Chapter 70

I drift off a little bit after Frankie goes, worrying and wondering, and when I wake up the sun is much more advanced. I shake my head, blinking away my sleep, and I look over at the other side of the bed. The blankets are, indeed, mussed – and there’s a distinct indent on the pillow that Frankie used last night.

So. It wasn’t a dream, was it?

I sigh and stand, moving to the bathroom to get ready for the day, doing my best to put these troubling thoughts from my mind. But it isn’t easy.

Frankie – he’s been flirting playfully with me since the day I got here, and since that day Christian has forbidden anything between us. And while I’ve had fun pushing at that boundary for a while…well.

Is there, really, a part of me that wishes it would go further?

What about Christian? a troublesome part of my mind asks as I stare at myself in the mirror, brushing my teeth. But I scowl and spit out my toothpaste, scolding myself.

There is no “what about Christian” after all – he’s made it very clear that he only wants me to be his “sister.” And while I’m aware that he’s attracted to me – his physical reaction is enough to prove that – he’s gone to great ends to ensure that the whole world is aware that me and him are never going to happen. He went out and got a girlfriend, for heaven’s sake.

Message received, I think to myself, pulling on a sweatshirt that’s hanging on the back of the bathroom door and moving through my bedroom, still scowling.

When I emerge into the main room of the penthouse, thinking about whether or not there’s anything to eat, I stumble over my feet a little bit when I see Violetta sitting alone at the table, which is set for two.

“Hey, Iris,” she says, giving me a bright smile and gesturing towards the other seat. “I thought we could have breakfast.”

I slowly move towards her, eyeing the hot pot of coffee on the table as well as the carafe of orange juice, the pancakes, the sliced fruit and the toast. “Did you…make all this? For me?”

“For us,” she says, giving me a broad and friendly grin. “After all, you always do so much for everyone in this house. I thought it was time someone did something for you.”

I slowly lower myself into the chair next to her, feeling suspicious. It’s not that I’m bad at accepting kind gestures, it’s just that…

Well. This just feels a little conveniently timed, doesn’t it? After what she saw Christian doing last night.

“It’s all right, Iris,” she says, laughing and reaching for the coffee pot, beginning to pour me a cup. “I’m not going to poison you, or even yell at you. I just thought we could benefit from a little girl talk, you know?”

She finishes pouring my cup and puts the pot down, resting her chin in her hand and beaming at me.

I’m still hesitant but I reach for my cup of coffee, mixing in cream and sugar before taking a sip. “Okay,” I say, giving her a little smile in return. “Thanks, Violetta, this was really nice of you.”

“Oh, anytime,” she says, and then she launches into a great deal of small talk, chattering away and filling my plate with food while I begin to unwind. I do relax then, under her ministrations – it’s almost impossible not to. Violetta – she’s so charming and nice, it’s hard not to fall under her spell, as Christian really has.

Still, I know that there’s more at stake here than just pancakes and orange juice. So I chat back to her, giving all the nice responses I should, eating and waiting for Violetta to get to the real point of the morning.

And that happens just as I finish my third bite of pancake.

“Iris,” Violetta says, her voice softening now and becoming more tentative than it’s been all morning. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, Vi,” I say, smiling at her and keeping my voice light even as my stomach clenches.

Violetta glances towards the bedroom door where she and Christian sleep, even though she already told me that he’s not there, he and Frankie having gone on an errand this morning. Nico, apparently, is in his room, making himself scarce even though he’s available to protect us should anyone come barreling through the door.

“Well,” she says, hesitating, “I…saw what happened last night between you and Christian.”

“It was nothing, Violetta,” I say, putting down my fork and staring apologetically at her, hoping she believes me.

“I know,” she says, hanging her head like she feels guilty about even asking me about it. “That’s what Christian said too. And I believe him, and you, but I just…” she sighs, shaking her head. “I just don’t get it.”

“Get what?” I ask, curious.

“It just doesn’t add up,” Violetta says, raising her pretty eyes to mine. “I mean, Christian says that he’s taking care of you for a while – keeping you safe. And I get that – my family has…connections as well, like Christian’s does…”

She pauses, raising an eyebrow, silently asking if I understand what she means. I nod, assuring her that I do.

“But,” she shrugs, looking towards the expanse of windows now, “I mean, you two are…are closer than a girl that he’s helping out. And if you two both hadn’t assured me with such vehemence that there’s nothing going on between you, I would just say that you were…into each other.”

“It’s not like that,” I say, very quiet, shaking my head. She returns her gaze to mine, her mouth twisting in frustration.

“I mean, I get that it’s not like that, because if it were like that – if you were just a girl he met who he was into, and you were into him, you guys would be…” she lets her words fade out here and gives a shrug like it’s obvious.

I take her meaning immediately and I nod, letting her know that she’s right. If I was just some girl Christian met and was into, we’d be hooking up, wouldn’t we? I’d be another one of his “women,” or worse, just some mob tourist girl who he screwed a few times and then tossed by the wayside.

But Violetta is right – we’re not doing that. I turn my head to the side, considering her a little. Violetta – she’s smarter than I gave her credit for being, isn’t she?

“Can you please help me make it makes sense, Iris?” she says, her eyes shining now with the start of tears. My heart breaks a little. “I know you’re a girl’s girl,” she reaches out a hand and takes mine, squeezing it. “And I love that about you. But – I just…I can’t live in a situation where I don’t understand my boyfriend’s relationship with the other woman who lives in the house.”

“I get it,” I say instantly, feeling terrible for her and leaning forward to nod. “You’re right, Violetta – your instincts are totally right on this one, and Christian hasn’t been fair to you.”

“So, what is it?” she asks, leaning forward, her eyes wide now as she realizes she’s close to getting the truth.

“Um,” I say, glancing around, not wanting Nico to hear. “Can you promise to keep this between us? Christian told me not to tell anyone, and if he hasn’t told you yet…”

“I swear,” Violetta says, her eyes wide as she squeezes my palm with one hand and presses her other to her chest. “Scout’s honor – or Girl Scout’s! Or whatever! Just…I promise, Iris, this is between you and me. Just to put my heart at ease.”

“Okay,” I say, nodding and leaning even closer, even though it won’t do anything. “Vi – Christian is one of my oldest friends. We knew each other growing up – before he went to live with his dad, he lived next door to me. My brother, Christian and I – we were super close.”

“Ohhhhh,” she says, leaning back a little, her mouth making a pretty little “o.”

I nod, seeing her understand. “So, what you’re seeing? That intimacy?” I shake my head, trying to deny it, even though I know that I’m lying a little bit. “That’s all just us being two people who have known each other since we were little kids, Vi. Nothing more.”

Lies. As I say them, I know they’re lies. But, Christian has chosen this relationship – it’s important to him. And if this is what I need to tell his girlfriend so that they can find peace in their relationship? Then that’s what I’ll do.

It’s all for him, anyway.

“Oh my god,” Violetta says, still squeezing my hand even as she slumps back in her chair. “This makes…so much sense.” She laughs a bit, staring into space as she starts to put the pieces together, and then she nods, turning back to me. “Thank you so much for telling me, Iris.”

“No problem,” I say, giving her hand a final squeeze before taking mine away and reaching for my coffee. “But – our secret, yes?”

I raise my eyebrows even as I hear the main door to the apartment unlock.

“Our secret,” she says, giving me a grin and a happy wink.

Then we both turn towards Christian and Frankie as they come in, both with pretty smiles on our face like we haven’t just been telling secrets.

The boys smile back at us, completely unaware that anything significant has passed between us at all.