*Caterina*
“Mom?”
Elio’s shocked and dismayed voice had shocked back to reality.
The mont I realized what had happened, I took several steps away, my arms pulled tightly behind my back as I imdiately stared at the floor in sheer embarrassnt, gazing at the pretty red heels Olivia had generously let borrow. The skirt of the brand-new dress she’d insisted on putting on fluttered around my thighs.
What the fuck had we been doing?
I clutched the box containing the heartfelt present like a string pulling back down to the earth. I couldn’t believe I’d been making out with Elio in his parents’ house... in his dad’s office.
And worst of all, we’d gotten caught by his mother.
I bit my bottom lip, my face burning in sha. The only way it could have been more humiliating was if she’d caught us without any clothes on. Thank God for that small rcy, but this wasn’t great either.
Olivia had always been so kind to . She was like a mother figure to , only a bit older than my own mom, and there I was making out with her son during the Christmas party she’d been so gracious to invite to.
I glanced up at Elio, feeling even worse to see the awkward look on his face. He made eye contact with and then his mom, and I saw the resolution in his eyes. He put on a casual, charming smile, the sa one he used when trying to diate fights between and my mother.
He stepped in front of , his shadow falling over as he hid behind his back like the coward I was. I clenched my fists, hating myself for being protected and not brave enough to face Olivia right now.
“Mom,” Elio said awkwardly. “It’s not what you think—”
“Don’t even try that with ,” Olivia said cooly. “Front and center, both of you. Now.”
“Mom—”
My hands trembled, wondering if I was going to be faced with her anger, or worse, her disappointnt. But I grit my teeth, kept my head up, and stepped out from behind Elio’s back, standing even with him as I faced the consequences of our actions.
“It’s really not a big deal, Mom.”
Elio tried to smooth it over, and I stiffened as his hand slithered around mine, gripping tightly. It was both comforting and terrifying.
“Mmhmm,” Olivia said, eyeing our hands like a hawk. “So, how long have you been dating?”
“Well....”
Elio scratched the back of his head, glancing at the wall.
“We’re not,” I said honestly, standing strong when her eyes landed on . “At least not like that. We’re not dating or anything. We’re just... sort of....”
I trailed off, unable to find the words of how to describe our relationship under the gaze of a woman I respected so much. What was I supposed to say, that we’d randomly kissed and then hooked up a few tis, but there was nothing more than that?
That clearly wasn’t true considering we’d just had our hands on each other just a few minutes ago, even sneaking off to do so from her perspective. I chewed on my lip, unsure of what more to say.
“Right,” Olivia sighed, shaking her head, but she wasn’t looking as shocked or disappointed as I thought. There was a weird look in her eyes, one I couldn’t quite place, but she didn’t seem angry in any way. “Well, you’re both adults and I’m not going to get involved, but....”
She hesitated and then looked her son straight in the eyes. “You are my son, so I had a feeling sothing like this might happen. I’ll keep your secret. But take it from , Elio, if this is more than a simple hookup, more than a passing fling, then do right by Caterina and yourself. Tell everyone about it yourself. Don’t make them find out the hard way. Your family isn’t stupid. Don’t keep whatever relationship you have a secret, or you’ll regret it.”
Elio gulped, and my heart thudded loudly in my chest as Olivia gave us each a long, serious look. I’d always known her as a kind and cheerful woman, but now, she reminded startlingly of Elio himself.
They had the sa shade of eye color, I realized in wonder.
“Dinner’s ready. Co out soon.”
Olivia nodded at us, then turned around and left, gently shutting the office door behind her. The silence was left between us, an awkwardness that started as a hill and only grew larger in the seconds that passed.
I could feel Elio’s eyes on , but I stared at the floor, unsure of what to say. I knew we had to have this conversation sooner or later, but I wasn’t sure I was prepared for it. Anxiousness had turned to outright fear over the last few days because I sure as hell knew what Elio was to , even if I didn’t want to admit it.
