The unC.R.I.M.E

Chapter 4

After forcing my brother to take me shopping, Leonardo and I were currently sitting inside a lavish coffee shop where people who walked in were holding Gucci shopping bags and Birkin hand bags- my kind of environment.

"Ah," Leonardo moaned in pain as he tried to massage his feet as best as he could underneath the table, "you took me to over twenty stores," he complained as he looked at me in accusation and I shrugged.

"Whatever. Suck it up," I told him, "it's not like you didn't buy anything when we entered Bulgaria," I reminded my brother of his spontaneous spending. I didn't mind paying for his designer clothes, regardless of how expensive it was. I had the money for it and he was my absolute favourite, so spending on him felt normal and I would do it a million more times because he's my world.

"But did we have to spend a whole two hours in Versace?" he further complained and I laughed, watching the waitress set down my brother’s cup of tea and put down a mug of coffee for me, per my special request because I was freezing.

Russia was unforgiving.

"So big bro," I paused, taking a sip, "tell me how has life been in Russia?" I asked him, wanting to catch up.

"It's been alright," he answered me with a smile, his irritation with me long gone. "I enjoy staying here. The people are great, the clubs are fantastic and the women are beautiful."

I grinned and he groaned. "Here we go again," he complained before I even said a word because he knew just the kind of person that I was. 

"Speaking of women," I paused with a smirk, "is there any woman, or man, in your life? Because you know I don't judge."

"There is no woman in my life, Sabrina," he told me with a sigh as he sat back in his chair and I frowned.

"Why not, Leonardo? I hate to sound like mum, but you're getting older and you need to settle down. You're in your 40's."

"Firstly, I'm only 40. You make it sound like I'm 48 years old. Also, why is everyone so adamant in wanting me to settle down? What if I don't want to settle down?"

"We would very well respect that decision but we know the kind of person that you are Leonardo and you're the one always telling us how you can't wait to be a husband and a father. But how is that going to happen when you don't want to approach or be in any kind of relationship with women?" I know this happens because he's always so busy and ever since he had his heart broken a couple of years ago, he refuses to get back into the game by using silly little excuses. 

"My job keeps me really busy, Sabrina. I can't just do stuff anymore. Even when I go on dates, I get calls and I have to leave immediately and it's rude to do so. I don't really have much time alone and even when I do it's very, very short lived."

"Well you need to sit down and talk to your bosses about this because you can't do this to yourself. You barely sleep and look, the entire day you've been looking at your phone waiting for any phone call so you can leave to attend the emergency. "

"Well, there is someone actually..." Leonardo admitted after a few minutes of silence, "I call her Ivy for short because her name's difficult to pronounce."

I jumped in excitement, "show me a picture or describe her to me. How did you guys meet?"

He smiled and shook his head at me because he knows that I just love to hear all about the ladies in his life. He gave me an overdramatic pout and it was like how things were between him and I when I was in high school. I'd tell him about my silly little crushes and he'd tell me about the college girls he'd bang. 

"We met at a hotel. She was there for business and so was I. We met at a breakfast banquet and she and I really hit it off. We exchanged numbers and went on two dates and things were going really well."

"Were?"

"I haven't had time to set up another date with her because of how busy I am-"

"No, you will call her right now and set up a date for tonight-"

"But what if I get a phone call from my bo-"

"I'll take care of any emergencies. For crying out loud, you've become a slave. You call Ivy right now and ask her out so you can get some because judging from how moody you are, it's obvious you haven't gotten lucky in a long time."

"Hey!"

"What? You know I'm right. You used to tell me how many times a week you'd have s*x and it was close to three times a day every day."

"I'm 40 now, my body just doesn't work the same," he chuckled, "I was in college back then. I could drink and get laid and still make it to class in time. Now, one glass of whiskey and I'm paralyzed for a week in bed."

We both laughed, "the other day I slipped and fell and I had to get rushed to hospital because I was in so much pain," I told him and we both laughed.

"And you know what's the most suck-ish thing about getting older? If you fall now, you don't feel it, you literally only feel it the next day and you just lay there in pain and cry," he added.

"Oh man, I miss being young," I said with a sad smile as I looked at him and he nodded. "We're growing up so fast," I noted thinking about how I have brothers and sisters in their fifties and some only 3 or 6 years old.

"I really like Ivy," he paused, "I see myself with her. She's...she's wife material, if that makes sense. When I'm with her, everything feels so safe and sane. Everything makes sense with her. That's why I haven't made any kind of s****l advance yet. I don't want to connect sexually, and s*x isn't everything anymore. It was when I was 21 and 34, but now I just want someone I can sit down and watch the sunset with and she's that kind of girl."

"Please call her," I encouraged him as I slid his phone to him after I'd snatched it away because he kept looking at it and waiting for an emergency phone call, "tell her you're free right now and will come pick her up. I'll go home, in case there's any emergency. You, go be with Ivy."

~~~