✰ ✰

"𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐈𝐧 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐥"

Roman and I walked silently back through the woods.

I had texted the group to let them know I was fine, and they had replied that they were as well.

The tracks were now deserted, the cars had left, and the only light shining down on the area was faint.

"Where's your car?" I ask him as we go beyond the tracks and onto the pavement.

He nodded in the same direction where mine was kept. I grinned and grabbed his hand, walking us to our vehicles.

"Seems like we both had the same idea," I say, motioning to my car, which is parked in front of his.

When I stared at him, I noticed a slight smirk on his lips, which made my stomach flip.

"Nice car."

I subconsciously bite my lower lip and gaze at my own car, then his. I wasn't a big car fanatic, therefore all I had was a plain silver Ferrari, whereas he had a gorgeous sleek black Aston Martin, comparable to my brothers.

"Was that a lie?" Turning my head, I ask him, only to see how close we were, our arms almost touching.

"Yes."

A giggle escapes my lips and I shake my head, bemused.

"That's not very nice, you know," I mention, looking over at my car before returning my gaze to him. "I like my car a lot."

"Should get a better car then," he shrugs nonchalantly, a slight pull of a smile on his full lips.

I look at him in bewilderment, rude little bastard.

"I could, but I'm not going to. Not for your benefit anyway." I mumble under my breath, my arms crossed over my chest.

He leant against the side of his car, for a long moment his eyes scanning me, before rising and taking a step towards me.

I stared at his abrupt movement, and then he took another step, closing the gap between us.

As he lifted his hand to the side of my face, his fingers brushed away strands of my silk hair.

I was taken aback by his unexpected gesture, and the way he gently caressed me was new. It was a sudden softness and gentleness I hadn't experienced from anyone before.

And I felt myself liking it.

I stare into his golden specks, the green on the inner edges of his irises blending with the darkness of his pupils. His head tilted to the side, observing me as I was with him.

"You're different." He whispers under his breath.

His words catching me off guard, I frown and tilt my head to the side as he did.

"How so?" I inquired.

Fingertips brush against my skin, running over my prominent cheekbone, and the sensation was enough to convince me that this boy was doing things to me that no man or woman had ever done.

After that, he backs up. His cold fingers, which felt warm against my skin, were no longer there. And I somehow longed to feel the touch again.

He snapped out of the trance he had fallen into, and his cold exterior returned.

"See you tomorrow?" I say, watching as he scans me one last time.

Lifting his eyes back to mine, he nods.

"Tomorrow."

✰

"The cops came."

Dad scoffs and mumbles something about them being irritating pigs, which makes me giggle slightly.

As we continued to watch the movie in front of us, I rested my head against Nicolo's chest.

We were both safely home now; it wasn't late, but it was late enough.

Mum was sleeping in her bed, but dad was wide awake.

We were all night owls, Nicolo a little less so, he seemed to get tired quickly during the day but was the most awake and energetic at night.

We were currently watching 'Spiderman: Far From Home. Every single Marvel film was a personal favourite of mine.

Nicolo enjoyed them as well, though not as much as I did. But, because this was his favourite film, we sat on the couch and watched it together, snacking on buttery popcorn and chocolate.

Dad sat on the other couch, silently working with his laptop on his lap. My eyelids became increasingly heavy, I closed them and fell asleep in my brother's arms.

✰

The cafeteria was packed, with the sounds of people chatting and eating, echoing across the room.

As we took fries from one other's plates, Aydan sat alongside me, his arm around my shoulder.

Nicolo was still getting food at the front, and I'm quite sure Kara was with Theo somewhere.

They had apparently snuck away together after the big cop show and ended up staying the night with each other. Without going into detail, I'm sure you can guess what they did.

"When's the first game?" I ask Aydan.

"In a month, we're playing against some team up west."

"I'm excited," I grin.

He smiles back and nudges my shoulder. We continue to eat, and Nicolo soon joins us.

Aydan was a member of our college's basketball team, and he thrived at it. He has dreamed to be a basketball star since he was a child.

Our conversation lasted until it was time to go for our next class of the day. I had one more afternoon class before I was done, which was a relief.

I planned to spend today roaming about the city before returning home.

Nicolo couldn't stay with me tonight since he had a job to do, and the twins had classes and studying to complete. I did, too, but my lazy ass knew I wouldn't get anything done.

My last class was business with Aydan, Nicolo, and, most importantly, Roman.

