The Mafia's Maid

Chapter 24-5 Days Left

Leah POV

When Clarke and Theo were arguing about who was going to drive with Vlado, I thought they were overexaggerating. But boy, was I wrong.

We had only been driving for half an hour, but I already felt enough awkwardness for thousands of people.

I really wish I had gone with Clarke or Theo. Maybe Theo, no offense to Clarke, I just don't know what to think of her right now. I trust Mary with my life, and she trusts Clarke, so I should trust her? But she told Theo about what she saw, so I shouldn't. But then again, Theo knowing has made things feel a lot more comfortable for me, so should I thank her? No, right? Because she was in the wrong, and she shouldn't have told him. But then again-

"Something on your mind?" A sudden voice cut through the silence, making me jump slightly. My head whipped around to Vlado, taking a relieved breath when it realised he was the one who spoke. Vlado chuckled lightly as he looked at me from the corner of his eyes.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. You just looked like you were really deep in thought," he clarified, keeping his eyes on the long road in front of us, but I didn't miss the gleam of the amusement that shone through his blank facade.

I looked back at the road, taking another breath. "It's all good. You just surprised me." He let out another laugh, and I felt my stomach twist slightly. What the hell?

"I can tell. What had you so deep in thought?"

"Just some private stuff."

"I see."

We fell into another silence, the only sound being the car driving along the road. I liked these types of roads. They were always nice and smooth, barely making any noise. If I wasn't feeling uncomfortable, I would probably fall asleep.

The awkwardness started to slide its way into the silence again, so I quickly thought of something to say.

"I like your car," I blurted out, cringing at the first thing I thought to say. Vlado sent me a quick glance before chuckling again and turning back to the road.

"Thanks. My parents got them when they were running the business. Doesn't stand out with colour, but with style. And did you notice the material on the walls?" I immediately faced the wall on my right and pressed a hand against it gently. It felt kind of cushiony, but hard at the same time?

"Soundproof. Very good for privacy. Same with the tinted windows."

I leaned back into my seat after looking at it. "Yep, makes the perfect kidnapping car." I laughed with Vlado, alleviating some of the awkwardness and tension that was once in the car.

"Yeah, I guess it is," he agreed once he stopped laughing, bringing us back into silence. It wasn't as awkward as before, but it still felt a bit tense in the car.

How was I going to deal with over an hour of this in and off awkwardness?

"Listen, Leah," Vlado spoke suddenly, gaining my immediate attention. He looked tense as he held the steering wheel firmly in his hands, his jaw tensing slightly as he stared out at the road.

"I really want to apologise for what I did in that cupboard."

"It's fine Vlado, really-"

"Let me finish." He cut me off, lifting his hand slightly off the wheel before setting it back down. "Because it's not fine. I shouldn't have acted like that, and I know sorry doesn't fix it, but it's the best I can do right now."

I stayed silent for a few moments, my mind running through what he said, trying to find any hidden meanings just like Lucas hid.

"It's ok," I said not so loudly, but loud enough for Vlado to hear.

"Not really, but thank you." He commented, introducing us into yet another silence. I groaned inwardly at the small tension that remained. I leaned the side of my head against the window, my eyes darting around, trying to catch a glimpse of the moving scenery as the car passed them.

"And also," Vlado said randomly, causing me to turn my head towards him once more. His eyes flitted between me and the road. "If you ever need someone to talk to," he tore his eyes away from the road, staring me down with his eyes as he smiled a small smile.

"I'm right here." He turned back to the road once I nodded, but the soft smile never left his face., and my stomach twisted again. But this time I knew why.

It was because I could see the sincerity in his eyes.

* * * * * * * *

After a comfortable ninety-minute silence, filled with random talks every now and then, Vlado and I had finally made it to where we were staying.

His parent's house.

And I was certain we had gone to the right place because as soon as we stepped out of the car, a woman came racing out of the large, kind of vintage house.

"Il mio bambino!! You finally made it!" The woman ran up to Vlado with her arms open, engulfing him in a big hug. Vlado let out a 'humph' of surprise before wrapping his arms around the short woman.

"It's been so long since I last saw you! You never visit us anymore!" The woman, who I assumed was his mum, whined once she broke the hug, hitting Vlado on his arm.

"Mamma, I visited you a couple weeks ago," he defended, but the woman waved him off. It was then she saw me. And boy, was it scary.

She pushed past Vlado and soon, I was getting squeezed by the woman.

"And who is this, bambino?" She asked once she pulled away, allowing me to take a deep breath of air. "Is this your girlfriend?"

"No!" The both of us exclaimed, but unlike Vlado, my face started to turn pink.

"This is Leah. She's going to help us plan the party," Vlado explained, gesturing a hand to me.

"Ahh," his mother spoke, turning to me and grabbing my hand, shaking it with both of hers. "Pleasure to meet you. My name's Giorgia, but please call me Gia." She smiled widely, which I couldn't help but return.

"Come, let's get you sorted. My husband is out at a friend's house, so it'll just be the seven of us today."

"Seven?" I asked, questioning my hearing. "I thought it was just Clarke, Theo, Vlado, and I who drove up here."

"Si, but my daughters are also here, but you'll meet them tomorrow. They're at a party tonight." She stated as she pulled out some bags and lead us to the house. "We'll have some dinner then straight to bed! We have a big day ahead of us!"

I took a deep breath as we walked closer to the house, preparing myself.

I'm sure we do.