Terza was in the elevator of the hotel where her family was staying going up. She had decided to join her mother and some of the other ladies to have breakfast. She didn't think she felt like going to the Rosario hotel so she had sent a message to Vincenzo that she wasn't coming to him early on.
As the elevator reached the right floor, Terza was surprised to see the elevator not stopping. It kept going up. Had the elevator been faulty? She hoped not. She was on alert as she leaned against the elevator's metal walls cautious of why the elevator was acting on its own.
After going up a few more floors, the door of the elevator suddenly opened. She didn't care where she was. She just wanted to go back. She kept pressing buttons but it didn't work. She decided to step outside and take the stairs down hoping there were no nasty surprises hidden. She took out her hand gun from her purse and stepped off the elevator. She then gasped. The floor was different. It opened into a massive dining hall. It was covered with roses everywhere. She saw a nicely laid out breakfast table in the middle of the deserted dining hall. She was in awe of the room. She loved roses and the scent of pastries and coffee were so inviting.
"Put down the gun Terza." Vincenzo warned.
Terza turned facing him and put her hand on her heart. " It is you?"
Vincenzo gave her a hard look as he took a step towards her " Were you expecting someone else?"
Terza shrugged " Yes...I mean... it could be anyone... I expected anyone..."
Vincenzo retorted " Well you thought wrong Terza. I am not anyone. I am your man and I wish to have breakfast with you privately and quietly in peace. I didn't like that you pressed the button to go to the other floor. It was way too crowded. This place is better. Let's go." He then grabbed the gun from her hand swiftly before she could react and put it away " You don't need guns here... I have installed high tech intruder alerts and wires capable of transferring electrocuting shocks available at the walls and the door if anyone tries to break in."
Terza asked " How did you plan all this in such short time?"
Vincenzo replied " I am prepared. You asked me to work for it and I did. So..." He then offered his hand for her to take " Would you like to have breakfast with me?"
Terza almost laughed " Why do you ask questions when you know I can't choose any other option. It's not like I can leave... You have intruder alerts and the elevator works at your command. Do I have any other choice?"
Vincenzo frowned and retreated his hand " You always have a choice Terza. I give you a code and you can put it in the wired box there while I get rid of all this. This is all for you Terza. You can choose not to want it..."
Terza sensed the sincerity in his voice. Vincenzo's attentiveness reminded her of Francesco Rosario who provided everything for his wife. It was beyond belief how much her needs went above his and anyone else's. She didn't think Vincenzo was that attentive and considerate but the tone of his voice just told her he was willing to do anything for her to make it convenient for her.
Terza smile " Vincenzo. I would love to have breakfast here. Thank you for doing this." She then took his hand in hers and lead them to the table which was met by a smile from Vincenzo. She was willing to not be difficult. He had gone into so much trouble for arranging this but what made her not make him wait longer for a breakfast date was the fact that he asked nicely. She had already allowed him to have a date with her last night. She wanted him to work for the next one but he asked so nicely she couldn't say no.
Vincenzo held out a chair for her to sit at one side of the breakfast table and he went to sit at the other side.
Terza spoke " I love these flowers. Are they from the hotel?"
Vincenzo shook his head " No. I went to get them early morning from the Harlem market."
Terza replied honestly " I didn't know you are so romantic."
Vincenzo stated " This is not romance. This is my duty... In Sicily husbands do pick fresh olives and oranges early morning for their wives for breakfast. I say that's their duty... If we are to discuss romance by definition I would tell you what my father said to me once. We were in a flower shop and he was buying flowers for my mother. He told me that buying flowers is not romantic. Picking flowers from a field is romantic before your partner wakes up from their sleep and putting it in front of their bed so the scent fills the room and then reading your partners favourite book to them before they go to sleep is romance..."
Clarisa was taken back " Very thoughtful. I thought your father is quite ... how do I say it... traditional... I never thought he would talk to you openly about romance."
