Picture of Bubbles because I keep forgetting^^
River's POV
I've been in Italy for 8 days now. After I got shot, my Dad starling making me work twice as hard.
I wake up at 4:30 am, leave at 5, and don't get home until well after 1 am. This schedule has left me with absolutely no time to talk with Cove. All I have time to do is text her when I wake up, and again right before bed.
Due to the time difference, she's often asleep by the time I wake up, vice versa. Overall it's been a nightmare and all I want to do is go home.
Today is December 22, my last day here. I already know Dad is gonna work me until I practically pass out.
"Morning, take this and get in the car."
Handing me a freshly loaded gun, he shooed me away with his hand.
As I exited the kitchen and walked through the living room, I spotted my mom sitting on the couch with a mug in hand.
"River, be careful honey," she said, just like she does every time I leave the house.
"I will, see you later mom."
On my second day here, we spent the morning driving to our regular house. There I was finally able to see my mother who kept fussing over my injury.
It doesn't even hurt, but I accepted the extra attention regardless. I really love my mom and I missed her so much.
Only now have I realized how much Cove reminds me of her. They're both caring, nurturing, and overall very kind people. I can't wait until they meet each other.
"Damien Bates," Dad said as he got in the car.
"This is the man who went to our house and threatened you, correct?"
"Yes."
"Good. Well luckily he was spotted back in Italy a few days ago, some nerve this guy has. We are gonna pay him a visit and you're gonna teach him a lesson, go it?"
"Yes sir."
ð ð ð
Blood. Blood everywhere.
On my shoes, down the front of my shirt, all over the room. Everywhere.
Dad sent me in here 50 minutes ago and told me to not stop until he's bleeding from every inch of his body.
It took hundreds of punches and kicks, but Damien is finally on the ground, laying in a pool of his own blood.
This is the same man who oh so confidently strutted up to my doorstep and threatened to kill my whole family.
This is the same man who told me all the nasty things he would do to Azalea and my mom.
This is the same man who threatened to lock me in a room for years and watch me slowly grow crazy, completely consumed by my own thoughts and misery.
"Not so confident now huh?" I teased, kicking him in his already broken rib cage.
He winced in pain and slowly rolled over, facing me with a sinister grin on his face. Oh, he really has a death wish.
If it weren't for Dad's specific instructions, he would've been dead a long time ago.
Deciding to leave before he works me up all over again, I turned and reached for the door handle. What he said next, however, stopped me dead in my tracks.
"You have a girl back at home."
I looked back at him and scowled.
"Wouldn't it be such a shame if anything were to happen to her?"
"Are you seriously threatening me, again?"
"I'm not threatening you, I'm threatening that little blondie of yours. She's such a cute little thing, it wouldn't take a day to get her to submit to me. I'll show her how a real man can make her feel-"
Before he could finish, I kicked him straight in the temple, knocking him out cold.
No one threatens Cove and gets away with it, I'll make sure he dies if it's the last thing I do.
For now though, I need to do what my Dad says and get through the rest of today.
ð ð ð
Cove's POV
River is coming home today!! Sadly, his plane isn't arriving until 10:30 pm. I was originally gonna meet him at the airport, but he said he doesn't want me out that late.
My phone started ringing and I immediately accepted the call when River's name flashed across the screen. Speak of the devil.
"Hey baby, I have to tell you something," he said as I picked up.
I furrowed my eyebrows slightly and hesitantly responded, "okay."
"My parents decided to come home for the holidays. I told them about you and now they want to have dinner tomorrow, is that okay?"
River's parents? I'm going to meet River's parents!! He did not give me enough time to prepare for this, I need to do a face mask, a hair mask, a lip mask. I also need to pick an outfit and find the right shoes.
Can I really complain though? I gave him absolutely no warning before meeting my parents. It's only fair I get the same treatment back.
Wait. Isn't his Dad is a mafia leader? I'm going to meet a mafia leader!
What if he doesn't like me? Will he shoot me?
"Cove?"
With all the worrying going on in my head. I forgot to respond.
"That's great River, I can't wait."
"Oh good. My Mom is very excited to meet you."
"How about your Dad?"
"He's kinda hard to read, but I think he's happy I found someone."
"Do you think he'll like me?"
"Are you kidding? Of course he will."
"Oh, okay."
"Cove who wouldn't like you? You don't have to worry, okay? I love you and I'm sure they will too."
"Okay. Thanks, River."
"Of course. I need to go now, promise me you won't stress about tomorrow?"
"I promise. Have fun."
"I'll try."
He hung up and I sighed. How can I go about this without stressing myself out?
I decided to just pick out my outfit and leave the rest for tomorrow.
River's parents seem like very classy people, so I definitely need something nice. At the same time, I don't want to overdo myself.
Mentally crossing off all long dresses from the possible outfits, I started looking at my more spring-type dresses. My winter dresses are all super long and flowy, so I'm gonna wear a spring dress with tights underneath.
