TAMING ITALIAN BOSSES

Chapter 3

"That's... nice to know.." I replied. Seriously? That's all you could say?

"Well I'm sorry for holding your arm, but I'm very very drunk you see, so blame it on my drunk self. I'm going through a lot." I felt him help me sit down and I obliged.

"It's okay." He replied and I smiled at what I assumed was him since my vision was blurry right now.

"Good.. That's good. Oh by the way, what's your last name?" I asked him when I remembered what my friends asked me.

"Why do you want to know?" He asked me and I felt like he was frowning right now.

"No reason... Just asking. It's okay if you don't wanna tell me." I told him and closed my eyes, trying to steady my breathing. I heard someone chuckle beside me.

"She's the girl who bumped into you at that cafe, yes?" Someone asked him and he hummed in response.

"Are you talking about me?" I opened one eye to look at whoever just spoke but saw no one so I sighed.

"I already apologized for bumping into you, but I also promised you coffee as an apology... Forgive me for I have... sinned." I yawned, covering my mouth with my hand and I heard another chuckle.

"lei è carina" I heard the other man say and I frowned. (She's cute)

"Is that Italian? I've always wanted to learn it.."

"Zitto cazzo." I heard Nico say. (Shut the f**k up.)

"What're you two saying?" I whined and heard another chuckle.

"Nothing that concerns you. Where are your friends or your boyfriend?"

He asked me and I scowled.

"My boyfriend? He's probably f*****g someone right now, that cheater...

And one of my friends is dirty dancing with someone on the dance floor and the other is... " I sat up straight and looked around for Cole, and spotted him talking to someone on the phone.

"There he is!" I pointed towards Cole and got up.

"Well, thank you very much gentlemen for entertaining me but I 'll be going now.."I walked towards Cole slowly who stood up on seeing me and frowned.

"Nissi? Are you drunk already?" He asked me worried.

I smiled at him and flung my arms around his neck, holding him for support. "Yup." I said popping the 'p'.

"Can we go home now? I'm tired."I whined and he set me down on the couch and gave me a glass of water to drink.

"Here, drink this, Ill go get Abby."

He handed me the water and left in search of Abby.

"Good luck finding her." I whispered

to myself.

Cole was back in a few minutes and I stood up, having sobered up a bit by now. "Can we leave now?" I asked him and he helped me up.

"Yeah come on, Abby's in the car." I held him for support and we walked toward the staircase. We passed by Nico' booth and I waved towards him, while he looked at me with a frown.

We went down to our car where Abby was sitting in the back seat, texting someone on her phone. I sat in the front and Cole drove off. Poor guy. He had to babysit us.

I woke up to a blaring sound the next morning and reached for it on my bedside table. Turning off my alarm I squinted my eyes, trying to get used to the light of the phone.

I groaned when I saw the time. It was already 9:30 am and we had class at 11 am. I dragged myself to the bathroom and washed my face and staring at the bird's nest on my head, and went to combing my hair after brushing my teeth.

Walking out of my room, I clutched my head on hearing the sound of the blender whirring.

"What is that unholy noise!" I shouted and the blender came to a halt, and Cole peeked out from the kitchen.

"Oh Im sorry your highness, I was only making hangover smoothies for you two!" He pointed towards me and then Abby who was lying on her stomach on the floor in the living room.

I plopped down on the couch while Cole brought us our smoothies and medicine for the headaches.

"Thank you." I told him and he smirked, and I stuck my tongue out at him.

Quickly finishing my breakfast I went back to my room to change and found a cute turtleneck sweater and wore it with black pants, putting on a necklace and straightening my hair, I grabbed my bag and went out to see.Cole putting on his coat.

"Ready to go?" He asked me and I nodded. "Abby! We're leaving!" He called and Abby came running out of her room, struggling to wear her socks.

"Im here! I'm here!" She put on her shoes and I put on my black boots which had a slight heel and we all went to the car, and drove off towards college, which was a 10 minute ride from our place.

As soon as Cole parked the car, both Abby and I scrambled out and ran towards our departments.

I had a literature class late today, as it was usually at 9 or 10 in the morning.

I took a breath of relief when I saw the Professor wasn't here yet, and walked over to an empty seat, the Professor walking in shortly after.

The rest of the day dragged on slowly and I made my way to the cafeteria and saw Abby and Cole already sitting at our usual table. I took my lunch tray and sat with them, sighing loudly.

"Im never going clubbing again on a weekday." I glared at Abby who giggled.

"But it was fun, wasn't it?" She asked me and I rolled my eyes.

"No. I feel like shit." I told her and she chuckled.

"What about me? I had to practically drag your drunk asses out of there." Cole complained and we both apologized to him.

"Who was the guy you were talking to Nissi?" Abby suddenly me asked me and I looked at her with a confused expression.

"Who?"

"I saw you talking to a guy before you went to the bar, then talking to the Same guy near our booth. Who was he?" She looked at me expectantly and even Cole put his phone down to listen in.

"Oh... He was the same guy I bumped into the cafe the day before, remember?" I told them and Abby's eyes went wide.

