GIOVANNI I wasn't at all surprised when Adrian's demeanor turned cold immediately that night, upon mentioned of him returning to school.I had read his profile so many times that I knew he didn't have a college degree. I couldn't help but wonder why, especially since his brother was nearing graduation and seemed to be doing well.I knew Adrian wanted to say something to me, but he forced out a smile and said he'd think about it. I was tempted to press for an explanation about why he dropped out of college, especially since financial struggles seemed unlikely given his father's wealth. However, I decided to hold back. If he felt comfortable enough to share his struggles with his family regarding his sexuality, I trusted that he'd eventually open up about why he left college when he was ready.I wanted to be someone he could always turn to. Someone he could trust and rely on. I don't want to be like his family who made him think less of himself.It had been three days since we had tha
ADRIAN I fucking owned a bike now, and it was my dream bike.The last time I had a bike to myself was years ago, back in 7th grade when I was still in middle school.I had come first in my class that year, beating Aston for the first time. For the first time in forever, Dad was so proud of me. He got me a bike as a reward, something he later took away from me when my grades slightly dropped in 8th grade.I wasn't able to get my bike back, and it took me over three years to get over the hurt and pain of losing my first-ever gift from Dad.But now, no one is going to take this new bike away from me. Giovanni told me it was a gift from him to me, and he would never take it back.Harley!My fucking Harley!My heart almost jumped out of my chest when Giovanni took me to the garage this morning and showed me the bike. At first, I thought he was joking when he said it was mine. I only believed it was real when he asked me to sign the receiptFucking hell!I was still on cloud nine about own
GIOVANNI Adrian had disappeared into the building, and it had been over twenty minutes since he went in, but he still hadn't come out.Standing here in the cold, with the scent of animals and fur wafting from the vet hospital, was making me feel sick. I wished I could go in there and drag him out, but I couldn't. Can't get close to those whining pets.I would never understand humans' obsession with animals. I mean, we have enough animals amongst us humans already, why need another one?"Fucking dammit!" I grumbled, leaning slightly against the bike. I needed to do something to distract myself from my surroundings. So I pulled out my phone from my pocket, dialing Dominic.He picked up on the first ring and I wondered if he had been wanting to call me as well."Did you schedule a meeting with Price Russell?" I asked, my hand clenched tightly inside my coat pocket as I exhaled deeply.I fucking need a smoke.One wasn't enough.The line went dead for just two seconds before Dominic grum
ADRIAN Working at Great Fisher had never felt so gloomy. Having already informed my boss of my decision to quit, today being my last day made every task feel surreal. It was strange to go about my duties as if it weren't my final day here.Noah had been acting weird since my shift started. He wouldn't talk to me, and he wouldn't even look me in the eye. He was straight-up avoiding me.I hadn't even told him yet, and I wondered what was making him act like that. My shift flew by in a blur, and before I knew it, it was already time for me to leave.I disappeared into the backroom, packing my bag, when someone walked in, slamming the door shut behind them.It was as if they were trying to announce their presence."You're really gonna quit?" Noah half-yelled, and I felt my body shudder a little at how annoyed he sounded.So this is what it's all about? "H–how did you know?" I asked, swallowing down a ball of lump as Noah walked over to me.He plugged into the empty beside me on the ben
ADRIAN "Where the hell are you?" I half-yelled into the phone, casting a nervous glance over my shoulder to make sure the guys weren't eavesdropping.I would absolutely hate myself if T-Jay should found out I was here talking about him behind his back with Marcelo."At the office." Marcelo grumbled tiredly, there was a sickening sound in the background. "I'm fucking busy."The sound of metal hitting something solid, like a wall or floor, echoed again, followed by a muffled groan.What the fuck was that sound?It was as if he was at a butcher shop."That means you're not coming here." I asked, deciding to let go of the weird thoughts that were running through my mind.It wouldn't do me any good to know if Marcelo was really at a butcher shop, butchering a human instead of beef.Fuck!This whole thing was messed up."I will be there. Soon. Not now." Marcelo grumbled again, he was sounding a little bit irritated now, instead of sounding tired like before."You're a bastard, Marcelo!" I
ADRIAN "Here you go ma'am." I smiled warmly, tried not to wince as I handed the customer her order of green god smoothie with some wellness boosts to go with it.Good stuff."You are such a sweet young man." The woman, who was probably in her late sixties, smiled back at me, giving my hand a light pat as she retrieved her order.Right? You can never find another sweet smoothie maker like me.Being sweet was part of the ingredients. The main ingredient even."Thanks for sipping with us! Have a berry smoothie day!" I smiled, waving at her as she exited the shop.Immediately the old woman was out of the shop, I turned around, crossing my arms as I glared at Grace who had been cleaning the same blender for the past forty minutes."Now, what?" I demanded, shooting Tobi a deadly glare when he wouldn't stop poking a hole in the poor orange. "For the love of God, you guys, please stop being weird.""Tell me you're a traitor without actually saying it." Tobi hissed, tossing the orange into th
