“I love you, Nova.” His words are soft, warm, and make every part of me ache.
I want to scream I hate you, but he shuts the door and waves of tears roll over me.
“I love you too,” I whisper, sobbing as the pain consumes me.
I’m glad he’s with his teammates, because if he were hanging around the house, I’d be screaming at him.
The tears have subsided.
Did we honestly just break up? My head swims, I’m a mess of emotions and I forego dinner and opt for a pint of Ben and Jerry’s.
I plop down on the sofa, spoon in hand, shoving the chocolate cherry goodness past my lips.
Bristol comes to sit beside me. I barely know the girl, but she’s spent the past couple of nights here and doesn’t seem intent on leaving.
Fine by me. She’s a pretty tidy housemate.
Sophia, Liam’s sister, on the other hand, her backpack is sprawled on the floor, there are clothes strewn beside it and her laptop is on the table.
She’s not even home. She’s working tonight for Dante.
If she’s going to be living here, maybe she can take my room, and I can move into the dorms. Not that I want to leave the house, but seeing Ashton every day, his room right across from mine, my stomach sinks.
I don’t even want to think about his bachelor lifestyle, how he used to bring countless girls to his room. Is that going to resume now that we’re … over?
The word breakup seems too final.
I don’t want to say it, let alone admit it to myself. Maybe we’re just figuring things out.
But what is there to figure out?
He loves working for Dante, it seems, or he’s doing it because he wants to work for his father. Either way, he plans on being involved with the mafia for the rest of his life.
That wasn’t why I wanted to go to college. I want my freedom from that lifestyle. I want nothing to do with Dante, Dad or anyone else when it comes to the mafia.
That’s not to say I don’t love my brother, Luca, or I won’t be friends with them, but that’s not what I want when I graduate.
I don’t want to be tied down to the business.
“Breakups suck,” Bristol says as she nods toward my ice cream.
Zeke is lying down for bed, and Harper grabs a seat on the opposite side of me. “I’m sorry,” she says, giving me a hug.
“Is it that obvious?” I raise an eyebrow.
Bristol smiles weakly and turns to face me. “Hockey players are the worst. They’re always selfish and have huge … egos.”
I snort. “We didn’t break up because he plays hockey. Ashton would never cheat on me. He would, however, choose his father over me.”
Harper winces. “Come on, you know how the boys are. Ashton loves you. I’m sure it’ll all blow over.”
“It won’t. He made it clear he chooses his mafia family and mafia job with Dante over me.”
“Mafia?” Bristol’s eyes widen.
I groan and shut my eyes, tilting my head back on the sofa, facing the ceiling. “Shit.”
Harper clears her throat. “It’s an expression.”
