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"𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭"

"Fucking street reception," I grumbled at my phone.

My day had not gone smoothly at, fucking, all.

The whole situation with Roman and Haley was distressing enough as it was, but now I was dealing with poor reception everywhere.

The teacher was supposed to receive the entire essay that I had written with said boy, via email. And my dumb-ass self thought it was a hand-in assignment.

This is what happens when you don't pay attention.

So, the college's wifi is terrible, and the essay is due in less than thirty minutes, and the wifi here isn't much better.

Normally, the reception on the campus is great, however, due to several power outages last night, the internet system was slowly rebooting and taking its time.

So here I am, having a mental breakdown over my goddamned awful day.

I tossed my phone to the side, not caring if it was cracked or not. As my overburdened mind shattered and tears streamed down my face, I slipped down onto the ground.

Crying wasn't a thing for me. I think the last time I cried was when Woody left Buzz and the group in Toy Story 4.

Fucking heartbreaking.

As tears streamed down my cheeks, I glanced blankly at the random car in front of me.

I'd be embarrassed, but I was going through a severe mental breakdown and hadn't even contemplated it.

My eyesight from the car was impeded when a figure appeared in front of me.

Looking up, I saw the one thing that had created so much turmoil in my heart, both good and bad.

I grimaced and shifted my gaze away from the impassive yet attractive man.

"Go away, please," I whispered as I gazed down at my uninteresting lap.

Droplets of water dripped from my eyes and landed on my light-coloured jeans, dampening the fabric.

From where I sat, I could see him crouching down and kneeling on the dirty floor in front of me.

I continue to ignore him with my head down and eyes away, fumbling with the ends of my pants.

"Arabella," He called, his tone gentle and low, something that softened my heart - to which I despised at this moment.

He had hurt me, and I had no intention of forgiving him anytime soon.

The warmth of his palm had suddenly reached under my chin, lifting it firmly but tenderly.

My head had tilted up, but I was determined not to look at him. I continued to stream the tears that were coming freely while keeping my sight away from him.

"Baby,"

My heart skipped a beat. He was gentle, so fucking gentle, and I loved it.

I didn't know what to believe; it seemed odd that he was out with her at random when he hadn't ever spared her a glance once.

So that didn't make sense to me, but what I saw and what I think are not the same.

"Ella, look at me."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and raised my eyes to him slowly, very slowly.

From staring at his marked throat to the very irises of his mixed caramel and green eyes, I stopped everything.

Tensing, I pinned my gaze on his eyes, which had suddenly revealed their first authentic emotion. Something I never expected to see on his most perfect visage.

Guilt.

His features were devoid of emotion, but his eyes were filled with guilt. They were weakened beneath the few strands of curls that hung in front of them, his jaw muscle ticking anxiously as he caressed my cheek.

"Let me explain?" He asked, his deep voice calming, and I cautiously nodded.

He lowers his eyes and moves away from me, steadily standing and sitting alongside me against the brick wall.

"My father needed me to find out exposable information about Haley's father."

As he speaks, I pay close attention to what he says, my sight concentrated on the empty road.

"He'd only told me this morning that he set up a date with Haley. My job was to question about a man her father had been interacting with recently," He explained.

My brows knitted, and the sudden emptiness in my heart, slowly revived.

"Haley's father had been refilling our cargoes and notifying this client about them, posing as theft."

He paused. And I listened carefully to what he said.

So he wasn't out with her? Well, he was, but only to gather information.

I redirected my attention back to Roman as my blurry eyes shed their last tears.

He was resting on the wall near me, his focus on me.

"That was what I was doing with her Arabella," He explained, his eyes continually on me - as if trying to find something, anything.

"I promise it wasn't anything other than that. I wouldn't ever cheat on you, I couldn't."

I looked down, nervously chewing my lower lip as my mind processed his final words.

I returned my gaze to him after a few moments of silence.

"How do I know you're not lying?"

Unfortunately, my voice was even weaker than I had anticipated.

His jaw muscle jumped, and he raised his hand, which fell exactly in front of me.

My gaze was drawn to his hand, I took a deep breath and placed it into my own.

I followed his movements, and he took my hand in his and pressed it against his chest. I frowned as he placed it directly over his pounding heart.

As his racing pulse thumped beneath my touch, I gulped and looked up into his eyes, which stayed locked on mine.

