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"𝐈𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐎𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭"

A server had arrived and brought water for both of us. My arms were folded on the table under me, and my ankles were crossed and tucked under the chair as I sat straight in front of Roman.

I tilted my head upwards, all I saw was a black, starless sky. I grimaced and returned my gaze to the ground, where I began idly tracing my fingers along the table.

"Can you see the stars in Italy?" I asked him.

"Mhm," He pulled the glass of water to his lips, "You can see many,"

My eyes lit up at his answer, "Really? It must be beautiful," I sigh.

I looked back up at him and stared straight into his eyes, "Do you go often?"

He stared at me blankly and sank back in his chair, "Couple times a year,"

I smiled and leant my chin on my hand, peering down at the table's white cover.

"What about your family? You mentioned your cousin, do they all live in Italy?"

While looking at his hands, the corner of his lips tilted to the sides, breaking the grim expression he was wearing.

I was once again caught aback by his attractiveness as his dark lashes brushed across his cheekbones.

"They do. Some in Milan, and Capri," His accent came out thicker as he talked.

"I'd like to go some time, maybe after college. I'm going to take a 'round-the-world trip' I smiled.

"I'm assuming you have a house or something there?" I asked, looking back up at his eyes, which had captured mine just in time.

"Yes, in both cities," He said, his voice emotionless as usual.

After he had mentioned that, a waitress walked through the door. I turned to face her, my gaze falling on the two white bowls she held in her hands.

When she came over, she placed both bowls in front of us before nodding once and turning away. I peered down at the creamy pasta and nearly sighed at the delicious smell.

"That looks so good," I mumbled under my breath.

I glanced at Roman to see him in the same position, his eyes briefly scanning me while he relaxed in his seat.

He nodded towards the bowl, "Try,"

I looked down and took the fork, poking a few penne pasta's with it before bringing it to my mouth.

My eyes closed in delight and I smiled weakly as I chewed.

When I swallowed the bite I looked back at him, "You," I said and pointed my fork at him, "have great taste."

He smirked and tilted his head while his eyes went to scan over my body, "I do."

I blushed and gulped under his lazy stare before returning my gaze to my food.

I continued to eat after a while, and we both remained silent during the time, with only the noise of the busy streets below us and the little velocity of the breeze to break the silence.

"Where do you want to travel to?"

I licked my lips before drinking my water, my mind summing up all the main places I wanted to travel to.

I looked up at him and replied after I put the glass back down.

"Well, my top three would be Italy, for one. Probably Japan, and then England,"

He nodded his head slowly while drumming his fingers against the table making my eyes go there.

He lowered his head slightly, "Japan's nice."

"You've been?" I asked raising an eyebrow in surprise and he nodded.

I smiled and subconsciously sat further towards him, my foot slightly brushing against his leg.

"What was it like?"

"Different," He replied as he massaged his temple with one hand.

I talked to him about numerous things, starting with travelling and somehow ending up talking about my first job that I had gotten when I was fourteen.

I didn't need to get it but I wanted to see what it was like earning money, and I hated it, plus the pay was pretty shit. My father thought it was funny, I ended up just sticking to my 'seduce & kill' sort of thing.

For the entire hour of me blabbering, he sat and listened to me.

I would stupidly stumble over my words when I would catch his intense gaze, every time I looked him in the eyes it felt as if he were staring straight into my soul.

We soon left, exiting the building, and I made a point of thanking Ricardo on my way out.

Roman and I walked back onto the crowded sidewalk, blending in with the swarm.

As we strolled silently my body kept bumping into people I passed by, which greatly unbalanced my sloppy self. Roman had sensed this and had hooked his arm through mine almost promptly.

I smiled into the cold winds as I gripped his arm with my palm. We soon exited the congested sidewalk and rounded a corner into a less busy one.

The glowing white sign that read 'Ice Cream' had my feet leaping with excitement.

Glancing over at Roman, I patted his arm that I was holding onto to get his attention. He peered down at me emotionlessly and I pointed towards the ice cream store.

"Can we go?"

He looked over and then looked back at me with a faint smirk. He rolled his eyes and nodded.

As we approached the door, Roman pushed it open with one hand, allowing the bell on top to sound loud.

My warm pink cheeks were met by the chilly atmosphere as well as the fresh smell of ice cream cones as we strolled in.

