Chapter Seven

If I could be anything, I would be yours.   ~Gemma Troy~                    Ele "It suits you," I stammered, shyly looking into his face. He raised his right eyebrow; his green eyes fixed on me as if he could read my thought process. He had removed his coat, pulled up the sleeve of his white shirt to his forearms; his toned body held no fat or sagging skin. "I mean your name, Bruno; it suits you." I managed to say, popping up Luca a little up so that I could have something to do to avoid his stare. "It does, doesn't it?" he laughed, a throaty sound that filled the space and did things to my body.  I bent down towards Luca's neck to hide my blush, but Luca wasn't cooperating; he slid off my lap to sit next to me and stare at Luciano; I mean Bruno, forcefully shaking the pack of milk he'd been given as if he couldn't believe he had drunk it all. "You want another one?" Bruno asked, his intense stare directed at him. To give Luca some credit, he didn't flinch or move his eyes; neither was he afraid to look at Bruno in the face. He nodded, and Bruno nodded too, but neither of them moved their eyes from each other. It was as if they were having a battle of will. "Dev, " he called, his eyes still trained on Luca, but now there was a slight impressed smile on his lips. "Bring Luca another pack." he reached out to tap at Luca's nose affectionately." I like you, " he announced,  leaning back on his seat and then lifting his right leg across his left knee. He resembled a rich man or a Sheikh awaiting his harem to be paraded in front of him. Luca and I had gone stiff at those words, somehow basking in them. He was the first man to say he liked him, and he might not know it, but it meant the world to me, and to Luca, who finally had a man who didn't see him as a nuisance, and the fact that that man was Luciano, well, that was just the cherry on top. While Luca drunk his milk, I found myself stealing glanced at Bruno, the way he seemed to watch Luca as if he was looking for something specific or his ability to listen to his childish chatter. I watched them interact with each other. I felt like a stranger looking from the outside, with no bearing whatsoever on what to say to contribute to their talk.  My baby was blooming right in front of me. There was no fear on his face or eyes; neither was he timid. He looked different, confident; his smile lit his whole face. "Really, a plane of my own? Like this one?" he asked excitedly, placing his milk on top of the table and looking around the jet. "Not as big, " Bruno chuckled at his enthusiasm," but I think you'll like it," "I will, " he assured Bruno, then looked at me, his grin showing the few teeth he had. "I'm going to have my own plane, " he announced as if I hadn't heard it. I nodded, smiling down at him, tears threatening to fall across my cheek at how happy he was. Leaving was the best decision I ever made. My son deserves better than a life with Freddie. I shifted my eyes at Bruno to collide with his. I mumbled thank you before averting them again just in case he saw more than he should. "You must be tired." his voice was low, soft, and soothing, and I knew he must have seen my wet eyes. "There is a bedroom, " he continued," go lie down." I snapped up towards him, thinking I might have heard it wrong. "Did you say a bedroom?" He laughed at my incredulous gasp, and I blushed for the hundredth time. I need to stop doing that every time he spoke to me. He nodded, "yes, a bed." he confirmed, his eyes smoky and his face looking as if he wanted to absorb me somehow. His gaze was spellbinding; I couldn't move my eyes from his no matter how much I tried; it was as if he had cast a spell on me. "W-where?" I stammered, fidgeting with my fingers as I tried to force myself to look straight into his face long enough to hear the directions, but instead, he got up, signaling me to do the same. I waited for him to stand at the small pathway separating the two aisles because I didn't was us to stand too close to each other, but he had other ideas; he waited for me to proceed him; it was becoming a habit, this thing he had of wanting me to walk in front of him. Luca followed in the middle, his uncharacteristic chatter breaking the untouchable air of awareness. It was ridiculous to want another man the day I left my husband, yet I felt no guilt whatsoever. He was never my husband by choice. Besides, I have never wanted Freddie. Was I wrong to want a man who's mere presence gave me such irreversible joy? I kept my pace until he said in a low voice," on the left, " I turned to my left as directed, my body trembling at the sound of his voice so close to me. I honestly need to control my body. I thought, opening the door to find a large bed in white beddings. "Wow!" I gasped, looking at the bed that seemed to be calling me by name. It was beautiful, I reached out to touch it, pressing down as if I was testing the thickness of the mattress, but I wasn't; I just couldn't help myself from touching it. " It's a ten-hour flight, Ele; you might as well make yourself comfortable, " there was amusement on his voice when he noticed my shocked face. "Ten hours?" I repeated, momentarily forgetting about the beautiful bed," Where are we going?" "My home, " "Newyork?" I remembered him telling me about it five years ago. He nodded, shooting his eyes towards Luca, who was craning his neck to look at him. Me too son, me too. I wanted to tell Luca. I felt as if my neck would break or fall off like a wethered flower if I continued to look up at his tall frame. Luckily for