"I'm not lying, Arabella. This is how much you affect me,"

I believed him. Of course, I did. Even though I knew it all made sense, it still ached.

I nodded slowly as a faint smile appeared on my lips.

"Okay, I believe you,"

Suddenly, the tense feeling throughout his body dissipated, and he nodded, letting go of my hand.

I leant against the wall, my hands in my lap, and my gaze returned to the road.

My attention shifted to him again, catching a glimpse of his considerably more relaxed demeanour, despite his hardened eyes.

To gain his attention, I gently tapped his shoulder. He immediately looked at me and I raised my arms, beckoning for a hug.

The edges of his lips curled to the side as he leant off the wall and wrapped his enormous arms around me.

I exhaled contentedly in his embrace, my arms around his neck as he ran his hands over my lower body.

He nestled into my neck with his head bowed, his lips against my skin as his cool breath caressed it.

"Perdonami, ragazza mia?" He mumbled against my skin.

Translation: "Forgive me, my girl?"

I nod my head with a smile.

"I forgive you, Roman,"

Our arms remained entwined as he leant back from my neck, our faces coming face to face.

He bends down carefully and presses his lips to the top of my cheek.

My cheeks reddened just the slightest at the small touch. He backed away from me, but our faces were still inches apart.

"You have to make up for it," I blurted out, quietly.

I waited for his answer, which he appeared amused with, with his eyes becoming lighter and a little tilt of his lips.

"How?" He questioned, the deep rumble of his voice vibrating against my skin.

I gave him a big smile and cradled his cheek with my hand, my thumb running up his high cheekbone.

"You have to take me to McDonald's,"

His dimples peeked out as a breathy laugh exited his lips. He shook his head and stared at me with an unidentified expression.

"Okay," He replied quietly as he detached himself from my hold.

Placing my hand in his outstretched one, he helped me up and then took my bag. We started going towards his parked car across the street.

"Also, I need some help uploading my essay, the reception's shit here," I muttered.

He gave me a sidelong glance and cocked one of his arched eyebrows in my direction. I smiled innocently and he smirked, opening the passenger door for me.

While he moved to his side, I glided inside the car and sat comfortably. I reached inside the bag he'd placed beneath me and extracted my MacBook.

He started the car as soon as he got in and drove out of the street. As I waited for it to load, my fingers fumbled with the internet bars once more.

"Try it now," Roman had said, drawing my attention to him.

With a nonchalant stare, he nodded towards the laptop, and I frowned confused.

With a sigh, I reloaded my emails, and to my amazement, it proceeded to load.

As I approached the four bars in the corner, my eyes widened as I saw they were all full.

"Are you some kind of magician or something?" I said as I dashed for the email inbox.

From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of him smirking playfully, his gaze fixed on the road.

I attach the essay to the email and send it, patiently waiting for it to be delivered. I was two minutes early when I looked at the clock, which read exactly 11:58.

My body exhaled in relief as the sound of my email being sent relieved my anxiety. I smiled and silently thanked God for this.

"All good?" Roman asked, I nodded and tucked my laptop back into my bag.

"Yup, your magic ways worked."

I smiled and leant back in my seat as I observed us pulling into the Mcdonald's parking lot.

At the sight of the restaurant, my stomach leaps with excitement. Roman parked the car at the nearest spot possible from the entrance and turned off the ignition.

Unbuckling my belt, Roman came around to my side and opened the door - making me inwardly smile as always.

I stepped out of the car with his open hand in mine. He threads his long fingers through my own and leads us to the restaurant.

We waited in line, and I looked over the menu to see what to order.

I looked up at Roman after making my decision and tugged his hand.

He raised an eyebrow as he peered down at me, emotionless.

"Your eating, yes?" I inquired, it was more of a statement with my firm tone. He rolled his eyes and switched his gaze away from me, towards the register where we had reached.

"Hello, welcome to McDonald's, how can I help you today?"

I gave the girl a friendly smile and informed her of my order, being sure to specify extra fries and coke.

She took it down and moved on to the total. Roman had paid, as he always did. He took out a wad of cash from his pocket and slipped a fifty onto the counter.

The girl's eyes widened visibly, but she proceeded and returned the few notes to him. He collected the receipt and pulled me into a booth with him.

I took a seat on one side of the booth as Roman moved to the opposite side.

My legs crossed themselves beneath me as I looked around the restaurant, taking in all of the areas.

