Capone freezes, the slice of pizza halfway to his mouth as he stares at her. “I don’t think we can be friends,” he whispers, making Citi throw her head back and laugh.
I lean back and watch her, wondering if I’ve ever seen a more beautiful woman in my life. I know that sounds ridiculous because there is, in fact, another woman who looks exactly like her, but there is something about Citi that steals my breath and fucks with my head in all the best possible ways.
“I take it back. Pizza is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”
Capone’s eyes twinkle. He opens his mouth to say something, but I kick him under the table.
“No.”
He sighs but shuts up.
Once we’re all done, I offer to clean up with Star as my glamorous assistant so Capone and Citi can begin studying. When the table is clear, they set up their seats, with Capone sitting opposite Citi to avoid crowding her.
I keep my eye on her, but apart from looking like she’s been thrown in at the deep end, she doesn’t look afraid. Once the kitchen is clean, I ask Star if she wants to watch a movie with me. After we get the okay from Citi, I sit on the sofa and pull up Disney, asking Star what she wants to watch. When she bites her lip, looking a little overwhelmed, I tug the throw from the back of the sofa and tuck it around her.
“How about we watch one of my favorites for now?”
She nods, so I pull upWall-E, feeling a pang of nostalgia. This was always one of my sister’s favorites too. I lean back and hit play, and we settle in. The movie plays for about ten minutes when she crawls across the sofa to me and snuggles under my arm. I swallow, tugging her closer, before wrapping the blanket over us. Seems Star has inherited her mother’s superpower of turning me into mush.
Comfortable and content for the first time in weeks, I drift off, coming to with a start when I feel Star move.
“Capone is gone. I’m just going to put Star to bed,” Citi whispers as she picks her up and carries her upstairs. I sit up and stretch, trying to remember the last time I slept so well.
I flick the television remote until I find a talk show, for background noise, and wait for Citi. I turn when I hear her approach. I nearly swallow my tongue when I find her standing behind me, biting her lip, wearing nothing but my hoodie.
Chapter Thirteen
CITI
It’s official.I hate science, and there’s a good chance I’ll hate math too. At one point, I wanted to pick up the laptop Capone brought for me and thump him over the head with it. I refrained, of course, but only just.
Once we were done for the day, I could have cried tears of joy. And then when we went to see what Star and Ambros were up to, I nearly cried for a whole different reason. Seeing them curled up together did painful things to my already battered heart. I didn’t realize I was rubbing my chest until Capone gently tugged my hand free.
“He’s a good guy, Citi, and he clearly thinks the world of you and Star. But he has his own wounds, which have barely begun to heal.”
“Are you warning me away?”
“No, the opposite actually. He’s bound to fuck up, have moments when he gets caught up in the past, and maybe isn’t as careful with you as he should be—and I’m not talking about physically,” he rushes to say.
“It’s not his job to pander to me, Capone.”
“It is. You don’t realize it yet, but you deserve someone who will make you their whole world and treat you like a treasure others covet. He knows this. I know this. Harry, the homeless guy from down the road, knows this. My worry is that if he’s still dealing with losing his sister, missing the job he once loved, and dealing with the stress at the gym, he might decide you’re better off without him. My advice is to hold on tighter, because he deserves you as much as you deserve him.”
I look up at Capone and swallow. “Are all of you like this?”
“What, nosy?”
“Sweet. Kind. Supportive.”
He looks around before stepping closer. I manage to stop myself from taking a step back.
“Don’t let that get around, okay? If anyone asks, I’m a badass motherfucker. Got it?”
I huff out a laugh and shake my head. “Got it.”
“Good. Now I’m gonna head out. I’ll be back at the same time next week to pick up where we left off. Next time, I’ll bring Chinese food.”
“I can cook?—”
