"Well, maybe you should give it another shot." She said before leaning forward and pecking me on the cheek. "Now get out of the car, we're already wasting valuable time, remember?"After opening the door, I hopped out of the car and made my way to the shop. A couple of minutes after entering the shop, I noticed Aunt Rachel sitting near the cashier counter reading a magazine whilst sipping on her coffee. I quickly ran up to her and smiled sheepishly as I greeted her."Good afternoon!" I said cheerfully."Hello dearie." She replied in return. "How was your day?""It was alright, how about yours?"Aunt Rachel set her magazine down on the counter and reached up to ruffle my hair. "It was okay. It was the same as always, really, nothing exciting happened."I rolled my eyes as I grabbed an empty stool and sat down next to her."Did you manage to find anything for today?" I inquired.She nodded slowly. "I did. Although I had to go shopping again." She said in an annoyed tone.I laughed lig
I swallowed thickly and stared at the wall in front of me. After a moment, I shook my head again."I don't want to burden you.." I said quietly, avoiding her gaze."Oh, honey, you won't. I love being here for you. Besides, I never minded dealing with problems that involved you."I looked at her briefly then, and my expression softened at the sight of her reassuring smile. After a few moments of silence, I eventually gathered enough courage to speak. I knew I couldn't avoid it forever, but I also knew it was better for me to just spit it out and get over with it."...I'm sorry for keeping everything a secret from you, Aunt Rachel." I murmured quietly. "I was scared that you wouldn't approve.""Don't worry about that sweetheart." She insisted. "Just tell me what's bothering you."I hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and finally meeting her gaze."I haven't been honest about things with you, Aunt Rachel."Her brows furrowed as she listened intently."My father was murder
"They looked nice."Aunt Rachel smiled warmly at me. "Yes, they did. And that' s probably because they're together in heaven now."I bit my lip anxiously and averted my gaze, unsure if I believed that. I pushed the photo of the couple to the side and continued to eat my breakfast. I was grateful when Aunt Rachel left shortly after, but I knew there was no doubt in my mind that she would bring back some flowers tomorrow and leave them on my bedside table.I decided it would be best for everyone if I didn't talk to Aunt Nona anymore. I hadn't realized how close we had become. She was so kind and understanding of my feelings, but I knew that if I continued talking about it, she'd find out everything. She had enough to deal with, and I didn't want to drag her down.After breakfast I went outside to play in the snow for a short while before returning inside. Aunt Nona came through the backdoor while I was playing on the floor."Hello Sweetheart," she greeted, smiling. "Are you alright?"
"Sweetie?" Aunt Rachel rushed forward and gently grabbed my shoulders as she stared at me worriedly. "Hey, Sweetie, are you alright?"I couldn't breathe. I couldn't speak. All I could do was sit there and stare straight ahead blankly, tears slowly running down my face as I tried to catch my breath."Sweetie?"The name slipped past my lips like a whisper as my body continued to shiver uncontrollably. I wanted so badly to cry out in agony, but nothing came out of my mouth. No words or cries escaped me. Instead I continued to stare forward blankly, my hands clutching desperately at my chest. I felt my aunt shake me slightly as she whispered words of reassurance to me.I looked at her sadly, watching as her face contorted in anger as she held back her tears. I couldn't remember the last time I saw her crying. She always seemed so composed. Now she was shaking violently and her hands were firmly pressed against her eyes to try and stop herself from crying. I wanted to comfort her, but I
I hopped out of the car and followed my aunt inside. We bought two boxes of cereal from the nearest aisle then continued to the cashier at the front. We sat on the counter while we waited for our money to be scanned. When our groceries were paid for, we thanked the cashier and returned to the car.We drove down the road again in silence."Where are we going?" I finally questioned."There's someone I need to meet first before we leave," replied Aunt Rachel calmly.I frowned slightly as she put the car into gear and continued to drive. We drove past several different shops before eventually making a way on the street we lived on. Once again, Aunt Rachel turned onto another road, this one heading further out in the city. We kept driving, taking turns occasionally turning onto side roads. Every couple of minutes, we would pass a restaurant or grocery store.After what seemed like hours, we finally reached a small cottage situated beside the main street."This is where I live," Aunt Rac
"Where are you planning on moving to?" I asked Aunt Nona as I buckled my seatbelt."Probably back into my old apartment again. I'm getting tired of living with these new people. They're all nice enough, but I can't help but feel that they don't really care about me anymore. I think they all secretly hate me. You should probably move out too," Aunt Rachel suggested. "It won't take much effort to find an apartment for you; you could easily sell your furniture and pay the rent."The words hurt my heart. I hated to admit it, but my aunt was right. Moving out sounded appealing, but I didn't want to be alone. Although I'd never experienced the feeling myself, I knew that it wasn't very pleasant. Aunt Rachel must have sensed my discomfort because she reached over and squeezed my hand lightly."Don't worry. I'll come with you if you want me to."I smiled gratefully and leaned over the console, wrapping my arms around her."Thank you for coming today.""Of course, kiddo," she replied.The tw
