**Cristiano in the media above⬆️⬆️⬆️**

"Did you know that there was a personal huge-ass gym in this house? And that your man candy is in it?" Charlie came in, pointing his thumb at the outside.

I quirked my eyebrows. "No. How do you know?" I smirked.

"What? Not like I was stalking him." He chuckled lightly and I laughed.

"Okay, sure. I'll go check it out." I laughed and slid past him. I walked downstairs and remembered that I had no idea where this gym was.

I headed to Dominic's office and walked in. "Don't you ever leave this room?"

He smiled and took off his reading glasses. "Only when I'm hungry. What do you need?"

"Uh, where's the gym?" I looked down and twiddled my thumbs. I heard his big deep laughter and looked up.

"You've been here for more than half a year, and you don't know where the gym is?"

"I didn't even know it existed." I shrugged.

"Unbelievable. It's on the third floor--"

"There's a third floor?!"

His left eye twitched. Now I know where Cristiano gets that from. "Si. There's a fourth floor too. But that's just an attic. The gym is the big glass door at the end of the hallway. The stairs are behind that wall at the end of the hallway."

I smiled brightly. "Okay, thanks." I kissed his cheek and ran upstairs.

****

I reached the gym and saw the Dominic lied. It's not a glass door. It's an entire glass wall. I could see through and he was doing pull-ups effortlessly.

I walked in and looked around. There was a cross-fit area, yoga area, and much more. The room was the size of our apartment. And that was a penthouse.

I could hear his quiet counting with a smirk on his face. I noticed he skipped from 49 to 304. I scoffed. "You have not done 304 pull-ups."

He jumped down and grabbed a towel. "I know. I've done 50." He winked.

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, you're hot and fit, I get it." I mocked.

"Uh, never implied I was hot but okay." He took a swig of water.

He came to give me a hug but I put my hands on his bare chest and pushed him away. "Ew, no. You're all sweaty."

"Well that's what happens when you exercise for a long period of time."

"Could you please take a shower?" I pouted for effect.

He smiled childishly. "Can I get a kiss first?"

"You can if you shower." I replied in the same manner.

He groaned and walked into a smaller room in the gym. I walked around and saw his iPod. I pressed play and it was blaring Ed Sheeran.

The club isn't the best place to find a lover so the bar is where I go. Me and my friends at the table doing shots, drinking fast and then talk slow. You come over and start up a conversation with just me, and trust me I'll give it a chance, now. Till my hands stop, put Van the man on the jukebox and then start to dance--

"And I'm singing like: girl you know I want your love, your love is handy for somebody like me. Come on now, follow my lead. I may be crazy, don't mind me and say: boy, let's not talk too much, grab on my waist and put that body on me. Come on now follow my lead, come on now follow my lead. Mm."

I shrieked from the feeling of hands grabbing my waist and abruptly turning me around. I hit his arm. "Don't do that. Scared me shitless."

I gasped as he pushed me against the wall and kissed me senseless. It took me off guard but after a moment I wrapped my hands on his neck and tangled my fingers in his wet hair.

His kiss, no matter how rough or gentle, was enough to make fireworks go off inside me. I got a high from it and I loved it. His single touch was enough to make me anxious and wanting more.

He bit my lip and our tongues swirled together. Pleasured sound emerged from my lips.
He pulled away, leaving us both to catch our breaths. He gazed dreamily into my eyes, a bright smile on his face.

I didn't know why he looked at me like that, so I looked down from his gaze. "What?"

"It's just what you're doing to me." He said, but his face looked thoughtful and a bit afraid of something, yet his voice was plain.

"Are you ok--"

"Let's go, I've got something to show you." He shook his head, purposely ignoring my cut off question. He picked me up and took me out of the house.

"Do you have to carry me?"

"Yes. I can do what I want." He put me in his Bugatti.

****

We arrived somewhere and he carried me outside in some field. He finally put me down and my legs had fallen asleep, so as soon as I was put to stand by myself, I almost fell.

He grabbed my arm. "Don't fall, noodle legs."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "It's your fault!"

"Aw, I'm sorry bambina. Forgive me?" He gave me cutie eyes and I rolled mine.

"Okay. Why are we here?" He have me a 'really' look and turned me around, making me gasp at what I see. There was a gigantic field of red roses and red poppies.

"Woah." I breathed. I turned to look at him but he was gone.

"Up here, angel!" He called from the top of a tall old willow tree. "Come here."

I walked up to the tall tree and calculated exactly what I had to do to get up there. I got up on a big rock and jumped to grab a branch. I then used what I learned in gymnastics from six years ago to jump from branch to branch.

"Need help?" He asked leaning down and holding out his hand.

I took it and he pulled me up with the slightest grunt because I chose to see just how strong he was and had him pull me up without any help. I sat in front of him on the branch and laid back against him while he hugged my waist.

"Now, I want you to focus on the only pink roses in the field, and tell me when you see it." He said softly.

