6. Elio

6

ELIO

I take a deep breath as I step out of my car, my heart pounding in my chest. There she is, Piper. I feel like my world settles like puzzle pieces into a vision of clarity. Her. She's what I want.

Last night, and even as I waited this morning after seeing her walk up the street with a young girl, I vacillated between duty and desire. But seeing Piper now, duty falls away.

I realize that the young girl must be her daughter. Sadness, and yes, jealousy fills me that she built a family without me. A dull ache settles in my chest as I think about the life we could have had, the future we were robbed of. I can picture it so clearly, Piper and me married, raising our children together, building a life filled with love and laughter. It's a future I've dreamed of for years, one I never stopped hoping for, even after Piper disappeared from my life.

When she left, it was like a part of me died. I spiraled into a dark place, lashing out and embracing the ruthless, violent side of myself that I had tried to keep at bay. I became colder, more calculating, diving deeper into the family business and solidifying my reputation as a merciless leader. But the moment I laid eyes on Piper again, everything changed. I still don't know the details of what happened back then. Why her family left. Why she never let me know where she went. But right now, that doesn't matter to me.

She's a mother. Likely married. Yet I go to her, determined to have what was taken from me.

"Piper." I smile, hoping she'll see the man she once loved or at the very least be disarmed by my presence.

"What are you doing here? How'd you find me?" Her tone is sharp, but it's the way she glances around with fear in her eyes that puts me on edge.

I hold up my hands in a placating gesture. "I haven't stopped thinking of you since we ran into each other." Hell, I never stopped thinking of her. "I had to see you."

Piper's lips thin into a tight line. "You shouldn't be here."

The bitterness in her voice cuts me deep, but I'm not one to give up. "Piper, please. Are you okay? I just want?—"

She glances around again. "You can't be here."

Is she afraid of my associations? "I assure you that you're not in danger from me."

"You have no idea." She passes me, heading to her door.

I'm concerned now. Something isn't right and it isn't about my work.

"Just go," she says as she unlocks her door.

I refuse to leave, determined to talk and reconnect with Piper. "I can't. I won't. Not until you tell me what is going on."

"It's none of your business, Elio," she says in exasperation.

"You… you are my business."

She glances around me, and I turn to look to see what is spooking her. "Fine. Come in before someone sees you."

When the door shuts behind me, she glares up at me. "Why are you here?"

I stare at her, wondering where all this animosity is coming from. "I told you. I had to see you. You look beautiful."

She blinks at me like I've taken her off guard by calling her beautiful. Taking a chance, I touch her hand, pulling it up to my chest.

"I've never stopped thinking of you." I feel the familiar spark of electricity, and I'm instantly transported back to all those years ago—the stolen kisses, the whispered promises of a future together. That connection between us is still there, undeniable and powerful. Surely, she feels it too.

Piper's eyes widen in surprise at my touch, and for a moment, I see a flicker of the girl I once knew.

"Elio. I'm married."

"So." I'm not a man who goes after married women as a matter of course. But for this woman, I won't let anything get in the way of recovering what is mine. "Are you happy?"

She tugs her hand away, and I get a sense that it's not because I've made her uncomfortable but because she feels the spark too and doesn't want to be lured in by it.

"It doesn't matter. I'm still?—"

"It does matter." I lift my hand to her face. She flinches like she expects me to strike her. I gently trace the back of my fingers along her cheek. "You're so beautiful, but you also look tired… wary. You're not happy."

"It doesn't change anything."

I feel like I'm getting somewhere, that her determination to keep me away is waning. "It does because you deserve to be happy. Do you love your husband? How can you when you're so skittish and unhappy looking?"

Piper's eyes widen slightly at my question, and I see the hesitation flicker across her face. It's barely there, but it's enough to keep the spark of hope alive within me.

"You don't know about me… and you have no right to know. You and I were a long time ago."

She's not denying my statement. She's not telling me she loves her husband. In my mind, if she isn't completely and utterly in love with this man she's married to, then he needs to go.

"I can make you happy, Piper. You know I can." She's the other half of my soul. I know it because being next to her again, I feel like she's filling the hole in my heart created when she left.

"It's too late."