I hadn't seen him yet today, not because I was looking for him, but because I'd been strolling around the college and remembered our exchange the night before.

When I arrived at the class, I strolled in and smiled brightly at the professor, who returned my smile, and I proceeded to take a seat.

I took a seat in the far top corner, taking the second seat from the edge and putting my bag on the floor.

I gathered my belongings, noticing Nicolo flirting with a girl a few rows down from me and internally gagging at the palm on his thigh.

Turning away, I tapped into my laptop, completing unfinished work and other necessary things.

Deeply engrossed in my work that I hadn't noticed the person seated beside me until I sensed a slight movement.

I turned around to see Roman seated next to me. He was dressed in regular black jeans, a black shirt that clung to his skin, displaying the muscles beneath the fabric. And a navy blue coat, that looked nearly black, which reached mid-thigh.

"Hi, Roman." I smile up at him.

His eyes avert to mine, his usual intense look fixed on me.

"Ella."

I turn away, looking down at my manicured nails, his gaze making me suddenly nervous.

The professor began his lecture, and I kept my gaze fixed on him throughout. My gaze shifts from time to time as I sense his gaze on me.

I gathered the courage to turn to face him halfway through the session, only to find his stare already fixed on me.

His stance was calm and lean as I examined him. His legs were spread wide, his masculine frame sunk into the chair, and his head tilted pleasingly as he observed me.

"You know, that's creepy." I breathe out quietly, not really meaning it, the action sort of... turned me on?

His lips curl up on the sides, making my frantic nerves flutter.

"You shouldn't be talking," He murmurs, his eyes narrowing the slightest as he stared into my own.

I blush and turn away from him, my arms folded across my chest.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about," I said quietly.

"Mhm," He hums, "Sure you don't, Ella,"

I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth to contain my smile, he was surely doing things to me.

My posture remained relaxed during the lesson, but my heart continued to pound, which I despised. I didn't like the way he made me feel even though it was a great feeling. But I believed it was just attraction, an immense, overwhelming attraction to the person beside me.

After the lecture, I was able to breathe again.

I pulled the chair back into the desk and lifted my eyes to Roman, tucking my bag over my shoulder.

He got up and began retreating down the stairs, but he came to a halt when my voice unexpectedly called his name.

Before I had a chance to react to the words that rushed out of my mouth, they spilt before I could resist.

"Are you free right now?"

He looked at me triumphantly, a glint in the cold eyes. Tilting his head he nodded and I smiled.

"Wanna hang with me?" I smiled, drawing my body closer to him.

Until I was standing right in front of him, his tall form hovering over my body, his tongue glided over his lips before answering.

"Sure."

I smiled and walked alongside him, we made our way down the stairs and out of the room.

I was going to call one of our drivers to come and pick me up, but Roman interfered and said he would take me.

We arrived at his car, which was parked in a large space in the far corner of the parking lot.

After unlocking the car with a click, he moved to my side and smoothly opened the door for me, and I smiled gratefully at him. The sudden action caught me off guard, however, I slid into the seat and was greeted by the fresh aroma of his regular scent.

He sat next to me and promptly started the car; it roared to life, and he began driving out of the parking lot.

"Where to?" He asks, his voice cold.

"The city."

He nodded and turned onto the city's inner routes.

✰

Roman had parked inside a building parking lot, and he told me he owned it. We soon found ourselves on the bustling streets of New York City.

Lights flickered across the buildings, while the sun was setting, causing the orange rays to reflect on the structures.

The streets were crowded as usual, and we strolled side by side, his tall figure towering over everyone in his path. As we proceeded, people separated away from us, giving us a clear route to follow.

I tapped Roman's arm, directing his attention to me, my eyes landed on the familiar green sign that read 'Starbucks.'

"Do you mind if we go?" I pointed to the cafe, and he nods and takes my hand in his, guiding us there.

Tingles ran up my arm, his touch cold but warm against mine. We entered, and unfortunately for us, the queue was extremely long, causing me to sigh glumly.

Roman's demeanour was blank as usual, and his posture appeared tenser than it had been in the car as we stood side by side in line.

I delicately tapped my fingers along my side, my heart skipped a beat as I realised that our hands were still connected when I felt his fingers shift slightly.

"Hey Roman," A cheery voice comes from behind us both.

I turn around, and he remains motionless, not even checking to see who it is. When I looked around, I saw Haley, the bright blonde girl I had helped the day before.