But for him... I was just a little girl, soone he had to take care of out of obligation. I still didn’t know why he had even taken an interest in now, of all tis. Or maybe I just didn’t want to know.
I didn’t want him to confirm that this was just a casual thing for him, that I was just like those girls I used to see go in and out of his house next door years ago... just a passing fling, here for the winter chill and gone with the sumr sun.
“Cat.”
I flinched, still not looking at him, and he sighed. I saw him from the corner of my eye, brushing his hair from his face, tapping his fingers impatiently on the desk as he gave a frustrated look.
“Is she right?” he asked bluntly. “Should we just co clean about us?”
I swallowed the heavy stone in my throat, pondering my words before finally landing on what I wanted to say. I finally gazed into his eyes, searching for any emotion, but all I could see was the sa hard-to-read man before .
“I don’t know,” I said slowly. “But I have a lot going on right now. I don’t want to add sothing I can’t handle to my already full plate and have it blow up in my face again.”
“Again?” he questioned, a look of realization in his eyes as he opened his mouth to say the word I didn’t want to hear right now. He barely made it past the ‘P’ before I cut him off quite loudly.
“And even if we did tell everyone, what are we supposed to say? We’re not dating! In fact, I don’t even know what we are!” My frustration bubbled up, hitting him like daggers from my tongue. “If I’m just another one of your random hook-ups, then you’d better tell now because now we have your mom thinking we’re together when we’re actually....”
I paused as I saw the look on his face. I’d never seen Elio make an expression like that. He stared at , his eyes dark and shining, his whole body reeled back like I’d just hit him in the chest with my fists. He looked almost... hurt.
And then it was gone. The normal laidback and casual man stood in front of ... no expression, no emotion shining through.
“...not,” I finished laly, wondering if I had just imagined it.
Elio tilted his head, a blank expression on his face as if he felt nothing and simply said, “Okay.”
Despite his carefree appearance, a sense of guilt wiggled its way into my heart. Could I have hurt him?
There was no way, right?
“Sorry, I was just—”
I reached out, but he dodged my hand masterfully, not looking back at as he followed the path his mother had just taken.
“We should get back before anybody else notices we’re gone.”
His shutdown hurt more than I liked to admit, and I swallowed my own pride, trudging after him at a much slower pace. We had exited through a different door that led to the outdoor patio and the back of the house. We were just about to open the back door when I heard a familiar voice that stopped in my tracks.
“Cat.”
Soft-spoken, almost drowned out by the Christmas music, everything else was eerily silent when before it was such a lively party. I felt a sharp pain around my wrist, and I gripped it tightly, finally looking up.
Sure enough, there he was, the sa as when I’d last seen him—nonchalant, a bright smile on his face and his ssy blonde hair falling into his eyes, eyes that were trained on and only.
“Who are you?” Elio demanded, looking between us with a frown.
I gulped, not daring to look away from Paul’s eyes as I stepped back without thinking. I had a sudden indescribable urge to run, but I was frozen in place like a deer trapped in the headlights of an oncoming semi. And said semi was smiling at as he took two steps forward, unblinking as he trapped within that mad gaze of his.
A shiver ran down my spine and I whispered out his na almost involuntarily.
“Paul.”
Elio jolted at the na, his eyes leveling at with a wave of growing anger before he landed on Paul’s figure and stepped between us with a scowl. He crossed his arms, squaring up as he made it very clear he was not going to be moving.
“Excuse , sir,” Paul said with mock politeness.
But the sheer arrogance waving off him was unmistakable, and Elio’s glare only deepened as the other man approached him face to face.
“I’m just here to pick up my girlfriend.”
“We broke up, Paul,” I said firmly, hiding my fear behind my anger. “How did you even find ?”
“Co on, babe. It was just a little spat. I’m willing to forgive you though, so let’s go back ho, okay?”
He grinned, reaching his hand out toward , but Elio gripped his wrist firmly, glaring at him.
“She said you broke up. So, I’m going to give you one minute to get the hell out of here, and if you ever co back around here again, we are going to have a problem... Paul.” He stepped forward until they were chest to chest, and all politeness faded away.
