! This is part two of the double update !

VALENTINA

"He can't take care of you like this. Now you're lost, lost in the heat of it all. Girl you know you're lost, lost in the thrill of it all."

. . .

My body is practically a melted goo on the mattress, my limbs nearly becoming one with the material. That's how relaxed I am.

And based on the snoring man lying next to me, he's relaxed, too.

Turning around in bed, I put both hands underneath my cheek and I stare up at him. The sheets are covering us, exposing his collarbones and the beginning of his naked chest.

My pussy heats at the memory of what happened between us last night, and I can't wrap my head around it.

Our naked bodies pressed together is more than proof. I didn't dream it. It happened.

My eyes snatch on the tattoo on his bicep, of a spider crawling its way up to his shoulder.

A smile tugs at the corners of my lips at the memory of him as a child, claiming he was Spider-Man and convinced he was going to save the city.

My fingers go on their journey, and I lift the blanket a bit to look at the tattoo on his torso, and the dragon displayed there meets my eyes.

He got that one when he was seventeen, and Aurora and Riccardo nearly shit their pants when he came home with a fresh tattoo.

He'd only grinned and flexed the tattoo to everyone he met, even to me, taunting me and saying I could only dream of having a tattoo as cool as that one.

And he'd accused me of being a scared little girl who could probably never handle the pain of a tattoo. 

I never got a tattoo to prove him wrong, because getting something inked on my skin permanently is a big step for me.

I still flipped him off when he did that, though.

On his side, there's a tattoo of Icarus falling; the tattoo being an homage to his Aunt's band, named after Icarus.

Growing up, he went to several of their concerts and I know he loves their music.

"Take a picture."

My eyes snap up, my cheeks blushing at the fact that I got caught.

There's a lazy smirk stretching across his face, and he lifts a hand to brush a strand of hair away.

"Morning, crybaby," he hums, his thumb caressing my cheek before he drops his hand.

"M-Morning," I stutter, and he chuckles.

"You weren't this shy last night," he whispers, and his hand grips the nape of my neck, tugging me closer to him.

The knob on the door rattling has us freeze in our spot, but since it's locked, it remains closed.

"Valentina?" Dante asks through the door. "You good in there?"

I look at Alessandro in a panic, and he looks at a loss for words as well.

"You need to hide!" I whisper and sit up in bed, dragging the blanket with me as I do so.

A knock resounds on the door. "Val?"

"I'm okay!" I call out and quickly put my pajamas on, turning around to see Alessandro still lounging on the bed, his arms crossed behind his head as he looks at me.

"Hide!" I whisper-yell, and he tilts his head to the side.

"Why? He can't enter," he shrugs, keeping his voice in a whisper as well.

Stomping toward the bed, I take his arm and try yanking him out of it. He won't budge.

"Why's the door locked, Val?" Dante asks, and I just know he's pouting. "I wanted to annoy you with cookies and now I can't."

When I yank at Alessandro's arm again, he gives in and lets me drag him off the bed. I look away with red cheeks when I see that he's naked and on the way to the attached bathroom, I pick up his clothes.

"Do not come out!" I order and close the door on his smirking face, before turning to the bedroom door. I quickly arrange the sheets on the bed and comb my fingers through my hair, before opening the door and seeing Dante.

"You're so clingy," I sigh and shake my head, eyeing the plate of cookies we baked yesterday. He tries to come inside, but I block the doorway.

"Is it good if I meet you downstairs? I want to shower..." I trail off and bite my lip. There's no way Alessandro will be able to subtly get out if Dante stays in the room with me.

"Alright," Dante says and takes a step back. "I'm not clingy, by the way," he adds. "I just wanted to cheer you up, given you're on your period."

I try to maintain a neutral face because I had forgotten about the lie I told him; that I was on my period so I could sleep alone.

I smile softly at him. "Thank you, Dante. That's really sweet. I'll meet you downstairs, okay?"

He nods and then takes off. Letting out a sigh, I close the door and lock it again, heading over to the bathroom.

Alessandro is leaning against the sink when I enter, and he looks up. I see he's dressed back into the pajamas he was wearing when he got in bed with me.

"A shower, huh?" he asks, having overheard my conversation with his twin. "Care if I join?"

"You have to leave," I tell him, even though his offer is very tempting.

I can only imagine our naked bodies in the shower, the water falling over his body and the possibility of me falling onto my knees...

I blink out of the fantasy and try to get myself together.

"If you wish," he murmurs, keeping his eyes on me while his hand falls to his boxers, briefly playing with the band of it. "Or my clothes could magically disappear... will you be able to refuse, hm?"

No, I wouldn't.