Suddenly, the perfect dress came to mind. I know what I'm gonna wear tomorrow.
ð ð ð
Just got home, I'll come over tomorrow as soon as I can.
Okay, goodnight River. I can't wait to see you, I love you.
I love you too Cove, see you tomorrow. Goodnight.
ð ð ð
I woke up the next day to my Mom knocking at my door.
"Cove can I come in sweetie?"
I rubbed my eyes and sat up. "Yeah, come in."
She opened the door and stepped inside, motioning me over.
"Your Dad and I have some late Christmas shopping to do."
"Late? Mom, it's the 23rd, way more than late."
"I know, we just got so busy. We'll be out until 9 or 10 pm because your Dad needs to finish up a project at work so we can have the entire next week off. I'm sorry honey."
"It's okay Mom, we still have the rest of the week to be together. Have fun shopping."
After kissing my cheek, she left. I looked at the clock and realized it's already 7:30. I should get ready, River is probably gonna be up soon.
40 minutes later, I finished showering and put on a simple purple hoodie with sweats. I'll have time to change later.
Now, all I can do is play the waiting game. Deciding to wait downstairs, I slipped on a pair of fluffy socks and laid down on the couch.
My mind started to wander as I mindlessly stared out the window. It's only a matter of time before I will be face to face with River's scary mafia parents.
I've heard many rumors about them at school. While a majority of them are extremely dumb and make absolutely no sense, one always tends to come to my mind when I think of his dad.
Rumor has it when River was in 8th grade, one of his teachers kept getting him in trouble for missing school. All of the other teachers would excuse his frequent absence, all but Mrs. Johnson.
Mrs. Johnson was a very strict old lady. I remember hearing about her all the time, even though River and I went to different middle schools.
Anyways, towards the end of the year, River had enough so he got his parents involved. Apparently, they had a meeting with Mrs. Johnson, but she refused to listen and continued marking him absent.
A week later she stopped showing up to work and was never heard of again. This is where the story gets weird.
Some people say that River's parents simply got her fired, which would make sense due to their financial situation.
Others say she went missing. I don't believe this theory because I know for a fact I would remember seeing her name on the news, or at least on some flyer.
The scariest theory is that she was murdered by River's parents and the police covered it up. To my dismay, this theory also makes sense.
I mean, no one has seen Mrs. Johnson since she stopped coming to school. Not one person has confirmed that she's still alive.
Sure she could've moved far away, but if she did, I'm sure at least one teacher would know about it.
I try not to think about this theory too much because it's really far-fetched and dumb.
But deep down, with the information I know about the mafia, there's a slight slight possibility it's true.
Ding dong.
My head snapped up at the sound of the doorbell ringing. It took me a few seconds to process the noise, but once I did, I jumped up to my feet and ran to the door.
Unlocking it in record time, I swung the door open.
"Hi, bab-"
I didn't let River finish before throwing myself in his arms. He instantly pulled me to his chest and secured his arms around my body, resting his head on top of mine.
"I missed you so much." My voice muffled against his clothes, making me doubt that he even heard it.
"I missed you more baby, that was one of the hardest weeks of my life and all I wanted was for you to be there with me."
"Really? River what did you do?"
"A lot of things baby, things your ears shouldn't be hearing."
"But I thought your Dad was just showing you his business so you can get a feel of it?"
"You don't remember the conversation you overheard us having? He wanted me to see the mafia business, not the regular business."
Oh that's right, I guess my brain decided to ignore that and made me hope for the best
"Oh, River," I whispered concernedly.
"Don't worry about me, baby. Let's go inside so you don't get cold."
I nodded and shut the door behind him as he walked to the couch. Sitting down next to him, I quickly scanned his body for any sign of injury.
Luckily, I don't see any. Let's just hope nothing bad happened while he was there.
River's POV
I noticed Cove looking over my body to see if I'm hurt and sighed. It's cute how concerned she is, but I really don't want her worrying over me.
"Cove," I softly groaned.
"Sorry, I just had to make sure you're okay. You're okay, right?"
"Of course I am."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
She let out a relieved breath and moved closer to me, draping a leg over my lap and grabbing my face.
Gently caressing my cheek, she leaned forward and gave me a kiss before pulling back and looking over my face.
I watched with darkened eyes as she inspected every inch of it, unknowingly brushing hers lips over my jaw.
"Cove," I whispered and grabbed her hips, pulling her completely on my lap. Her hand slipped and gripped onto my shoulder to steady herself. My injured shoulder.
She immediately retracted it after seeing me wince and concern filled her eyes. Dammit, I didn't mean to do that. My arm is still a little sore and she took me by surprise.
"Sorry I didn't mean to hurt you!" Cove immediately scooted back like she's poison, making me feel guilty.
Great, I can either tell her the truth, or let her think she hurt me. The second option would be easier, but unfair to Cove.
"You didn't hurt me, baby," I said, softly.
