Sempre (Forever) (22 page)

Her brow furrowed. “Is there a difference?”

“That didn’t sound right. Christ, I care about you, okay? I overreact, because I don’t want anyone to hurt you. And maybe that doesn’t make sense, considering I’m hurting you more than any of those assholes did, but I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t do it intentionally. You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met. You fascinate me.”

Her eyes widened. “I fascinate you?”

“You can understand me the way no one else ever could.” He scooted closer to her. “
La mia bella ragazza
.”

“You know I don’t know what that means,” she said, blushing from the intensity of his stare.

He ran the back of his fingers along her flushed cheek. His touch was soft, and she leaned her head in his direction. “My beautiful girl,” he said.

She took in his expression. “You think I’m beautiful?”

“I don’t think you’re beautiful, Haven,” he said. “I know you are.”

His words flustered her. “You are, too.”

He smirked. “You’re saying I’m beautiful?”

She nodded. “A beautiful person.”

“I’ve been called pretty much everything under the sun, but a beautiful person was never one of them,” he said. “How about we go clean up? Then maybe we can talk about last night.”

Never in Haven’s life had she encountered a disaster like the one that met them downstairs. Trash was scattered throughout the rooms, beer cans and empty bottles littering the tables and counters. Food was smashed on the floor and into the furniture, the house smelling wretchedly like the inside of a trash can. There was broken glass in the corner of the family room, furniture moved and things out of place.

Carmine stood at the bottom of the stairs, scanning the mess. “How about we forget I said anything about cleaning?”

“Okay,” she said, not wanting him to feel obligated to help.

“Well, good,” he said, turning back toward the steps. He tried to pull her up them and paused when she didn’t budge. “I thought we’d go back upstairs and talk.”

She shook her head. “I need to clean.”

He groaned. “But you just said we were going to forget about it.”

“Yes, we can forget you were going to clean, but I can’t let the house stay like this.”

He gazed at her. “My father’s not gonna be back for a few days, if that’s what you’re worried about. The mess can wait.”

“But, uh…” She looked around. There was no way she could relax until the house was back in order. “I have to clean it up.”

“Fine,” he said, stepping back down into the foyer. He disappeared into the laundry room and returned with some black trash bags. “You gather up aluminum cans, and I’ll go deal with whatever got broken. I know not everything survived the night intact.”

“You don’t have to do this,” she said. “I can get it.”

“I know you can, Haven,” he said. “Just let me try to help so it can get done quicker.”

He stalked off. Haven watched him for a moment, unable to stop the smile from forming as he tackled the family room. He cursed to himself, haphazardly throwing things into the trash bag.

She went into the kitchen and cleared off the counter, hearing noises every few minutes as Carmine yelled and threw things around. She got all the cans picked up and lugged the bag over to the side of the room, tying it up. She was washing the dishes when Carmine walked in, dropping a second trash bag on the floor.

“You don’t have to do those by hand,” he said. “We have a dishwasher. And have you seen the couch cushion in here? Because I can’t find it anywhere.”

“I don’t know how to operate a dishwasher,” she said, laughing at the absurdity of his question. “And no, I haven’t seen the cushion.”

Carmine walked up behind her. “Are you laughing at me?”

She shivered involuntarily at the feel of his warm breath against her skin. “No.”

He chuckled and opened the dishwasher, pulling out the top rack. “Get your hands out of that nasty water and fill this up.”

She looked at him cautiously. Considering the fact that he couldn’t operate a washing machine, she had a feeling he didn’t know what he was doing, but she conceded and loaded it with the dishes. When it was filled, he smiled proudly—whether he was proud of himself or of her, she wasn’t sure.

Carmine added some soap and latched the door, narrowing his eyes as he pressed a few buttons. It started making noise right away and he snatched his hand away with surprise.

Haven laughed again as soon as he walked out, knowing she’d been right—he was guessing.

She did some laundry and watched Carmine search for the cushion before walking back into the kitchen. The moment she neared the sink, she hit a slippery spot, and her feet nearly came out from under her. She grabbed the counter to stay upright and looked around, her eyes widening when she saw the bubbles pouring out of the dishwasher.

