Page 70 of Damiano De Luca (The Five Syndicates)
“It’s so tempting to dive right in, full speed, isn’t it?”
I nodded. That was exactly what I wanted—to make up for lost time.
“Let’s take it one day at a time. Technically, we only dated for a week.”
“It was a good week.”
She sighed. “It was.”
Until it wasn’t.
“But?”
“But we live thousands of miles apart, in separate worlds, and have a history that isn’t the greatest. Don’t get me wrong. I’m ready for this. I’m letting you in. I think it’s unfair and unrealistic for either of us to leave the other waiting, and frankly, I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything else. I just don’t want to ruin this before it starts again.”
“Okay. I can live with that.” Sudden laughter spilled past my lips. “Maybe we should even go on our first date.”
She leaned her head back and groaned. “See? We haven’t even gone on a first date!”
“I was kidding.”
“I’m not.” She paused. “Actually, that’s a perfect start. Go on a date with me.”
“Are you asking or telling?” I’d say yes either way.
“Telling.” She straightened up from the sink. “And Damian? There’s a bookshelf with half its books still on it. You didn’t fuck me hard enough.”
Well, damn.
Game on.
Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair.
Unknown
The knight is the only chess piece able to move freely, jumping over other pieces to reach the square it wants. That ability to jump means the knight is at its most powerful in closed positions, when forces close in and it seems trapped but isn’t.
I saw myself in the knight. Trapped by my father, by the lies in my life, by my last name. I wanted the power to break free. I wanted to be the knight, able to jump over my problems. But no one tells you that the best chess pieces are the ones off the board. The ones that don’t even exist on a chessboard.
All my life, I’d always wanted to be the knight. But maybe it was okay that I was the princess. Off the chessboard. No mind games. Just living. Breathing. Happy. When Damian called me princess, I didn’t even feel the urge to correct him.
He handed me my towel as I got out of the shower. He’d dressed in fancy sweats and a plain white t-shirt. “My driver dropped off my clothes and some breakfast.”
I dried off, threw on panties and an oversized shirt, and took the breakfast sandwich he offered me. “Thanks.”
There was nowhere else to sit, so we ate on the bed.
I picked at the bagel, took a deep breath, and let my walls fall. “When I left, I told myself it was because I had to. That I was doing the right thing, but I knew I wasn’t.” I had his rapt attention as he dropped his half-eaten sandwich back into the bag. I gave him mine, too.
He took it, set them aside, and focused on me. “Why did you leave?”
“Your dad cornered me in the hallway. He brought up Ludovico and implied he’d do the same to you. That he’d kill his own son.” I stared at the wall I faced. Offering information I didn’t need to went against my instincts, but he deserved answers, I finally felt ready to give them, and I needed to get this out.
For the first time in a while, hope had surfaced. Maybe we had a future. Maybe the lies and deception could stay behind us, and I could be happy again without fear of getting hurt. The walls I had built around me were dropping, but to totally destroy them, I needed to take a big step. I needed to own my truths.
I glanced up at Damian. “And then, I came into your room and saw the picture of Ludovico your dad had left on the side of your bed. You laughed it off, but it shoo
k me. I was so damn worried about you, and it was weird for me because I’d never worried about someone other than my mother. It was nice to have someone to care for. But there was so much responsibility to it.”