She tilted her head in confusion, "then why did you wince?"
"My arm is a little sore, that's all."
"From what?"
"Working out."
She nodded and I instantly felt bad for lying. I'm betraying her trust. She didn't have to give it back to me after all those lies I told her, but she still did and this is how I repay her.
"Do you want to put ice on it?" She asked kindly.
"Oh, um sure."
Smiling, she got off my lap and ran to the kitchen. A few moments later, she returned with a bag full of ice.
"Here," she said, holding it on my arm. I can't really feel the cold due to the jacket and shirt I have on.
"Wait, can you take off your hoodie so you'll feel it better?" She asked, she noticing my lack of reaction.
Nodding, I pulled off my hoodie and set it on the other side of the couch.
Cove's eyebrows furrowed and she looked closer at my arm.
"What is that.." she trailed off, gently pulling the sleeve of my shirt to the side.
"River your hurt!"
And she caught me.
"Don't worry baby, I'm fine. That was from over a week ago," I started.
"No, there's stitches. What happened?"
"I got hurt, it's nothing too bad."
"River it's all bruised."
"It's fine, it barely even hurts."
"What happened? Please tell me the truth."
I sighed in defeat and held one of her hands, slightly squeezing it to calm down.
"I got shot."
"What!"
"It's okay, I didn't even hurt. I'm used to it."
"You're used to it? River you shouldn't be used to that!"
"Well I am, it's happened enough times for my body to get used to it. Now it feels like getting a shot at the doctors, just a sting and it's sore afterward."
"River," she sighed.
"I know baby, I promise I'm fine. The bullet didn't go too deep and was easily removed. I didn't even need to go to the hospital."
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm sure."
She sighed again and laid her head on my chest.
"Is there anything I can do to make it feel better?"
"No, it's fine Cove. I'm fine. I just need to let it heal, it'll be better in no time."
"Are you sure there's nothing? I feel useless."
"Well, I guess there's one thing you can do."
"What?"
"You can kiss it."
A soft smile graced her lips and she tilted her head up, placing a soft kiss under the bruise.
"Better?"
"Yes, much much better."
"Good."
She then got up and grabbed the remote, turning on the TV.
"We should watch Pretty Little Liars, it's been a while," she suggested.
"Okay," I agreed.
She turned on the episode we watched last time and skipped towards the end.
"I just want to re-watch the end so we're not lost. I don't remember what happened, it's been over a month."
I nodded and sat back as she pressed play. My mind quickly became engrossed in the episode, and before I know it, an hour passed by.
My mind came back to reality when I heard Cove's stomach rumbling.
"Are you hungry?" I asked.
"Yeah, are you?"
"No, I ate before coming here."
She nodded and went to the fridge, taking out a container of vanilla-honey yogurt. After pouring some in a bowl and grabbing a spoon, she came back to the couch.
"River," she murmured as the next episode finished and credits started rolling.
"What's up?"
"Do your parents know about Bubbles?"
"They do now."
"You never asked or told them before getting her?"
"I might've brought it up once or twice in passing conversations, why are you asking?"
"It's nothing. They don't mind her staying at your house though, right?"
"They don't really care."
"Good."
In the middle of the next episode, I noticed her moving around a lot and continuously drifting her eyes away from the TV.
"Are you bored?" I asked.
"Kind of. Do you want to do something else?"
"Sure."
She turned off the TV and got up. After putting her bowl and spoon in the sink, she motioned for me to follow her upstairs.
We went to her room and I sat on her bed while she started looking through her drawers for something.
"I have something to give you... aha!"She pulled out a bag with paper in it.
"While I was at your house the other day, I noticed you went through all my letters. So, I made more."
I smiled brightly and pulled her in front of me by her hips.
"Thank you so much," I whispered before placing a kiss on her lips. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and pushed forward as she deepened the kiss.
After a minute or two, I pulled back. Laying her on the bed and hovering over her body, I re-connected our lips.
One hand found her wrists and pinned them above her head, while the other kept a firm grip on her waist.
Without warning, I slipped my tongue past her lips and into her mouth. She let out a small moan, making it easier to slide my tongue around.
We kissed desperately until she started to squirm, indicating she needs air. I bit her lip as I pulled back, letting it slowly fall out of my grasp.
Our pants filled the room as we looked at each other with love filled eyes.
I never knew it was possible to love someone this much. To be honest, I never expected to fall in love with someone in the first place.
Before this, my goal was to marry someone from another mafia and join the two. I never planned on loving anyone, I thought no one ever love someone like me.
But here I am, making out with the love of my life who is most definitely not part of a mafia. I wouldn't want it any other way. This is my life and my life is perfect.
3150 words
I'm pretty sad because Wattpad made me take down the picture on my first chapter. I have no idea why. For some reason, my first chapter also reverted back to an old, unedited version of itself. It didn't save the newer version in the version histories so I also had to fix that. Sorry for the boring chapter, but all of that happening really discouraged me from writing this week.