"You need to leave," I bring out and take his hand, before my mind spirals and I do hop into the shower with him. Shoving him out, I eye him and the package he's got in those briefs.

"And be sure you don't make a sound," I add, and close the bathroom door in his face before locking it, for me, to not take him up on the offer.

I get out of my clothes, leaving myself naked. When I look in the mirror, my lips part in a silent gasp when I see the marks Alessandro left with his mouth all over my body.

Mainly my stomach, and then some on the side of my neck, though they can easily be covered with my hair.

Thank God Dante didn't see them.

Shaking my head, I get into the shower and find myself turning the temperature to a colder degree to distract myself.

When I get out of the shower and walk back into the guestroom, I find it empty.

He left. Good. I can only hope he did so discretely.

I change into my clothes and pick up my phone, seeing a notification from my mom.

Mami: Alejandro is in town and would like to take you out for dinner. Be home this evening for when he picks you up

Groaning, I toss my phone back on the bed and fall on top of it, squeezing my eyes shut. Alejandro has only been a pain in my ass ever since I met him.

Gathering all of my stuff in the room, I go downstairs and spot Dante in the kitchen, dunking his cookie in a glass of milk before eating it.

I can't help but grin at the sight.

"I can't stay very long," I tell him. "My mom expects me home soon."

"Why?" he frowns.

"Alejandro," is all the explanation I give, and his shoulders deflate.

"I still think you should talk to your mom about it," he tells me, for what feels like the thousandth time.

And every time I tell him I can't. Because I don't want to disappoint Mami. I feel like I've done enough to ruin our family, and if marrying Alejandro makes her happy, I feel obligated to do so.

"Yeah, I know," I sigh and eat a few of the cookies we baked to make me feel a bit better and to distract myself from the matter.

"These cookies are amazing," I tell him and dunk mine into his milk. The combination is amazing.

"Everything I make is amazing," he smirks cockily.

I leave not long after and get home, seeing Mom in the living room as usual.

Instead of heading straight to my room, I decide to sit on the couch as well and take out my phone.

"How was your weekend?" she asks me.

"Good," I shrug, trying not to think about Alessandro.

It was amazing. Mind-blowing.

"What time is Alejandro picking me up?" I ask her.

"Around seven," she replies.

Annoyance bubbles up within me. He went straight to my mother to ask for the date, without contacting me first. Because he knows I won't refuse something my mother requests of me.

"Oh, I saw a TikTok explaining that putting eggs and mayonnaise in your hair will leave it smooth and shiny," she tells me.

That's right. My mother, who's on the board of a successful pharmacy company, is a heavy believer of at home remedies and potions to keep the skin and hair as healthy as ever.

She will believe anything she sees on TikTok.

One time, she nearly started incorporating soap into her food because it helps to 'lose weight'. She didn't go through with it after doing some research.

When the evening nears, I go upstairs to my room and open up my closet to see what is appropriate for a dinner date tonight. Settling for a basic black dress, I put it on with some platform heels.

I rake a comb through my hair and leave it as it is. I don't bother putting on makeup, and spend the rest of my time waiting until Alejandro arrives.

When the doorbell rings, I tell my mom I got it and grab my purse, walking down the stairs and toward the front door.

Throughout the years, Alejandro and I have both attended family dinners, but he never straight-up took me out to eat.

This will be the first time, and I wonder what prompted him to do this.

His charming smile greets me when I open the door. He's dressed in pressed pants and a black button-up. His hair is styled perfectly – I know for a fact he's spent some lengthy minutes on it.

His pearly whites shine at me, and he stretches out his hand.

"Valentina, a pleasure to see you," he says and takes my hand in his, bringing it up to his mouth and pressing a kiss on the back of it.

My mom appears in the hallway and beams at Alejandro.

"Take care of her," she tells him. "She must be home before midnight," she then adds and shoots him a pointed look.

She never gives me curfews and is pretty laid-back with whom I hang out. I don't know what caused her to give me a curfew tonight, though.

"She'll be home on time," Alejandro promises, hand on his heart. After that, he leads me out of my house and toward his car.

Opening the door on the passenger side, I get in at the same time he does.

"Thank you for coming with me," he says once he starts the engine and drives out of the parking spot.

"Not like I had a choice," I mutter. "Thanks for contacting my mom instead of me."

"I'm sorry," he apologizes. "I didn't know if you'd agree if I asked you directly."

So he did choose the cowardly path on purpose.

"Sure," I sigh and look out the window as we drive through the city. Before I know it, he pulls up to an Italian restaurant and we get out.

Once inside, we're seated by the window. The restaurant looks sophisticated and expensive, and once I lay eyes on the prices on the menu, I nearly faint at them.

