Page 21 of Inevitable

I spent the last couple hours getting everything ready with Marisol and Luis’s help. It is around 7:30PM when I hear the front door open and shut. I hustle out of the room I was working in and find Luca striding to his office. He stops dead in his tracks when he sees me. His eyes soften and almost seem sad, I can see the lingering want in them, but his body is taut and rigid like he is prepared to flee to avoid me.

“Hi Luca,” I say softly.

“Ashlynn.”

“Can I borrow you for a little?”

His brows knit together as his posture softens. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes,” I nod. “And no. Can you follow me?”

He gives a terse nod before he follows me. Once I reach the room, I turn around to see the puzzled look on his face. When I push the door open it changes from puzzled to shocked. I step into the theater room and stand to the side as he takes it all in. Marisol said that his Uncle had put this in, and Luca has never used it since becoming Boss. Thankfully, Marisol and the others had kept it just as pristine as all of the other rooms though.

Smooth black leather recliner seats are set up in rows that go all the way to the back of the room. There are over 30 seats in here, you could practically host your own premier! The dark red carpet matches the fabric walls that surround us, and a huge projector screen takes up the entire front wall.

Sitting in front of the first row of seats is a small table that has a pizza on it and 2 glasses of wine as well as a bucket of popcorn and raisents which are Luca’s favorite, definitely not mine. The screen has the menu screen and soundtrack playing of the movie Fight Club. It was Luca’s favorite when he lived with us. He was always watching it in his free time and when I could get away with it, I would sneak over to his house and watch it with him.

I stand there watching Luca, waiting for him to say something but he doesn’t. His eyes trace over the room, no doubt missing none of the details as he stares. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea. Marisol and Luis seemed to think I was crazy, but I had to try something.

“What do you think?” I ask, with a hint of nervousness seeping through my words.

His honey eyes swing to me as I speak. Instead of finding them hard and cold like they have been for the last couple of days they are soft, almost a little glassy. That could also be my imagination. He cocks his head slightly as he stares at me.

“What is all this?” He asks.

I shrug as I take a step towards him. He doesn’t take a step back which in my book is progress. “I thought we could do a movie night.”

He sighs heavily and runs a hand through his dark hair. It looks like he is wavering on what to do, that is better than outright rejecting me right?

“Ashlynn, it has been a long day. I have a lot of work that needs to be done.”

I shrug and give him the start of a smile. “So, do it later, you are The Boss right? Don’t you kind of make the rules?”

His eyes scan my face, like he is looking for a trap or an ulterior motive. I mean I do have one but nothing sinister like I am sure he is imagining. After a few moments he lets out a soft sigh and strides past me and over to one of the seats. I stand up a little straighter and can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. I turn to the doorway to see Marisol give me a soft smile before she walks away.

I practically bounce my way over to the seat next to Luca and see that he has already dug in to Luis’s supreme pizza.

“Thank God there is none of those disgusting pieces of fruit you like on yours,” he mutters as he takes a bite.

“Hey! So many people like pineapple on their pizza, it isn’t that weird.”

“Yes, it is. The first person that thought to put fruit on a piece of baked dough with marinera sauce and cheese on it had to have been nothing short of a psychopath.”

I shoot him a scathing look that lacks any real heat. My scowl melts in to a smile as I see him discreetly reach for some of the raisents. When he sees me smiling, he hardens his face and pretends to be irritated.

“What?” He asks as he looks at me out of the corner of his eye.

“Nothing,” I say with a small smirk. I hit play for the movie and grab a piece of pizza as I settle back into my seat.

“I haven’t seen this movie in a very long time,” he says wistfully.

“Me either,” I agree with a nod. “Not since I watched it with you.”

Recognition fills his eyes as he no doubt is remembering all of the nights we spent tangled up on his couch, paying more attention to each other than the movie. The silence stretches as the movie plays before Luca speaks again.

“Were you happy?”

I turn to him a little taken by surprise. I furrow my brows. “What do you mean?”

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