"What? Really?" She squealed. "The same handsome guy?"

"Yeah the same guy." I answered, twirling the spaghetti around my fork.

"Wow. This must be fate." Cole told me in a sing song voice and Abby agreed with him.

"It's not fate, it was a mere coincidence guys. No big deal. Chill."

I told them and continued eating my

"Oh... He was the same guy I bumped into the cafe the day before, remember?" I told them and Abby's eyes went wide.

"What? Really?" She squealed. "The same handsome guy?"

"Yeah the same guy." I answered, twirling the spaghetti around my fork.

"Wow. This must be fate." Cole told me in a sing song voice and Abby agreed with him.

"It's not fate, it was a mere coincidence guys. No big deal. Chill."

I told them and continued eating my lunch and they did too, often bringing up the same guy and I would shut them out every time.

Ugh. This isn't gonna be easy.

"Have you decided yet?" Cole asked from beside me, while Mark handed him his snacks.

"Yeaaah... No." I told him and smiled, while he frowned. "Just go sit I'll be there in a while." I told him and he went to our usual spot where Abby waited impatiently for her food.

I bent a bit to look at the new pastries that just came in when I felt someone come behind me. A shadow loomed Over me and the same intoxicating scent enveloped me, and I smiled to myself faintly. He's here.

I turned around and saw him, Nico, standing and looking at me with a cold look in his eyes. He wore a white dress shirt and wasn't wearing a coat today, both his hands in his pockets.

"Hi." I squeaked and he raised his eyebrow at me.

"Oh right, sorry." I moved away to make space for him but he didn't move, instead looked at me with curiosity.

"I believe you owe me a coffee." Was all he said and I smiled.

"Of course. What would you like?" I asked him and he looked over at Mark who looked at Nico suspiciously.

"Coffee. Black." He then looked at me and I figured he must want me to order.

"Right. um.. Ill have the cappuccino and... the vanilla cupcake." I told Mark who now smiled at me, before throwing a concerned look at Nico and handing me our coffees.

I payed Mark and handed Nico his coffee.

"Here..." I held out his coffee and he looked at my hand before reaching out and holding the cup in his hand, his hand grazing mine and sending pulses of electricity through me.

I took my own snacks and looked at Nico expectantly.

"Would you um... would you like to sit with me, perhaps?" I asked him hopefully and he nodded, leading the way towards an empty booth and sitting down on it.

I went towards him and sat across him, texting my friends I'd join them in a while. We drank in silence and I quietly ate my cupcake.

"Nissi, is it?" He suddenly spoke and I looked up at him and smiled, nodding my head. "What do you do?"

"Well, Im in my last year in college. I'm studying English literature there, and psychology as an extra subject." I told him and he nodded.

"Where do you study?" He asked me again.

"Callington." I answered him. "What do you do for a living?"

"You tell me. You're a psychology student aren't you?" He told me and I gave him a small smile.

"Alright then. By the looks of it, you must be a businessman, considering your outfit is formal every time I've seen you... But you're not an ordinary businessman." "Oh?" He c****d his head to the side.

"Ýou're clearly someone important bybthe looks of the watch on your wrist and the ring on your middle finger, itnhas a signet on it, so you're probably from an influential or rich family.

Then you also have one of those VIP black and gold bank cards, and Ive only seen influential people have them..."I looked at him and saw him looking at me with a curious glint in his eye, so I continued.

"You seem intimidating so you could be someone dangerous and by the looks of the people in suits standing outside this cafe, I presume you have many enemies. And I can see people whispering around us in the cafe, and its not me, so it must be you. So the big question is; who are you?" I raised my eyebrows at him questioningly and he smirked.

"Well done." He looked at me with praise and I blushed.

"Wait, I was right?" I asked him in disbelief.

"Yes. Mostly." He said and looked at me intently.

"Tell me more about yourself." He told me and I blushed a bit.

"Me? Why?" I asked him.

"No reason. Just trying to make small talk." He answered looking at something outside and nodding to one of his men, then he looked back at me.

"Oh, okay, well... you already know my name and where I study. What do you want to know?" I asked him biting my lip. He glanced at my lip then back at me and cleared his throat.

"Anything. Hobbies. Family."

"Oh.. I like to read books. And listen to music, sometimes sing too.."

"You can sing?" He asked me and I smiled at him.

"Yeah... I love singing."

"Are you any good?" He asked. I shrugged my shoulders and drank my cappuccino.

"What do you do in your free time?" I asked him hopefully. "Shoot." He answered simply and my eyes widened.

"Shoot? As in, with guns?" I asked him and he looked at me with amusement in his eyes.

"Yes."

"Oh. anything else?" I asked and he seemed to think before answering.

"I train.. fight.." He looked at me to see my expressions change to awe.

"Wow. That's cool." I told him and took a bite of my cupcake.

"Are you from around here?" I asked him and he shook his head.

"Im Italian. Moved here a few years ago." He told me and I nodded my head, when my phone chimed with a message, and I opened it to see Cole had messaged me in our group chat.

"Yo Nissi, why did you ditch us for a handsome guy?"