Chapter 30 Bedtime Story
"Don't go past these pillows. Stay on your side."
The barrier makes me frown. I just want to be close to him and feel him holding me close, like that time when I was bawling my eyes out after my mother died. Being in his arms just feels so comforting. So peaceful. His touch and presence can make me forget that I'm living in such a cruel and dangerous world.
"This is my bed. I can sleep however I want," I say.
"Fine. Then I'm leaving now," Dante says, standing up from the bed. I quickly grab his wrist, pouting and giving him puppy eyes. Dante doesn't move, but his eyes tell me he's a bit pissed at how annoying I'm being.
"Noooo. Don't go. I'm joking. Just please get down and get your rest. I'll explain everything to my father if he asks any questions," I say.
I really need to control myself. I can't keep pushing myself onto him. That can be considered an assault, and that's not a good thing. I don't want to make him uncomfortable, too, by being insufferable and pushy towards Dante. That would probably ruin our relationship. I gotta take things slow. Besides, I can't get too close to him anyway. I need to remember I will leave this place and everyone in the future, and Dante probably won't be coming with me. About my father, I really hope he won't get mad. Well, he has let Dante and me stay in the same hotel room before, so this isn't any different from that. Other than that, I need him close to me, too, just in case something happens to me because I'm sick at the moment. I'm sure my father will understand.
"Alright. Fine. Now go to sleep," Dante says, sitting back down on the bed. With his head and back against the headboard and his arms folded over his chest, he stares down at me. His gaze stays on me as he waits for me to close my eyes and go to sleep.
"You too," I say, gripping onto the duvet as chill continues to run through my body. Dante shakes his head, scowling at me a little.
"You first," Dante says. If I go to sleep first now, Dante probably won't be going to sleep. I bet he's going to stay awake and just stay there, watching me and waiting for me to wake up or anticipating a worse situation than a fever.
"No. You first," I say.
"Fucking hell. Fine. I'm closing my eyes now," Dante says, finally letting his eyelids shut close. I grin at the sight. He's definitely going to cheat. I'm not letting him do that.
"Okay. I'm doing it too," I say. My eyes stay on Dante, and just as I expected, Dante opens his eyes again, peeking at me. I frown at him, and he shoots me an "are you serious?" look mixed with exasperation. He shouldn't be mad at me. I'm just making sure he actually gets his damn rest.
"You cheated!" I say.
"You're the cheater! You didn't close your eyes," Dante says.
"Well, duh," I say, rolling my eyes. "I have to make sure you actually go to sleep, and look, you didn't."
Dante sighs at the accusation. It seems like he's tired of fighting with me already. Well, that's his fault. I'm just telling him to do something simple: go to sleep, but he won't obey me. It shouldn't be hard for him to have a shut-eye for half an hour. I'm sure he can do that. He just doesn't want to do it.
"You know damn well I can't sleep on the job," Dante says.
I know he's going to say that. Should I tell my father right now to give Dante an actual day off? I don't think I can do it, though. My father is probably too busy with whatever he's doing right now. I mean, he won't suddenly leave for work at early in the morning if it's nothing important. So, he'll be pretty unreachable right now. So, I have to deal with Dante on my own at the moment.
"I've told you. I'll explain everything to my father later. Just sleep right now. Please. Thirty minutes should be enough if you don't want to sleep for too long," I say.
"Fine. I'll sleep now," Dante sighs. Not trusting him yet, I suspiciously stare at him. He's definitely lying again. Let's see if he's keeping his word or not. I bet he won't. He's such a workaholic.
"You better do it for real this time," I say.
"I will," Dante says.
"Okay, then," I say.
Sighing, Dante closes his eyes. I wait and wait. My eyes never leave him as I continue to shiver under the duvet from my fever. Just when I think Dante is already asleep, I catch him peeking at me again.
"See?! You're cheating again!" I say. Dante groans in frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose and then stares at me with defeat and exhaustion. He shouldn't be mad at me. I just asked him for a simple favour for himself. That's it. I just want him to get a damn rest. What makes it so hard for him to do it?
