A Love Restored

Ginevra.” Julian sighs. He kneels in front of me, placing soft kisses on my knees. “Please d

don’t do this to me.

It is a very rare sight to see Julian be so tender. He isn’t even looking

looking at my face, but I know what I’d see if he would. Softness. Affection. Everything I have ever wanted from him.

“I don’t know what to say to you, Julian.” I tell him. It’s true. I don’t. I love him. He walks all over me and I let him. I don’t like that. I don’t like being treated like a rag doll he can forget about when someone else comes along.

“Anything. Are you okay? Do you need something? Are you done with me? With us??

I just stare at the top of his head, his dark, wavy hair, unkempt and messy. He looks up. His green and blue eyes meet mine. I don’t think til ever get

over his eyes. He is so beautiful, like some kind of dark angel. Fallen angel. Julian.

“Does Nua know about me?”

He shakes his head. “She’s a child, darlin.” He says. “She doesn’t know much of anything.”

“I don’t know how to cook, Julian.” 1 mutter. “She can bake great biscotti.”

He rolls his eyes. “I don’t care about biscotti, Ginevra, I just want you”

He stands up and sits down on the beside me, and cups my face in his right hand, stroking my cheek with his thumb, “Lo giuro sulla famiglia, il mio piccolo paradiso,”

(I swear on the family, my

little paradise)

“Then why did you agree to marry her, Dante?” I question. My voice comes out hard, my tone is cold. It surprises the both of us, “Why didn’t you say no? Why didn’t you tell Don you gave me your symbol? Or did it mean nothing to you? God, I’m so stupid. Of course it didn’t. It’s just ownership”

“I won’t marry her! It’s just temporary, till Mariano figures something out.”Material © NôvelDrama.Org.

“So you’re keeping us both in the grey? Real gentleman, Capo Bastone.”

He sighs. “What would d you like me to do, then, huh?”

the pain.

I shrug. He leans to kiss me, and I push him away. His eyes widen. Not with anger, with surprise, a little

“You won’t let me kiss you?” He says softly. My eyes water. “No.” I tell him.

We sit there in silence. I stare at Julian’s hands. He has nice, long fingers. There’s a scar running around his wrist from when he cut himself against a broken mirror. I don’t remember the story, it happened in Italy. He’d told me when I was younger.

“Do you remember Sienna?” Julian asks. I nod

“Do you know why we broke up?”

“She….” I hesitate, “She cheated on you.”

He nods. “Yes. I told you. I remember. Crying while you covered up those fucking dandelions.”

I smile fondly at the memory. It was painful for him, and it had been painful for me to see him cry like that, but it had been a moment when I felt so,

so close to him.

“Did you love her? Task. It’s a stupid question. He did. I knew it. Everyone knew it.

“Yeah.” He says, “We met at Penn. I was in my senior year, getting my degree in Economics. I wanted to get a Masters, actually.” He shrugs, “But well, the family comes first. Anyway, she used to work in a deli near campus. We dated for about five months before I had to leave. And I was so in love, Ginevra. I proposed, she said yes, she even moved all the way to New York for me.”

I nod. I can see it on his face that it is hard for him to open up like this, Julian never really talks about his feelings. This is a nice change.

“I didnt even really know bet, you know? I think I loved her because she accepted me for me. I liked mosell better when I was around her. I told Papa about her. He was disappointed. Hies very tradițional. He was mad when Manana maried an American. And then Emilio,” Jalian chuckles, That bastard went on to marry a fucking Russian, Look, I love Botham, but it shil vaise a whole stit. Well, Papa expected me to take the bloodline forward. Many intramalik maba. When he realised I was serious abouil Senta, be just sand wise thing. He told me he was disapointed!

igh. “Tuhan, you know you don’t have to

to do everything war father sav

“I know” He says. “But when Sis

cheated on in

est me, and I lett, I was fucked up, but you know what? I was relieved. I wasn’t gonna desapointment to my father. I wasnt going to choose love over the lambe?

onna be a fucking.

“Will you choose the Exmily this time, bulun

He shakes his head. “I choose both. Cinesta, sou mean so much to me. You make my world better. Put I need to do this for the family, okay? I promise my–complete devotion to you. Just let me be good this oned

I stared at my hands wringing in my lap, God, he was manipulating me. I knew it. But I nodded. “Please don’t have sex with her.” I whisper.

He grabs my hand and squeeres.

cone but vou, paradiso. No one but you. I only want you

Yout

I smile at him. “Thank you”

He leans in and kisses me. I let him. I don’t kiss back, but I smile against his soft mouth. His tongue malges my lips, asking me to open my mouth. I part my lips slightly, and his tongue enters my mouth, moving languidly against mine.

“Kiss me back, darlin, Julian says. I do. Tentatively. It is a short liss, I can taste Nuus biscotti vis him. I push him away. Normally, he’d get mad for this maybe spank me a little. But this time he understands. I need time. To process. To accept.

Stupid little girl in love, Ginevra

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