Page 31 of Alessio

They both hurt.

One seemed … more painful.

“Your mom, well, you don’t talk about her with fondness.”

“Because I felt none.”

“I’m sorry.”

Alessio shrugged and grinned again. “Thing is … I’m grateful for her, which puts me in a strange place, right? She might as well have abandoned me, like my father, and everybody else around me, too. But if not for her, then I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t have The League.”

Ginevra cleared her throat. “Or Corrado, right? You said it’s where you met him.”

“Yeah, and him, too.”

Ginevra heard his wariness. Like he wasn’t sure whether meeting Corrado had been a good thing, but he didn’t sound like he wanted to change it, either.

God knew she understood the feeling.

Far too well.

From her position on the chair, Ginevra was able to see the credits for the movie scrolling past, but Alessio was the most fascinating thing. She wasn’t sure when he’d rested his head in his hand, and closed his eyes, but at some point, he fell asleep during the movie.

Usually, the man gave off an intensive vibe. Like he was vibrating with energy, some of it dark and enthralling, but it had nowhere to go. A simple conversation with him left her doing a deep dive through her mind and heart because even talking to the man was overwhelming.

She wasn’t sure what to make of him.

What to think …

Alessio hadn’t touched her since the day in the library. He hadn’t even tried, really, but he observed her all the time. Similar to the way Corrado did, too. Like he both enjoyed what he was seeing, and, there was something about her that he couldn’t quite figure out.

It put her on edge.

And she liked it.

Which only confused Ginevra more.

Like she needed this problem.

Wasn’t being entangled with one of these men bad enough? For her, yes. She had enough shit to consider about Corrado without adding Alessio on top of the mix, too, but that’s what a single kiss had done.

A kiss.

A few words.

Poetry.

Sharing the same space.

All of this made her consider Alessio.

Refusing to go down the damn rabbit hole again, Ginevra stood from the chair, gathering the blanket into her arms. Corrado hadn’t come back after he left the living room, and she wasn’t sure how to turn off the movie using the game system remote, so she let the credits play as she headed out of the space.

Not that she needed more shit to wonder about before bed, Ginevra still lingered in the doorway of Corrado’s bedroom. He milled about the room, shedding his clothes, undoing his wristwatch, and leaving the bathroom like he wasn’t at all bothered about her staring.

Finally, he turned to give her a look as, in nothing but boxer-briefs, he came up to the side of the bed, ready to get in. “Are you sleeping in the room across the hall again, then?”

Ginevra blinked.