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“Cigarettes kill.”
“So do a lot of things,” he said as he pulled a cigarette out, put it in his mouth, and then pulled a lighter out of the box and lit it. He inhaled and then let out a long puff of smoke.
“Calms the nerves, you know?”
“Okay.” I shrugged, looking away from him.
I heard footsteps coming down the staircase, and I looked up. My heart flooded as Antonio walked into the room holding my belongings. I could see my phone in his hand.
“Hey,” he said. “Here’s your stuff.”
“Thank you.”
I grabbed it from him. Our fingers brushed for a couple of seconds, and I gasped and stood back. It had felt like an electric shock. I hated the fact that my body still reacted to this man.
“For what it’s worth, I didn’t want it to go down like this, Callie.”
“I know you didn’t,” I said, mocking him. “You wanted it to be so much worse. Are you upset that I’m not crying? Not bawling my eyes out? Are you upset that—”
“Callie,” he said, grabbing my hands. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what, Mr. Marchesi?”
“Don’t act this way.”
“How would you like me to act, Antonio?” I blinked at him. “What would you like me to say? Oh, I understand that you’re upset that my dad was having an affair with your mom, and I understand why you wanted to use me and take my virginity just to get revenge. Thanks.”
He pressed his lips together. “You’re acting like a kid, Callie.”
“I’m not a kid. I’m twenty-two years old.”
“When I say you’re a kid, I don’t mean you’re a kid, but you’re brave, you’re naive, you’re gullible. You believe in fairy tales and unicorns.”
“I don’t believe in unicorns.”
“Okay, so you don’t believe in unicorns, but you believe in happily ever afters. You believe in true love, and that is not how life works. And maybe I’ve helped you in some way.”
“What?” I started laughing. “How have you helped me?”
“Because maybe you’ll stop to trust your gut next time, your instinct. Maybe you’ll thank me for this.” He shook his head. “Maybe you won’t get involved with a bad boy again.”
All I could do was stare at him. Antonio Marchesi was well and truly an asshole.
4
Antonio
I could see Jimmy standing there with Callie. His eyes glistened as if he were debating between crying and laughing, and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
“I’m ready to go now,” she snapped, her eyes on fire. She reminded me of a fire-eating dragon, if they existed. She was strong and proud and fierce. She’d called herself a lion, and the way her hair flowed behind her reminded me of a mane.
I pressed my lips together to stop from making a comment about her being Nala. I didn’t think she’d appreciate it. Which irritated me. I hadn’t wanted things to go this way. Surprisingly, I felt something akin to upset at the way she was leaving, but I wasn’t sure why. I didn’t do emotions. I was void of all care for other people besides Alessandro and Jimmy, yet Callie struck a chord in me. There was something about the way she looked at me. The hatred in her eyes pierced the cold shell around my heart. And the unfamiliar feeling felt foreign and odd. I didn’t like it.
“Okay, then you can go.” I nodded my agreement. “You got this, Jimmy?”
“Yes, boss,” he said, his face serious.
“Good.” I was about to say my goodbyes to Callie when I heard brakes screeching outside the house. I headed toward the door instead. What the hell was going on?
