*MAKE SURE TO READ CH.20 FIRST*

"We're going on a trip in our favorite Rocketship..." I hummed the words of my childhood song and slowly opened my eyes. The light was too bright, so I closed them again to adjust to the new day. I loved the sun so much, but not when it was glaring its rays at us.

Us?

I snapped my eyes open and saw that I wasn't in my room and not in my bed. I was in Izan's bed, and yesterday's events came rushing back to me like a Mini Cooper crashing into a big van. My heart was the Mini Cooper.

He endured so much in his life, and I was whining about a dang belt. Life wasn't fair sometimes, but I had to make the most of it. 

Heath's and Dad's abuse was nothing compared to what Izan went through at the age of ten, even if he told me not to undermine my past. I wouldn't wish our suffering on anyone.

I finally focused on our position and realized he was spooning me from behind. He had his arms around my waist and one leg above my thigh, caging me in his grip. Unexpectedly, he was a cuddler, and I felt ecstatic because I loved this type of physical touch from someone I liked.

But is this a natural friend behavior?

"Vera," I heard him whisper, but he didn't move. He was probably dreaming, and I couldn't help but smile at the thought that he was thinking of me in his sleep.

So freaking adorable.

I didn't dare move, fearing that he would wake up, but then he tightened his grip on my body and nuzzled his nose in my neck, unconsciously tickling me. I tried to hold my giggles in, yet I fell victim to his prickling hot beard and burst out laughing.

I was sure he was awake by now because I felt him rustle behind me. "Buenos dias," he whispered, and I flipped to face him when he loosened his hold on me. He was still half asleep, and I couldn't help but brush his hair from his forehead, revealing his beautiful green eyes.

"Good morning," I replied, smiling at how peaceful this morning felt. I glanced at the clock on the wall, and my eyes widened. "We should say buenas tardes. It's two in the afternoon!" I countered. He groaned, burying his face in my chest. 

My almost bare chest.

I didn't know what to do. I just froze when his mouth slammed on my left breast above the fabric. Good thing I was wearing a sports bra, but dang, I felt warm.

"Izan..." He hummed but didn't release me. "We should get up. Don't you have a meeting?" I reminded him, and he finally snapped out of his daydream or whatever that was.

"Fucking shit. I'm late," he groaned and jumped from the bed. Now, I felt empty and cold, even though it was mid-June and extremely hot outside.

"Are you pregnant?" I gasped, and he rolled his eyes, not in the mood for my bull crap. He opened his closet and took off his shirt. I shamelessly stared at his tattooed back and arms. 

He was so smexy, and it was a sin not to appreciate all this beauty.

"Can Vivian and Alvaro come and hang out here?" I asked, still in his bed. I didn't have a meeting to run in half an hour, and his bed was enormous and comfy.

"Sure, call her," he muttered before entering the bathroom.

"Can we-" I raised my voice for him to hear me behind the closed door, but he didn't let me finish my request, refusing it before knowing what I was about to say. "Why not?" I whined, kicking the sheets like a child.

He knows me too well.

"Last time you played with Alvaro with the fucking Nerf gun, you made me clean the house after you two destroyed it! For hours! So, no fucking way!"

"Okay, okay, chill. What crawled up your butt?" I realized what I said and felt like an idiot with no filter. 

"Too soon?" I asked, remembering his past.

"Too soon."

~~~

"Why am I here?" Carlos asked once he sat next to Alvaro and Vivian on the couch. I handed him a beer, and he accepted it silently. He was less of a prick after he knew about my past, but he was still rude and grumpy. He was kind of like Izan when I first met him.

No wonder they get along well.

"Because Boss doesn't need us in today's meeting, and I missed Verena. She's fun and reminds me of my late sister," Jose explained as he side-hugged me.

Awe, I never knew he had a sister. 

May she rest in peace.

Alvaro was already in his third anime movie, and Vivian was knitting a scarf for me. She was too sweet, and I couldn't refuse her kind gesture.

"I still don't get why I have to be here?" Carlos countered grumpily while watching the movie with Alvaro. Seeing big mafia men watching animated movies was funny, but I guessed most of us were children at heart.

Even if the child was a handsome six foot one, grumpy as heck, and had a permanent glare stuck on his face.

"Because you have no life other than the Mafia. I didn't want to leave my best friend at home, sleeping all day and doing nothing useful. You need to socialize," Jose explained, eating some popcorn. Vivian silently watched the exchange, which told me it was a normal banter between them.

"I don't need to socialize."

"You'll be a rotten tomato if you stay in bed all the time," Alvaro commented, clearly paying attention to their conversation while watching TV. He was smarter than any four-year-old I met before.

Carlos scoffed but didn't say anything. "You got served by a four-year-old," I had to say something. It was the longest I had been quiet around anyone, and it felt weird. Talking was better. It helped me not think. I didn't like my mind.

"Shut the fu-"

"Careful how you finish that colorful sentence." My head snapped at Izan, who had just entered the living room, and Carlos didn't dare finish what he was about to say. 

As I inspected Izan's hot body, my eyes widened at the sight of blood on his white shirt. "What?" he asked when he saw my shocked face, unaware of the gruesome substance on his body. He even had it on his neck.

"You have ketchup on your shirt. You're a clumsy eater, aren't you?" I pointed out and then glanced at Alvaro, who was already looking at the blood.

Did he slaughter someone?

Nope, you don't need to know that, Verena.

Ignorance is bliss, remember?

Izan understood as he glanced at himself through the mirror and rushed to his room. "Alvaro, do you want to go home and bake a cake?" Vivian asked, realizing something had happened at the meeting and wanting to change the subject. 

Alvaro jumped from his seat and rushed to put on his shoes. He loved baking, and he looked adorable, all excited and oblivious.

When Izan came back in clean clothes and wet hair, Vivian and Alvaro were already gone. Carlos and Jose looked so serious, making me a bit uneasy. "Do I need to go to my room for this conversation?" I asked Izan once he sat beside me. I didn't want to throw up tonight.

He nodded but came closer to my ear before I could leave. "To my room," he whispered, and my eyes widened. "Cuddles," he clarified really quietly so his men would not hear him. They were staring at us, but I pretended they were not there. 

What I did not see, did not see me.

He wants to cuddle.

The Mafia Don wants to cuddle with me!

Awe!

~~~ 

17.01.2024 

Can I have one Izan, please?