Vincenzo replied " Well. He is traditional. In my father's eyes, love is not a crime Terza. Betrayal to a loved one is a crime. You won't see my father ever tolerate cheaters. If anyone cheats on his wife and works for my father he offers to kill the guy for the wife so she becomes a window rather than allow the man to force his woman to go through divorce. My father is traditional and honourable... just like your father."
Terza out her hand under her chin and spoke " Well. He thinks you are honourable too. He always said if any boy who is not honourable asks for my hand, he would strangle them. Well. He didn't strangle you so I say he thinks you are loyal."
Vincenzo leaned closer " Do you think I am honourable?"
Terza shrugged " One way to find out." She then reached for a pastry.
The youngsters had their breakfast in almost silence. Vincenzo loved watching her eat as he was memorising what she tried on the breakfast table. He needed to know more about her. What sort of jam she liked. How many cups of coffee she liked to have. How much milk she poured in before she had coffee. Was there anything on that table that she disliked. It was a start to get to know her preferences. It was important to him.
After Terza was finished with her breakfast she silently stood up as she picked up a rose from the vase on the table. She walked to the side of the room that was covered with mirrors and fixed the rose in her hair after she removed the stem. She explained " I love the scent of roses. When I put it in my hair then the scent follows me.
Vincenzo walked to her and stood behind her as she watched him in the mirror. He inhaled the scent of the rose and closed his eyes. The scent of a rose was distinct indeed just like his Terza. He opened his eyes and looked into the mirror watching Terza " You look beautiful."
Terza rolled her eyes and turned around looking at Vincenzo " You Want me to say it back. Don't you. Do you want me to say you are handsome?"
Vincenzo stated " No. You don't need to say much. Just don't leave me Terza. That's all I want... Just say, you will always be mine..."
Terza argued " Well that depends on you... You should be the one saying you would never let me walk away. They say you let me go is the day I will leave you."
Vincenzo reached his hand up and stroked her cheeks " That won't happen Terza. I would never let you go..." He then leaned close and planted a kiss on her lips. She responded by kissing back but then she pulled away and whispered " We will see Vincenzo. But know that if I leave you, then I will never come back."
Vincenzo whispered " Then in that case I need to hold you more tightly then Terza so you then don't get away." He then wrapped his arms around her and held her tight as he stared into her eyes. She held his stare " Vincenzo... What is going on with you? Sometimes I don't want to know the meaning of what you say and sometimes I do... The other day you said he is coming for you... your grandfather. What do you mean? What's going on?"
Vincenzo replied " If I knew what exactly is going on then I would have told you... I am waiting ... A lot is changing now I am only a few months away from my eighteenth birthday. By our standards I am a kid but some see me as old enough ..."
Terza asked cautiously " Old enough for what?"
Vincenzo took a deep breath " For bigger responsibilities and decision makings that affects many lives..."
Terza spoke " Some say that about Tristan... He is going to be old enough ... to do so much more..."
Vincenzo said " Here you go. We all have conflicts of our own..."
Terza asked " What's your biggest conflict right now?"
Vincenzo stated " Honestly? You don't want to know Terza."
Terza replied " I do..."
Vincenzo spoke " I want to spend time with you .... without any inhibitions."
Terza asked " Inhibitions? Like what?"
Vincenzo responded " There are plenty Terza... You have no idea..." He then reached his arm to a switch on the wall. As he pressed it the lights became dimmer and a slow music started playing. Vincenzo turned to her " Dance with me Terza..."
Terza sighed " As if she could refuse him. He had gone into so much effort for this. She was impressed. She started moving to the music and so did he. As they were dancing slowly Terza asked " Vincenzo ... we both know today is going to be a tough day. How can you be so calm when you have to go into another meeting full of tension with your cousin in the hot seat of decision making."
Vincenzo replied " This is my life Terza. It's always going to be tough. But you are wrong. My cousin Vitale is not in the hot seat as much as others. Vitale doesn't make the decisions. The Don does."