I furrowed my eyebrows, doing what he said. I could tell he was already growing impatient because his fingers were tapping unconsciously on my arm. I smiled brightly when I saw the image of the sign C+H.

"You are just...wow."

"So you see it. Do you know why the car ride was so long?"

"No, why?" I snuggled against his chest.

"Because we're in Venezia." He said casually but I got very excited.
N/A- When he talks about cities and other places in Italy, like Sicily and Venice, he says Sicilia and Venezia because that is the Italian way of saying it. Just in case you were confused about it...

"Woah! Wait, if that's the case then I have to ask you something, my Italian babe."

He chuckled. "Si, my American bambina?"

"Are there actually vampires in Venice?"

He tilted his head slightly in confusion. "Uh, not that I know of. Not really. Where'd you get that from?"

"Doctor Who."

"Never heard of it, but it's not true. No vampires here." He shrugged and I gasped.

"Oh my God. Cristiano, you can't be serious. You've never heard of Doctor Who. We've got a lot of Netflix to watch when we get home." He got quiet for a few seconds before speaking up.

"Harlow. This is home."

I sat up and I looked at him and he nervously avoided my gaze. "What?"

"This place will soon have a house for you and I in a few months."

"Really?"

"Only if you want." He held my hand tight and didn't let go. "Will you move into this house with me when we're married?"

I thought for a second. He thinks that in the future everything will be the same as it is now. But it won't. I'm sure of it. When I tell him, it's over. It'll all be over because of my stupid feelings and his lack of feelings. I have to say no.

"Yes." What the hell, Harlow? "Absolutely." Shut up!

He smiled and pecked my lips. "Good. That-that's great." He frowned for a moment and shook his head as if he shook a thought away.

"Are you okay?" I asked for the second time today. There was something wrong with him, I could see it in his face. He looked at me like a deer in headlights and I elaborated. "You've been in deep thought all day."

"Uh, no. I'm fine." He shook his head and his right eye twitched.

I sighed. "I don't wanna go all FBI profiler on you, but you leave me no choice." I cleared my throat to be dramatic.

"First off, your right eye twitched, meaning you are emotionally brought down about something, or you're lying. Something you've been thinking or lying about probably for a while now, considering the tone and volume of your voice when you talk about something discreetly related to the subject, which leads me to the Second point. You've done that twice today. The first time was when you said 'it's just what you're doing to me'. The second was just now. You're not fine. Which means the thing you're lying or thinking about is about us."

He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. "And also, you're eyes turn darker when you think about it."

"Stop doing that. I-I'm not lying or thinking about anything." He stuttered, his right eye twitching again.

"See, you just did it again. Right eye twitch doesn't remotely mean you're lying. But right eye twitch and stuttering does. I can't help being a smartass."

His jaw clenched and his left eye twitched this time. "Harlow, you are not the only one who notices these things. In fact, I'm better at it."

He blew out stressed air. "When I asked you to move in a house with me a few minutes ago, I noticed a change in your expression and mood entirely. Your eyes, like mine turned darker. But when you lie, you do something different. You scrunch your nose, or you get incredibly jumpy and closed off. You were also thinking about something. Something that you've been thinking about for a while now." He thought for a moment.

"Do you remember when you, Zach, Alexi and Lola were in the kitchen while I cooked breakfast and you were texting someone and obviously you didn't want me know because of the way you got very jumpy when I asked about it? And when one day at dinner Zach mentioned your little 'secret' that you made sure he never spilled, even when I pried? I think those are connected. And also, when you thought about it, you're eyes turned lighter and highly dilated. Especially when we talk about us or when I kiss you."

Oh my God, he figured it out. I'm screwed. I wasn't ready for this. I raised my eyebrows, waiting for him to ask if I was in love with him. He described all the signs. He has to have figured it out.

But nope.

"I just don't know why." He says and I don't know whether to be infuriated or relieved. I choose to be both.

"I guess we both have our secrets." I tilted my head.

He narrowed his eyes at my calculating look. "I told you, I'm not hiding anything."

I huffed and backed away from him. "Fine. You can say that, but we both know it's true. Not to be rude about it but, Cristiano I know you're lying about something. I can see it in your actions. You're lying about not lying."

"Harlow, that's rich coming from you. You have this big secret that you apparently don't feel the need to even tell me. Shows your trust in me. But I don't even think I want to know. It may not even be important." His short fuse was burning.

That hit me like a bullet. Not important? The 'not important' secret is that I love you. I looked him in the eyes and his tempered expression towards me didn't even change.

I gulped. "I want to go home. The estate."

His brain processed my words and he immediately calmed himself, his lips blowing out air. He looked at me with lighter eyes and I could see the guilt in his face, but I wasn't phased. What he said actually hurt.

"Angel--"

"Take me home. Or I'll walk." I climbed down and started walking off.

"You don't even know where to go, bellissima. We're in Venezia."

"It's Harlow. And I could call Zach to pick me up." I retorted.