"How many lessons do you have left?" I asked, returning my focus to him.

"Business." He answered darkly.

"Is that it?" I questioned, and he responded with a nod.

As his eyes remained entirely focused on mine, my heart began to beat irregularly. They haven't moved from the depths of my grey ones, wreaking havoc on me.

Nervously, I looked away.

My hands idly fidgeted with the hem of my sleeve, his intense stare always made me nervous on the inside.

"Your birthday is next week," He said sharply, drawing my gaze back to him.

I smile and tilt my head thoughtfully while frowning.

"How'd you know that?"

He smirked and shrugged, his gaze falling on my sweaty palms. I watched his eyelashes flush against his skin as his eyes flicker between my hand and my eyes.

"Your mother mentioned it," He replied cooly.

I blushed lightly as my lips pressed together, anticipating the awkward things she might have said.

"Order 1987!"

When our order number was announced, Roman slowly emerged from his seat and walked over to the counter.

When he returned, he sat across from me again, placing the tray on the table.

My hands flung towards the food as I divided it and placed it between Roman and me.

As I move closer to the table, I reach for the fries and indicate for Roman to join me.

"I won't eat unless you do,"

He rolled his eyes and grabbed a nugget, which he tossed into his mouth, while I did the same with a few fries.

"When's your birthday?" I asked as I handed him a fry and a nugget together. He looked at it strangely before taking it.

"July third," He replied after swallowing the food.

I hummed in response.

My greasy fingers reached for the cheeseburger, which practically beckoned me to take it and devour it.

I bit into the deliciousness and closed my eyes. When I reopened them, Roman's cold eyes were on me, prompting me to blush significantly.

My greedy ass probably looked as if I hadn't eaten in months. Rather than criticising me, he gazed at me with amusement, which simply made me feel even more at home with him.

I start wiping down my hands with the provided wipes after dropping the half-eaten burger onto the tray.

A hand had gotten placed under my chin, prompting my eyes to dart towards Roman. His gaze was fixed on my lips.

His thumb caressed the area until bringing it to his lips and sucking on the area before diverting his gaze away from me.

From the sudden action, my breath surfaced to a halt.

In a demanding manner, his mischievous eyes looked around the room. His lips were curved, indicating that he knew exactly what he'd done.

I shook my head at his teasing.

Wiping my lips with a napkin, I continued to finish eating whilst also talking to Roman.

After another fifteen minutes, we were both on our way back to college. On the way back, I had opened a mini packet of skittles.

I relaxed in the car seat after feeding myself and Roman. When we returned to the car park outside of the campus, the brief drive was cut short.

He turned off the engine as I began to gather my belongings. I turned to face him with my bag in my lap since he hadn't yet exited the car.

With his head cocked, his eyes were already on me. He appeared to be looking for something, and just as I was about to ask, he had spoken.

"You okay?"

I frowned at his question and shifted slightly to face him.

"I'm fine, why?"

He locked his gaze on me for a few moments more, the coldness in his eyes debating something else.

Before I could question anything else, his left arm raised outwards, motioning for me to hug him.

I smile and inch forward. Both my arms wrapped around his neck and his raised arm looped around my body.

His head landed in the crook of my neck as his cool breath had brushed against my skin.

"I was worried..." He clarified barely above a whisper.

I drew back, frowning all the more, but kept my hands around his neck. His amber eyes met mine as he traced my movements.

"Worried?" I question.

He didn't respond, but I understood what he was saying. He most likely assumed I was still upset about the previous situation.

Unfortunately, the sight was still fresh in my mind, but I had forgiven him because it wasn't his fault of course.

"I'm okay now," I assure him. Now, brushing my thumb over the tip of his cheekbone.

He gave me a few seconds of his attention before shifting it to my lips. I watched him carefully as his head tilted and his eyes closed, directing his lips on mine.

Closing my eyes, I kissed him back. I was allured by the taste of flavoured skittles; it was almost addictive and sensual.

Our lips moved slowly as we drank in the warmth of one other. I felt myself becoming obsessed with each slow kiss and movement of his full, smooth lips.

We backed away after a minute. I had laid my head on his shoulder to catch my breath, and his lips placed delicate kisses along my jaw.

"Ready, Bellissima?" He intoned against my skin.

With my head still on his shoulder, I smiled.

"Ready, Roman."