CHAPTER EIGHT
"Chocolate or vanilla?" Savino takes out two ice cream buckets from inside the refrigerator.
I gulp, seeing ice cream. "Chocolate."
"I thought so," his remark sounded unusual. "What do you mean you thought so?"
A smirk graced his lips, "you don't seem like a vanilla kind of girl."
Ignoring his double-meaning comment, I continued chomping down my ice cream.
Keeping a straight face, the silence between us continues. I noticed that Savino was sitting on one of the kitchen stools. He had kept the vanilla ice cream back in the fridge.
"Aren't you going to eat the other one?" I ask.
He scoffs, "and face the wrath of Leona. Not a chance. She'll cut me to pieces."
"If it was hers, why did you gave me?"
"Well, because she calls you her best friend, and I'm sure she'll not mind if you ate it."
"Savino, tell me, did you always plan on being in the mafia?" I ask, taking a seat beside the kitchen counter.
"Sorry, princess, but I'm not interested in playing 20 questions with you," I say nothing further. I am not dying to know about him either.
"Shouldn't you be sleeping right now?" A growl came from behind me. I jumped out of my seat and put a hand over my loudly thumping heart.
"Arcadio, I was just taking her back to the room," Savino stated.
Ignoring him, I sit back in my seat and continue eating. Savino glares at me and tries to say, let's go through his eyes. Yet, I keep on enjoying my ice cream.
"Let her be, Savino. You go back to Leona's room. I'll take her there. As if!
"Excuse me, but I am sitting right here." Savino doesn't say another word and leaves to follow the order.
"You know, you don't always have to scare people away," I comment without looking at him. Instead, I feel his body heat near my back.
"And don't tell me, Tesoro, that you are not," he whispers in my ears. Goosebumps fall all over my body. How do his words affect me so much?
Controlling my emotions, I roll my eyes, "what is there about an asshole?"
Arcadio moves at my side and grips my chin pulls me closer to his face. "The only reason I am not snapping your neck, piccolo ragazza, is because you saved my life. But never forget that I can make your stay more painful than you ever imagined in a flick of a finger," his breath falls over my face, and his threatening gaze clenches my insides.
He smirks, realizing the effect he has on me, "You would like that, won't you? It seems like my piccolo ragazza is not so little after all," I instantly move my chin from his grasp, but he only tightens his hold. Again closing the gap between our faces, he stares at me. My breathing becomes hoarse, and the beating of my heart starts thumping real fast.
"I'm not going to kiss you, Tesoro, because I want you to beg me for it," he wipes the corner of my lips and licks the chocolate smudges off. Removing his hold from my jaw, he walks to another side of the counter.
I try hard not to focus on him, but it is difficult than I thought when he's shirtless and wearing grey sweatpants. So instead, I keep looking at my ice cream. Suddenly he slides something towards me. I stare at him, shocked. It's my phone.
"Call your parents and return the phone," he replies to my unasked question.
I gulp without a second thought. I dial home.
"Hello," Mom's voice comes from the other side. Tears automatically fall from my eyes, hearing her voice. "Hey, Ma," I reply.
"Ellie, Oh God! Where were you? We've been trying to call you all morning," she starts blabbering.
Wiping the tears, taking a deep breath, I replied, "I'm fine, Ma. I was slightly busy today with the job."
"Oh, okay. But don't do it next time. Your dad was also worried about you," she says.
My breathing is becoming irregular, so cupping my mouth, I loudly cry into my hand. Taking a deep breath, I try to reply calmly. "Ellie, is everything alright there?" How does she do that?
"Yeah, Mom. I was missing you."
"Miss you, my sweetheart."
"Bye, Mom. I've got to go now. I love you," I end our conversation because of any further talks, and I was going to cry on the call that will worry her.
"Bye, kiddo. Take care and love you too." The call ends.
Gazing back at Arcadio, without any more words, I return the phone. I was not in the mood to fight with him. All I wanted was to go to my room and cry all this homesick away.
After giving him the phone, I walk away. His voice stops me. "You can keep the phone."
I turn back and face him, "you're serious?"
"Yes, but if I see you using it to call the cops or anyone else, I'll never return it to you," I smile and take the phone from him. "Thank you," then walk out of the kitchen.
Maybe he is not that bad. Yeah, you are saying this because he gave you your phone back.
"Why are you smiling like a fool?" Savino asks while leaning on the wall outside the room.
"Nothing," and move the phone behind me.
"What is there in your hand?" Way to hide it, Ellie!
He tries to snatch the phone away, but I grip it tightly. "Does Arcadio know you have your phone with you?"
"Yes, in fact, he is the one who gave it to me!" I snarl.
"Oh, Principessa, you have him wrapped around your little finger," he comments with a smirk. Ignoring him, I move inside.
Laying down on the bed Savino's, words kept coming back to me. Arcadio can never be wrapped around my finger because he is a mobster for, god's sake. I saw how people react to him. No one talks back to him. Everyone has the same expression of fear on their faces. I have to admit it, though he does intimidate me a lot. Still, I get this curiosity to find the lost person behind those cold eyes.
I have seen him smirk a little, and when someone can smirk, they can smile or laugh as well. What pained me the most was his interaction with his family. After what Leo told me, it's clear no one knows his real intention except her, and I'm guessing Savino knows as well. However, how long can this strained relationship go on?
Ellie, it's their family matter, don't interfere! My subconscious is yelling.
It is almost like I feel bad for him. Why does he affect me so much? I groan in the pillow as the questions cloud my mind. I need to do something to get Arcadio Concentino off my mind because the man drives me crazy, literally!