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"𝐍𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬"

Friday came around very quickly.

The week flew past like a gust of wind and my nerves had only risen every passing day.

Roman was gone for the rest of the week. But I was too preoccupied to think about it, due to my thoughts jumbling with the fact that I was going on a literal date with him.

I'd only ever gone on one date before. A boy from my sophomore year, we dated for a few months until we both realised we weren't really working. We both weren't feeling it, so it was a mutual breakup.

Dates and all that other stuff have never been my thing, or at least I've never given it a try. Because whenever I was asked out, they only wanted sex. So, unless I wanted to have some 'fun,' I turned down every guy.

To say I'm freaking out would be an understatement.

I informed Kara about it, and she stated that she would simply cover for me. The plan was for me to stay the night at Kara's, which will happen after the date, and then return home the next day.

This weekend, both our brothers were gone; Aydan was assisting Nicolo with a business matter that included my father. Everyone was out of the house this weekend, which was all that mattered.

I was sitting on my bed, watching Kara search through my wardrobe, muttering to herself about what was nice and what wasn't.

"Kara, you've been on dates, right? What did you do or say...." I mumble nervously.

She laughed while inspecting a skirt, "Well, most dates I went on turned out to be a quick fuck by the end of the night."

She quickly snapped her head to me and pointed a finger, "Which is not what I want for you,"

I sigh and slump down on my bed and stare at the ceiling, "I know," I say, "My stomach is feeling like crap right now,"

She laughed again, and I heard her approach me. She dropped down next to me on the bed and laid on her stomach.

"It's normal to be nervous, especially when it's with someone you genuinely like," She smiled.

I huff and look down at her, "I don't like the feeling,"

Her hand came to my cheeks, squeezing them together and looks at me sternly, "You're Arabella fucking Malik, you can do this,"

I giggle and swat her hand away, "I just don't want to get hurt you know?"

She sits up, dragging me along with her and stands me up.

"I don't think he will hurt you, Bella. The guy hasn't ever been on a date, just like yourself. And he was only known for occasional hookups, nothing ever serious,"

I rose my eyebrows, "How do you know all that?"

She shrugged carelessly and picked up my clothes, "I have my sources,"

"By the way, if he does hurt you," She said severely and pressed the clothing to my chest, "I'll fucking kill him. Slowly might I add; then give him to the sharks,"

She smiled innocently and started to drag me inside my bathroom, "Off you go, get yourself ready,"

I shook my head and glanced at her, perplexed.

I honestly believe she was more psychotic than I was at times. I laugh as I close the door and look down at the clothes she gave me.

It was almost ideal for a date, I had to admit; her sense of style was superb.

I removed my sweatpants and bra and replaced them with beige pants and a fitted long-sleeve cropped, V neckline top.

After slipping on my sneakers, I did my makeup, which consisted of concealer, mascara, and lipgloss.

I combed my hair, keeping it out of my face and allowing it to stream down my shoulders, stopping mid-waist.

I returned to my room and strolled over to my vanity and Kara whistled from behind me.

"If he doesn't want you I'll gladly take you for myself," She said jumping from my bed.

I giggle and turn to her while spraying some of my vanilla scented perfume.

"I look okay?" I asked doing a little spin.

"Perfect is the right word," She hummed.

I smile and wrap my arms around her, tightly squeezing her. She laughed and lightly patted my back.

"Thank you for everything,"

She scoffs and waves me off, "No need to thank me, it's what I do,"

I giggled and kissed her cheek before turning around and grabbing my phone. It was exactly seven o'clock, and I was starting to feel nervous all over again.

I don't know why I was so nervous, it was like a normal day with him.

Yeah, exactly, just a normal day with Roman.

Shaking off my nerves, I grab my purse and pull the thin black strap over my shoulder while holding my phone in my other hand.

"Okay, ready," I said and she grinned and looped her arm through my own.

We both exited my room and made our way to the front entrance. I thanked the guards when they opened the doors for us.

I raised my eyes to the darkening blue sky, which was streaked with pink and purple hues.

We took the steps down to the sidewalk, and his sleek black sports car pulled through the gates just on cue.

Kara came up beside me and smacked my bottom, making me frown. She smiled and began heading towards her parked car.

"Have fun! And do everything I would do,"

I laughed and turned away from her, my gaze falling on Roman, who had just stepped out of his car.

He was dressed in a red loose t-shirt, with an unknown symbol in the corner of the shirt. The shirt concealed the bulging muscles beneath but gave me a good view of the sleeved tattoos up his arms.

He wore it with a pair of standard black shorts that ended just above the knee.

His wrist was adorned with a single silver watch and the usual single silver rings. His ears are decorated with two diamond studs, and he wore a simple silver chain around his neck that was tucked in his shirt.

He looked fucking hot.

I approached him as he stood near the opened passenger door.

When I walked in front of him, his arm reached my waist. He drew me in close and stared me down with his piercing gaze.

He leant in close to my cheek and kissed it before putting his lips to my ear.

"Sei bella," He whispered huskily.

Translation ~ "You look beautiful,"

As he backed away, I reddened, and it was obvious on my cheeks.

He lightly patted my hip, and I stepped away from him, gliding into the seat as he closed the door behind me.

Once he got in on his side, he raced straight out of the gates and onto the streets.

Only the gentle sound of the radio and the roar of his car could be heard while I lightly tapped my fingers against my thigh.

"Where are you taking us?" I ask him.

"City," He murmured nonchalantly as he rounded a left corner. I found myself averting my attention from the sight of his arm flexing attractively while he moved it.

Slowly, I nod my head.

My gaze scanned the interior of his vehicle, assessing it.

