More Than Once | THE WATTPAD DRAFT

Chapter 16

*This story is on-going and changes will be made along the way.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it

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NB! Adult-content | Mature | Romance

**

A journey that would have taken me roughly ten minutes ended up being extended to a thirty-minute walk around the block. I just kept walking, trying to figure out all that was going on in my head. Most of the alcohol had left my system and now I was just cold and hungry. I dragged myself upstairs and unlocked the door to an empty apartment. The silence was deafening. I had nothing else to focus on but my thoughts and I couldn't even get those under control.

Here's what I knew - I was hurt by Giovanni. He hurt me by bringing Casey.

And I was aware he, technically, had no obligation to me but I was hurt because I cared about him. I knew from the beginning what I was getting myself into but I didn't think that I was going to have such an instant connection with him. And such a passionate one. I had never felt passion till I met him and besides the fact he could drive my body crazy, there was something about what was inside of him that made me want to know more about him. He had a soft side too and with his witty humour and sexy confidence, how could I not be intrigued? He didn't have to play for me that night. He didn't have to share what he did about his family. He didn't have to listen to me talk about mine.

But he did.

I refused to believe that he did that with all the girls he slept with. Why the hell did he tell Alessandro he was my boyfriend? He couldn't do that and then do what he did tonight. He didn't get to dictate who I could be with while he continued to act like it was a free for all for him. It made it so difficult for me to believe he didn't feel anything more for me. There were real emotions involved now and I worked so hard to avoid this from happening. Now look where it's gotten me. When Nate left, I was forced to face the fact that I didn't know who I was and I didn't know what I wanted. My life's plan was ripped from under me and all that was left was pieces of who I used to be. Who was Isabella Avery? There was no flicker of life in me for months. Maybe even years.

Until I met Giovanni.

He awoke something inside of me and allowed me to explore parts of myself that were previously undiscovered. It made me happy. I was happy to feel this light inside of me and he opened the door to that. Turned out that side of me was really sexually active but I could be comfortable and embrace who I was around him. He made me feel alive. But that's done now. The walk around the block reminded me that no matter what, I could never just continue to be a number on someone's body count.

My stomach growled but I was too drained to eat anything. I dragged myself to the couch and flopped down. I pulled my phone from my bag and searched Casey's name. There she popped up with her beautiful, care-free smile. I didn't know why I was doing this to myself - it certainly wasn't healthy. I scrolled down and found a number of articles in reference to her on-again-off-again relationship with, as they called him, "Barcelona's sexy businessman", Giovanni Velazquez. I groaned and threw my phone on the couch. Why the fuck did I just do that to myself? That was dumb and I made me feel so much worse than before.

I just needed to figure my life out.

I had to.

**

I woke to a loud insistent banging. I sat right up getting the fright of my life. It took me a while to realize that I must have fallen asleep on the couch and that someone was at my door. I reached for my phone and saw it was two-thirty in the morning.