Celia

Gio brings my grandma over to babysit while he runs errands— checking on the auto shop, fixing his car, repairing his phone and whatnot.

I assure Marilyn that she doesn't need to pack anything else because I will be back home after school tomorrow. I just needed to take a day for my dad to cool off and for Gio to not worry.

Also, I want to properly sit with Ari and make sure she doesn't relive any of the pain she experienced when her mom left. Her and I connect on a level that gives me confidence that if I'm honest with her, she will understand and not start her tantrums again.

I consider covering the bruise on my cheek and lip, but I don't even have the energy to fake anything. Who am I hiding from? Ari thinks I fell and tripped. And the way Oscar and Chase look at me, I know Gio told them everything.

"You want to leave us?" Chase holds his chest when he comes over later Monday night.

I glare at Gio. "Yes."

"Excuse me?" Chase points at his face. "You think faces like this are just scattered across the world? I'm Caribbean and Albanian, baby—"

"Shut up." Gio smacks him across the head on his way to the couch. "Faces like yours are rare for a reason. There's already enough bad things in the world."

"Oh, look at this popcorn popping jokes now that he has an audience to impress..." Chase teases. I head to Gio's room. "Hey, I'm not done talking to you!"

"I am," I roll my eyes, then nod at Oscar who's watching TV with Luna and Ari on the couch.

"Celia, want to watch Mulan with us?" Ari chirps, swinging her legs back and forth.

"No, I'm okay," I say without stopping.

She scurries after me, bare feet stomping on the wooden floor. "Want to draw together?"

"No." I open Gio's door and glance over my shoulder. "I'm tired, okay?"

"What if we cuddle and I read you a bedtime story?" she says a toothy grin. "Would you like that? I have so many books. I read them to Luna yesterday. She was in pain, but after I read to her, her pain went away. I can do the same to you—"

"I'm not in pain," I turn to her, stepping inside Gio's room. "I just want to be alone."

"Do you need to throw a tantrum?" she considers for a moment then gasps. "Want to smash beer bottles? I'll ask uncle Chase to drink—"

"Look..." I kneel before her and hold her hands, lowering my voice. "I love spending time with you, but I can't stay. I want to move away and become a lawyer. I can't do that here."

"Then we'll move with you," she reasons with a small voice. "We'll take Liam and Luna too."

I shake my head. "It's not safe to go with me. You'll get hurt. Your dad will get hurt. I don't want that. The only way we can stop that is if I'm not around. If you were in my shoes, you'd want to protect me too, wouldn't you?"

"But we're smart, we can think of another solution..." she pouts, pulling my hands in protest. "I want to stay together like a family—"

"You don't want me as your family, trust me," I try to keep my voice even. "Maybe in the future when I'm better, when I'm not fighting anymore, we can be friends. Okay?"

Ari throws her arms around my neck and hugs me, catching me off guard. "You're already perfect, you don't need to be better! And I'll fight with you, we'll take kung fu together and fight. You don't have to fight alone."

I wrap my arms around her and bite my lip so she doesn't hear me cry, doesn't feel me shaking.

"It's okay to cry," she says, patting my back. "It's okay to cry when you're sad. We have long arms so that we can hug each other. I love you Celia. I love you."

I pull away, smiling tearfully. "You're really a fun-sized adult, aren't you?"

"And you're a fun-sized baby," she giggles, scrunching her nose. "Maybe I should be your babysitter."

"Now you're just trying to rob me," I roll my eyes.

"Duh, I need to save for your lawyer school."

I stand up. "Okay, I'm going to sleep now."

"So you're not leaving?" She looks up at me with sparkling eyes.

"No, I'm still leaving," I say slowly.

Her smile fades. Anger bunches her eyebrows.

I smile a little. "You'll understand when—"

"No, I forbid you."

"What?"

She stomps her foot and points at me. "You are not allowed to leave."

"You can't forbid me," I snort. "You're tiny like a peanut."

"Yeah? Well, you're giant like a hippo."

"What? No, I'm not." I laugh.

"And you're stubborn like a toast."

"Okay..." I cross my arms. "You need to work on your insults, because they suck."

"Yeah? Well, you need to work on your, on your hair!" She turns on her heel and storms away.

"What's wrong with my hair?" I mutter, patting my head. "Nothing's wrong with my hair..."

I spend the evening in Gio's bed, practicing for tomorrow's exam, but the murmurs and laughters from the living room keep drawing me there.

Someone knocks on the door. I don't know how, but I just know it's Gio. "Can I come in?"

I consider saying no, but what if he needs to grab something? This is his room after all.

"Yeah..." I bring my knees to my chest and lean against the headboard, keeping the textbook on my lap.

He opens the door and his lips curve a little when he sees me wearing a gray sweater— his sweater.

"You guys blast the AC so high, this is the only thing that keeps me warm," I grumble.

I force myself to read, but he sits on the bed beside me with a tray of food. It's a grilled cheese sandwich cut in half and a small bowl of lentil soup.

"Your grandma gave me strict instructions to make sure you eat." He pushes his hand on top of my knee to lower it down.

"I'm not hungry." I tighten my legs.

"Yeah, you are. You haven't eaten anything all day." He tries to grab the textbook but I grip the edges.

"I have an exam tomorrow, can you not bother me?"

He stares at me with an unfazed expression. "Eat first, then you'll study."

"Don't tell me what to do," I scowl.

"Why?" He raises a calm eyebrow. "You forced me to eat when I was sick, didn't you?"

"That was different," I roll my eyes.

"How?"

"Because I needed you to work and pay me. I did it for me."

"How convenient, so am I." He snatches the book, putting it behind him.

