Anastasia by A. Marie

Anastasia

After we got back to the mansion, he said he had some business to tend to, so he dropped me off and drove away. I was angry at our previous conversation and it only left me to truly think about what our relationship was.

Hours had passed. I’d already showered and cleaned his room a bit. When I sat down on the couch and looked out the window, I felt lost. Lying down in my lingerie gown, I stared up at the ceiling in complete silence. The room was dark, and my mind was jumping from one place to another as I just thought about everything.

The door opened, but I didn’t bother to sit up. No one else dared to walk into his room, so I simply concluded that Valentino had strolled in. Slowly turning my head, I faced him, only to notice the dark bags under his eyes and the harsh yawn that left his lips.

His eyes wandered down my body before making their way back up. The bags that accessorized his eyes almost began to vanish as he walked toward me. I quickly held up my hand and shook my head. Valentino stopped like I had asked, but that didn’t end the way his eyes held mine hungrily.

“I have feelings for you,” I announced. Anyone could tell that he already knew that based on the way he looked at me. It made my heart break, but I had enough heartbreak to last a lifetime. At this point, I accepted it with open arms. No longer did heartbreak make me want to cry and scream. There was so much of it that I was suffocating. Adding on more didn’t do any more damage than what had already been done. “I understand you don’t feel the same way—which is fine because I can’t force you to. I just wanted to let you know the reason why I can’t do this anymore. I’d like to think of myself as a strong, beautiful, smart woman, and I deserve someone who wants every part of that, not just my body. So, with that said, thank you for a lot, Mr. Romano, but I’m leaving this job and this place.” I stood up and walked toward the door, staying as emotionless as he could be.

As I walked past him, he grabbed onto my wrist and pulled me toward his chest. My eyes moved away from his because I knew I would get sucked into this whirlpool of feelings I had for him.

“Anastasia,” he said. I finally looked up into his eyes and automatically wished that I hadn’t. His eyes were so beautiful, they glowed brightly as he looked down at me.

“I want you here with me. You wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want you,” he finished. I bit down onto my lip before shaking my head. There was a sadness that wanted to come out. Everything in me wanted to be right there, but I couldn’t.

“I was a virgin before I met you. My life isn’t just sex like your life is. I want to have conversations and talk about dumb nothings. I even want to argue about things and laugh. It’s not fair to ask that of you because I know you, Valentino. You don’t do that kind of thing,” I explained. He looked away momentarily with a clenched jaw.

“What are you saying―you want a relationship? I’ve never been in a relationship,” he stated. I let out a loud exhale. That’s exactly what I wanted. I wanted him wholeheartedly, but I knew I couldn’t have him. Everything good in life got snatched away eventually, it wouldn’t be such a crime to push this one away before it’s given the chance.

He must’ve seen the defeat in my face because his other hand was quick to pull me closer. “I could try,” Valentino muttered.

I turned his face to look at me. Even though he said it, I still wasn’t sure if it was my imagination. The big bad Valentino just said that he could try to be in a relationship for me.

“Why?” I questioned, shocked. He gazed down at me. His eyes pierced through mine as a thought ran across his face.

Then, he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine. My body felt like it was melting against him as his arms curled around my waist and pulled me in even closer. His tongue massaged mine tenderly. I had to keep myself from touching him as he continued to kiss me.

I began to move my mouth against his as my hands wandered up to his hair. His mouth was dominating our kiss, leaving me to only follow. Slowly, he pulled away with his eyes on my lips. When his eyes flashed up to meet mine, I could feel a pool between my legs. I hated the way he made me feel.

“Stay,” he whispered before pecking my lips. His lips hovered over mine as he glanced up into my eyes, pressing his lips against mine for a longer amount of time soon after. “Stay for me.”

When he pulled away, I watched him look around the room.

“Thank you for cleaning my mess, Bambolina,” he told me. I didn’t know what to say, but he settled for kissing me one more time—only this time it was on my cheek. Then, I watched him walk into the restroom and turn on the shower.

As I stood there, I didn’t know what to do. I really wanted to stay, but I couldn’t knock off the feeling of whether or not I could trust his word. He said he could try, but I couldn’t picture Valentino skipping off into the sunset with me, hand-in-hand. Maybe if he could try to be what I wanted, I could try as well.

Deciding to just give him a chance, I pulled back the duvet cover and laid down. His smell was quick to consume me as soon as I tucked myself in.

Every time I closed my eyes, I tried to picture what my life would’ve been like without Valentino. I probably wouldn’t have ever been able to pay off my debt or put my mother in rehab. In some ways, he had made my life better.

After some time, I decided to just let myself fall asleep. My eyes shut, but the sound of the shower turning off made me alert with anticipation. Moments after that, the door opened, and I could feel Valentino walking toward the bed and lying down. He pulled me into his chest like he always managed to do.

It brought a small smile to my face as he ran his hand through my hair. “Goodnight, beautiful,” he whispered.

My body was quick to fall asleep after that. There was a warmth in my heart as I hugged his muscular frame.