"It's never too late." I cup her face in my hands and look at her, willing her to see my earnestness. "You and your child deserve love and affection… the world." I hold her gaze, silently pleading with her to be honest, to let me in. I need to know if the connection we once shared still has the power to overcome the years that have come between us.

Piper opens her mouth, but no words come out. The seconds stretch on, and I can practically see the wheels turning in her mind as she wrestles with her thoughts and emotions. I hold my breath, hoping against hope that her hesitation is a sign that her heart isn't as firmly committed as her outward actions would suggest.

If she isn't overwhelmingly happy with this man she's married to, then maybe, just maybe, I have a chance to win her back, to reclaim the future stolen from us all those years ago.

I watch Piper intently, searching her face for any clue, any indication of what she's feeling. The vulnerability in her expression tugs at my heart, and I long to pull her into my arms, to comfort her and erase the pain I see reflected in her eyes.

But I resist the urge, knowing that I need to tread carefully. One wrong move, one misstep, and I could lose her forever. I've already lost her once, and the thought of it happening again is more than I can bear.

So I wait, my heart pounding in my chest, as Piper gathers her thoughts and prepares to respond. Whatever she says next will determine the course of our future—whether we have a chance to rekindle what we once had or if I'm destined to spend the rest of my life wondering what could have been.

I take a deep breath, steeling myself as I lock eyes with Piper. "Piper," I murmur, injecting my voice with a hint of the old charm that used to melt her. "I don't know what happened before?—"

Her eyes flare with heat. "You know?—"

"I don't," I insist. "But the past is done, like you said. What we have is here. Now. Don't you feel it? It's as strong as before. We had something special, you and I. Something I've never been able to recapture with anyone else. And you haven't either."

"That's presumptuous and arrogant."

"Tell me I'm wrong." My gaze drops to her lips. Fucking hell, how I want to kiss her, to taste her again. To stop myself from following through, I return my gaze to her eyes.

I watch as a flicker of emotion flashes across her face, and I press on, my tone low and intimate. "Do you remember how we used to talk and laugh?"

She sniffs and I see tears form. Happy tears, I hope.

"Remember our plans for the future? I never stopped wanting that. Even after you disappeared, I held onto the hope that somehow, some way, we'd find our way back to each other. And here you are."

Piper's eyes narrow, and she takes a step back, putting distance between us. "Elio, that was a lifetime ago. We were just kids, caught up in a fantasy that could never have lasted." Her voice is laced with regret and a hint of bitterness. "What we had, it wasn't real. It was nothing more than a youthful infatuation."

Frustration boils inside me. How can she not see, not feel what's going on here? I shake my head vehemently, refusing to accept her words. "No. You can tell yourself that if it makes you feel better, but it's not true. What we had was real. The way we felt about each other, the dreams we shared, they were real." I reach for her hand, my fingers curling around hers. "I loved you, Piper. I still do."

Her eyes widen, and for a moment, I see a flash of the vulnerability I remember from all those years ago. But just as quickly, it's gone, replaced by a steely resolve.

"Stop." She steps back. I see frustration but also confusion. I don't like seeing it, and yet, I know if I persist, I can make her see what we could still have.

"We were young and foolish, blinded by the thrill of first love." She pulls her hand away, shaking her head. "We can't go back to that, no matter how much we might wish we could."

I open my mouth to protest, to remind her of all the promises we made, the plans we had for our future. "At least you could be honest." I don't hide the hurt and irritation at her dismissing our love. "Don't you dare say what I feel for you is foolish. Fucking hell, Piper… was I really the only one who loved in this relationship?"

I step closer, my gaze locked onto hers. "Tell me you felt it too. Tell me you feel it now. The pull between us. Even after all these years, it's there."

Before she can protest further, I cup her face in my hands and press my lips to hers. Yes, it's born of frustration. I expect her to pull away. Perhaps she'll slap me. She tenses for a moment, but then she surrenders, melting into my embrace.

I settle into the kiss, and the world falls away, leaving just us two. It's new, and yet there's a familiarity in her soft, sweet lips. She returns the kiss with a fervor that mirrors my own. Her hands grip the lapels of my jacket, holding me close, and I know in that instant that the connection between us is as strong as ever. She's mine. Nothing else matters. Not Ava. Not her husband. Finally, for the first time since she disappeared, I can breathe again. I have hope again. There's no fucking way I'll lose her again.