Gio

"Daddy, did you die?" Chase feigns to be shocked when Celia and I come down from the second level. I punch his shoulder and he flies sideways.

"Daddy got shot, daddy got shot!" Ari sings, skipping out of the room. "Loser, loser!"

From the corner of my eye, Celia smirks at the ground, a small blush on her cheeks. In fact, the rosy shade trails to her neck and chest, exposing her embarrassment.

I can't figure her out.

"Who's down for more drinks?" Oscar chimes and I almost kiss him.

"Chase, do you want to buy me alcohol?" Celia asks as the two stand in front of me in line at one of the booths outside.

"Uh..." He slowly looks at me over his shoulder. "No, no I don't."

"Why not?" She frowns, following his gaze and narrows her eyes when they find mine. "What, why do you care what he thinks?!"

"Because..." Chase drawls as if sharing a bedtime story. "Gio's a real sadist, you don't know, he loves to make me suffer⁠—"

"What would you like?" The cashier interrupts him.

"Yeah, let me get three beers and two chocolate milks," he orders while Celia turns to me, crossing her arms.

"You can keep staring but it won't change anything." I look past the top of her head.

She passes me to join Ari and Oscar, making sure to bump her shoulder into my arm.

I divert my attention around us and notice three short guys eyeing Celia with a little too much excitement. When they notice me watching, they hastily look away, suddenly engaged in an interesting conversation.

Chase hands us our drinks as we circle near the booth, surrounded by other groups around. Those three continue to glance and I zone out on them, not hearing what anyone's saying.

Only Celia beside me steals my attention as she watches me under her long lashes, smirking with amused understanding.

Annoying little shit.

I could grab her throat and pull her to me.

Show those motherfuckers who she belongs to.

"They're cockroaches, Gio," she murmurs, shrugging her slender shoulder.

I draw in a deep breath and exhale, suddenly realizing how quiet our group is. Chase, Oscar and Ari look awkwardly around, uncertain about how to break the stiff silence.

Celia pretends to look behind her, whispering. "Change the topic, lighten the mood."

"Anyway..." I address the group, back to normal. "Did you guys know this place has⁠—"

"Celia? Didn't expect to see you here." A blonde guy slightly taller than Celia steps in front of us, a leashed doberman by his feet.

Designer clothes, cocky attitude, feminine hands— must be Alex.

"Is this your gay best friend, Cel?" Ari asks, making Chase snort.

"I don't know, I've never asked," Celia says, but her voice wavers, putting me on alert.

He chuckles nervously, looking around us. "I think I've made it pretty clear that I'm not gay, Celia. "

"I like your dog!" Ari says and I raise my brow at Chase who nods in return.

"I want a balloon! Ari, come help me pick which one!" He lifts her over his shoulders. "Oscar, you coming?"

"Am I?" Oscar asks me and I nod. "Yes, I am!"

"Nice gang you got there..." Alex stares as they approach a nearby booth with balloons. He glances at the dog by his feet, tightening the chain. "I find dogs much more loyal though, wouldn't you agree, Cel? You like dogs."

Celia shifts from one leg to another, leaning slightly into me and I have to fight myself to not put my arm protectively around her.

"What do you want, Alex?" Celia asks.

"Just making a conversation, why so tense? Come on, I'm not a stranger." He grins, eyes sparkling in a way that makes the taste in my mouth sour.

"This is Gio..." She turns to face me. "Gio this is Alex, we grew up together. He's my... childhood friend."

"Notice the hesitation there?" Alex teases, shaking my hand. "Uh, I'm on a date here with another beautiful friend. Not as beautiful as you, Celia. You know Estelle?"

"Yup."

"A great cook!" He laughs, looking at me as if I understand. "I always say, a woman's true nature is in the kitchen, am I right?"

I smile a little, hearing Celia scoff beside me. "I don't know, I think men who say that just don't know what to do with them in the bedroom."

His smile slowly deflates while mine stays on and Celia covers her mouth.

"Celia! You want a balloon?" Ari yells across the distance.

"You should join her," I say gently.

"Are you wearing his jacket?" Alex asks her. God, he's annoying.

"Yes, I am." She raises her brows, then looks at me briefly before leaving. "Don't take too long."

"So where's your date, Alex?" I ask him after we're alone.

"There's no date, I just made it up to make her jealous," he waves me off, chuckling. "Listen, I've been meaning to talk to you. You have a minute?"

He gestures for us to walk and I take a deep breath, going along.

His dog beside him obediently follows and Alex puts his hands in his pockets and looks around like he owns the place. Lips stretched with smugness, eyes a-gleam with amusement. His burgundy jacket is intricately stitched, brown leather shoes flawlessly polished.

"Look, my dad's a big deal here and I'm his only son. So you can imagine how well-off I am and what connections I have." He smiles at me, raising a brow. "So... I hope that you don't mind that out of concern for Celia, I did a little digging around to find out about you."

"Find out about me?" I ask, unamused.

"Yeah, you see I'm deeply in love with Celia," he says seriously. "I want to take her to New York, help her through school and give her everything she deserves. I got a good job and an education, not to mention a lot of money to provide for her and our future kids."

"I'm happy for you."

"But I'm sad for you, man!" He shakes his head, clicking his tongue. "Really sad story, you know." He raises his eyebrows. "A sick infant left alone in the hospital, raised in a run-down orphanage, adopted at thirteen when your whole childhood was already lost."

