Page 55 of Infinity Chronicles 2
Twisting my hands together, feeling very vulnerable, I sense more than hear Ollie coming to my side. Rosa and I are still staring at each other with so many things to say, but I definitely don’t know where to begin.
“Milo and Dante should be out any minute, how about we head over to the kitchen? Gloria should be here soon. I’m hungry,” Ares rambles, filling the silence.
That breaks the spell and Rosa clicks her tongue, her lips pursed. “I can put something together. Tell your brothers to hurry.” Rosa is out the door within seconds without looking back.
“Works every time,” Ollie says and offers Ares a grin.
“What?” I ask, confused.
“Implying I’m hungry.” Ares gives me a small shrug. “Getting us out of trouble is my specialty. I haven’t always been the well-behaved sweetheart you see now.” Ares runs his hand over the front of his vest. I know he’s teasing, trying to lighten the situation.
Shaking my head and looking over at Ollie I say, “Has anyone ever accused him of being a sweetheart?” I hook my thumb in Ares’s direction.
Ollie’s eyes twinkle. “Maybe if you’re comparing him to the devil.”
“Who’s the devil?” Milo comes out of the bathroom dressed in black joggers and a t-shirt that looks a little too tight.
“Ares,” Ollie and I say at theexactsame moment. Our eyes meet, and I can’t hold in the giggles that erupt.
Milo gives a curious look but shakes his head. “Dante said we’re skipping?” He ignores the whole devil comment.
“Say yes, say yes,” Ollie pleads, the puppy dog look back on his face.
I let my grin slip, the seriousness of what we’ll be discussing today instead of being at school weighing on me. “If you think calling in will work, I guess we could skip today.” My tone makes it clear I’m nowhere near as excited as Ollie, but he lets out a whoop and smacks a wet kiss on my cheek.
“Here, you can use this.” Ares picks up his sleek phone from the top of the nightstand. As I go to take it from his hand, he pulls it back. “Don’t let me forget to get you a phone after we have breakfast.” I nod my head, but Idon’t have any intention of reminding him.
The screen lights up, revealing what looks like a picture of the cosmos, or an oil slick, with the time displayed across the front. “How do I unlock this?” I twist the phone around looking for buttons. Ares cradles my hand and places the phone in front of his face, when he turns it around and I can see the screen again, there are several icons, including a little white phone in a green box.
“It has a facial ID, we can add yours in later.” Ares is already walking away, gathering things from the room.
“Does anyone know the number?” Dante’s out of the bathroom now too, and he’s over by the closet getting dressed.
“Got it.” Ollie grabs the phone from my hand and he punches several buttons before handing it back. “Not the first time I’ve called in sick.” He makes a pouty face and I roll my eyes. He wasn’t calling in because he wasactuallysick.
An automated voice directs me through several prompts before I’m leaving a message on the attendance line with my name, grade, and reason for my absence. I hit the red button to end the call marveling at how easy it was. For my part, I added a little whine in my voice to make it sound good for whoever listens to it.
None of them seem to be in a hurry to leave the room, but I know it’s my reluctance that is keeping us here. After another five minutes passes where the guys are all needlessly busying themselves, I muster up the courage to say, “All right, lets do this.”
Dante wraps his arm around my side and pulls me in close. “Laura, we’re here, and we aren’t going anywhere.” I sigh, clinging to his words and his body.
Chapter 19
Ican smell the kitchen way before we get near it. The aroma of fresh-brewed coffee fills the air, but as we get closer, I can smell something sweet andchocolatey.
“Finalmente, I mademarocchino. Your Papas wanted eggs, come eat.” Rosa is bustling around the kitchen.
Ares and Dante’s fathers are lined up at the island, each with a plate of scrambled eggs and sliced meats. They turn in our direction as we enter the room. “Morning, everyone sleep okay?” My face flames bright red because I wasn’t expecting them to bring up our sleeping arrangements.
“Good, no thanks to Mamma.” Ares’s tone is light, making it clear he knows she was in the room, but also clear he’s not upset.
“I knew you would wake them,” William, the man who looks most like Ares and Dante, mutters as he returns his gaze to his unrepentant wife.
Rosa shrugs a delicate shoulder, her face impassive. She wipes the counter with a washcloth, pushing any stay crumbs into the sink and hanging it over the side after giving it a rinse. She’s fairly tall, taller than me maybe at around five foot nine. Her dark hair falls over her shoulders in soft waves, and she’s curvy. Nowhere close to fat, but definitely thicker than what I would call thin. She turns, giving us her full attention. She has Dante’s full expressive lips, but her eye color is all Ares’s tawny brown.
“My boys,” Rosa sighs, her arms stretched out wide as she waits for them. Dante heads over to her first. He wraps his arms around her back after she leans up to kiss his cheek, throwing her arms over his shoulders. They each leave me, forming a line so she can greet them, cooing in half Italian, half English. I stand awkwardly near the doorway.
Malcolm pushes back his stool and heads over in my direction. Ares's eyes track his movements, but he stays over with his mom. Malcolm reaches out his hand when he’s standing in front of me. “Hello Laura.”
