Chapter 53 Bedroom
"Here's my favourite room in the house: my bedroom," Antonio says.
Standing in front of the closed door, I look at Antonio, sceptical of his intentions. Well, I'm not going to lie, but my bedroom is also my most favourite place in my house. However, it's Antonio we're talking about right now. Knowing that at least his father has bad intentions towards my family, trusting whatever he says right now sounds like suicide. So, I need further clarification to know if the rest of the family is actually involved or not. The chances of them being involved in whatever Fabio is planning is high, though. They're a part of the same family after all.
"What makes this room your favourite?" I ask.
"You'll see," Antonio says with an excited grin. From how he looks right now, it seems he actually likes his room for a good reason and not because he wants me to be in his bed with him. We'll see about that soon.
As the door swings open, Antonio's room is finally revealed. The sight makes my eyes widen in surprise. Damn. Now I understand why this room is his favourite. Besides it being bigger than I thought, his room has its own special features in it. In the far right corner near the window, there's a tiny library with a comfortable armchair and also a set of a work desk and chair next to the bookshelves. This is the first time that I find out that Antonio is into reading. All this time, he's only told me about his other hobbies, which are swimming, scuba diving, and hiking. He's quite the sporty man based on his hobbies. So, finding out that Antonio likes reading books is a surprise to me.
Other than the tiny library space, he seems to be into gaming as well, with all types of the newest gaming consoles he has on display on the table under the wall-mounted TV. Damn. I guess Antonio is not that bad after all. Under all that hotness and charm, this nerdy side of him only makes him even more attractive. Oh gosh. Remember, Alessandra. He's the enemy now, not an ally.
"Wow. You're into gaming?" I ask.
"Yeah. I've collected them since I was a child. The older ones are in the cupboards underneath the table. If you want to, you can play with them as much as you want," Antonio says.
Playing a game with Antonio? Why not? It won't hurt to just forget about everything for once and just enjoy the moment. Besides, it's been so long since I last play video games, and it's better to play games rather than being anxious all the time. It will only make me suspicious, and I don't want him to be sceptical of me and my anxiety.
"That would be great, actually. I haven't played one in a while," I say.
After my brothers' deaths, I never touch the game consoles we have at home. Just seeing it whenever I walk past the living room keeps reminding me of them. It sucks that I'll never get to play any video games with them anymore and get into a fight with them on who gets to play first. Unfortunately, it is what it is. Mourning their deaths all the time won't bring them back to life, but still, the least I could do for them and my mother is to get revenge for their deaths. I'll make everyone who's involved in their deaths pay the price soon.
"Alright then. Come inside and put your shoes there," Antonio says, pointing at the shoe rack by the door inside his room.
"Okay."
After I take off my shoes, I turn to Carlo, and he only nods at me once. Without wasting any more time, I step into Antonio's bedroom and put the shoes down on the rack.
"Is it okay if I close the door? You know, for better soundproofing so the game will feel more immersive," Antonio says.
"Sure," I say. Deep inside, I'm a bit nervous about the soundproofing, but it's one of the ways to get Antonio to show his true self. If we let the door open, then Antonio would hesitate to do anything with me, considering Carlo is waiting for me outside in the hallway.
"Which one do you want to use?" Antonio asks as I take a seat on his bed. I stare at my options, uncertain of what I want. I guess I'll let Antonio choose for now. I can't waste any more time. The time's ticking, and Valeria will probably come and get me once my time with Antonio runs out.
"Okay. Let's use this one," Antonio says, turning on the PlayStation and taking the two consoles. He hands one to me as he takes a seat next to me. Antonio shows me his game collection, and we end up picking a racing game. It's a basic choice, but it's also a good choice because the other games he has might take hours and hours to finish. I don't want to end up getting curious over the ending after playing it.
\-
An hour has passed, and somehow, I keep losing the race against Antonio. Maybe it's just my skills getting rusty after years of not playing any racing games, or maybe it's Antonio who's cheating, and I feel like the latter is the case. Call me a sore loser, but he's definitely cheating. I mean, how could he win ten times in a row? How the fuck did he do that?
"You're definitely cheating. How did you win ten times in a row?" I ask with a scowl, glaring at the TV in anger. Antonio shrugs and then leans back with a sly smirk on his face.
"I played the game fair and square. How could I cheat when you can see what I'm doing on the same screen?" Antonio says.
"Whatever," I say, rolling my eyes.