Luca, he was lifted and deposited on top of the bed. He gave Bruno a split smile, placing his small hands between his legs, a habit that I thought came with fear, but maybe it was just how he liked to sit. "If we take the bed, where are you and Dev going to sleep?" "Those reclining seats make the best beds." "There is no way they can be better than this, " I disagreed, joining Luca to sit next to him. "I can't believe I'll be sleeping on this?" I said in delight, childishly popping up and down. I turned to face my baby and found him trying to mimic me, except his small legs couldn't let him. I forgot my troubles, forgot Freddie, and the life I had lived, I forgot I was on the run, I forgot Bruno was watching me, and all I thought about was how I felt. The joys of having escaped a tragic marriage and the freedom of knowing my son was finally safe. I knew no matter what happened, Freddie would never get me back. Although I didn't know much about Bruno, I knew no one could run from home at nine, survive, and have the opulent wealth clearly in display and be afraid of Freddie. I was so immense in the moment that I completely forgot I wanted to give a good impression or at least give him one that would make him forget that I had more or less begged him to rescue me from my marriage. Slowly settling down on the bed, I sat silently, feeling guilty and shame but not regret. That is what bothered me the most.  To know that he was fighting a war that wasn't his. But what else would I have done? Who else would have descended like an avenging angel to rescue me? No one. The truth was, he was the only one for me. I might have met him again five years ago, but he has been with me since I was born. The years separating us did not dim how much I had loved him as a child. "I cried every day when you left, " I mumbled without preamble, suddenly getting the confidence to look at him. He seemed almost sad like he had thought about how his leaving had affected me. We didn't speak for a while, but he moved, closing the door to stand behind it with one leg locking over the ankle, his hands across his chest. I didn't know what to say next. I wanted him to say something because I already regretted saying anything in case he took it as blame. I'm not blaming you, I wanted to say, but no words came out. I just sat there like a mannequin whose pitiful eyes seemed to ask for mercy and understanding. "Im sorry, "  he managed to say. I flapped my hand to dismiss his apology since he owed me none. "Don't be. I think it took more than courage to walk away at such a young age and in the rain no less, " I said, letting out a nervous laugh, stealing a glance at his hard granite face. "Silvio couldn't sleep when it was raining since that day, " though my voice sounded stable, I could feel tremors throughout my body. It was as if I was dancing around a forbidden topic without knowing how to stop it. "I know, " came his stern reply. "You did?" I asked, my loud voice making Luca twitch from his sleep. I looked at him, making sure I had not woken him up. "You did?" this time, I asked in a low voice, like a whisper; he threw me a boyish grin and whispered back," yes." Staring at him with eyes filled with a longing I couldn't hide, I felt like apologizing for dropping my problem at his feet, and I did. "Im sorry, " I told him the exact same words he'd said to me for leaving, but unlike his apology, mine was warranted. "For what?" "I no longer feel like the world is sitting on my shoulders," I replied, giving him a sad smile. "Does it mean it's now sitting on mine? " though he said it like a joke, I nodded in earnest because the smoke wouldn't be coming for me but him. "That is good then; I can handle it, " I looked at him with uncertainty,  yet feeling reassured that he would be okay. "I promise it's not that heavy." he insisted, holding out his hand to me. I took it immediately, feeling his large one swallow mine like a safety net. There are a million emotions I felt for this man, but none of them could be quantified. I wondered if my attraction was because I knew him as a child or perhaps because he was the first man to like my son, but that wouldn't explain what happened five years ago. Then something suddenly hit me, what if he had a family. Oh, my God! What would I do?  Telling myself  I'll cross that bridge when I get to it did not seem like a plausible way to handle such a life-changing thing. But would he be holding me this close if he had a family? Or flirt with me as he'd done? Yes, he would, I told myself. Living with Freddie taught me that powerful men ruled the world. It was their way or the highway. Bruno exuded Power; it was stamped on his face like a permanent fixture; how much more power would he have? "Do you, by any chance, have a family?" I asked in an even voice, my hands slightly touching his broad shoulders. "Yes, I started with two, but now it seemed like I get a new one every time I open my eyes in the morning." I tensed, feeling as if my heart had broken into small pieces. What right did I have to him? I berated myself. I have been married for more than ten years to another man, and I dare get hurt by the fact that the one man I wanted was taken? "Oh, that is good, " I half-heartedly said, wanting to pull out of his arms yet somehow unable to do so. Just a little bit longer, I told myself. Just one more second to feel his arms around me. To be his for another moment. I leaned on his chest and prayed that the other woman would forgive me for it even while knowing I wouldn't be so forgiving if he were mine.