For several minutes, I just stood there frozen in place as I contemplated on whether or not I should actually do what I was going to do. Before I finally gathered enough courage to push the door open, my phone started ringing. It was the ringtone that Aunt Rachel had programmed into my cell. I glanced over my shoulder briefly before reaching into my pocket and pulling it out. Once I realized that no one was looking at me, I quickly pressed ignore. I couldn't bring myself to answer any of my friends or family members who called.Taking a deep breath, I lifted the door handle. When I pushed it open, it gave way instantly causing me to stumble forward. The noise caused everyone inside to stare at me, but they quickly returned to their activities. A couple of minutes passed without me doing anything before someone came toward me."Are you alright?" asked a young woman with dark curly hair and big brown eyes.When I looked up from the ground to look at her, she gasped and backed away in
"Honestly, I haven't been able to find my own way through Greece yet. Apparently, this city is just a maze to me," he explained. "I spent most of the day chasing after some stupid guy. It was very tiring.""You're such an idiot," I laughed."I know, but somehow he managed to lose me every single time we met up," he sighed dramatically. "He was pretty good at hiding, but I still managed to catch up to him once again. It was kind of embarrassing to admit it, but he was really good at dodging my attacks. He ended up running off so fast that when he tried to attack me again, he ran straight into one of the buildings instead." "Now I'm stuck trying to figure out how to get back. I'm beginning to think that I'm losing my powers due to all the running around."I chuckled lightly."But hey, you didn't actually run into the building. Just ran straight into it. That isn't exactly a problem either. Just try not to break anything in the process.""Thanks," he said with a laugh. "Now, what did
"Here it is." She said giving him the jacket.Riccardo puts it on and turns around to face her."Thanks."She smiled sweetly at him."Where do you want me to carry you?" She asked."You can carry me over your shoulder." Riccardo said.Alessia roll her eyes."You know, I'M NOT THAT BABY. YOU CAN DO IT WITH YOUR OWN TWO HANDS AND DON'T ASK ME TO PUT MY BACK ON YOU OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT."Riccardo looks surprised at how fast she reacted after what he said."Alright, whatever you say." He chuckled.And so Alessia carried him over her shoulders.As they were going towards the elevator Riccardo spoke."So, are you going back to work tomorrow?" He asks."I think so. My boss told me that she wanted me to come back to work as early as possible." She answered."That means I'll be able to spend more time with you, won't it?" He asked."Yeah, probably, but don't expect me to kiss you every time that you come home." Alessia joked.Riccardo laughs at her comment."Ok." He says "Well, I guess we sh
The next morning, Alessia woke up early. After getting ready quickly she went downstairs to see Riccardo waiting for her."Morning, baby girl," he greets her and give her a peck on the cheek."Morning, Riccardo." She replied as she sits on the table."Let's have breakfast together, I made you breakfast earlier." He said.She gave him a small smile."Thank you."After eating their breakfast, they decided to walk through the city. They walked hand in hand. It felt natural for them. When they reach near the park, they decided to sit on one of the benches."Have you been planning this for long?" Asked Alessia."Yeah, since last month. Why?""Nothing."Alessia leans her head against his shoulder. As they continue walking, Alessia couldn't hold it anymore."Do you really want to adopt my babies?" She asks."Of course I do." He answers without any hesitation."But I mean, why did you choose us?" Riccardo sigh."Honestly, I don't know. It's all I dream about for years." He paused. "When I wa
"That's a very valid question. And I don't blame you at all for missing me, Alessia. But don't feel guilty, okay? I would never be mad at you or upset if you ever thought about coming back to me. In fact, if you do decide to return, we'll talk more about this situation, alright?" She requested with a small smile.As soon as I heard the words we will talk being said aloud, I felt slightly relieved. However, it only lasted for a short amount of time because I immediately thought about what Ezra had said to me the night before. He had asked me to wait until tomorrow to give myself a chance to talk about the things that troubled me, so now, I was starting to wonder whether my decision to wait was a good idea. I decided I needed to ask her about it."Actually, I need to ask you something...about yesterday afternoon," I said nervously."What is it?" she asked curiously."I don't know how to word it exactly...but I have these weird feelings...and I'm beginning to think that maybe I should r
