Anastasia by A. Marie

Anastasia

After I’m not sure how many rounds, I was laid out on top of Valentino’s chest with his arm around me while his other hand played with my hair. We were both awake, but we were also just deep in our own thoughts.

My eyes trailed over to the clock beside the bed to see it was after midnight. “Happy birthday to me,” I whispered. There was a sadness that dawned with my words. I couldn’t help it.

“Something’s wrong,” he stated.

I didn’t say anything, provoking his hand to stop its movements in my hair. Looking up, I glanced into the blue of his eyes and saw the patience within them.

“I’ve never wanted a birthday celebration,” I whispered just before a smile came onto my face as memories raced into my mind. “My sister always made sure I at least did something. She’d make breakfast for me and bake a cupcake with a candle on it. Every year, she’d wake me up and make me blow out the candle before singing me Happy Birthday. We didn’t have the money to do much, but for some reason, she made it so that it never mattered whether or not we could go out. What mattered most to us was that we became one year older in a world that was so against us. It was a pure blessing that no matter what, it would always be the two of us against all evil.”

A chuckle left my lips as I thought about her. Her behavior was so strong-willed and determined. There was no one in the world who could match up to Alexandria’s personality. She was truly one of a kind.

“Your sister sounds wise, no?” he asked. I smiled, nodding my head.

“She was intelligent and wise. Sometimes, I’d forget she was younger than me,” I told him, thinking about the advice she had always given me. “I just feel as though she deserves this birthday more than I do. She could’ve helped make the world better, I-I’m not capable of any of that,” I whispered softly as my smile was replaced with a frown. His hand wandered down to my hips, pulling me up, and bringing my face closer to his.

“You’re making me better, and I’m a part of the world,” he pointed out. I pecked his lips before pulling away and smiling at him. My hand came up to frame his handsome face. Sometimes, I tended to forget he was actually real. He seemed too perfect to actually want me.

“I raised Enzo to be a better man than I will ever be. You need to give yourself more credit, Bambolina. You raised her to be better than you, and that means you did a perfect job.” The words he said were exactly what I needed to hear.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“Happy birthday, Anastasia. We have a big day ahead of us, go to sleep,” he muttered. I let out a small sigh before nodding my head against him. When my eyes shut, I could only smile as his rich smell entered my nose. It was the place I loved to be.

* * *

When I woke up,Valentino was still sleeping soundly. So, I crept out of the bed and grabbed the towel from off the floor before wrapping it around me. There were no clothes for me to change into, which made me frown. I felt completely unprepared, and I wished that he would have told me more about this surprise date earlier.

As I walked into the restroom, I was grateful for the extra pack of toothbrushes inside of one of the cupboards. I didn’t know what I would do if I couldn’t brush my teeth. I grabbed the blue one and immediately began my brushing routine.

After I finished, I started on my hair, which was a tangled mess. I combed through it with my fingers and then threw it up in a messy bun. Just like that, I felt absolutely clean.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I glanced over at the bed to see that Valentino was still asleep. Instead of waking him, I walked over to the door and pulled it open. Valerio wore a smile on his face as he looked at me. I noticed the clothes in his hand, causing my brows to furrow in confusion.

“Hey?” I greeted, but I couldn’t help the smile on my face as I looked at him. He held the bag out for me, which I took before embracing him in a hug. Every girl who worked under his management felt like they could trust him. That’s what I liked most about him. I looked at him as a brother.

“Happy birthday, Barbie. Mr. Romano told me to bring these clothes for you both. I have to go, but I’ll see you when you get back.” He smiled as I pulled away. I returned the smile wholeheartedly, nodding my head.

“Thank you,” I called out to his retreating form. He turned around briefly to wave goodbye. I shut the door and turned around, my hand digging inside of the bag he had given me. As soon as I looked up, Valentino was there leaning against the bathroom door frame with a toothbrush in his mouth.

His eyes moved down to my towel, narrowing his eyes slightly before walking into the restroom. I didn’t have time to put up with his petty attitude, so I walked into the bedroom and dumped the clothes onto the bed.

Not much time passed before hands wrapped around my waist and pulled me into a hard chest.

I watched his mouth open as if he were about to say something, but then it closed. Letting out a sigh, he released me and walked out of the room.

My brows pulled together as I contemplated if I should talk to him about that or not. Then, I ultimately decided not to. I walked back over to the bed and grabbed the blue dress Valerio had packed for me. Instantly, I felt like I belonged here, like those other couples I had seen.

When my gaze trailed over to his clothes, I bit down on my lip. Then I folded them up, taking them with me into the kitchen. He was wearing boxers that hung low on his hips. The minute I walked in, he looked over at me with a raised brow.

“Here,” I muttered before handing him his clothes. He took them from me as I stood there and watched him, biting down onto my lip once more. He leaned over and kissed my cheek, going on to dress himself.

“Let’s go eat. There is a lot I have planned for you today,” he said. I raised my brow in response as a smile played out on my face. I couldn’t wait to find out what it was going to be.

“Okay, but after we finish eating, can we go pick up some Plan B’s?” I asked behind a small smile as he grabbed my hand and walked me toward the kitchen. He gave me a pointed look, his eyes seemed to turn cold.

“No,” he let out. I sat down in the dining room chair, looking over at him. I wasn’t sure if he was being serious or not, but I knew that I was.

“What do you mean ‘no’?” I questioned.

He sat down right across from me, running his hand through his hair. Like always, he just decided to completely ignore me by grabbing a plate of food. I didn’t even notice the table full of breakfast food the employees must’ve brought in until now.

“Are you trying to get me pregnant?” I asked.

He only smirked in response, but still pretended as if I wasn’t speaking to him.

I scoffed jokingly. “You are unbelievable.”