47. Lark

Chapter forty-seven

Lark

I step into my apartment, with Tiny trotting behind me.

He sticks his nose in the air, sniffing around. Something feels different, but I’m not sure what it is.

Gianni

Tacos ordered for delivery. I’ll be up in twenty so you can shower.

Gianni

Unless you need help with that, of course.

I roll my eyes at that. He’s certainly gotten more outspoken since we first met.

“Alright, Rex, let’s go on a walk before Gianni gets here.”

***

Gianni’s fingers tangle in my damp strands, drawing my mouth to his. His tongue swipes into my mouth, and a zing of pleasure shoots to my center. A moan slips past my lips.

There’s a loud knock at the door.

He chuckles, pulling back from me. “Must be the tacos,” he says, heading to answer the door.

When he returns, he’s got a huge paper bag in his arms, but he makes no effort to bring them to the couch. “Can I show you something before we eat?”

My brows pinch, but I stand. “Sure, what is it?”

He takes my hand in his, the bag of food still in one arm. “Close your eyes, and let me guide you.”

My suspicion is building, but I have no idea what he could be up to.

I do as he asks and let him guide me across the hard floor. The soft click of a door opening is the only sound until he says, “Open your eyes, little red.”

My lids jolt open at the command, and shock steals the breath from my lungs.

My barren, sad guest room with nothing more than an air mattress is now the art studio of my dreams.

There are rows of white cabinets with supplies on top, and my easel is set up with the sweetest stool tucked under it.

Tears prick my eyes. “How?” My voice cracks on the word .

He wraps his arm around me, pulling my body into his side. “My mom sees Kira for her hair appointments, so I got her information, and she offered to help me out.” He tells me this like it’s no big deal.

He went out of his way to find my best friend’s contact info just so he could do something so unbelievably sweet for me. And he thinks it’s nothing .

Gianni guides me farther into the room, taking a seat in the middle of the vibrant rug. “Take a look around, and we can eat on the floor in here.” He chuckles.

Making my way through the room, I scour through the drawers and organizers, gaping at it all as Gianni sits patiently on the floor with our food laid out in front of him.

When the initial shock wears off, I rush to him and fall into his lap. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I press kisses to his cheeks, his forehead, and the tip of his nose. Hot tears leak from my eyes, falling silently down my cheeks. This man is so fucking sweet. I want to shrink him down and put him in my pocket to carry around every day for the rest of my life.

Gianni rubs reassuring circles down my spine, and his eyes glimmer. “I had my first psychiatry appointment yesterday,” he admits.

I’m taken aback by his statement, but pride fills me. “That’s incredible, Gi. How’d it go?”

He takes a moment before answering. “Really well, I think. He and I spoke about my history a bit, and he explained that he thinks that while I have a lot of trauma that hasn’t helped the situation, it’s also clear that I have a chemical imbalance causing a lot of these feelings. We discussed medication a bit, and I decided that I’d like to give it a try. So he helped me schedule another appointment with him for next Friday as well as one with a colleague in his clinic for tomorrow. So on Friday, I’ll start seeing the psychologist for therapy as well.”

I pull him into me, burying my face in his hair. “I’m so fucking proud of you, Gi.”

“Thank you,” he whispers. “If it weren’t for you,” he chokes out, “I’m not sure I’d have ever gotten here.”

I burrow myself farther into him. “Yes, yes, you would have,” I tell him firmly.

“I appreciate the confidence, little red, but I’m really not so sure I’d…” He doesn’t finish his sentence, which alarms me. My heart is clenching in my chest as the room fills with an eerie fullness that tugs me under its cloud of darkness.

I pull away just enough to look up into those haunted blue eyes. “What do you mean, mon ciel étoilé ?”

His eyes are brimming with tears, the red, puffy skin making them appear an even brighter blue. “When we met, I was in the deepest depths of my depression. It was nearly impossible to get up and out of bed, and most days, I just didn’t, aside from taking care of Pickles. And even then, I did the bare minimum. I’ve never been the happiest person, but after Alex died, it was like I had died too. A lot of the time, I felt like I wished I had and…” He looks away from me, sucking in a deep breath before meeting my eyes again. My heart is pounding at an erratic rhythm in my chest with every word he speaks. “For a while, there were very few days where I hadn’t contemplated taking my life just to make it stop. To make the guilt and the agony just stop. And then there was you,” he says with a small smile that makes my heart soar. “You showed me kindness and patience, and you didn’t treat me like I was broken. You weren’t afraid to joke with me, poke fun at me, or be one hundred percent yourself with me, and it made me realize that maybe if I showed myself just an ounce of that kindness, I could start to feel things too. I’m not saying you’ve cured me, but even if I were to never see you again after today, I’d be thankful for the moments I’ve had with you.”

Tears continue to spill down my face; the words I want to say are lodged in my throat as he swipes the pads of his thumbs over the tears. Gianni pulls me back into his lap, pressing kisses to the crown of my head, mumbling words that I can’t completely make out.

We sit in each other’s embrace for so long that the sun starts to set outside of the large window. When our tears have dried and some of that dark fog has lifted from the room, Gianni tugs my earlobe between his teeth. He chuckles deeply when I flip around in his lap, straddling him.

A wide smile tugs at my lips when I’m greeted by the most beautiful smile on his face. And I can’t help myself.

I lean forward abruptly, pushing him onto the ground and wiggling my fingers under his arms, tickling him. His eyes go wide with surprise, but his smile turns mischievous as he flips us over, mercilessly tickling my sides.

“Stop! Stop!” I shout between giggles, but he’s relentless.

“You started this.” He laughs, with no sign of giving up.

“Please, stop! It’s too much!” I shriek, and he nuzzles his face into my neck, his fingers finally stopping their onslaught.

“The only thing that’s going to be too much is when I fuck you into your mattress tonight, and I won’t stop until I hear you scream just like you did moments ago,” he tells me. Heat sears through me, and I can’t stop my thighs from clenching at the thought. I can’t wait .