ADRIAN It had never occurred to me that I would one day feel the sorrow of losing someone I barely knew this deeply.Leah, I believed that was her name, was really a nice woman. She was one of the kind hearted people I had ever seen.Sometimes I found myself wondering what made me love her donuts so much. Was it because of how great they tasted, or because the treats were made by someone as special as Madam Leah?I wished she was still here, alive, so I could appreciate her for everything. The reason I always looked forward to the end of my shifts at the Queen's was her delicious donuts. It was beyond doubt that I was going to miss such a beautiful soul."Your mom," I smiled, packing up some utensils and passed them to Gabe who retrieved them from my hands without a word. "She was a nice woman."Gabe shrugged, still wouldn't say anything as we box the rest of the stuff inside the shop.He was grieving, I knew. That's why I stayed behind, helping him in any way I could, so he wouldn't
ADRIAN The sound of my phone vibrating against my thigh jolted me awake. A heavy weight across my chest and waist made it difficult to turn over.I had no idea where I was, surrounded by an inky darkness. The only light came from the faint glow of my phone screen, still clutched in my pants pocket, but it was barely enough to illuminate my surroundings.I had little to no idea where I was, but when someone grumbled behind me and the weight on my body shifted, I suddenly realized my location."Oh no, the donut shop! I'm still at the donut shop... with Gabe!" I gasped, slapping a hand over my mouth to stifle my voice and avoid waking Gabe.I didn't really meant to sleep here. I only stayed back a little when he asked me to. All my plans were to wait for him to calm down, and then go home."Giovanni is going to kill me." I muttered, cold sweats rolled down my face as I gently shoved Gabe off me, standing up from the floor and pulled out my phone.My heart practically stopped beating whe
ADRIAN The sound of my phone vibrating against my thigh jolted me awake. A heavy weight across my chest and waist made it difficult to turn over.I had no idea where I was, surrounded by an inky darkness. The only light came from the faint glow of my phone screen, still clutched in my pants pocket, but it was barely enough to illuminate my surroundings.I had little to no idea where I was, but when someone grumbled behind me and the weight on my body shifted, I suddenly realized my location."Oh no, the donut shop! I'm still at the donut shop... with Gabe!" I gasped, slapping a hand over my mouth to stifle my voice and avoid waking Gabe.I didn't really meant to sleep here. I only stayed back a little when he asked me to. All my plans were to wait for him to calm down, and then go home."Giovanni is going to kill me." I muttered, cold sweats rolled down my face as I gently shoved Gabe off me, standing up from the floor and pulled out my phone.My heart practically stopped beating whe
ADRIAN It had never occurred to me that I would one day feel the sorrow of losing someone I barely knew this deeply.Leah, I believed that was her name, was really a nice woman. She was one of the kind hearted people I had ever seen.Sometimes I found myself wondering what made me love her donuts so much. Was it because of how great they tasted, or because the treats were made by someone as special as Madam Leah?I wished she was still here, alive, so I could appreciate her for everything. The reason I always looked forward to the end of my shifts at the Queen's was her delicious donuts. It was beyond doubt that I was going to miss such a beautiful soul."Your mom," I smiled, packing up some utensils and passed them to Gabe who retrieved them from my hands without a word. "She was a nice woman."Gabe shrugged, still wouldn't say anything as we box the rest of the stuff inside the shop.He was grieving, I knew. That's why I stayed behind, helping him in any way I could, so he wouldn't
ADRIAN "Here you go ma'am." I smiled warmly, tried not to wince as I handed the customer her order of green god smoothie with some wellness boosts to go with it.Good stuff."You are such a sweet young man." The woman, who was probably in her late sixties, smiled back at me, giving my hand a light pat as she retrieved her order.Right? You can never find another sweet smoothie maker like me.Being sweet was part of the ingredients. The main ingredient even."Thanks for sipping with us! Have a berry smoothie day!" I smiled, waving at her as she exited the shop.Immediately the old woman was out of the shop, I turned around, crossing my arms as I glared at Grace who had been cleaning the same blender for the past forty minutes."Now, what?" I demanded, shooting Tobi a deadly glare when he wouldn't stop poking a hole in the poor orange. "For the love of God, you guys, please stop being weird.""Tell me you're a traitor without actually saying it." Tobi hissed, tossing the orange into th