She smiled at me, but then she appeared to remember something, and as she turned to Roman and then back to me, something flashed across her blue eyes before returning to normal.

"Oh hi, Arabella right?"

I smiled and nodded.

"Did you make it to your class?" I ask her.

She smiled and nodded, "I did. Thank you for your help, it was really kind of you. " she blushes a little.

I shrugged and told her it wasn't a problem.

Roman had turned around, his blank stare now directed at both of us.

"Uh, how do you know Roman?" She asked me.

I hesitated, unsure whether to tell the truth or not, but he had already beaten me to it.

"Our fathers are partners for work," He replies in a bored tone.

"Oh." Is all she says before shifting her eyes to our hands.

"Well, Roman, I'll see you soon." His name flowed off her tongue almost seductively, making my teeth clench just a little.

Arabella, stop.

He turned away from her with a single nod and didn't say anything else.

As she walked away, I waved her goodbye.

We progressed further up the line, but it was moving at a snail's pace, and my patience was wearing thin.

"How do you know Haley?" I ask him, striking up a conversation.

He gives a small shrug as his eyes travel to me before returning to the front.

"Her father works for us."

My eyebrows raise in surprise, "Oh," Is all I say, shifting on my feet.

The girl clearly has a thing for him, not that I minded.

We both know that's a lie.

Shut the fuck up.

We'd eventually made it to the counter, where the lady greeted us and asked what we wanted. I ordered a hot chocolate for myself and waited patiently for him to order, but he didn't.

"You're not getting anything?" I nudge him.

I frown as he shakes his head and I order two cake pops for both of us.

As I was ready to give my card to the girl, Roman pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket and handed her a ten.

I cocked my head to look at him, but he was staring blankly behind the counter, and all I could do was shake my head in disapproval.

She returned the change and announced the approach of the following customers.

We walked to the side and waited for our goods, which arrived quickly.

I slid the hot cup between my palms, while he grabbed the bag of two cake pops, and we made our way back onto the street, through the crowd.

He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and placed it between his lips, quickly lighting it and inhaling the smoke, his cheeks hollowing in the process.

"Thanks for paying," I say as I savour my hot chocolate while gazing up at him.

I linked my arm through his confidently, the material of his coat warming my arm and the powerful muscle of his biceps evident beneath.

He didn't appear to mind as he smoked and strolled arm in arm with me.

"Tell me something interesting," I glance up at him.

He lets out a breathy noiseless chuckle, smoke poured from a small area of his lips doing so.

"Like what?" He questions amused.

I thought about it for a moment, until finally coming up with something.

"What's the weirdest mission you've been on?"

We came to a halt at a red light, and he inhaled another hit before shifting his gaze down to me and exhaling, his amber eyes fixed on mine.

Briefly looking away he responds "One in Brazil, the guy tried to seduce me, to get out of me killing him. When he realised it wouldn't work, he offered me his pet monkey in exchange for his death."

A giggle escaped my lips as I heard the last sentence.

"The poor monkey," I murmured.

He smirked and looked down at his shoes, watching his long eyelashes fan his cheekbones.

The beeping sound signalling that we could cross the road jolted me out of my adoration, and we, along with everyone else, crossed the street.

When we got to the other side, he dropped his cigarette and walked over it, continuing to walk arm in arm with me.

"You?" He asked glancing at me.

I thought about it for a moment, rummaging through my thoughts for the worst interaction I'd ever had whilst on a mission.

When I found the perfect one, I grinned to myself.

"This guy was on the verge of death, before I could pull the trigger he told me he would, and I quote, 'still fuck me' even if I let him go."

Completely amused, he scoffs and shakes his head.

For the next hour or two, we wander around, having small conversations while passing by illuminated buildings, until it gets dark.

We sat on a bench together, my legs aching from all the walking and my eyelids weary.

"This was nice," I whisper under my breath, putting my head on the side of his arm.

He hums and drapes his arm around my shoulder, making me feel more at ease. As I listened to the noise around us, I now leant my head under his arm.

"Were friends, yeah?"

He looked down at me and nodded his head as I shifted my gaze to his.

"If that's what you want." He responds blankly.

I smile and snuggle against his side, the coolness of my skin contrasting with the pleasant warmth of his body.

His hand began to rub my shoulder soothingly, and I began to drift off.

✰

Authors Note

After this chapter, the fun shall begin :)

- lei