"Don't be like that." I felt a hand grab my arm. How'd he get down so fast?

I looked at him. "Don't be so short fused. Don't be so headstrong. Don't be so oblivious! Don't be so quick to defend your side." I pulled out of his grasped and kept walking.

"I can't help it. You know that." He pulled my arm again, making me face him. His grip was tighter but he was careful not to hurt me.

"Stop saying that! Your fucking serums aren't the cause of everything! It only took away your emotions. Not your damn soul."

"I don't know what you want me to do! I don't know how to control it. How to keep myself from hurting you. What am I supposed to do? Take out the serum? It's in my blood. Mixed with it. I know I'm doing something to you, and I absolutely hate myself for that. And I swear on my life that I'll forever be sorry. But there's nothing I can do to make it stop." He let go of me and sighed.

"Okay. Can we just pretend this didn't happen?"

"Harlow, we both know you're not gonna let this go. Get in the car." I looked at the car and back at him. "Harlow, please. Don't be mad and get in the car."

I got in the car and so did he. For the whole ride back we said nothing to each other. I could tell he was fidgeting and in deep thought about something, by his constant sighs and running his hand through his hair.

****

CRISTIANO

What the hell is going on?

Why are we like this? Why am I like this?

One minute, I feel like I'm close to feeling how people describe love. Next minute, I couldn't care less about her. It's like my brain doesn't know what to do anymore. I'm so confused. She's trying to tell me something, I can sense it. I'm just not getting the message. And now once again, I hurt her. I made her feel anything but happiness.

I was lying. And then I denied the fact that I was. I just cannot tell her under any circumstance. I cannot tell her that I can't love her, or I'll die.

Is it selfish that I don't want to love her and die?

But what is she hiding that's so big that she can tell everyone in the damn house but me? I feel like this problem will never go away.

And if that's the case, will we breakup over it? I know she can't refuse to marrying me, or she'll be killed, but still. She doesn't have to act and be wife-like to me. She doesn't have to kiss me or touch me in general.

I don't want to breakup. We can't. I feel like I'm so close to figuring out what love and happiness actually is. She's the key to that. The key to my pure happiness. I don't want to lose her. But if I don't get my shit together, I just may.

"Cristiano." She called my name and I snapped how of my thoughts.

"Yes?" I looked at her but she was still away towards the window.

"You passed the house."

I turned the car around and fixed our route to go home.

I parked in the driveway and she unbuckled. "Harlow, I was serious when I said 'whatever happens with us from here on out, don't hate me for it'. Please, I'm begging you not to hate me for it."

"I could never hate you." Was all she said and she got out and went inside.

****

At this point, she had put it in the back of her mind. Or so I thought.

I noticed as the days were passing by, she was growing more and more jumpy and anxious. Whatever the secret is, it's getting harder and harder to keep it in. She trying less to fight with me and when I ask her something, she replies quickly and quietly without any sass or remark. She doesn't disobey or do anything remotely rude.

It's worrying me.

But what's bugging me the most, is that she's being distant. She acts like she wants to see me and talk to me but she changes her mind and walks away. She's been getting up earlier than we usually do and coming back right before we're supposed to wake up.

This time, I'm gonna catch her in the act. It was 5:25 AM, five minutes until we supposedly wake up.

I was sitting against the headboard, waiting for her to get back from where she went.

After a few seconds, she came through the door and cut on a lamp. Once she saw me she shrieked. Good thing the walls are soundproof. "Where've you been?"

"Why is it your business?" She retorted and I bit back a smile. My smartass back-talking angel was back.

"Just answer the question, please." I rubbed the bridge of my nose.

"I was out. Happy?" She looked everywhere but me.

I stood up and came over to her, getting incredibly close to her. I've tried everything. No approach is getting her to talk to me. I'll just have to use the one I do best.

"Why are you so distant? I need you to talk to me, angel." My fingers brushed up her arm and I could feel her shudder and goosebumps form on her pale flawless skin.

My lips were so close to her cheek, they brushed against her cheek when I talked. "So tell me. Where were you?" My hand trailed up her abdomen under her black t-shirt.

"I-I was in Venice." Her words came out in a whisper, and took me completely by surprise.

"Rose field?"

She nodded. "Yes. Now leave me alone." She demanded in a soft voice, but didn't move.

"Do you really want me to leave you alone?" Our faces were inches apart now. Her eyes flickered to my lips and I took it as a no. "Why aren't you talking to me?"

"What are you hiding?" She countered.

I sighed. "You know what? I don't have to know and neither do you. Let's just say we'll both find out soon. Okay? I promise you, you'll know when I'm ready." I swore.

She nodded slowly and hugged my waist. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her head, letting it linger for a second. "Are we good for now? At least, for now?"

"Yes. We're good for now." She replied.

I had a bad feeling this would come back up at a bad time....

___________________________________________

Aye! This whole chapter was a hint about the next few bombing chapters! Especially that last sentence....

Bye, loves!

- COA