Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
We pulled into the driveway, and I was a bit sad to let go of him as we climbed out. I noticed the other car was suspiciously absent, and I frowned.
“Where did they go?” I asked cautiously.
Giovani glanced at me and then the empty lot before he shrugged. “Maybe for that gelato he wanted.”
I giggled as he opened the front door, and we stepped inside. I pulled off my shoes, heading straight for the staircase after Giovani.
“I’ve got some calls to make, but I can come to get you once I’m done,” Giovani offered with a smile.
I shook my head. “I’d actually like some time alone right now if that’s okay.”
He paused in his steps, and I nearly bumped into him before I stopped just in time. I glanced up at him, confused, as his large hand brushed against my cheek.
There was a frown on his lips, worry in his eyes as he asked, “Are you alright?”
I smiled brightly at him, glad for the concern as I laid my own hand on his.
“I’m okay,” I reassured him. “Just feeling a little out of it today.”
He gazed into my eyes for a few minutes like he was searching for something. I guess he found what he was looking for because he nodded and smiled as he stepped away. I intertwined our fingers, and he gently led me to my room.
Once we were outside my door, I let go of him and stepped inside, holding the door open. He stood there, relaxed and calm.
“Things will get better once Dahlia comes home tomorrow,” he reassured me kindly. “I promise.”
I nodded, believing in him wholeheartedly. There was no doubt in my mind that he would make things okay. Alessandro and the people who kidnapped Dahlia–both problems would be fixed eventually.
Then one day, maybe we could be together out in the open and not hidden behind closed doors like this.
I stood up on my toes as he leaned into my doorway, our lips meeting halfway. I savored the taste of him, wanting to pull him into my room and steal him away from his duties, but I knew that we needed some time to ourselves for now.
Once we parted, there was a gentleness in his eyes that I was realizing was reserved for me and me alone.
“Get some rest,” he murmured to me, and then he was gone, trailing down the hallway.
I waited until I heard his door shut before I quietly shut mine.
I leaned against the closed door, almost in a daze as I thought back to how safe and content I felt now. A few days ago, I had been lost in despair. But even when I was losing it, Giovani had been there to hold me.
There was a certain way he was able to make me feel better, even in the worst of times. No one else had ever been able to do that.
I touched my lips, missing him already.
But Giovani had planted a seed of hope inside of my chest, and it was up to me to continue to water it. It was going to bloom one day, I was sure.
And when it did, that was the day I would tell him everything I was feeling.
*Olivia*
The second the alarm blared through my room, my eyes snapped open, and I slammed my hand against the screen.
“Shit.”
I watched my phone fall between the bed and nightstand and smack right onto the floor. Maybe I had been a bit overzealous.
I groaned, turning on my stomach to fish for my phone between the crack, the alarm still blaring in my ears. I wish I had chosen a tune much easier on the ears.
But no, I had to choose the loudest one available.
I gripped my phone and pulled it back on top of the bed with a triumphant grin. The score was me–one, phone–zero.
Nothing was going to ruin this day, and I was going to make sure of it.
After shutting off my alarm, I rushed to the shower, quickly falling into my morning routine, even if it was a bit sloppy due to my excitement. I jumped into the shower before the water had warmed up and had to muffle my scream.
I accidentally spilled the toothpaste onto the sink and I used hand soap to wash my face instead of face wash. I stabbed myself in the eye with the mascara brush.
But despite all the misfortunate accidents, none of it mattered to me.
What would normally make for a bad start to the day couldn’t stop me. I pulled on my clothes and grabbed my shoes and purse in my hands before leaving.
I practically skipped down the empty hallway and took the steps two at a time as I headed down then swung myself around the corner and into the kitchen.
“Morning!” I cried in a chipper voice.
Tallon sat at the island, a weird look on his face as he held his spoon mid-air, a bunch of cereal spilling into his bowl. His eyes followed me as I hummed one of my favorite songs, and headed straight for the coffee machine.
“Um, Livi,” Tallon called out to me.
“Hm?” I asked as I started the machine, watching the beauty as it made my beans into a perfect roast.
“It’s five in the morning,” Tallon said, awkwardly.
I paused mid-hum and glanced at the kitchen windows. Even hidden behind the blinds, I could see the nighttime that still lingered.
The sun hadn’t risen yet.
“Oh,” I said, deflating like a balloon. But I perked up anyway as my coffee dinged to show it was ready.
“No matter,” I shrugged, grabbing the mug and taking a seat on the island. “I can wait until it’s time to leave.”
“That excited?” Tallon asked with a teasing grin.
“Of course!” I beamed. “Dahlia’s coming home!”
And that was it–the source of my good mood, the beginning of everything. All the sorrow and guilt and fear that I’d dealt with over the past two weeks faded away due to the simple fact that my best friend was coming home.
After being kidnapped, beaten, and shot, Dahlia made it through. She was alive and kicking and finally, as her best friend, this was the moment when I could really help her through it.
Just having her home was a relief, but being able to be by her side to help her recover was more than enough to make me thankful for just being alive.
The nightmares of her death still haunted me, and I knew without a doubt that she was still carrying the trauma of what happened to her.
I clutched my mug tightly, the warmth grounding me before I faded back into the fear. So much had happened over so little time, and there was so much I wanted to talk to her about and to say to her.
