Page 35 of Inescapable Ties
“Keep him alive, please,” I sighed.
Emilio paused, his serious gaze scanning for emotions I was trying to hide. He knew I hated my father, and was probably wondering why I didn’t agree with him. “If you insist.”
I slid into the passenger seat as Emilio held the car door open for me. He hurriedly made his way to the driver’s side and climbed in behind the wheel.
“What do you want to do now, Jaws?”
“I thought we were supposed to continue mourning.”
“It’s Valentina Alto,” he said. “I think that was a sufficient time to mourn.”
His dark humor made me laugh, easing the tension from the earlier encounter with my father.
“Where do you want to go?” I said, flipping the script on him.
“Hm… How about I take you somewhere special?” He pushed the ignition button, and the engine roared to life.
I watched Emilio as he guided the car through the labyrinth that was our city. One hand was placed on the wheel, his knuckles white from gripping it so tightly.
I didn’t know where this “special” place was, but we were driving out of the city. We ended up in a place in New York that I had never been before. It was full of foliage, and would have felt like a forest if not for the surrounding buildings and cars.
Emilio took us down a side road. We must have driven for at least thirty minutes, and eventually the paved road turned into a dirt path.
“Here,” he said, pulling to the side.
It was beautiful. The trees had cleared, and there was a field covered in lush grass and flowers. It could have been a scene out of a fairytale - butterflies flew through the air and deer pranced in the distance.
I stepped out of the car and a gust of wind blew through, sending the scent of the surrounding wildflowers.
“Wow,” I said. “It’s beautiful. Where did you find this place?”
“My mother used to take me here when I was young.”
His voice was quiet, almost reverent. I turned to him, seeing a softness in his eyes that I had never seen before. Although he had never spoken of her, Emilio clearly cared for his mother. I wanted to ask him about her, but decided it wasn’t the right time.
“She said it was our secret haven, away from the world,” he stepped forward, motioning for me to follow. “C’mon.”
We made our way through the field, our footsteps barely making a sound against the soft grass. It felt like we were stepping into another realm, one preserved in time. Before the chaos and unending sadness this world had to offer took over.
“Should we sit?” he asked.
“Absolutely.”
Emilio slipped off his leather jacket and laid it down on the grass for us. The two of us settled in the makeshift seat, pressed dangerously close to one another.
I started picking the wildflowers next to me, desperate to take my mind off of the handsome man pressed into the side of my body. When I had a pile of them, I wound the stems together, creating a makeshift flower crown.
A rather devious idea popped into my head.
I shifted from sitting to on my knees, and, before Emilio could protest, I placed the crown on his head. He looked ridiculous, and I couldn’t help but cackle.
“Seriously?” he said. The left corner of his lip turned upwards. “Ok.”
Before I could even react, he had pulled me off my knees and onto his lap. Our bodies were intertwined, and my chest was so close to his I swore I could feel his heart beat. I wondered if he could feel how fast mine was beating.
I was transported back to the moment when I had popped out of the towel bin, and we had almost kissed. My face flushed at the memory.
“It looks better on you,” he said.
