The Mafia’s Wanted Desires

ASHLEY

As I approached our room, every feeling of shock I felt from earlier, when I saw Duncan and Zelda, slowly vanished into thin air. The more I tried to hold on to it, my desperate attempt at grasping that emotion because it was so much easier to deal with, the harder it got to keep it with me. I was ladened with a sense of guilt that weighed me down so much, knowing I was going to walk into that room that had drained me of my emotions.

However, there was this small part of me that held on to a spark of hope that glimmered inside of me, flickering now and then. This positivity that I could walk into that room and he would be on that bed, awake and waiting for me but I knew that this wasn’t a book or some movie. This was reality! This was my reality! Yet, I couldn’t help but desperately hope for some kind of miracle, some kind of magic.

My legs felt so heavy, my breaths coming out so small. I squeezed my eyes shut, drawing in some breath. My hand felt like it was going to slip off the doorknob but I gathered the courage and stepped into the dim room. Instinctively, I swung my head in the direction of the bed, my eyes flitting to his frame. The glimmer of hope that swirled around in me like a bubble was punched out of me, vanishing into thin air and my heart broke all over again.

I released a shaky breath, beads of tears forming in my eyes. My lips quivered and I trembled, my body feeling like it was just yanked out of a pool of ice. I puffed out some air through my cheeks, whirling on my heels to switch on the lights, to aid the brightness of the room. My eyes flickered to his frame and I furrowed my brows, unable to discern the sense of eeriness that struck me. There was something different about him but I couldn’t place my finger on it. It was indecipherable for me.

I exhaled, shrugging off the robe on my body. My eyes darted away from him and I strolled to my dresser, taking a glance at my reflection in the mirror. Ever since the incident, I avoided coming in contact with my reflection in the mirror because I knew what, or rather, who I would see would shatter me into pieces and I couldn’t have been more right.

There was a certain glow and lushness my hair used to have but now, it was so dim. My hair was so dry, my eyes were bloodshot. My skin looked so pink and I knew it was courtesy of me crying my eyes out, now and then.

I looked awful.

Heck, it felt like an understatement of the year. I couldn’t stomach the sight of my soulless eyes, so I made my way to the bathroom to wash off. It was a quick shower because I didn’t want to give in to the urge of soaking myself in the bathtub. The last time I tried something like this when my life was falling apart, I tried to drown myself.

I wrapped a towel around my head, sauntering out of the bathroom. I took a seat on the stool and dried my hair, patting my body dry, after which I applied a lotion to my skin.

Maybe if I talked to him again, he would wake up, right? He might listen to me. I should try it again. I shouldn’t just sit here and try to distract myself with a skincare routine. I shot up from my stool, ambling to the bed. I scooted over to his side, picked up his hand, and pressed a kiss to it.

“I am so mad at you, Arden,” I admitted, confronting the resentment I had towards him for what he did. My lip trembled, tears filling up my eyes but I wasn’t even done.

“I am so pissed at you!” I yelled.

“Why the fuck would you do that? I didn’t ask you to save me! Why did you have to be the martyr? You can’t go jumping in front of bullets after you promised me forever! No, you can’t do that! It’s so unfair!”

“We are supposed to be partners, remember?”

“We are supposed to be partners!” I had tears streaming down my face, blurring my vision.

“I need you, baby. I am falling apart. I can’t do this without you. Honestly, it feels like I am going insane but maybe it would be better. At least, I would get a break from all this!

“Arden, you have to wake up because I don’t see myself living without you!”

“I promise you, I am going to listen to you. I am not going to get on your nerves anymore. I will do whatever it is you tell me to do. I won’t wear revealing clothes. I wouldn’t go out without my guards. Heck, I would stop packing my hair in a ponytail!” I cried, squeezing his hands and burying my head in his chest, sobbing profusely.

“Really? You’d do that for me?”

“Of course not, you fool! I love packing my hair to spite you and not even you can change that!” I countered him, hitting his chest. But then, I paused, blinking rapidly. I squeezed my eyes shut, shaking my head sideways. I didn’t understand if it was all just in my head or if it was real. I took my head off his chest, sniffing. I did a double-check of his frame, furrowing my brows.

“Arden?”

My question was met with a deep rumble in his chest. The familiar octave sound I had grown so attached to in the months of being with him. I didn’t know how much I had missed hearing him talk until tonight. He took off the oxygen mask on his nose, setting it aside. He squinted his eyes, an indication that told me he was trying to adjust to the brightness of the light.

“Hey, Peach.”Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

I gasped in disbelief, relief washing over me. I blinked, again, trying to wrap my head around what was going on.

“Oh, my God!”

“You are awake!” I yelled, ecstatically and he watched me with those mesmerizing green eyes that were filled with warmth, adoration, and amusement. I burst into tears, collapsing in his arms and sobbing heavily. He tried to sit up with me in his arms, wrapping his arm around me and cocooning me with the unending warmth of his body.

“Hey,”

“It’s okay, baby. I am here now.” He assured me, pressing a kiss to my temple.

“God, how long have you been awake?” I queried, hoarsely.

“Long enough to witness the strip tease you gave me earlier. It was one hell of a view.” His voice sounded so husky, rendering my cheeks on fire. It made it even clearer that being on a sick bed had nothing on this man because it wasn’t even enough to rob him of his flirting skills.

I lifted my head off his shoulder, looking up to stare at him to my heart’s content. It felt like I could finally breathe. For someone who just jolted back to consciousness, he didn’t look like it. With his messy bed hair and his glowing eyes, he looked like he was set to walk the runway. The intensity of those eyes, whenever they stared at me couldn’t have seemed more evident, burning through every inch of my skin.

They made me so conscious yet, I didn’t want to shy away. I wanted him to see just how much his gaze affected me.

Just how much I had it bad for him.

“Fuck, I missed you.” He proclaimed, watching me like he was in awe of me.

“Then, show me,” I whispered, gulping audibly. I leaned in, my breath fanning the skin of his face. His hand automatically connected with the small of my back, hoisting me on his lap and I gasped when he adjusted me properly, his eyes steadily on mine, holding me captive in its confines.

Then, he grabbed me by the back of my head, his mouth descending on mine and my eyes snapped shut, instinctively. A slow, warm burn spread across my body, coursing through every inch of my being. His kiss awakened me, rejuvenated me, and indicted sparks into my seemingly bland life that had gone so cold during his absence. It gave me life. It gave me breath. It gave me purpose. He moved his lip against mine, plunging me into a world of madness. The passion between us doubled up in a thousand folds, melting me into nothingness.

He teased me with his mouth and I moaned shamelessly into his mouth, my knees growing weak. His hands massaged my scalp, a sense of serenity washing over me. The kiss was slow but it stole every ounce of breath I had left in me. He slowly broke the kiss off, much to my dismay, resting his forehead on mine.

“I don’t regret what I did, Peach. Hell, I would make the same choice if I were given the opportunity a thousand times.” He professed, his words knocking the breath out of me. Tears welled up in my eyes and my lips trembled, a soft sob rippling through my mouth.

“You are worth it and a lot more, Evaline.” He added and I could have sworn I heard a crack in his voice.

“Come here, you stupid man.” I sobbed, cradling his head to my chest. It was as though he had been waiting for that opportunity because he clung to me like his life depended on it.

“I am so glad to have you back, big bad mafia boss.” My lips stretched in a smile as I stroked his hair.

Maybe Maria was right. Maybe I was just as obsessed as he was with me.