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“Come on. I want to show you something. It’s my favorite part of the house. It’s my secret place. If you promise not to tell, I’ll share a bottle of grappa with you.”
I hold out my hand and stand. She places her hand in mine and I pull her up. Reaching for her face, I wipe the rest of her tears away. All her innocence shows in this moment. I’ve never seen her more vulnerable.
I keep her hand clasped in mine as I lead her out of the room. She pulls her phone from her hoodie and the music stops. I realize in the silence that my heart is beating like a teenager with his first girlfriend.
“We’re going to the roof,” I say to distract my thoughts. “I wanted a man cave. I was a bit over the top when I had this place built. It was what I needed at the time though. A place to think.”
I unlock the door with my fingerprint and lead her up the stairs behind the door on the second level. She follows me up silently. However, as soon as we step out on the rooftop, she gasps.
“The lock is print recognition because of Bella. When she was born, I had the system put in.”
“This is breathtaking,” she whispers.
I look around and smile, this is my sanctuary. This place takes me places. Bethany couldn’t follow me up here and I could get lost in my own world.
“Come with me,” I say and tug her forward.
Chapter 31
Secret Place
Lizzy
The place is breathtaking. It’s like a rooftop bachelor pad with a pool included. It’s like I’ve been transported far away from my problems. I follow as he tugs me into the rooftop apartment.
He releases my hand as we step inside, and I turn in a circle to take it all in. The place has floor-to-ceiling windows and modern furnishings. The night sky is gorgeous tonight. I wrap my arms around my middle and take in the sight.
Dante returns with a bottle of liquor and two tumblers in his hands. He bumps my hip with his and nods for the pool outside. I follow as he moves to what looks like a platform that sits right at the lip of the roof. I take a seat on my butt next to him as he sits with his knees bent into his chest.
“I never would have noticed this from down there,” I say, nodding down at the backyard.
“I had it built on the back end of the house and designed to be positioned just right to be out of view. Believe it or not, it all started with this spot right here.”
“Really?” I say as I take the tumbler he’s just filled and hands to me.
“Yeah.” He inhales deeply. “After my mother left us, I used to sit on the roof of our house for hours, watching and waiting for her to pull into the driveway. My uncle was the one to figure it out. He’d sit with me and talk to me for hours. Up here is a place of comfort for me,” he says and shrugs.
My heart tugs for him as a little boy. That must have been so hard. I go to take a sip from the tumbler and frown. Dante bursts into laughter. It transforms his face. I like seeing him like this.
“Grappa will burn through life, sweetheart. Whatever is troubling you will be a distant memory tomorrow. I promise you that,” he says and throws his glass back.
I take a sip and look down in my glass. Tears burn the backs of my eyes. I try to force them down. I close my eyes tight as my insecurities start to claw through my brain.
“Jacob turned out to be a total jerk,” I murmur.
“Did you guys break up?”
“We were never together. My sister did some digging and found a thread on one of the forums with Jacob’s handle. He was shit-talking about me,” I reply.
“Shit-talking? Like what?”
“From what I read in the screenshots. He thinks I’m an attention seeker. I could stand to go on a diet. I’m a nerd,” I choke out the last part, unable to finish.
“What the fuck?” Dante seethes, causing me to drain the rest of my glass. I hold it out toward him, and he fills it again. I tap my fingers against the glass and think about the next thing pushing to come out of my lips.
I drain my glass. What the hell? Here goes nothing. I take in a deep breath as my chest burns from the liquor.
“It’s not so much that I care about Jacob, you know. There was no spark there, I’ll get over it. It’s the things he said.” My lips tremble as I fall back into my past.
“My sister is twelve years older than me. I kind of grew up like an only child. School was horrible for me. I was teased and bullied. I suffered in silence for years.