"This was a really fun game, Alessia. I think I'm going to enjoy playing it more often," she mentioned, smiling genuinely."Me too. And I'm glad you enjoyed yourself today. I missed you playing poker," I admitted."And I missed you too, Alessia. Thank you for everything you did. We wouldn't have survived without you," she said sincerely.Just then, someone knocked on the door and announced Ezra's arrival. A moment later, he entered the room with an excited smile plastered across his face."Sorry I'm late. I got caught up on a case and had to do overtime," he apologized."It's alright. You were lucky that it was only one extra hour," she commented.I gave Ezra a quick hug, while everyone else congratulated him on finally arriving back."Wow, you smell great!" I commented, noticing how fresh his hair smelled."Thanks. That means a lot to me," he said happily.We all then headed out of the house, saying our farewells. As we reached their car, I noticed the car seats had been removed and
We both got up and made our way down the hallway to the kitchen. There, I saw our family eating together. They all looked quite happy and excited. My heart filled with happiness upon seeing everyone looking so content. It was truly a perfect family.As soon as I arrived downstairs, I spotted them sitting together at one of the stools at the kitchen counter. I walked over to them and took a seat beside her."Hey," I greeted."Hey," Ezra responded."I'm sorry for waking you," I apologies."Oh, it's not a problem. I didn't mind getting up early anyway," She stated cheerfully, waving her hand dismissively.I chuckled softly to myself and turned my attention towards my mum who was busy cooking breakfast."Mum, please don't cook too much. I might not be able to handle it after all," I pleaded.She chuckled."There's plenty more where that came from," she reassured me."Thank God," I whispered in relief.Alessia suddenly jumped up from her seat and ran out of the room, running past me and a
Without saying another word, I followed him into the bedroom, closing the door behind me as I did so. I laid down on the bed and he crawled onto the mattress and pressed a kiss against my forehead. I immediately melted into his embrace. My eyelids started to droop tiredly. Dan chuckled and kissed my temple."Go to sleep, Alessia," he ordered softly.I hummed contently and closed my eyes, relaxing into his touch. Soon enough, my breathing slowed and deepened until it eventually stopped altogether. Ezra smiled to himself as he looked down at me, admiring my peaceful expression. I was sleeping soundly in his arms. The events of yesterday were finally catching up with me and I could barely keep myself from falling asleep. The exhaustion was setting in and I could barely keep my eyes open. I sighed softly as Ezra rubbed circles against my hip soothingly.He leaned forward and rested his chin atop my head, gently brushing away the strands of my loose hair and placing a gentle kiss on th
"Okay, love, I get it. Let's not talk too much and just get ready for breakfast. Then we should probably hurry up and eat before everyone arrives," he said playfully.I nodded and smiled.I felt so loved by Ezra. He gave me more joy than anything else in this world. Even though I'd never admit it out loud, he was definitely the most important person to me in this world. Every time I thought about losing him, my heart broke and I felt so empty. All I wanted to do was hug him tightly and tell him how much I loved him. I had never had anyone give me unconditional love Ever.I had never experienced that type of warmth. I was used to people only caring about the fame I brought them. It scared me to think that someone would ever care about me. And that they would love me unconditionally.I shook my head to clear my thoughts and glanced up at Ezra nervously. There was no way I would be able to hide the emotion in my eyes if I dared to speak. The words seemed stuck somewhere in my throat."
"Marry me," he muttered between heavy breaths."Huh? Why?" I questioned, staring up at him in confusion."Because...because I want you to marry me," he repeated.I gasped quietly in shock, unable to speak a word. Dan's dark eyes were filled with determination as he stared at me intently.ToYah, yah, yes! Of course, I'll marry you!" I blurted out hurriedly.I immediately slapped a hand over my mouth. My voice had come out so loud and I could tell that Ezra had definitely heard me. I bit my lip anxiously and glanced over at him nervously. But surprisingly, he didn't react at all he merely chuckled softly and kissed me tenderly on the lips."Good girl," he murmured softly. "Now come here," he added.I reluctantly crawled towards him. Once I was close enough, he pulled me into a tight embrace and hugged me tightly."Are you okay?" he asked worriedly."Yeah, I'm alright," I assured him.I couldn't believe I had just proposed to Ezra. Sure, I'd always known that it would eventually happen,
"I love you so much," he whispered in my ear before pressing his lips against mine.I felt my cheeks flush brightly again and I closed my eyes in anticipation. As soon as our lips connected, I felt my senses begin to dull and my body relax. All of my worries and problems melted away, leaving nothing but bliss behind them. Nothing mattered except for Ezra."I love you too," I replied softly.After a moment, I pulled away, breaking apart our kiss. I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly."So...are we going back to watching TV now?" I asked hopefully.He chuckled softly."We can continue watching whatever you want," he replied. "However, are you sure that you're alright?" he questioned.A part of me wanted to lie and say everything was fine, but I knew that I couldn't do it. I couldn't hide the truth from Ezra. Besides, he probably already suspected something, judging by the look in his eyes. So, I decided to answer honestly instead."Honestly? No. Not really. I' m just tired," I admit