“Carmine!” She knew there was no way that was normal. Footsteps hastily approached as he sprinted into the kitchen. She opened her mouth to warn him, barely getting the words ‘watch out’ from her lips before he hit a patch of sudsy water and slid.

“Fuck!” he said, treading through the bubbles to the dishwasher. Frantic, he pushed buttons and pulled on the door, trying to get it to stop. It continued to ooze bubbles, and he groaned as he started slapping the buttons. His temper flared after a moment, and he kicked the door. Haven winced at the sound it made, his foot leaving a small dent on the front.

He cursed and hobbled on one foot, smacking the buttons again. The dishwasher stopped, and Carmine eyed it cautiously.

“I think we have a little problem here,” she said, the entire thing just too much for her to take. The kitchen floor was covered, and they’d managed to make an even bigger mess than they’d started with. She cracked a smile, fighting to keep a straight face, and covered her mouth to quiet her impending giggles.

Carmine cocked an eyebrow at her. “Are you laughing at me again?”

She started laughing, her body shaking with amusement at his expression. She stepped away from the counter, not paying attention to what she was doing, and lost her footing in the suds. Carmine shot forward to catch her but skidded too, his feet coming out from under him. He grabbed her, knocking them both to the floor, and she landed on her back with a thud. Carmine landed on top of her, and she lost her breath from the force of his weight.

He pulled himself up, a horrified expression on his face. “Christ, Haven, I didn’t mean to knock you down! Are you hurt? Did I hurt you? Huh? Did I? Say something!”

She pushed herself up, and he backed away to sit on the floor in front of her. She was covered in bubbles, her back soaked, and he was staring at her like she'd grown a second head. She started shaking again and covered her mouth to hold it in.

“Don’t cry! Fuck! Where are you hurt?”

The moment the panic-stricken words left his lips, she lost it. She laughed uncontrollably, so loud and hard her sides hurt.

“You scared me! I thought I hurt you!” Carmine yelled, but his angry façade cracked as she continued to laugh. “This is fucked up.”

She shook her head as she tried to catch her breath. “I think you did something wrong with the dishwasher, Carmine.”

He grabbed a handful of soap bubbles and flung them at her when she laughed again. She turned her head so they splattered her chest and cheek, and she didn't hesitate before flinging some right back. They hit him directly in the face, and he closed his eyes as he wiped the bubbles away.

“I can’t believe you did that!” He lunged at her with a determined look on his face. She scampered backward, but he caught her before she could get away. He pushed her back on the floor and hovered over top of her, pinning her down in the water.

She flicked more bubbles at him, a little clump hitting him in the nose, but it backfired. Leaning down, he just rubbed his face against hers, transferring them onto her.

Haven cocked her head then, feeling brave, and pressed her lips to his. Pulling back, she eyed him cautiously, but he just smiled and kissed her again. His lips were soft and wet, the flavor of him sweet but minty. There was another bitter tang there, and she wrinkled her nose. “You taste like soap.”

Chuckling, he grabbed her hand to pull her back up. He brushed some bubbles out of her hair. “How about we clean this mess up so we can talk.” He glanced around. “And nap. I’m definitely gonna need a nap.”

Chapter 15

Carmine leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest as Haven put the last of the dishes away. He’d realized too late that the dishwasher took a special cleaner and using dish soap didn’t suffice.
Who would’ve guessed
?

Haven turned from the counter and surveyed the kitchen. The marble floor was so clean Carmine could see his reflection in it.

“I’m done,” she said.

“Good, because I’m exhausted.”

He headed into the foyer, glancing behind him to make sure she was following. She gave him a small smile as he held his hand out to her, and she placed hers in his.

He led her upstairs, but she hesitated when he tried to head for his room. “I should shower,” she said, glancing down at herself.

He loosened his grip, but she kept her fingers wrapped around his. “Do you plan to drag me into the shower with you? Because I don’t think you can take one holding on to me otherwise.”

