Page 96 of Isabella

Teo is amazing, but he’s never engaged in conversation with me about what I do at Liana’s before. I splash some water on my face.Gosh, Enzo’s known about Nicco and me for a handful of hours and I’m already so freaking paranoid.

“Do you think he knows?” Nicco asks.

“Ugh, I don’t know. Enzo’s been known to have a big mouth before. I just hope he didn’t go running back to Teo right after our talk.”

“I don’t think he’d do that,” Nicco says.

“Yeah, well, you have more faith in my brother than I do,” I say. If Teo knows and he hasn’t gone after Nicco yet, then does that mean he would accept the two of us being together? Or is he pretending like he doesn’t know and behind the scenes is planning on killing him or something? I’m officially spiraling, and this bath isn’t helping a damn bit.

“Don’t do that,” Nicco says.

I let out a sigh. “Don’t do what?”

“Don’t get in your head and start panicking. Enzo came around quickly?—”

“Enzo nearlykilledyou.”

“But he didn’t.”

I let out another sigh. Yes, Enzo didn’t kill him, but he didn’t see the crazed look in my brother’s eyes while his face was being smashed into the desk. There’s no doubt in my mind that he was going to kill him.

“And do you know why he didn’t?”

“Because of me,” I mutter.

“And what exactly did you do that made him change his mind about killing me?” he says.

“Said I love you.”

“Because you said you love me,” he repeats, and I can practically hear the smile on his face. “Funny how it took nearly losing me to get you to finally say the words I’ve waited over three years for you to say to me again.”

“I-I…”

I don’t really have a response to that because it’s true. I’ve been so worried about losing Nicco again that I was too afraid to admit my feelings for him. But seeing him on that desk with my brother a second away from snapping his neck had me quickly realizing that just because I’m scared, it doesn’t mean the feelings aren’t there. What if he had killed him and I never told him those three words again?

“You’re right,” I say. “I know. I should’ve told you sooner. But I was just so?—”

“Scared. I know. You never have to explain yourself to me, Isabella. I was fine waiting until you were ready to say it. No matter what, I was always going to be here.”

Nicco always knows what to say.

“But I’m still stressed, you know that, right?”

He chuckles on the other end. “I know, but everything will work out. I know it will.”

Nicco says it like he has an inside look into the future. I told Enzo I would come clean to Teo soon, so I’m on a time crunch. I just hope I don’t regret this, because if I lose Nicco again, I’m not sure I’ll recover a second time.

55

ISABELLA

I’m pouring creamer into my coffee when the loud, obnoxious voice of Enzo startles me, causing me to nearly spill it all over the counter.

“Must you, Vincenzo?” I snap.

“Someone’s a little touchy, touchy this morning,” he says, reaching across the counter to steal my coffee. I let out an annoyed sigh before setting the creamer down, too tired to even react.

After my bath last night, I went straight to bed. The only problem was that my spiraling thoughts never allowed me to get much rest. I tossed and turned all night, my anxiety about Teo possibly knowing about Nicco and I getting to me.

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