We came to a halt in front of an elderly woman in line, and I scanned the options of ice cream on the wall behind the counter.

After a few minutes of deliberation, I decided on the cookies and cream flavour and grabbed a medium cup. We arrived at the counter right after.

"Welcome to 'Ice cream on Fifth Street,' what can I do for you today?" The lady spoke with a bright smile that I could only assume matched mine.

I'd given her my order and then waited for Roman. I looked up at him after he hadn't said anything and noticed him passively staring at the counter in front of us.

I poked his arm to catch his attention, and he turned his glare to me, only for them to soften slightly.

"What are you getting?"

I knew he was about to protest so I gave him a stern glare to which he seemed amused by, as he chuckled darkly.

He shook his head and turned towards the lady then nodded towards the menu behind her, "Caramel," he said coldly.

She nodded and scribbled it on a regular-sized cup before handing it to one of the staff. Roman paid and we both stood aside, waiting for our ice cream.

I took a peek around the parlour, noticing how quiet it was.

The entrance door slammed open unexpectedly, and my eyes quickly moved over to it.

Three large men entered, one on each side dressed in black long-sleeved tops and jeans, and the man in the middle wore a heavy coat and similar apparel.

I watched them enter the parlour, and their appearance and energy they gave off screamed dangerous.

I've seen males like them before, especially the middle one. Owning such things and having their own way without deserving it, thinking he was the end and all of the world.

The two men alongside him behaved more like bodyguards, maintaining a stern and solemn demeanour and glaring at everybody who looked at the man in the middle.

I quickly averted my gaze. They didn't appear to fit in this warmly lit environment, which I thought was odd but simply brushed it off.

Our ice cream had finally arrived, and I walked away from Roman to get both of ours.

With the ice cream in both hands, I turned around and looked at Roman.

I instantly detected a change in his demeanour. He appeared tenser, his jaw ticked, and his typically blank look was much darker and intimidating.

When I approached him, his gaze fell on me, and I flashed him a small smile then handed him his cup. He took it from my hands and wrapped his arm around my waist, protectively.

"Stay close, Bellissima," He said lowly.

I frowned, confused, but realised what was going on when I noticed his pupils staring darkly at the three men who had arrived.

The middle man appeared to have just seen us, his scary black eyes settling on Roman, a dark smirk forming on his lips before he shifted his creepy attention to me.

His eyes cut right through me, and I hastily averted my attention for him. Roman hauled us outside and into the colder weather.

As we stepped back onto the sidewalk, the door behind us swung shut. With a wry expression on my face, I looked up at Roman.

"Did you know him?" I asked still blazing my eyes through the side of his face.

"Yes,"

He still hadn't looked at me while he answered, keeping his gaze straight ahead as we walked.

"Who were they?" I asked further.

He abruptly stopped walking, causing me to tumble forwards. With a pout on my face, I turned to him, and he simply took my hand in his and began strolling up a random flight of stairs.

"Uh, Roman?" I muttered, warily examining the dark practical steps we were ascending.

He didn't respond and instead walked in front of me, his hand in mine, as he led me behind him.

When we got to the top, there was an oddly placed outside door in front of us. He opened the latch and pulled it open, walking through and me stepping behind.

When I gazed around the place, my mouth formed an O shape. It was yet another rooftop, dark and gloomy but with a superior view of the city.

He walked us up to the ledge after letting go of my hand and swung his legs over so that he was virtually hanging off.

I inhaled and walked over to him, repeating the same thing but with a lot more caution.

Heights weren't really my thing.

Once I was properly seated next to him, I took my ice cream in one hand and began to enjoy the cool sweetness.

"He's the leader of the 'Malcolm's," He said.

My mouth gaped open at his late reply.

The 'Malcolm's, are currently the top-ranked gang in the United States. And they happened to be in New York as well.

"He was the leader?" I exclaimed, surprised. That was not at all what I had expected.

Roman didn't answer and just glanced at me blankly before looking down at my ice cream, "It's going to melt,"

I snorted and looked towards his, "So is yours,"

His lips curved into a little smile, which made me smile as well.

I hadn't seen him smile before, at least not a genuine one. But I knew his real smile was to die for based on the brief smile he just gave me.

At that moment, I vowed myself that I would be the one to make him smile again.