𝐒𝐈𝐍 | 𝟏𝟖+

Chapter 9

A T H E N A

"Right now, I'm in a state of mine, I wanna be in like all the time, ain't got no tears left to cry"

° ° °

I turn back around, and see him still looking at me. My heart starts beating a little faster, and I suppress a blush from coming up to my cheeks. I put on a concerned look, and bite my lip softly – in an innocent way.

"I heard you broke up with Nicole? I hope everything's alright," I say and take a step towards him. He puts his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, she was getting a little possessive and paranoid," he says and scratches the back of his head. I shuffle a little in my spot, and nibble on my lower lip. "I'm sorry," I say, and look down to the ground. "For?" he asks.

I peer up at him through my eye-lashes and try to look guilty. "For what happened between the two of you," I say. He licks his lips. "Oh, it's nothing. It doesn't matter to me if we are together or not," he shrugs. I frown a little.

Why would he be with someone he doesn't love?

He takes me by surprise by stepping forward and grasping my chin between his slender and rough fingers, forcing me to look up.

"But thanks for your concern," he whispers, and for a moment I see the Vincenzo I fell in love with. The same look of adoration takes place in his eyes, and for a moment I just want to wrap my arms around him.

He's just trying to fool you again.

I force a smile. "I should be going, my mom and her friends are probably wondering where I am," I chuckle, and he chuckles along.

"Alright, I'll see you," he says and turns around. With our encounter still in mind, I walk back to our table and see that my food has arrived.

"Took you long enough," Chris mumbles. I punch him in his side with my elbow.

"I ran into someone," is my excuse and start eating.

° ° °

I enter my room, followed by Lucy and Chris. "Do you guys want to stay over for dinner?" I ask them. Lucy looks up from her phone.

"No babe, sorry. I have a date," she says and wiggles her eyebrows. Chris and I both jump on the bed.

"With who?" we ask at the same time. "Vincenzo," she smiles.

My smile drops. "What?" I ask.

She throws her head back in laughter. "Chill, I'm kidding. Just a guy I met, nothing special," she shrugs.

Chris laughs at me. "You should've seen your face," he laughs and clutches his stomach. I roll my eyes. "Forget I ever asked if you want to stay for dinner," I mutter and fall back on the mattress.

"I can't, my mom is taking me out to dinner. You know, to catch up," he says, and I see the sadness take over.

I don't know why bad shit keeps happening to Chris. He's the sweetest guy I know, and doesn't do shit to anyone. He doesn't deserve this.

I roll over to him and wrap my arms around him, hugging him tight. "I'm sorry," I mutter. He shrugs.

"It's not like you can fix it," he chuckles dryly. Lucy also wraps her arms around him, and we lie like that for some time.

"I think it's time to go," Lucy mutters, and sits up. She rakes a hand through her blond hair and stands up from the bed. "Okay," I say and give her a hug. "I'll see you soon. We're still going to shop, right?" I ask her. She nods and smiles at me.