"Hey!" I reach to take it back then gasp when he snakes his hands under the covers and grabs my ankles, pulling my legs flat on the mattress.

"Eat." He puts the tray on my lap.

"You eat." I snap and he smirks at me slowly for some reason.

"You first," he points with his chin. "Now, I'm waiting."

I glare at him. He blinks at me unbothered.

"Fucking annoying... here!" I grab the grilled cheese sandwich and take a bite. "Happy?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full."

"Stop telling me what to do!" I jerk my hand to slap him, but he catches it mid-air.

"You're not winning this argument." His eyes glint with mischief. "So just make your life easy and eat. Then I'll leave you alone."

I lean against the headboard, trying to figure out why he's so pushy all of a sudden. He watches me. His inked arms spread on either side of my legs. His veiny hands calm on the sheets. His black cotton shirt covering his broad shoulders, making me feel smaller than I already am.

If I keep being stubborn, he'll think I'm doing it on purpose just so he pays attention to me!

I pick up the grilled cheese sandwich and take a bite, not looking at him.

"There you go. Now was that so hard?" He dips his head to look at me. His forehead creases with amusement.

"Shut up. I hate you."

He smacks his lips, rolling his eyes.

"I do!" I raise my voice.

"You stood in front of a gun for me. You don't hate me," he says, humor fading from his tone.

I swallow the toast and it scrapes my throat, distracting me from my emotions. My mouth is so dry that eating only makes me nauseous.

"Have some of the soup," Gio murmurs.

"I'm full..."

"Force yourself to eat, you need the nutrients."

"Why are you nagging?" I whine but my voice breaks and when our eyes meet, mine water. "I don't need your help. Why are you doing this?"

"Why are you so upset that I'm looking after you?" He frowns.

I scratch my finger like an incessant tic. My body hurts from being tense all day. The inside of my cheeks are all shredded from biting. "Because..."

"Because..." Gio drawls, leaning closer. His body heat makes me push against the headboard.

"Because I'm not broken..." I whisper, regretting the words as soon as they come out.

"Who said you are?" Gio removes the tray from my lap and pulls me into his arms.

"What are you doing?" I panic.

"Shh..." He holds me against his chest and rests his chin on top of my head. His large palms slowly brush up and down my back.

"Stop..." I push him away, but he only tightens his hold. "Stop! I'm not comfortable!"

"Lower your voice..." Gio chuckles. "They'll think I'm assaulting you."

"You are assaulting me, I did not consent to this!"

"Yeah, right. If you really didn't want me to hold you, I'd be bleeding right now," he says and squeezes me without a warning, crushing my bones. I make a weird sound as the air leaves my lungs, but when he loosens his hold, somehow my muscles seem to dissolve. "There you go, relax, you're still a bad gangster."

"Obviously. I pulled a gun on a cop and smashed a glass on his son's face. I can kill you if I want."

"But you won't. You like me too much." His deep voice and masculine scent calm me like medicine. I lean my cheek against his chest and close my eyes, flattening my hands across his back.

"I want to go home, Gio," I mumble. "I don't want to be here."

"I don't want you to leave."

"It's not about what you want!"

"Isn't it?" He murmurs in my ear. "Everyone always says I'm too selfless. Now you make me selfish. Shouldn't you be held responsible?"

"It's not my fault you're a closeted sadist..." I pull back and rub my eyes. His lips arch into a smirk. "What? What's so funny?"

He shakes his head, roaming his eyes over my face. I try to understand the warmth in his expression, scared of it for some reason.

"You're cute when you're mad," he says and I almost punch his face.

"I'm not cute. I'm dangerous," I snap but he just chuckles. "Just because I don't hurt you doesn't mean I can't!"

"I know..." His cheeks indent with dimples. "But you don't want to hurt me."

I look away. "That's why I need to leave..."

He takes a deep breath and continues to stare at me. I bounce my legs under the covers and rub my forehead.

"You don't have to worry about me, I'm used to this," I say. "I don't expect people to like me, I don't expect to be happy. I don't have a problem at all with being alone. I prefer it, actually."

"Is that so?" he murmurs.

"Yeah!" I chuckle. "I swear, it's not a big deal—" I stop talking when Gio's lips capture mine.

I can't breathe. All I feel is him. His soft and smooth lips, slowly moving mine, like I have no say in it. Like the permission has long been granted or never actually been asked.

He grips my jawline and the back of my neck, brushing his fingers across my skin, holding me against him while I curve and shiver.

A quiet, barely audible growl vibrates in the back of his throat. It sends a jolt of goosebumps down my arms and legs, curling inside my core. I scrunch my eyebrows, holding my breath.

His lips open mine, harder and rougher. I hold onto his flexed arm, fingers too small to fully grasp them. He slows down, feathering his lips, hovering over mine. He taunts, lingers, keeps me on my toes, savors my shallow breath before he attacks again, smirking when I whimper.

When he presses our foreheads together, I try to breathe, mouth and lips half-open, face feverish.

"It's a little too late to push me away, don't you think?" he asks in a low, raspy voice.

He lowers his hand to the base of my throat and makes me look up. "You think I'll let you be alone? After how you fought for Ari? After how you fought for me?" He presses his thumb over my pulse. "Hm? You think I won't fight for you?"

Someone knocks on the door. "Gio, we're leaving..." Chase says on the other side.

With a sigh, Gio slowly releases me and points his chin at the tray. "Eat. I'll check on you later."

~ A/N ~
I bet you guys are excited to have the chase reversed, aren't you? hehe

This chapter is dedicated to @tramp4life <3 Thank you for your violent support, your humor, for always brightening the comment section and making me smile. We appreciate you!!!