ADRIAN "Where the hell are you?" I half-yelled into the phone, casting a nervous glance over my shoulder to make sure the guys weren't eavesdropping.I would absolutely hate myself if T-Jay should found out I was here talking about him behind his back with Marcelo."At the office." Marcelo grumbled tiredly, there was a sickening sound in the background. "I'm fucking busy."The sound of metal hitting something solid, like a wall or floor, echoed again, followed by a muffled groan.What the fuck was that sound?It was as if he was at a butcher shop."That means you're not coming here." I asked, deciding to let go of the weird thoughts that were running through my mind.It wouldn't do me any good to know if Marcelo was really at a butcher shop, butchering a human instead of beef.Fuck!This whole thing was messed up."I will be there. Soon. Not now." Marcelo grumbled again, he was sounding a little bit irritated now, instead of sounding tired like before."You're a bastard, Marcelo!" I
ADRIAN Working at Great Fisher had never felt so gloomy. Having already informed my boss of my decision to quit, today being my last day made every task feel surreal. It was strange to go about my duties as if it weren't my final day here.Noah had been acting weird since my shift started. He wouldn't talk to me, and he wouldn't even look me in the eye. He was straight-up avoiding me.I hadn't even told him yet, and I wondered what was making him act like that. My shift flew by in a blur, and before I knew it, it was already time for me to leave.I disappeared into the backroom, packing my bag, when someone walked in, slamming the door shut behind them.It was as if they were trying to announce their presence."You're really gonna quit?" Noah half-yelled, and I felt my body shudder a little at how annoyed he sounded.So this is what it's all about? "H–how did you know?" I asked, swallowing down a ball of lump as Noah walked over to me.He plugged into the empty beside me on the ben
GIOVANNI Adrian had disappeared into the building, and it had been over twenty minutes since he went in, but he still hadn't come out.Standing here in the cold, with the scent of animals and fur wafting from the vet hospital, was making me feel sick. I wished I could go in there and drag him out, but I couldn't. Can't get close to those whining pets.I would never understand humans' obsession with animals. I mean, we have enough animals amongst us humans already, why need another one?"Fucking dammit!" I grumbled, leaning slightly against the bike. I needed to do something to distract myself from my surroundings. So I pulled out my phone from my pocket, dialing Dominic.He picked up on the first ring and I wondered if he had been wanting to call me as well."Did you schedule a meeting with Price Russell?" I asked, my hand clenched tightly inside my coat pocket as I exhaled deeply.I fucking need a smoke.One wasn't enough.The line went dead for just two seconds before Dominic grum
ADRIAN I fucking owned a bike now, and it was my dream bike.The last time I had a bike to myself was years ago, back in 7th grade when I was still in middle school.I had come first in my class that year, beating Aston for the first time. For the first time in forever, Dad was so proud of me. He got me a bike as a reward, something he later took away from me when my grades slightly dropped in 8th grade.I wasn't able to get my bike back, and it took me over three years to get over the hurt and pain of losing my first-ever gift from Dad.But now, no one is going to take this new bike away from me. Giovanni told me it was a gift from him to me, and he would never take it back.Harley!My fucking Harley!My heart almost jumped out of my chest when Giovanni took me to the garage this morning and showed me the bike. At first, I thought he was joking when he said it was mine. I only believed it was real when he asked me to sign the receiptFucking hell!I was still on cloud nine about own
GIOVANNI I wasn't at all surprised when Adrian's demeanor turned cold immediately that night, upon mentioned of him returning to school.I had read his profile so many times that I knew he didn't have a college degree. I couldn't help but wonder why, especially since his brother was nearing graduation and seemed to be doing well.I knew Adrian wanted to say something to me, but he forced out a smile and said he'd think about it. I was tempted to press for an explanation about why he dropped out of college, especially since financial struggles seemed unlikely given his father's wealth. However, I decided to hold back. If he felt comfortable enough to share his struggles with his family regarding his sexuality, I trusted that he'd eventually open up about why he left college when he was ready.I wanted to be someone he could always turn to. Someone he could trust and rely on. I don't want to be like his family who made him think less of himself.It had been three days since we had tha
ADRIAN When I asked Giovanni to tell me more about himself, I never really expected his story to be so heart-wrenching.I had always thought being a mobster was the life he chose, but I never really considered that he had no say in the person he wanted to become. His future had been decided from the day he was born into the family. He wasn't born for himself, but was born and raised for the organisation.All the bad things he said the organisation made him do at a young age were the most depressing. How could anyone starve and beat up a twelve-year-old boy just because he refused to torture an innocent person?Giovanni told me how he was forced to watch people die in the underground torture room where he was held for a year. In an attempt to break him and mold him into one of them, he was ordered to torture people, effectively stripping him of his innocence. Each time he refused, people were killed, and he was forced to witness their gruesome deaths.I knew he wasn't a good person; G