After dinner, Vito and I moved some more of my things, until my medication kicked in, and I started yawning. 

“Just a little longer, Ilya. We’re almost back in my wing.” 

I just hummed at him. I was going to pass out the moment I laid down. Setting the stuff down inside, Vito took the things from my hands and set it down too. He led me to his bedroom and pulled back the covers. 

“Get in and go to sleep.” 

“But where will you sleep?” 

“I can use the couch or—-”

“Vito, I can sleep on the couch. You need to sleep in your own bed.”

“Stay here, sleep. I’ll wake you up when I want to sleep and you can sleep across the hall.”

“Why can’t I sleep there now?” I muttered. 

“I’m moving things around, putting things away, and I don’t want to wake you.”

“Ok. But wake me up when you’re ready for bed.” 

He nodded and left the room. I climbed into his bed, and he pulled the covers back up over me, and flicked off the lights. The light from the clock on the nightstand was comforting, but not as much as the scent of his sheets. I reached out under the blanket, allowing my mind to run wild at that moment. Imagining what it might be like to have him share the bed with me willingly. Not because of anyone or anything interfering, just his own want to share the bed with me.

I drifted off to sleep, my heart fluttering with the possibilities.

I felt the bed dip, and it woke me up. I opened my eyes, the light from the clock enough to see Vito settling in the bed. Moving, he grabbed me and pulled be back into the spot I was before.

“Settle and go back to sleep, Ilya.”

“But your bed——-”

“Go to sleep Ilya.”

I tried to move again, and he slinked his arm around my waist and pulled me back against him. “Sleep, Ilya, the bed is full of stuff. Go back to sleep and stop being difficult about it.”

I let out a breath and settled back into the bed. Vito didn’t loosen his arm around me. “If I let you go, Ilya, you will sneak off.” He muttered too close to my ear, and I got goosebumps and shivers.

Closing my eyes, I slipped back into sleeping. My dreams were pleasant, Vito in every single one of them.

“Ilya.”

It was so real, I could hear him calling out to me.

“Ilya, if you're intending to smother me and crush my ribs further, you're doing a terrific job.”

I opened my eyes and lifted my head. Assessing the situation, I seemed to have wrapped myself around Vito and pinned him down. I slowly untangled from him and rubbed my eyes.

“Did I hurt you?”

“My ribs are a little uncomfortable, but nothing to be worried about.”

“Sorry. I don’t know when or how I wrapped around you like that.” I muttered, slightly impressed by my actions.

“A few hours ago, I didn’t see a reason to wake you until it got a little more uncomfortable.”

“You could have moved me, or woke me up.”

Vito stood up and held his ribs as he stretched. “It was fine.”

I yawned and laid back out on the bed.

“You can get up now, or you can go back to bed. It’s still early.”

Out of the corner of my eyes, I watched Vito switch shirts, and had to pull one of his pillows over my face. So I wasn’t openly watching his muscles ripple and move under his skin. I wasn’t sure when the hell this bullshit with Vito had started, but I was too far gone now. I was fully wrapped up in the want and need to have this man. Even if it spelt the end for me.

“Ilya, are you getting up?”

“Yeah.” I said, pulling the pillow off my head and looking up. Vito had his shirt up and was rubbing something on his ribs.

“Fuck me.” I whispered, letting my eyes linger for longer than I should, and meeting eyes with Vito. He dropped his shirt, and I stood up, slipping past him, on the way to the kitchen.

“You ok, Ilya?” He said, his voice low and still husky from sleep.

“Never better.” I said, although the way he said my name gave me chills. I watched him cook breakfast and get a glass of water for me, and he set my pills down and watched me swallow every single one.

“Satisfied?” I asked, without thinking twice about it.

“Not quite.” Vito hummed.

As Vito set our plates on the table, the aroma of the piping hot food wafted towards my nostrils, making my mouth water. I watched him enjoy his meal, the clinking of his fork against the plate providing a rhythmic beat. Meanwhile, I aimlessly moved the food around on my plate, feeling the texture of the soft eggs and crispy hash browns under my fork. I could feel Vito’s eyes on me, and I knew my lack of appetite was irritating him.

“Ilya, are you not hungry?”

“I am, but the act of actually eating is offputting today.”

Vito finished eating and moved to sit beside me, and I expected him to work like he always did. But he took my fork from my fingers and gathered up a bite of food and held it to my lips.

