I’m entirely untrained to handle a situation like this.
“Thanks.” She beams, wiping away all her uncertainty. “I thought it might be too much, but Amara claims it’s perfect.”
Mute, I nod, pretending to be following.
Serafina glances at her cell. “We should go. I said we’d meet Amara in front of the library, and we’d walk from there.”
She’s talking about leaving and walking while I’m still working on breathing.
“I’ll follow.”
“Far behind,” she says with a stern voice. “Don’t make it too obvious.”
With a final smile that says more than I comprehend, she slips into the hallway and practically skips down the stairs. It’sher final expression which makes this entire night that will inevitably suck so fucking worth it.
Anything to see her smile like that.
18
SERAFINA
“Fuck, I’ve missed you.” Amara snatches me into her arms. “Family drama sucks.”
“You never said what happened.” It’s strange to disappear for a week and make hardly any comment on it. Life with Zeno and Nero taught me how people act when they’re lying, and while I don’t want to accuse my best friend of anything, the knot tying up my stomach is difficult to ignore.
She rolls her eyes. “Honestly, not even worth talking about. My padre being my padre. Definitely not a topic for tonight.” She twists to glance behind us, spotting Lev. “Your stalker’s joining us.”
“Mhm.” There’s no response I can dignify her comment with, because if I do, Amara might pick up on the fact that it’s not irritation I’m feeling over Lev’s presence.
She gazes at him for a long second, eyes narrowing, but when I brush the back of her hand, turning towards the direction we need to walk, she breaks from her daze and follows. “So, now that it’s been a few days, how do you feel?”
Even though she hasn’t been here, we texted a lot about what happened with Alessio. She’s been supportive, although she believes punching him would have been a better ending.
If only.
“I don’t miss him. Guess I always knew we were never long-term. He was fun, but looking back, we should never have gotten together.” That’s the gentle version of my feelings. “He didn’t respect my boundaries, so fuck him. Deep down, I always sensed something off, and that’s why he never felt right.”
She slips her arm between mine and pulls me close. “Intuition. You made the right choice.”
Except it was made too late.
We switch to lighter topics—no family or boyfriends—as we head off school property. People loiter on the street between here and the party. We pass a group of guys throwing a ball in the middle of the street, completely neglecting cars that honk to get out of the way.
Lev remains somewhere behind me. His gaze is heavy, reminding me of earlier, when I left my room, only to be met with the longest bout of silence. Considering how stoic Lev is, it shouldn’t have been surprising, but it unnerved me.
The house is about half the size as the Mancini villa, only more structured, with brick walls and less openness. It sits on a decent sized plot of land, especially given the neighbourhood.
People are sprawled all over the lawn, some lying on their backs, some sitting in circles, each holding a red cup or beer bottle. Music travels from the house, and shouting seems to be the volume of the night.
Amara leads me up the stairs, where more people are draped, and through the wall of bodies barricading the propped-open front doors.
“How the hell haven’t cops been called yet?” I yell over the shouting and intense music. My eyes dart around, my spineprickling with…something. Something that makes me wish I didn’t agree to this, especially given recent events.
Amara only giggles and shrugs.
Right before the crowd sucks me up, I glance over my shoulder for Lev. He’s closer than expected, having caught up at some point. He stares at me, his thoughts remaining unvoiced before he shifts his attention to the house. The university student guise he’s been wearing slips off, the Bratva soldier replacing it. He straightens, his body becoming larger as he shoulders through people, and his expression falls more blank than ever seen.
It does feel better with him around. In a place filled with chaos, he represents the calm.
