My boxing Angel

Chapter 19

~Jasmine~

After Vincenzo left the kitchen, making me feel all flustered and hot inside, I ate only two seedless strawberries and locked myself in my room. Vincenzo was not in the room, and that was a good thing, I needed to think and process what we did… well more like what he did. Who knew a man could be so skilled with his tongue?

I get comfy in bed and close my eyes for a second, but I’m startled awake when someone knocks on my door. I groan out and look to my left to see that’s 8:00 a.m. But I just closed my eyes!

I took my assigned seat on the plane and placed my headphones and took notice of how each brother settled down by doing their own thing. I on the other hand decided on a quick nap on the plane. Once we arrive and I manage to get some space from Vincenzo’s intoxicating scent, I will think about the whole scenario that happened between us not 24 hours ago. I try to get as comfortable as I possibly can and drift off to sleep. But I’m nudged awake, and I hum at whoever was waking me up from my peaceful nap. I look to my left and see Vincenzo’s eyes on me, I knit my brows in question, and he smiles at me while pulling out a deck of cards.

I smile at him and snatch it from his grasp. I take out the cards, and I notice from my side that Vincenzo wants to speak, he opens but then closes his mouth. “You, okay? Or are you having a concussion from so many hits to the head?” I snicker at him, but Vincenzo rolls his eyes at me.

“Nope, all good in here” he smiled at me, while touching the side of his head, pointing to his brain. “I have been meaning to ask, how is it that you are so good with card games?” Vincenzo asks with a raised brow, and I laugh at his question.

I start to shuffle the cards with a smile on my face. “My older brother thought me… well more like he played with me, without actually teaching me the game.” I laugh at all the memories of Beckett laughing and me crying because I lost yet another round, of whatever we were playing. “When you lose so much, the only thing left to learn is how to win” I finish and I see Vincenzo’s eyes widen, and my eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“Brother?” he questions, and I nod my head.

“Who do you think all those photos and calls were for?” I say with sass and Vincenzo looks everywhere except at me. “You, okay?” I ask him, and he starts to cough and scratches the back of his neck.

Now, that’s one of his nervous ticks.

“I- I thought all of those things were for your boyfriend,” he tells me while lowering his head as if he was embarrassed.

“What?” I ask him with a scowl on my face, I shiver at the thought of him thinking that. “No boyfriend for me” I smile at him, and I see his mouth tug upward into a smirk.

“Is that a challenge?” Vincenzo says with a smirk, and I laugh at his words. He can’t be serious… can he? I just thought that yesterday was something that he needed to get out of his system, for all the years that he suppressed his feelings.

“Don’t look at me like that” I tell him feeling coy under his burning stare. Vincenzo chuckled a little loudly and his brothers took notice.

“What you guys laughing about?” Elias was quick to ask, and Vincenzo rolled his eyes playfully at his little brother.

“None of your business” Vincenzo replies in an instant with a snarky smile.

“Why do you always have to be such an asshole?” Elias huffs out and the brothers all laugh, except for me. I take pity on Elias, being the little kid of the family has its perks, mostly being the favorite, but it also makes you the cherry of the group.

“Leave him alone” I hiss at Vincenzo, smacking him with the deck of cards, while delivering a stern look at the other two older brothers.

“Why are you defending him?” Vincenzo asks as he inches closer, I try to pull away, but he starts to tickle me, I start to laugh hysterically until Vincenzo stops and I’m able to wipe my tears away. “Give me one good reason why you are taking his side,” Vincenzo says as he glares at Elias with playfulness.

“Because us little siblings have to stick together,” I tell him with a shrug, and that made Elias beam. Elias shoots up from his seat and launches himself at me. He hugs me tightly while peppering me with a kiss, and I laugh at his action.

“I finally have someone that will be on my corner!” I laugh at his words, and I feel my heart warm at his words. “I never have anyone in my corner, Joaquin and Rafael are a pair, Vincenzo doesn’t need anyone, but me, I’m just a defenseless lamb.”

“Defenseless lamb my ass, more like a troublemaker with an innocent face,” Rafael says with irritation and Elias sticks out his tongue. We all start to laugh, and I feel so at ease and comfortable around the brothers, that I’m starting to think that I might have found a little part of a soulmate in each of them.

-

The ride from the airport to the house was a little longer than we expected, and we had to stop for some gas and for a bathroom break. Vincenzo parked the car at a pump and Rafael was the first to jump out of the car because he needed to use the bathroom, I’m stepping outside the car when my phone rings. I take it out from my back pocket and see a No Caller ID.

Something happened to Beckett.

I’m quick to answer the phone but not notice where I’m stepping. “Hello? Wow-” I trip over trying to get out of the car, but Vincenzo is quick to catch me.

“Careful” he says as he wraps his arms around her waist, stabilizing me. I give him an awkward smile, and detangle myself from his grip, placing my phone to my ear. Vincenzo frowns at my action, but the phone call is a little more important to me right now.

“Beckett?” I breath out in a rush.

“Hey!” His chirpy voice makes my worries wash away. “What are you doing?” he asked, and I feel like I can breathe again.

“Nothing, what about you?” I tell him but my voice cracks a little at the end.

“You, okay? You sound agitated.” Beckett has always known when something was wrong, we were always so close, that sometimes we know the other one better than themselves.

“Your call just scared me… I thought something happened to you” I tell him in all honesty, he knows I worry about him, even though he rarely does anything dangerous.

“Oh! Sorry little sissy, I didn’t mean to scare you” he gives me a small chuckle and I laugh a little at my own worriedness. “I just had a gap from work and thought of calling our parents and then you.”

“You already talked to them?” It’s been a few weeks since I last called my parents, yeah, we text every now and then, but it’s not the same parental feeling as talking to them in person.

“They are fine, just missing their two blessings.” I kept talking to Beckett while looking around the gas station for some snacks. I felt Vincenzo’s presence near me not long after, which meant he had finished pumping gas.

“I got to go, Beckett, talk to you later” he said his goodbye and we hung up. I decided to go for a chocolate bar and turn around to see if Vincenzo hadn’t picked something for himself.

“You are not going to pick anything?”

“I’m not hungry” he gives me a shrug and I glare at him. I look around for something that he can eat when he speaks again. “I’m guessing Beckett is your brother? You never got around to telling me his name” Vincenzo asked from behind me, turning around I smile at him, nodding my head. “When are you going to introduce us?” he questions, and I choke on my own saliva.

“Sure, Joaquin, I will help you out with that!” I quickly rush out my words and walk over to Joaquin, who looks lost, since I called out to him out of nowhere. I hear from my back Vincenzo’s laughter and that only makes me weak on the knees. I truly love his laugh.

But thinking about it… sure maybe I want something more than just the physical with Vincenzo, but does he want that too? I need to be sure, before bringing the subject to Beckett. I wouldn’t want their first encounter to be a fistfight.