Chapter 6 BUTTERFLY.
\~~~RAINA.
“It is our wedding night.”
Still, I lie on my side of the bed, frozen in place while I pretend to be fast asleep. My breaths come slow and even, and every muscle in my body is tight with effort. After what feels like an eternity though is only seconds, I finally hear him move.
His weight shifts off the floor, his footsteps retreat, and I didn't dare to move or breathe until I hear the soft click of the door.
“Oh, finally, he left,” I whisper under my breath, letting out a shaky and overly dramatic sigh before pushing the covers off me.
Maybe he thinks I am really asleep, then he decides to be a gentleman and let me rest.
Yes, that is what any decent man would do on his wedding night… right?
“Oh, God, thank—”
I freeze mid sentence as a sound cuts through the room. It is faint but unmistakable. It’s the quiet hum and the distant trickle of running water.
My heart stops and I lift my head slowly, every nerve in my body on high alert. The realization hits me cold and sharply.
“Why… Why is he in the bathroom?” I whisper to myself, my voice barely a breath.
The light under the bathroom door flickers softly, and my skin tickles with unease.
He didn't leave. God, he is still here.
I lie back in the bed, close my eyes shut, and then decide to sleep for real this time. He will have no choice but to leave me if he gets no response from me.
Minutes crawl by, slowly and heavily, and sleep still refuses to come. My mind won’t stop spinning as every sound in the room feels too loud, and every silence too deep.
Then, suddenly, the door creaks open.
I freeze instantly, my breath catching in my throat as I force my body to stay still, pretending to be asleep.
If curiosity could kill, then I should be six feet under the ground already, because every bone in my body is itching to know what that man is doing right now.
He doesn’t say a word, and I can bet that he is watching me closely. After what feels like forever of just lying there, I suddenly feel the bed dip beside me and I shoot up instantly.
“Luciano!” I gasp.
He stares at me, his expression confused and so convincing that anyone else might actually think he is innocent right now.
I quickly look away the moment my eyes land on him, but then I gasp again. “What are you doing?”
“What are you talking about?” he asks back, his tone annoyingly calm.
His chest is bare, and a towel hangs loosely around his waist. And right now, I can only wonder just how much trust he has in that towel because it looks like it could fall off any second.
His hair is still damp, dark strands clinging to his forehead, and any rational person would go into the closet to dry off and get dressed, right?
So… why is this man standing half-naked in the same room with me?
I gulp unconsciously as my eyes betray me, trailing down his body.
God, I shouldn’t be looking. At his very thick waist and his sculpted abs.
I quickly snap my gaze away, pretending like I didn’t just check him out. But I can already feel the heat rushing to my face, betraying me completely.
Luciano doesn’t miss a thing. I can sense the smirk forming on his lips before I even look up.
“Like what you see, butterfly?” he murmurs, his voice low and teasing.
Oh, for heaven’s sake. Of course, he would say that.
“I wasn’t looking,” I blurted out quickly, and way too defensive for my own good.
“You should look as long as you can, wifey. It’s our wedding night and…”
“Wait, wait, wait! Luciano, wait!” I holler and then jump out of the bed.
“You must be a screamer,” he says quietly, almost to himself. “And I haven’t even started yet.”
The blood drains from my face and my cheeks burn anyway.
“No,” I stammer. “I mean… I’m not…”
“Talia,” he cuts in smoothly, voice dropping lower, “I am not a patient man.”
“I’ve got flu!” I blurt out suddenly, feigning a cough that sounds as fake as it feels.
He raises a brow, eyes narrowing slightly. “What?”
“I… I am sick,” I cough again, clutching my chest dramatically. “And it is highly, highly contagious.”
For a second, he just looks at me.
Then his lips twitch, and the faintest hint of a smile appears, but it isn’t kind. God, I hate the way it makes my skin crawl.
“Then I guess we will find out just how much of that sickness you can survive,” he murmurs.
He moves closer like a predator who knows his prey has nowhere to run.
Every step he takes makes my pulse jump faster until I can barely breathe.
“Luciano, wait!” I blurt out, my voice coming out way louder than I intend.
He stops, his head tilting slightly and his eyes narrowing on me.
Think, Raina. Think.
And then the most ridiculous, desperate excuse spills out of my mouth before I can stop it.
“I… uh… I’m on my period!”
Silence which is thick and suffocating, fills the room.
Luciano just stares at me, his expression unreadable, and for a moment, I am ready to dig my own grave out of embarrassment.
“Cramps,” I add quickly, waving my hands like I need to explain further. “Really bad ones. Like… stomach-ripping, hospital-level bad.”
He doesn’t move. He just blinks once, slowly, his jaw tightening a little like he is fighting a smile or even a frown.
“Cramps,” he repeats, voice low, almost amused.
“Yes! Terrible, horrible cramps,” I say, clutching my stomach dramatically, praying he buys it. “You really don’t want to be around me right now. It is so… messy.”
“I like it messy, too.”
Oh, you this stupid motherfucking son of a cunt!
I cry inwardly, my hands palming my forehead.
For a long second, he just looks at me. Then, finally, he exhales and steps back.
“Fine,” he says quietly, turning toward his side of the room. “Rest up, butterfly. You will need all the energy that you can get later on.”
That sounds like he cares, right? Like he is worried and can’t wait to see me get better.
Oh, if only!
No, I can’t do this.
So help me God, I am fucking running away too!