment from.

"Oh, woof woof. Look, I'll be right next door. I'll check on you later, okay Har?" Eli patted my head and kissed it gently, with a sense of caution, because I guess he too was doubtful about leaving me with this man, though he mentioned they were good friends. I nodded, hoping between now and then Cristiano doesn't kill me with the stare he's penetrating my soul with.

I shift my eyes to Christiano who quickly analyzed me with his sharp blue eyes, I couldn't tell if he was checking me out or eyeing me with random hatred. "Come on. Get your shït." He walked back inside, like an ass, which meant that he was going to be like those hot guys in those books.

I noticed he had an Italian accent. And boy, was it sexy.

I got my stuff up from the spot in the hallway Eli threw them down, and I followed the stranger into his eerily silent home. There was a nice, cozy living room with a flatscreen TV and PS4. You know, dude stuff.

The whole apartment was decorated with different cozy colors.

The kitchen looked very neat and clean and had the most glorious coffee machine I'd ever laid eyes on. I looked ahead of me and Christiano was in the hallway in front of a door across from another one. "This is your room," he informed coolly, and pointed to the door on the right, closest to the living room. I looked into it and there were two soft cream dressers, a long decorative mirror, a closet, and an already set up bed. "And this is mine. Don't go in it." He pointed to the room on the left, closest to the kitchen, right across from mine.

I quickly dumped my stuff in my new spacious room and followed him because he told me to, quite passive aggressively. "This is the bathroom." He opened the door and I slid past him to catch a glimpse.

I looked at the cozy large bathroom. It had one of those really fancy big showers with a glass door. It was very clean and the only thing that was left on the sink was men's shaving cream and a razor.

"Cool." I breathed. I looked back but Christiano was already heading back to his room. I guess he's not that friendly.

I went into my room to unpack. By the time I was finished, I had all of my clothes packed into the dressers. My dresses were in the closet along with my shoes. It took me two and a half hours. I put the last finishing touch by setting my guitar in the corner of the room in front of the queen sized bed.

I changed into my blue spaghetti strapped tank top with some yoga leggings.

I went back into the living room and Cristiano was sitting on the couch, with his feet on the coffee table, watching...

SpongeBob?

"Aren't you a little too old to be watching SpongeBob?" I teased, trying not to be awkward about the fact a strange girl is living with him. I sat beside him but we were a good distance away from each other.

"There's nothing else on." He said.

I nodded slowly. "Sure....." He tried to hold in a smile. Then my stomach emitted a small rumble. God, I must be hungry. "That was you." I said, quickly without looking at him. I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment. So much for trying not to be awkward.

He nodded slowly. "Sure...." He mocked me before going into the kitchen.

Then Eli walked in. "Hey, Harlow. 'Ello, Chris!" He called, his usual perky self.

"How'd you get in here?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I have a key. We all have keys to each other's apartment." He sat beside me.

"Who's all?" I asked. I don't want to be waking up for some midnight Nutella and some shady creep dude is chilling naked on the couch.

My eyes widen at a new thought and a gasp almost escapes my lips. What if he has no Nutella?!

I listen back in on Eli, shaking the ghastly thought from my mind. "All that live in the neighborhood. 42C which is Lola and I, 41C which is you and Christiano, 40C which is Zach, and 39C that's at the end of the hallway which is Alexi." Eli explained.

"Who's Alexi and Zach?" I watched him press two buttons on a keypad next to the door. After two minutes, two people walked in.

"Is it the new girl?! Is she here?!" The girl squealed.

"Calm down Alexi! It's just a girl! But is she hot?" The guy looked at her and then Eli, who pursed his lips in a straight line at the guy's question, clearly annoyed.

"You're not banging my cousin, Zach." Eli gestured for them to come in. I stood up and they looked at me like I was Oprah that just walked in the house.

"I love it how you guys just let yourselves in without checking to see if it was okay with the residents." Christiano yelled sarcastically from the kitchen. We all ignored his comment.

"Guys, this is Harlow. Harlow, this is Alexi, Christiano's sister and this is
Zachariah De Luca, Chris and I's best friend."

"Hi." I smiled.

"Hi, Harlow! It's good to meet you. Gosh, you're pretty." Alexi showed a toothy smile. She an Italian accent just like Christiano and Eli.

Alexi had the same blue eyes as Christiano but only looked slightly like him with brown hair and looked to be about the same height as me. I am 5 foot 7 inches.

"Hello, Harlow. My friends call me Zach." Zach eyed me up and down quickly when Eli wasn't looking. He had an Italian accent too. Eli and I were like siblings. Even though I didn't get to see him very often, we'd still talk on the phone every day.

