Love & Gamble

Tempest

"Hey, Luca. Text me back when you're free. I'd like to talk about so-'

Chewing on my lip, I press on the backspace area of my keyboard and quickly erase my text, moments before sending it. My cold fingers hover over the white screen while my brain whizzes a mile a minute trying to figure out what the hell I should text the man.

Something itches inside me. One part of my brain tells me to send him a text just to check up on him. The other part of me recoils at the mere thought because of the slight grudge I hold against him.

It's only been three days since I've been brought here. Most of which has been spent in my room yet all I've been doing is trying to fight this battle inside of me.

A really pitiful battle, honestly.

Do I text Luca? Or do I simply put my phone down and pretend that I can act oblivious? As if I don't have a single bone in my body that is shouting at me to send him a silly little text.

Throwing my phone down onto the soft confines of my bed, I put my head in my hands and curl up into the comforter.

I don't think my berating tirade will ever end. Especially the way I'm starting to come to terms with what's going on inside of me.

Do I actually have a crush on Luca? It's not possible. I don't even know the man. Sure, I've locked lips with him but there isn't much to think about. It wasn't anything too intrinsically difficult to figure out. I was a mess mentally, my thoughts getting too much to bear due to my thoughts running rampant. Ultimately I acted on my instincts and ended up kissing an insanely attractive guy.

Anyone attracted to men would do that. It's only natural.

Is it? Or am I just giving myself a false sense of security because of all my little daddy issues that swirl through my brain? All the slimy words that have been thrown at me throughout my life by my father have planted seeds of insecurities within me.

A soft knock on my door rouses me from my thoughts, ending my depressing pity party. With a loud grunt, I call for whoever it is to enter but end up getting no response.

"Come in," I call out again, starting to get annoyed when no one enters and instead knock again.

"I freaking hate it when people do that. Why isn't anyone entering? Making me get up from my comfortable bed but instead, I have to get up," I cut my grumbling off as I finally make the move to get going, the incessant knocking urging my legs faster.

"I'm coming!"

Pulling the door open, I stand there blinking for a few moments before launching myself into the older man's hug.

"You missed me, eh?" Leo murmurs into my ear while wrapping his arms around me. I let the man pull me up into his embrace, lifting me off of the ground while I burrow myself into his neck, inhaling his scent.

"I did. A little too much," I mumble with a despondent sigh.

We stand there for a while, locked in each other's arms and I almost don't want to let go. The dark cloud above me now threatened to burst into a downpour, causing only me to get soaked to the bone.

"Well, I'd love to stand here for a while longer but maybe we should go downstairs? I haven't had lunch and Rico informed me that you refused to leave your room when everyone else was having lunch."

Not wanting to indulge in my pity parade any longer for fear of being chewed out by Leo, I nod along and motion for Leo to walk ahead. I'm surprised by the way Leo carries himself even though he's in enemy territory. Completely calm and composed and even aware of where to go while I'm lost as if I didn't make my way up here just a few hours ago.