I could see them eyeing one another up and finally, Paul smirked, as if he had concluded that he had nothing to fear from Elio, that he could take him on. And with Elio already in a bad mood, I had no doubt in my mind.
This could get ugly.
“I don’t think you can, old guy,” Paul said arrogantly. “Cat’s mine, and she’s coming with . Even if I have to go through you to prove it.”
“No!” I heard screaming and I flinched as Paul threw a punch, straight for Elio as gasps ca from the crowd around us.
But Elio was not a pushover. He smoothly dodged the punch by just a hair, a dangerous glint in his eyes as he swept Paul’s feet from under him with one leg, gripping him by the collar and with his other hand firmly smashed his fist into his face.
I winced as I heard a loud crack and Paul dropped to the floor, groaning. Drops of red hit the ground as Paul nursed his nose, most likely having been completely broken with such a powerful hit. Elio stood over him with no sense of empathy or rcy in his gaze.
It was like he was looking down at a pathetic insect whose life he could take with no remorse at any mont.
“Get him the fuck out of here,” Elio ordered coldly.
“You fucking bastard,” Paul snarled, holding his bloody nose as he struggled to his feet.
But he was grabbed around the arms by two very large n. They picked him up like he was a bag of air, dragging him across the floor as he scread curses at everyone, struggling like a pebble in an earthquake.
Elio turned to , his eyes softening as he glanced at my trembling figure, and he gently folded into a hug. It was warm, and I finally released a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
But over his shoulder, I t Paul’s eyes.
“Don’t fucking touch her, you bastard! You’re fucking mine, Cat! Do you think you can just throw away? I’ll fucking kill you myself before I let you leave !”
I flinched, shutting my eyes as the curses finally died down. I barely noticed as Elio spoke to Olivia for a mont, letting him pull back into his father’s office. I felt numb, lost in an endless sea of emotions as I let him guide into a chair. A warm drink was pushed into my hands, a blanket wrapped around my shoulders.
And slowly, I ca back to life.
When I did, Elio was kneeling in front of , his eyes shining with anxiety as he held my loose hand tightly in his own. It was soothing to have him there, but I knew Elio was smart enough to have figured out Paul was more than just an ordinary ex-boyfriend.
“What did he do to you, Cat?”
I shafully cast my eyes to my lap, unwilling to tell him, but he gently lifted my chin, our eyes eting in a clash of worry and concern.
“I need you to tell the truth so I can protect you,” he said honestly.
Whether I wanted to or not, I knew I couldn’t hide it any longer.
I sighed, and I told him everything—how we had t, and I had fallen for his charming and outgoing appearance... how I had thought he was a good person until we got together. I had been too dumb to recognize the red flags until it was almost too late.
I told him how Paul had criticized for everything I did—what I wore, what makeup I used—how he controlled where I went and what I did, verbally tearing into when I fought back. Then he started controlling who I could see, when I could see them... and soon enough, I’d found myself completely isolated at school.
He claid it was all because he loved , and I kept making excuses for him, until the night we fought.
Elio had called that night, just wanting to check on , but Paul had gotten into my phone, seen his na, and assud I was cheating on him. I tried to defend myself, but there was no reasoning with him and eventually, I tried to walk out.
He grabbed my arm, tight enough that it left a large bruise in the shape of a handprint, enough that I cried and begged him to let go. And once I was submissive enough, only then did he release his grip.
I knew then what trap I had fallen into. I ran as fast as I could.
Once I finished telling Elio, I stared emptily at the floor, not even emotional about it anymore like I was simply an outsider looking in. But Elio wrapped in his arms, so gently as he tucked into his chest. I was safe and protected there, and my heart cald as I clung to his shirt.
I was grateful he didn’t point out how hard I was shaking. But as he shielded from the rest of the world, Elio whispered softly to my temple, a single promise that shook to my core.
“Don’t worry, Cat. I’ll take care of it. No one will ever hurt you again.”
And for once, I believed him with every fiber of my being.
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