He'd kick someone in the throat if they messed with me.
Even though I really didn't need him to. I'd kick them in the throat myself.

If I were back in the streets of New York, the gang and I would've beat them senseless. Back then, no one messed with the Shadows.

Zach was very handsome with chestnut brown eyes and brown hair that was styled like Christiano's just about. Except Zach's hair stood up slightly and Christiano's was loose and pulled back but not gelled.

"So are we all hanging out in here or what?" Christiano said. I turned around and he was right behind me, with two square glass plates of spaghetti. He handed one to me.

I stared at him for a few more seconds before making my decision.
"Ghost by Halsey." I said, going to sit on he couch.

"What makes you think that? You just met him a few hours ago." Eli was the only person that knew what I was talking about. He sat next to me.

"A few hours is all I need. There's just something about him." I looked at Christiano once more. And pretended that I wasn't blushing right now.

"What are you talking about?" Zach sat on the other side of me while Christiano and Alexi were on the other couch.

"Every time Harlow meets someone new, she gets to know them before giving them a song. A song that reminds her of that person." Eli explained. "Ghost by Halsey reminds me of Christiano." I added.

"You're weird. We're gonna be best friends." Alexi giggled.

"So what do you want to do today, little cousin?" Eli took my fork and took three bites and slurps of my spaghetti. Right then and there, he should've known he fucked up.

N/A: Just in case you were wondering, Christiano is 22, Eli is 22, Zach is 21 Harlow is 19, Alexi is 20, and Lola is 21. Back to the story!

"I don't know about later on, but right now I'm about to shove my foot up your äss for eating my food!" I set my food on the coffee table before standing up. "You have a three second head start. 1. 2. 3."

Eli scrambled to escape to the kitchen but I jumped on his back before he could and he fell. I placed my right hand on his left shoulder while he was laying on his stomach. I grabbed his left arm with my left hand and pulled it up, putting him in a painful lock.

"Are you gonna not eat my food again?" I held him in that position. "This doesn't hurt--" I cut him off by pulling his arm up more and pushing it forward. He, hilariously, let out a high pitched yelp. "Ahh, okay! I won't eat your food again. Jesus, woman, how are you so strong?!" He yelled. I let go of him and got up.

"Unlike everyone else in my family, I actually workout instead of doing juice cleanses. Which is something you need to do, my weak slightly older cousin." I teased.

"So you're saying, you don't see these guns?" He flexed his toned muscles. "No, I saw them, you just weren't using them." I laughed.

I watched as Zach was about to take a bite of my food. "Zack."

"Yes?" He hummed right as he was about to take that bite.

"Do you have a death wish? 'Cause I will make sure your tombstone will say 'Death by Äss-Kicking'." I hissed and he let go of my food.

"Dämn. You're feisty." He smirked. They all burst out laughing.

I know I am.

****

As soon as 9:45 pm rolled around, everyone had left except for Eli. I went to bed but Eli and Christiano stayed up playing video games. He left after an hour.

I had figured out that every wall in the building was sound proof. The doors were super thin though so you could hear through them.

You know what else I figured out?

Christiano is a total fückboy.

  All night. ALL night all I heard through my door were moans and...other things....
*cringes and shudders here*.

This had been going on for a week now. Different girl, every night. Again, the walls were soundproof so Lola, Eli and Zach couldn't hear anything. But I could.

The next Saturday morning I figured out how to use the majestic coffee machine in the kitchen and had the most heavenly cup of coffee. I drunk my coffee in the kitchen, leaning against the counter while playing Rolling Sky on my phone.

I looked up when Christiano came out of his room, in his boxers and shirtless. I ignored his hotness and looked at the blonde that came out after him. 7th girl this week. She looked at me and smiled.

"Bye, Chris's roommate!" She waved with two hands. I looked at her like she was the dumbest person on earth. I didn't even put my coffee or my phone down.

"Bye, hun!" I copied her stupid bubbly smile and wave. Shortly after, I rolled my eyes. Christiano had an amused look on his face. "What?" I sneered.

"You're just mad because you can't get any." He poured himself a cup of coffee.

"I have better things to do than be whore of the hour." I finished my coffee and went into my room before he could retort.

I changed into a black sports bra and workout shorts and slipped on my Nike sneakers. I walked back out.

"Where are you going?" Christiano asked, looking at my outfit. "My morning run. And possibly a Starbucks for for a frappé on the way back. See you in half an hour." I opened the door. "Hey, get me one too!" Christiano yelled. "Fine." I headed out, putting my hair into a ponytail.

I left the building and started running. Like sprinting. I loved going on morning runs.

I'm an active person but my sister, like my mother, thinks that sweating is unladylike.
Sweating.

She, like my mother, likes to do