“Open.”

I opened my mouth, and he slipped the fork between my lips and I closed them, cleaning off the fork. We did this in silence until the plate was empty, and it gave me flashbacks of when I first came here. Vito had done this then.

“Hey Vito?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

He raised his eyebrow and asked me if I was ok.

“Yes, just remembering something about when I first came here.”

“When I fed you?” Vito asked.

“Yes, among other things.”

“Truthfully, I wondered how it was you had survived so long, and I pitied all things they had subjected you to. But when you talked back to me the first time, I knew you didn't want my sympathy. It wouldn’t do you any good. It couldn’t erase what they did to you.”

“Nothing will erase what they did to me.”

“Wrong. Each time you take a step forward, Ilya, you're erasing what they did to you.”

I nodded, not completely convinced about that. Most days I felt like I was parading around in a body that wasn’t my own with some memories of the person who lived here before me. But as some memories came back, that feeling remained strong.

“Ilya, it won’t always be like this. Alessio said——-”

I don’t know why, but I covered his mouth with my hand and sighed.

“I don’t want to talk about Alessio or treatments.”

“No?”

“No.” I said firmly.

“What then? What do you want to talk about?”

That was a good question. But I wasn’t really sure, so I asked him what he was doing today.

“I have to get a couple of things from the store. If you want, you can see what Matteo is up too, so you're not here bored.”

“Hmm. Maybe Matteo mentioned something about a beach. I might want to go there.”

“Yes, it’s not that far.”

“Have fun shopping.”

“Do you need or want anything, Ilya?”

“Ice cream. Mint chocolate.” I said and watched his face screw up. I was well aware he was not fond of the flavour, but Alessio had brought me some early on. A treat for cooperating with him.

“If I can find some, I’ll bring you back some.”

I had Matteo’s number on my phone, but I wasn’t sure where it was at the moment. I made the quick trip down the hall and knocked on the door. It didn’t take long for Matteo the open the door, but he looked rough. His neck was covered in bites and hickies.

“Stop looking at them, Ilya.” He groaned.

“Did he maul you?” I asked.

“No, other way around, but I ended up looking worse.” He sighed.

He let me inside, and I could hear Caio working in his office. Matteo brought him a coffee before he came back out to the kitchen.

“So my dad’s not with you, so are you free for the day, or a little while?”

“He went shopping. I came to see if you wanted to go to the beach you mentioned.” I said.

“Oh! Good idea. I’ll shoot Nikki a text and see if he’s busy. He has a young daughter, but Creed and Alexi hoard her, always.” Matteo sighed.

“You like the little girl?”

“I’ve met her at dinner, that’s it. Alexi hoards her. You would swear that it’s his child, not Nikki’s.” He said, as he pulled out his phone and set to typing.

Caio set his cup on the table, and I had been so busy staring at the marks on Matteo again, I didn’t notice him. “Christ.” I groaned, bringing my hand up to my heart.

“Haha, sorry Ilya.”

“It’s fine.” I said.

“How are you?” He asked.

“I’m ok, thank you.”

He raised his eyebrow and spoke. “Vito was ok last night?”

“Yeah, he took me back to his wing, and I slept there in his bed until——”

Matteo choked on the coffee he was drinking, stolen from his lover.

“H.. his bed.” He wheezed, coughing again.

I told him about last night in detail and this morning, leaving a bit out, and Matteo was far more invested than I think I would have liked.

Caio crossed his arms. “Matteo, whatever you're up to, don’t do it. Vito is your father, remember?”

“Shush, it’s nothing bad. I’m only going to take Ilya out to do some fun things with me, and Nikki, of course.”

“Is that wise, you saw——-”

“Caio, hush. I won’t let him die.” Matteo said, smiling too much.

“Why do I feel you are trying to get me in trouble, Matteo?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“I’m not, I would never. Vito, on the other hand, I just want to make him uncomfortable. Thats all.”

“Does Nikki know you intend to use him to get a reaction out of Vito?” I asked.

“Nah, No need to tell him. I want to use Nikki's flirty nature to make Vito feel a little uncomfortable.”

“Ah, right? So you are trying to get me into trouble.” I sighed. But it made me wonder if Vito was uncomfortable with Nikki or me being around Nikki. I grabbed onto him in the pool, in the dark, and Vito saw it.