Terza asked " So what does the don say? Do you know?"
Vincenzo shook his head " No. I only know what my grandpa thinks... He told me his plan along time ago... But right now I think he is liking the suggestions on the table much more than his own ideas..."
Terza gave out a breath she was holding " You say ... he told you... along time ago?"
Vincenzo nodded " Yes..."
Terza asked " Vincenzo ... How do you know your grandfather... You are meant to not keep in touch with him... What's the extent of your knowledge of him? How many times have you talked to him."
Vincenzo replied " I will tell you Terza. But not today. It's not the right time to tell you. I will tell you when I know I need to. Right now the less you know the better. I can't tell you today Terza. But I will one day."
Terza stated " I didn't expect a different answer from you. You have so many secrets.... It's part of who you are..."
Vincenzo stated " We all have our own secrets Terza. That's the way life is."
Terza replied " That's just you Vincenzo. You have to tell your father. How do you look into your father's eyes and hide the fact that you have communicated with your grandfather that your father has cut off ties with?"
Vincenzo argued " I don't expect you to understand Terza. You don't know everything... When I tell you about this matter, I will tell you all the details. Then you can see why I have secrets. Just know this that I love you and I love my family."
Terza stated "Fine. I trust you... But tell me what was your grandfather's plan about Letizia's case. I like to know that."
Vincenzo stated " He wanted the war option. If he gets a say and not the don, he would wipe out the lucianos and take over them... That would mean rosarios would take the big land of theirs and they are a key family."
Terza gasped " But that's not peaceful."
Vincenzo replied " My grandfather wants to see bloodshed. Not peace. I learnt that along time ago..."
Terza sighed " You have to do something. You can't allow your grandfather to have a say..."
Vincenzo stated " I already have done a lot. I managed to get the ... Irish off his radar for now.... It was not easy but I managed to change his mind. But he is not someone I can control. He wants to control everyone and everything around him. He won't be controlled. But he can be negotiated with ... in his own way, in his own language. He is harbouring secrets of his own all the time. He is a mystery himself. I have tried to get information out of him but it's not that simple... He does not disclose anything unless he chooses to."
Terza whispered " Sounds familiar."
Vincenzo narrowed his eyes " Terza. What does that supposed to mean? Are you being sarcastic?."
Terza asked " Do you have a big problem with that big wolf?"
Vincenzo replied " It depends. Do you like me to soak you in red paint for offending me. That would take a while to clean up."
Terza gasped " Wow. You have everything here to torment people with. What else do you have? I didn't know you are so touchy."
Vincenzo stated " I show you touchy." He then lifted her and before she could react. He carried her to the bed in the corner of the room and lay her down. He warned " Last words. "
Terza complained "You are not fighting fair. How can you do this?"
Vincenzo grabbed a big bucket out of nowhere and stated " By pouring the contents of this bucket out."
Terza knew of Vincenzo's ideas. It was one of his punishment techniques to pour paint on people and make them clean it up. Terza braced herself for paint to be poured on her and then suddenly she saw rose petals were thrown all over her making her gasp. The petals were different colours too.
Vincenzo dropped the bucket on the floor " Did you really think I was going to pour paint on you?"
Terza loved the feel of the rose petals around her. She grabbed a handful and threw it up in the air " You do that to others when they insult you."
He sat down on the edge of the bed and rubbed his hand on her arm " You are not others. I love you Terza...."
Terza spoke " Stop the flattery. Stop the words. I want actions and maybe sometimes some games. You never hurt me. Huh? What if I hurt you? Aren't you going to fight back." She then grabbed the pillows around her and threw them towards him hitting him " Fight back big wolf."
Vincenzo chuckled " Terza. You don't want to pillow fight with me. Trust me..."
Terza grabbed some cushions from the sofa next to the bed and threw it at him.
Vincenzo saw it as a challenge to retaliate.