"You have a point?" I stop walking.

He chuckles, mouth apart. "You don't like talking about your past? I don't blame you, I can't imagine how broken you must be to have even your adoptive parents abandon you, then your wife leave you when they take all your money."

I take a step forward and get in his space, wiping the smile off his face.

"You seem nervous," I say calmly. "Are you threatened by an abandoned orphan?"

"I mean, of course, look at you!" He laughs, regaining his composure as he backs away. "You got the scary look in your eyes and you're all muscle, I get you brother. You did what you had to do to survive, to take care of your kid. You're a good man."

I scowl, trying to dissect his motive, which seems to boost his confidence as he puffs his chest and looks over at Celia. She's holding a red balloon and smiling at Ari, engaged in a conversation.

Her eyes flit to mine for a moment and hold it, as if asking me to come to her. But I remain still.

"You got to admit, she's stunning," Alex pulls my attention back, smirking at how I was staring at her. "Not only that, but she's got a heart of gold. Always feeding the stray dogs and looking after them. It's almost annoying how easy she makes it to fall for her."

"It's not like that, she's just a babysitter," I mutter.

"Oh come on! I see the look in your eyes! You want her." He laughs, standing in front of me and blocking my vision from her. "You want her and it's okay. I understand. But can I be honest with you, Gio?"

I narrow my eyes while he licks his lower lip with a triumphant grin.

"You're a father, tell me, would you want your only daughter to go to New York and follow her dreams? Or would you want her to babysit a single dad's kid, stuck in a town she hates?"

"I'm not keeping her here." I frown.

"You sure? Because I've known her my whole life and I can tell she's got a crush on you. But let's be real, where's that going to take her? Hm? Are you really that selfish that you'll let her fall for someone like you when she hasn't even started her life?"

"I'm not making her do anything."

"You are though." He stares at me for a moment, anger hardening his eyes. "You're so much older, you're telling me you don't see her attraction towards you? You can stop it. You can do the right thing and do what's best for her."

"And what is that? Being with you?" I ask warningly.

He smiles slowly, shrugging. "I'm her ticket out of here, Gio. I'm trying to help her, but you're holding me back. You're the stray dog she pities and wants to take care of, nothing more."

"Tell me I'm wrong," he widens his eyes when I clench my jaw and steps closer. "Tell me you don't know that you're a nobody. Tell me you don't know that she doesn't deserve you."

He searches my face, smirking when I don't respond. "You're a smart guy, I don't have to tell you what you already know but try to forget."

"Nice talk," he sighs, stepping away and pulling on his dog's leash. "I'll see you later."

"What were you guys talking about so much?" Celia asks behind me, but I don't turn around.

~

"Thanks for inviting me out with you guys," Celia smiles when I drop her off. "I had a lot of fun."

I nod, focused on the dark street outside my truck, gripping the steering wheel. "Thanks for looking after Ari."

"I'm sorry about Alex, I hope he didn't get under your skin. He struggles with some issues..."

"When do you think you'll have enough saved up to leave?" I ask, catching her by surprise.

"Um... I don't know. With the amount you pay me, I'll probably be able to transfer to a different school by next year and pay for my dorm."

I take a deep breath, smiling. "That's good, right? That's exciting?"

"I don't know if I'd call it exciting..." she scowls with an uncertain smile. "Maybe relieved? Saved? Freed? Why are you asking me about it?"

I tap the steering wheel, focused on my hands. "I just think... we should be mindful of how short our time will be together and make sure Ari doesn't get too attached."

"To me?"

"Yeah."

"Oh... okay..."

I glance at her, trying to sound light. "It's also what's best for you. It'd be hard to leave after you two get close."

"What about you?"

"What about me?" I frown.

She tucks her hair behind her ear, looking at her lap. "Will you miss me?"

I suck in a sharp breath, taken off guard. "Uh..." I clear my throat, regaining my composure. "Sure? You're, you're good for Ari. You're kind and honest and you work hard."

She peeks at me tentatively, tilting her head in thoughts. "Is that all?"

"What else did you expect?" I ask, pulse quickening when she shyly bites her lip. "Oh, do you mean the little flirting we did earlier?"

I chuckle when her eyes slightly widen and shake my head. "Oh, don't think too much into it. You just caught me off guard. I'm sorry for giving you the wrong idea."

When she doesn't respond but continues to stare, I grow nervous.

"I mean... I'm seven years older than you, Celia. I'm a single dad. I understand why someone your age would find those games exciting, but—"

"Excuse me? Someone my age?"

"You're so young," I scowl, noticing the anger in her eyes. "You don't know what's best for you—"

She scoffs, opening the door to step out. "Goodnight, Gio."

"I'm just trying to do the right thing!"

She slams the door and bends over the window, resting her elbows as she looks at me. "I've said this before, but I'll say it again. You're a coward."

"Watch it—"

"You watch it," she cuts me off, ice cold. "I've taken care of myself my whole life and I don't need some nobody telling me what's best for me."

Her words stab like daggers, but I know from the pain in her voice she's only calling me a nobody because she feels betrayed and I don't want to be selfish enough to change her mind.

"Respect my intelligence," she says, "I know what's best for me. And if you don't have the balls to be honest about your feelings, that's your problem, but don't you dare ridicule mine."

I'm stunned by the truth and authority burning through her broken eyes as she straightens up and turns away from me.

~ A/N~
What do you guys think? Did Gio do the right thing?