Matteo
Why do you ask?
Her reply is speedier than I expected.
Anya
I think we should make our fathers become friends.
I can’t help the bark of a laugh that bursts out of me. I’m so amused by her innocent suggestion and so wildly confused as to why she would suggest such a thing.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Jesus.” I flinch, almost dropping my phone. I fumble with it and turn around to glare at Ivan. I only left the living room thirty seconds ago to throw away my wrapper and get another water. I didn’t expect to be followed. “What the heck? Are you some kind of ninja today? Coming up behind me without making a sound. I could have punched you.”
“Why are you laughing?” he repeats, voice thick with tension.
“Are you really going to make me say it?” I ask, shaking my head.
He blinks expectantly.
“God, you’re just asking to be pissed off, aren’t you? Your little sister made me laugh. Do we need to argue about it now or are you going to take a fucking chill pill, man?”
“I don’t like you talking to her,” he says, taking a threatening step forward. “She doesn’t need you messing with her head and flirting with her like you do with everyone else.”
Fucking rude.
Jaw clenching, I force a smile. “You think so highly of me, Ivan, darling. It means so much.”
He scowls at the patronizing nickname. “Anya is a nice girl.”
“And I’m just what? Some degenerate asshole? Wow, dude. I thought we were becoming friends, but fuck me, I guess.”
“We are friends,” he agrees, crossing his arms stiffly. “Which is why I don’t like the idea of you talking with her. She doesn’t need to get caught up in your games.”
“Mygames?” I scoff. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“Your games,” he repeats, sniffing dismissively. “You flirt with people, and you can’t help it. You play the overly confident cocky fuckboy role, and she doesn’t need that.”
“I haven’t been afuckboysince I was eighteen years old,” I quickly gripe, starting to genuinely get pissed. “And for your information, the most I’ve flirted with Anya is by telling her she was pretty at the wedding. She made me laugh just now because she wants to play matchmaker with our dads.”
I turn my phone around, flashing the most recent message like a badge of innocence. Ivan stares at my screen as I resist the urge to hit him. “I’m so bad for her that she’s already conspiring friendship between mafia bosses with me, how horrible.”
After a moment, I lower my hand back down, ready to chew him out some more, when I find him smiling. No, not smiling. Smirking. Fucking smirking.
“What the hell are you grinning at?” My hands land on my hips. “You were really fucking rude to me just now, Ivan. I don’t see why that could possibly be amusing.”
“I wanted to see how you would respond,” he says, lifting a shoulder in an offhanded shrug. “She’s my sister, and even though she hasn’t been able to say a word to me in years, I still care about her. I’ll protect her even if she doesn’t want me to, including from you.”
My jaw drops. “You were…Were you fuckingtestingme?”
“Of course.” He tilts his head, eyes flicking to look me up and down. “You’re a good friend to Jade, but she’s your sister. That’s a different dynamic and youdoflirt too much. You flirt withmen, and you’re straight. I wanted to make sure you weren’t doing that here. Being Anya’s friend is a good idea, but anything more? It’s not the time.”
“I don’t know how to react right now,” I admit, shaking my head. “I want to be mad, but I don’t know if I can be. You had me so convinced you were calling me too bad of a person to be around Anya that I almost wanted to kick you in the junk, bro.”
“Almost?” he teases.
“No, I definitely wanted to kick you in the junk,” I clarify, nodding to emphasize my desire. “I just barely resisted the urge.”
