*Some scenes include physical abuse*
Hope Ficci is a 19 year old girl from New York. One night away with her best friend reveals secrets that she has only ever read about, it all starts when she spots her dead boyfriend.
Dominico Moretti is the 23...
"Hope?" A familiar voice booms from behind me. I turn around swiftly to spot someone I never thought I would see again.
He must be around 6'1 now. He has puffy black hair, dark stubble along his sharp jaw, and the same brown eyes. He has dark tan skin and is wearing a formal dark blue suit.
"Matteo Santiago" I smirk, "in the flesh" he replies while holding his arms out to the side, emphasising his tall body in between them.
He leans forward and wraps his arms around me in a hug, I hug him back.
"What are you doing here?" I question him.
"I had to come here for business, we should catch up. Coffee?" He suggests without a single mistake.
"Yeah that sounds great" I answer with a small smile while following behind him to a cafe nearby.
Matteo was one of my closest friends in middle school, he moved to a wealthy boarding school in Spain right before freshmen year. Unfortunately we lost all contact with each other, it was like he went off the grid.
Matteo and I have coffee while catching up and laughing, "so when am I going to see you again?" He asks me in a low voice with a wide grin. "I don't know, when do you want to see me again?" I reply with a smile.
Matteo slides a small piece of paper on the table towards me with his index and middle finger, "dinner, tonight 8pm. Text me your address" he says as he gets up casually and winks. He walks out the door, leaving me with his number.
I open the door to my apartment and walk in. Dominic is laying on the couch, in an uncomfortable looking position, fast asleep. I giggle as I pull my phone out and snap a picture of him before walking over quietly and shaking his shoulder to suggest he sleeps in a bed.
He jumps awake, grabbing my wrist firmly before his eyes meet mine and soften. I wince at his grip and he looks down at my wrist that's still trapped by his hand. Dominic lets go of my hand before pulling himself away from me and sitting up, "I'm so sorry I didn't mean to you just sca-" he says in a panic, his voice is full of desperation. "It's okay, don't worry about it" I cut him off, placing my hand on his shoulder as a way of reassuring him. He nods and stands up.
"You should go sleep in your bed" I suggest as he walks towards the kitchen. Dominic is wearing black sweatpants and a white v-neck. He scratches the back of his neck and looks up at me, "no it's okay, I'm awake now."
We stand in silence for a moment before Dominic breaks it, "doing anything tonight?" He questions while leaning over the marble counter and popping a grape in his mouth. "Yeah, I'm getting dinner with an old friend" I reply with a small smile. "You?"
"I'm probably just gonna go to the club with Carter or something" he replies. "Oh, by the way I think I'm going back to my place. I've been here for two weeks and I just feel like it's time" he says, I nod and he walks out the door with his car keys in hand.
Once I finish taking a shower and doing my hair and makeup, I slip on a bronze dress and diamond choker. I pair it with black heels and a black bag.
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I texted Matteo my address shortly after Dominic had left, so he knows where to pick me up.
I check my phone for the time, 7:58pm. I spray perfume on and check myself in the mirror once more. True to his word, a knock at the door sounds. I grab my bag before making my way to the door.
"You look gorgeous" Matteo says as soon as I open the door, while holding a bouquet of red roses in his hands, I thank him and put the roses on a small table by the door. We head out to his black Mercedes and he begins to drive.
Matteo picks an elegant restaurant in central New York. We were conversing when a waiter walks past us. A man seated on the table next to us pulls his chair out from under the table abruptly and hits the waiter on her hip, she loses her balance and the tray flies out of her hand. The glasses fall the the ground and shatter into a million pieces and spread out to all directions.
I feel stinging on my arm and look down. There's a cut on my forearm with blood gushing out. I concentrate on the blood, staring deeply.
____
"P-please don't l-leave me" Dominic stutters through sobs. "I-I need you H-Hope, please d-don't go" his head falls to my lap as the dark red blood spreads across my emerald dress.
____
"You okay?" Matteo asks, snapping me out of my thoughts and placing his hand on my other arm. I nod before looking back the blood rushing down my arm. "I should clean this up" I say while standing up and rushing to the bathroom. I wash the blood off and stop the bleeding with paper towels while the memory lingers in my mind.
The rest of the dinner is fine. Matteo drops me back home and I pass out on my bed almost instantly.
