Honest

forty

Desiree

Concentration flees me. That boy. That man needs me. After three days, I decided, I was going to try. With him. If anyone can make me happy, it's him isn't it?

Besides he...he looked so sad, and hurt and alone and it shouldn't bother me.

It doesn't bother me.

I decide to surprise him. I go in to his office, and wait for him there. He's usually here, I don't know where else he'd be. I sit and wait, scrolling through my phone till he inevitably comes in.

He does, cutting the light on, stepping back at the sight of me.

"What are you doing here?" He asks shakily.

I smile. "I came to kiss you. Are you opposed?" I strut toward him, putting my hands on his chest.

His heart pounds wildly.

Biting my lip, I unbutton his shirt, ripping it off him.

"No! Don't look-I-" He sighs, holding my hand over the piece of fabric on his wrists.

He looks away. "You should go home desiree."

I narrow my eyes. "What's under this fabric? You didn't get a tattoo of my name, did you? That'd be weird."

He clenches his jaw. "We agreed that you'd stay away from me, and so...go."

He rips away from me. "Get out."

My eyes narrow in on that fabric.

"What is under that fabric, Vitale-"

"It doesn't matter," He shouts, "Just go!"

"Show me! Now!"

He makes no moves to. I shove him against the wall ripping the fabric before he can stop me.

The wind is knocked out of me. I look up at him, demanding an explanation silently.

"It's a...Mafia ritual. Like a tattoo." He shakes his head. "It doesn't matter. Just leave."

"Levi," I call, staring at him as he avoids my eyes.

"Yes Ms. Brown?"

"Is it a Vitale Family ritual to cut one's self repeatedly?"

He glares at Levi subtly.

"Y...Yes Ma'am."

"Really? Let me see yours."

"That's not necessary," Giuseppe intervenes hastily.

"Show me your f*****g wrists, Levi. Now."

Levi slowly shows his wrists to me front and back.

"That's what I thought. Why did you do this? I thought you would never lie to me."

"I thought we over," he shoots back. "Levi bring me a shirt." He sighs. "Anyway, you should go."

He takes the shirt from Levi's hand, tugging it on, not bothering to button it up.

"You-"

He puts his hands in his pockets, slowly walking away.

"It's nothing. It's fine. I'm fine." He makes an amused noise, turning around. "I'm just like you now. That's what you always say, isn't it?"

Yeah, and we both know, I always lie.