I've only ever had Italian food from Riccardo, so I know what good pasta and pizza taste like. I wonder if the restaurant will live up to the high expectations set by Riccardo.

"So," he begins as soon as we order. Him, a red wine and a pizza. Me, a glass of water and pasta carbonara.

"I suppose we have to get used to each other, and I figured to start with a date."

I lean back in my chair and cross my arms. "Look, I'm not stupid," I start. "I know we'll never love each other. I made peace with that. Once we're married, we can each live our separate lives and put up a front to make our parents happy."

Just like me, Alejandro doesn't want to disappoint his parents. His younger brother, who happens to be a prodigy in everything he does and is a stellar student, far outshines Alejandro.

We both have some complexes.

"We'll still have to live together," he argues. "We can at least try to tolerate each other's presence, you know? I don't want us to dislike one another. I haven't taken the time to get to know you over the years. And I'd like to."

Because time is ticking. In a couple of years, we'll be married.

The thought depresses me.

"I get that," I give in and nod. "Alright, what is uh... your favorite color?"

He cracks a smile at that, and I see how he manages to attract so many women to his bed.

He's attractive, but his looks are just paired with a not-so-attractive personality.

I'll never forget that he slept with Amber and made her cheat on Alessandro.

That is one of the main reasons why I'll never let him touch me.

"Favorite color, huh?" he asks. "I'll have to go with blue. It's basic but always a good option to fall back on. What's yours?"

We make a bit of small talk until our food arrives, and I eye the pasta that they place in front of me.

"What's wrong?" Alejandro asks me as I pick up my fork and nudge the pasta.

"I think there's cream in this," I sigh, disappointed.

"And?" he asks and takes a bite out of his pizza.

Riccardo would have a full-blown heart attack if he were sitting here. And so would Vincenzo, his father-in-law.

"Real Italians know that cream does not belong in a carbonara," I inform him, and twirl the pasta around my fork, and bringing it up to my mouth.

As soon as the taste hits my tongue, the blandness of it does not take me by surprise and the overwhelming taste of some weakly seasoned cream with the cheese is mediocre.

"How is it?" he asks me.

"Just how I expected," I tell him, but eat more of it because I'm hungry. The guanciale is a nice touch to it and makes it bearable to eat.

"Should've taken you to a Dominican place, I knew it," he says and shakes his head. I grin.

"You know good Dominican places around here?" I ask.

"Of course I do," he answers. "I know all the good stuff, trust me."

"You'll have to prove that to me," I grin. "Because this place isn't doing you any favors."

"I wanted to impress, okay," he smiles. "I didn't know you'd be so educated and picky on Italian food."

"My best friend's family is Italian," I shrug. "Of course I know all about it."

"Right," Alejandro says. "Dante, wasn't it?"

I nod.

"Is he someone I should be worried about?"

I frown. "How so?"

"Well... you know. He's a guy... and you're very pretty..."

"Oh my god," I scoff and shake my head. "People need to learn that there can be a platonic relationship between a man and a woman. He's my best friend, that's all. And that's all we'll ever be to each other."

"Does he know that?"

I cringe at the thought of something more happening between me and Dante, even though I'm very much crushing on his twin brother.

"He does," I assure him.

There has never been any indication of something more between us, and he's never shown any romantic interest in any way. And if he does, he's a master at hiding it. But I know it's not true.

"Okay," Alejandro says, seeming to believe me. I raise a brow.

"Though, even if he was interested in me, who are you to talk? I know about your reputation with women."

He opens his mouth to argue and then closes it again. "That's true. But there's a difference in sleeping around and developing feelings for someone else."

"You draw the line at feelings?"

He nods. "Yeah. I assume you sleep around, too?"

I'm not a saint either. The thought of Alessandro makes me reach for my cold water and I take a sip.

"I don't sleep around," I tell him, which is the truth.

"I wouldn't be mad if you had," he says and shrugs. "I've done the same, so it'd only be fair."

"I haven't," I repeat. The only time I had sex was with Alessandro a year ago. I wouldn't consider that sleeping around.

Alejandro excuses himself from the table to go to the restroom.

Sadness falls over me, because I know that I will never love him in the way I need to, nor will he ever love me.

Our marriage will be based on lies and pretend, and that hurts.

Our urge to please our parents is too big to put a stop to this.

I take out my phone and see a notification from Alessandro. My heart skips a beat when I click on it.

Idiot Asshole Stupid Fucker: I hope you can still taste me on your tongue while you're on your little date

. . .

surprise double update!

hope you enjoyed it and thank you sm for reading

I love you <33