"Ale. You're the one who needs to get your fucking sleep, not me. I'll be fine even if I don't sleep for days, but you, you heard what the doctor said. You must get your rest," Dante says.
"Fine. I'll go to sleep first. I have one request before I sleep, though," I say. Even though I'm tired from this nonstop shivering from my fever, I feel like I still can't make myself sleep. Perhaps a good bedtime story from Dante might help me a bit. It won't hurt to ask, right? Since he's too stubborn to also get his quick rest, I might as well just make the best out of his free time.
"What?" Dante asks.
"Tell me a bedtime story," I say.
"It's-" Dante stops himself before protesting. He closes his eyes for a second and then looks back at me again. "What story do you want to hear from me?"
"I don't know. Whatever you have," I say.
"Anything?" Dante asks, cocking his eyebrows. I nod at him. I wonder what story he does have in mind. Is it the good old fairytale? Or is it something much more extreme? Definitely the latter. He doesn't seem like the type of guy who likes fairytales anyway.
"Anything," I say.
"Alright. You asked for it," Dante says. "Once upon a time, a princess lived in a castle. She was always alone in the big palace. She had done everything she ever thought of doing in the palace. And then, she got bored with everything. One day, she decided to run away from the palace. To see the outside world. The guard caught her trying to leave and told the King. He got mad at her, but being the stubborn princess she was, she kept trying to leave-"
"Is this story about me?" I ask. Dante's basically just retelling my own life story. The difference? He made me a princess and my father the King. That's it.
"Yeah. You told me I can tell you any story," Dante says. He's got a point. Well, this story is boring me, so it's definitely helping me fall asleep faster. That's a win for me, I guess. The faster I fall asleep, the faster Dante can get his rest, too.
"Fine. Continue."
"The stubborn princess kept trying to escape, but she always got caught. Again and again. Despite that, she never gave up on trying to leave the palace. One day, the King decided to give the princess her own guard to prevent her from leaving the palace again. At first, she disagreed with the King's decision. His decision was perfect. It truly prevented her from running away again. Despite her disliking the guard the first time they met, she then began to grow fonder of the guard and enjoyed his company instead," Dante says.
My eyelids begin to feel heavier, and I finally close my eyes as I continue to listen to Dante's soothing, low voice. I might be losing this battle of who falls asleep first, but whatever. I'm too tired to fight it.
"They began to converse with each other more, spending time together, teasing each other... liking each other. Unfortunately, the King noticed their closeness and disliked it. Detest it, even. In the end, no matter how badly they wanted to be together, the King and fate would always be against their relationship, as the princess was only destined to be wed to another prince. The guard would never be enough for the princess," Dante says.
Even though my eyes are closed, making me look asleep, I hear everything Dante just said. He likes me. He actually likes me back, but he thinks he can't be with me because I'm with Antonio. And even if I broke up with Antonio, just like what he said, my father would probably put me in another arranged relationship and put a barrier between our true feelings for each other.
And the King... Did Dante mean my father doesn't like us to be close? Does that mean my father doesn't like that Dante has been too close to me lately? I swear, if my father did anything to Dante, I won't hesitate to hurt him back. Now that I know our feelings are mutual, I won't think twice to protect Dante from my father. Fuck this family business bullshit and needing to marry for power and influence. I'm fucking done with it. If my father doesn't like Dante and me being close, then so be it. His opinion doesn't matter anymore. I'll be leaving him soon anyway, so whatever he wants me to do, he can't make me do it.
"Is she asleep?" Dante asks. I stay silent, keeping my eyes closed as I lie on my side. I feel Dante shaking me a bit, and then hear him let out a sigh of relief.
"Fuck. Thank God. Why the fuck did I say that? Fuck. Valentino's going to kill me. You need to fucking remember why you're here. You can't fall in love with her. I can't," Dante mutters.
I want to frown. Hearing him all anxious makes me want to comfort him and tell him that everything's going to be okay, but I need to keep quiet for now. I don't want Dante to worry even more. As much as I love him and want to confess to let him know that I feel the same, I can't do it just yet. I need time. We need time. We should stay focused on the Romanos and Ricci first. Our feelings can wait. We'll wait for each other, and nothing can stand in between us. Not even my own father.