ROSALINE
I woke up with a light headache that made me keep my eyes shut for the next few seconds.
“Love.” I heard Russo’s deep and comforting voice. His voice was almost quiet, almost like a whisper and yet so deep that it soothed my soul.
The memories of last night flashed before my closed eyes but somehow it didn’t affect me so much. Maybe it was because of Russo’s hand gently circling my right arm as I opened my eyes slowly.
“Russo” I called his name as his face came into view.
I tried to pull myself to sit up but Russo aided me with it and as soon as I saw sat, my back against the headboard, I looked more carefully at Russo’s face.
“Hug me” I uttered the first words that came into my mouth.
He immediately pulled me into his warm arms and I rested my head on his broad chest that was clad in a light shirt. I snuggled closer to him, his presence around me making me feel a hundred times better. He kissed my forehead, a gesture that made my heart flutter before I pressed my forehead back to his chest.
“Thank you” I whispered to him and I heard a sound that sounded like a suppressed groan.
“Thanks? For what? For putting you in danger?”
“Russo” I lifted my head from his chest to look up at his face. The look on his face was rigid, almost expressionless but looking deeply into his eyes, I could see the guilt in his eyes. He was blaming himself for last night.
“Last night was not your fault and if anything you saved me timely”
“Whose fault is it then, Cara? I let you get hurt. You…” He reached a hand to my face and cupped my face soo softly and reluctantly as if holding me any firmer would hurt me.
“It doesn’t hurt that much, really. You saved me and that’s that. Thinking deeply about, I think it is my faukt that all of these happened” I pressed my lips into a thin line.
“Giovanni was holding a grudge against you because you killed Rio. And I am the reason you killed Rio.”
“That still…” He trailed off and sighed softly.
“You are not at fault, Russo. Don’t look so guilty. It happened and it is over now.” I cupped his face and his eyes searched mine with an intensity that reminded me of how much this man loved me.
“Come here” He opened his arms and I got into his big arms. His arms wrapped around me protectively as I curled up in his embrace.
“What were you going to do last night?” I asked after a while of silence. I could not stop thinking about what he had planned for last night before all that happened.
I looked up at his face. The dress, the heels, the jewelries, wanting to pick me up personally.Clearly a preparation for something quite exciting.
“I just wanted us to go out on a date.” he replied and it sounded true. Every of his facials said it was true but it didn’t feel true.
“It was only a date?” I asked, saying the words slowly.
“Yes, Cara. I wanted to go on our first official date but we can always go on a date later on” He leaned down and showered my face with kisses.
Again, his words didn’t feel true but I let it off. What more could happen anyways? Him asking me to be his girlfriend officially? Or him proposing to me?
***
“Diane” I called her name with a smile, walking into the room with Russo holding the door open for me.
The little girl’s face brightened up with a smile and she jumped off the bed, rushing towards me. She wrapped her arms around me and I picked her up from the floor, hugging her better.
“I have been waiting to see you all these while” She said, her arms wrapped my neck.
“Really?” I pulled back from the hug, a smile plastered on.
“Yes. Do you feel better now?” She asked and I felt my heart breaking at how she was asking about my health when she had also been through such an experience at a young age.
“Of course. And you? Are you hurt anywhere?” I kept the smile plastered as I walked to the bed and gently dropped her to the bed and sat beside her, my hands linked with hers.
“I am fine too. My dad tells me I am strong and I believe him.” Her face was lit up with a smile.
“Right? You are so strong, Diane. But you don’t feel any pain anywhere, right?” I asked and checked her arms. She had bruises from being tied yesterday.
“The doctor treated me too last night and I feel better. It still hurts a bit but it’s nothing much.” She smiled, revealing her dentition. She was such a ray of sunshine even after what had happened last night.
My heart was dreading how the smile would leave her face once I told her about her dad. I was so dreading her asking about him. I had no idea how I would break such news to this pretty little girl.
“So…” She looked past me at Russo and I looked to Russo too. His expression was unchanging as we both looked at him, leaning against the door frame.
“So…” Diane’s gaze returned to me and mine returned to her.
“He is my dad’s friend who helped us, right?” She asked and I nodded in affirmation.
“So he is a good man?” She asked again and I nodded with a smile. Russo was a good man, maybe not to many. But he was my own good man.
“And my dad? I have asked everyone who came to me where my dad is but no one has an answer.” She looked up at me and I felt my heart wrenching.
Her mother was already a star, how was I supposed to tell her that her father was also now a star?
“Your dad, Karl…” I breathed in and out deeply to ready myself to drop the news. I picked her up and dropped her on my lap.
The smile on her face had already vanished and I could see the fear on her face. How to tell her this?
“Your dad was a very good man but…”
“But he… He is now a… He loves you so much, Diane. Your dad loves you very much and he didn’t want to leave you anytime soon. He is sorry and I am sorry” Tears were clouding my sight as I saw the tears gathering in her eyes too.
“He is now… He is now with your mum. They are both stars, Diane” The tears quietly rolled down my cheeks and she broke down in tears.
“No… No” She sobbed and I pulled her closer to me.
“He promised he would be there for me” She sobbed and more tears rolled down my cheeks.
“He is sorry. He loves you, he loves you so much and he is sorry to have left you.” My heart hurt as I recalled my younger self getting the news of my parent’s crash too.
“They are all sorry to have left so soon, Diane.”