She let go. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he said, tucking a wayward piece of hair behind her ear. “Go take a shower. Whenever you’re done, just come to my room. But don’t bother knocking, because I’ll be under the covers and too lazy to get up.”

She headed to her room, giving him one last glance before shutting the door behind her. Carmine stripped and tossed his clothes onto the pile of dirty laundry that was once again growing quite large. He desperately needed them washed, but he felt like an asshole asking her to do it. Did girlfriends do that kind of stuff for their boyfriends? He wasn’t sure, considering he’d never had one before.

Hell, he wasn’t sure if she was even his
girlfriend
.

He was confused about the entire thing. All he knew was she’d stolen his heart, and there was no way he could ask for it back. In such a short amount of time she’d taken him over, as much a part of him now as the air he breathed.

Fucking thunderbolt
.

He pulled on a pair of shorts and grabbed his stereo remote, scanning through stations as he plopped down on his bed. He was exhausted, his eyelids going closed. He drifted into a light sleep and forced his eyes open when the bed squeaked. Haven sat beside him, so he pulled back the comforter and motioned for her to join him.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” she said, lying down.

“I was just resting my eyes,” he said. “You look better, by the way. I mean, I’m not saying you looked bad to begin with or anything, just that you look good after your shower. Yeah, that didn’t sound right either. Ignore me.”

She laughed at his tongue-tied rambling and reached out, hesitating with her hand in mid-air. He smiled reassuringly and closed his eyes, enjoying her light touch as she explored his face. She ran her fingers down his nose and across his forehead before threading them through his hair.

When he looked at her again, her expression stunned him. She looked awestruck, her hand stilled on his cheek, and he watched as her eyes glassed over. “Is something wrong?” he asked.

“I’m just a little overwhelmed.”

He nodded and took a deep breath, unsure of what to say. He didn’t want to come off too strong and frighten her, but he also didn’t want her to think this wasn’t a big deal to him because it was.

“Do you…?” she started, yet again making the first move.

“Do I what?”

She stroked her thumb across his cheek, sending tingling through him. “Do you really feel that?”

“Yeah. It’s like you have static under your skin.”

She smiled. “What do you think it is?”

“
Colpo di fulmine
?” he suggested. She just stared at him, and he smiled. “I guess you’re gonna want a translation.”

“Please.”

“It’s when you’re drawn to someone so forcefully that it’s like being struck by lightning.”

She stared at him. “Okay.”

“Is that an, ‘Okay, you’re an idiot, Carmine, but whatever the fuck you say,’ or is it an, ‘Okay, that shit makes sense?’”

“It makes sense,” she said. “It’s weird, but I think I like it.”

“You think?”

“I don’t know what to make of any of it,” she said, averting her eyes. “It’s all so new, and I don’t know what you expect.”

He pulled her face up so she’d look at him. “I don’t expect anything,
tesoro
. I can’t lie, I’m attracted to you, but we’re only gonna do what you wanna do. We’ll be whatever you want us to be. But I just want a chance. I’m
asking
you for a chance.”

“A chance to what?”

A chance to what
? It was a question he didn’t know how to answer. A chance to prove himself? To be happy? To be there for her? To be trusted? To be loved? To love her? To be understood? To finally be someone worthwhile? “Just… a chance. If you don’t think you can do it, I understand. I’ll back off.”

“I don’t want you to back off.”

“Good, because I really didn’t want to,” he said. “I can’t promise it’s gonna be easy, or that it’s gonna be all happiness. I’ve never done any of this before, so I don’t know what I’m doing. But I’m gonna try to be good to you.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing either,” she said.

“We can learn together. Just tell me what you want from me, and we’ll figure the shit out.”

She smiled, but he could sense her apprehension. “You make me happy. I, uh… I don’t know how far we can go, but I don’t like being here when you’re not around.”

He knew that had to have been hard for her. “Do you trust me?”

She stared at him. Hesitating. “Yes.”

Although it was the answer he hoped for, hearing her say it struck him hard. “So you trust I’m not gonna intentionally hurt you?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t predict the future, but I’ll do everything I can for you.”