I keep scowling at the TV, ignoring Antonio. When a peck lands on my left cheek, my eyes widen. Turning to Antonio, he only grins at me. Damn it. I just remember how much of a flirt he can be. On one of our dates, Antonio and I went to this flower field on the hill. When it was our time to leave, I told him I was tired, and then he picked me up and carried me bridal-style down to the parking lot. He placed plenty of kisses on my face playfully as he walked, and at that time, he made me forget who he was, and I was caught in the moment and felt so happy. He told me that he will always give me kisses as long as we're together, if it makes me happy.
"I knew that would work. Now stop scowling. What else do you want to do? We don't really have much time left, though. Maybe another round?" Antonio says.
"Absolutely not. You're definitely going to win again. I'm just gonna lie down for now," I say.
"Alright."
Sighing, I let my back and head fall onto the mattress. Antonio follows suit, and now we're lying there together in silence. My eyes are fixed on the ceiling above us when a thought pops into my mind. Pressing my lips together, I begin to rethink my choices.
Should I do it? No. I don't think so. If I do it first, then whatever happens next will be my fault because I'm the one who started it. No. I shouldn't do it. As curious as I am about the things Antonio would do to me when we're alone like this, I'd rather not take the risk. It's better not to do anything I'll regret later.
Minutes have passed, yet none of us has uttered a word nor take an action towards each other. Huh, interesting. I guess Antonio is not as bad as I thought when it comes to sexual stuff like Paolo and any other guys I've been with before. That's good, right? That means I don't have to worry about him forcing himself on me. But still, I can't be too careful. I still need to have my guards up when I'm around the Ricci, and that includes Antonio.
"What's on your mind?" Antonio asks, breaking my line of thought. I shake my head a little, keeping my eyes on the ceiling as we stay close to each other.
"Nothing. I was just spacing out," I say.
"Alright. If you say so," Antonio says.
I turn to Antonio and look up at him, finding him already staring right at me. As our gazes stay on each other's, my heart begins to pound in my chest. Realising how close we are to each other, I feel my cheeks getting warmer, but my eyes still stay on Antonio.
Should I really do it? Fuck it. Let's just do it. It's just a cuddle anyway. Nothing more. If Antonio decides it to be more, then I'll just kick him in the nuts and run out of the room. It should be that simple. Dante already taught me how to get out of such a situation, so it should be easy.
"Do you want to say something or...?" Antonio asks, his grin becomes mischievous in seconds. He definitely notices me getting embarrassed. Shit.
"Can I..." I say, not sure how to turn my thoughts into words. The way my face is getting hotter is not helping either.
Fuck. Come on, Ale. Do you fucking job. It's not that difficult to ask for a cuddle from your so-called boyfriend. You've been together with him for fucking months. You've kissed him, so hugging him while you're lying together shouldn't be that awkward.
"What is it?" Antonio asks again.
"Is it okay for me to lay my head on your chest for a bit?" I ask. Antonio smiles and chuckles at my sheepishness, making me even more embarrassed than before.
"Of course. Come here," Antonio says. Gently, he pulls me closer to him. I then put my head over his chest, hearing the sound of his fast heartbeat. It sounds like I'm not the only one who's nervous. That's kinda relieving. Antonio lets out a contented sigh as he wraps his arms around me.
As Antonio and I lie there, body to body, I can't help but feel guilty as the thought of Dante passes my mind. Fuck. Why does he has to appear in my head right now? I need to fucking focus, but even though Dante and I are not in a relationship, I feel like I'm cheating on him with Antonio right now. Shit. I need to get a grip. I'm doing this for my family and me. Our relationship are nothing but business anyway. We're not that serious with each other. I'm only with him to figure out the people behind my mother's death and to get revenge. That's it.
"I want to tell you something," Antonio says. My heart skips a beat at his words. What does he want to say? I should let him say whatever he wants to say right now before he changes his mind.
"What is it?" I ask.
"It's about-"
"There you are!"
Out of shock, I move away from Antonio and push myself to sit. My eyes find Valeria walking towards me with a wide grin on her face. She definitely saw Antonio and I cuddling earlier. Damn. That's embarrassing.
"TIme's up. Now come with me," Valeria says, pulling me up from the bed. I turn to Antonio, and his face already turns red as he stares at his younger sister.
"Y'all lovebirds can spend more time together tomorrow. Ciao for now, brother," Valeria says. She pulls me towards the door, and I can only stare back at Antonio helplessly. He only stares at me with a sad smile, letting me go with Valeria.
Damn it! Why did she come at the worst time possible? What was Antonio going to say to me? Fuck my life. I should ask him about it tomorrow. He probably already change his mind about telling me whatever he wants to say, but it won't hurt to ask, right? I should do it. Who knows it's actually something important. I know I can't trust his words fully, but I need to hear him out. He sounds serious about it earlier, so it's definitely something I can't miss.