It was simple; the car was spotless as if it had just been purchased. A phone charger was plugged into the USB port, his car keys were in one of the cup holders, and a tin of mints was adjacent.

I lightly tapped his shoulder to get his attention, and he raised an eyebrow at me.

"Can I have one?" I nodded towards the tin.

He nodded, his hand running through his curls, recalling a recent flashback of me combing my fingers over the same locks.

I smiled and took two of the mints from the tin, dropping them into my mouth.

My fidgety hands had found my phone, and I started to play a game on it for the majority of the ride, just to prevent my mind from wandering.

Once we were within the city, the sky had darkened. My attention was now entirely diverted and focused on the gleaming buildings.

We drove by illuminated buildings and billboards, with crowds of people crossing streets.

I was always near or in the city for most of the week because of college, so you would expect me to be used to the beauty by now, but at night it just hit differently. The beauty held simply captivated me each and every time.

Roman drove around some corners and then parked his car in the same underground car park he had on our first time coming to the city together.

The car came to a halt in a vacant spot; the area wasn't particularly congested, with only a few cars parked nearby.

The engine turned off and Roman was out of the car before I could unbuckle myself. My door opened as I gathered my belongings, and I secretly smiled at his small gestures.

As I stepped out of the car, he extended his hand to me, which I accepted. He closed and locked the car door before threading his hand through mine and pulling his other one inside his pocket.

Roman led the way, I stood beside him as we walked out of the parking area and into the busy street.

Lights flashed everywhere, and a cacophony of voices erupted all around us. I stood close to Roman so I wouldn't get caught up with all the passing people. He seemed to notice this as I felt his hand tighten around my palm.

When we rounded a corner, an orange, brightly lit building came into eyesight. I looked up at the sign that hung above the restaurant, the sign above was called 'Ricardo's' and flashed red, green and white coloured lights.

Our course had taken us to the restaurant, where there was a queue of people waiting to be let in, but Roman had simply strolled right past them and through the entrance.

As we passed straight through the inside queue, I trailed closely behind him, our hands still linked.

Roman came to a halt in front of the reception area, where a large, imposing man stood behind the dark marble counter, appearing to be instructing a younger woman on the computer screen in front of them.

"Ricardo," Roman said coldly.

The man, known to be Ricardo, raised his eyes to Roman and a grin appeared on his lips.

"Ah, Figilolo, come stai?" The man extended his hand in greeting to Roman.

Translation ~ "Ah, son, how are you?"

Roman simply nodded and grunted a simple 'good'. The man then averted his attention to me and smiled before looking back up at Roman.

"Sì, chi è questa bellezza?"

Translation ~ "Yes, who's this beauty?"

Roman licked his lips and glanced at me, "Arabella," he responded keeping his eyes on me. I blushed and looked at the man, "Nice to meet you, sir,"

He simply waved me off and scoffed, "Please love, call me Ricardo,"

I smiled and nodded. Roman turned back to him and started muttering a few words and I took this chance to look around the restaurant.

The area was darkly illuminated, with two separate rows of black leather booths on either side. The restaurant was sleek and luxurious, and the food smelled like absolute heaven.

It was an Italian restaurant, judging by the sign outside and the large Italian flag that was against the back wall.

A tug on my hand brought me back towards my current position. When I raised my eyes to Roman, he motioned behind the counter to a pair of spiral stairs.

We both walked behind them and travelled straight up the stairs. My inner nerves were tingling with curiosity as I questioned where we were heading.

We reached the top when a privacy glass door was fixed in front of us. The door was masked, so no one could see through it.

Roman stepped aside and opened the door with one hand, allowing me to pass first. I separated his hand from mine and took a step forward.

First I was greeted with the sharp cold air dashing across my bare skin, rousing goosebumps down my arms. As my gaze skimmed over the outdoor area, I felt my lips part and my brows raise a little.

The unlocked door had led directly to a rooftop.

The surroundings were brightened by yellow twinkling lights strung around the railings. The fire from four lit torches on each corner of the rooftop highlighted the scene even further.

There were fewer tables around but one, in particular, caught my attention. It was a plain circular table with a white tablecloth draped over it and two stools on either side.

And lastly, the entire rooftop overall looked upon the city. This had to be, by far, one of my favourite place's I've been to. It was simple yet so utterly beautiful.

I turned on my heel, spinning around to where Roman was. When my eyes met his figure I tried hard not to keep myself from squealing in happiness.

When his eyes met mine, I felt my pulse skip a beat. His body was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed loosely over his chest as he attentively examined me.

My legs moved towards him on their own, and my arms wrapped around his waist almost seamlessly. Like the last time, he stiffened, but this time his arms curled around my waist.

He drew me closer to his body, his hands roaming across my waist, unsure what to do with them, making me giggle in his chest.

One of his hands moved from my waist to my cheek, turning my head in his direction.

My heart hammered against my ribcage as my eyes met his light amber ones, he slowly leant his head down towards me, and my eyes involuntarily closed as our lips met.

When our lips met, a jolt shot through my veins and directly to my heart, his fingers delicately pressed against my cheek.

We backed away from the short kiss, and my eyes fluttered open again.

I watched his apple move up and down in his throat while he looked at my lips before returning them to my eyes.

"Like it?" He asked glancing over towards the rooftop.

I hummed, "It's beautiful, I love it," I said not removing my eyes from him.

He nodded and took his hand away from my cheek; our hands re-locked, and he returned to his original position in front of me.

As Roman led us both to the table, my heart raced with anticipation, and I felt utterly ready for the remaining night.

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Arabella's outfit is above for anyone who wanted a visual, I honestly struggle so much describing outfits lmfao.

Anyways I hope you liked this chapter, thank you for reading gorgeous <3

ily,

- lei