Enticing (21) (Patreon)

Author's note: Hello, everyone. I know that I went away for quite a while. As most of you know, my grandfather passed away. He was the last father figure that I had in this world. After my father passed away, my grandfather took over and made sure that role was partially covered. After his death, I had to drop out of college for the semester and go back to therapy. I just wanted to let you know the reason for my absence. Thankfully, I am feeling much better, and I am getting used to the new normal.

I also want to thank everyone who reached out to me with best wishes and condolences. Thank you for understanding and I love you all.  And a special thank you, to everyone who patiently waited for me to come back. 

Here is the new chapter of Enticing. Enjoy!

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To be in love is something that anyone can do. It’s something that surges within us and expands like wildfire in a prairie. Unfortunately, it is the art of maintaining that same passion, attraction, and trust that couples struggle with the most. After losing trust there is not much to be done.

Harry felt like he was at a crossroads. He felt like his shirt’s collar was too tight around his neck and that there was not enough oxygen in the air to breathe. He placed the phone down on the same spot where he had found it and tried his best to compose himself.

“Everything is packed” Y/N smiled as she reentered the room. “What’s wrong?” She asked as she stood on the other side of the bed and caught his distressed expression written all over his face. It was remarkable how well she was able to read him after only a few months of dating.

“Nothin’ just thinking about how much fun we are going to have in Lake Como” Harry smiled and tried to push any doubting thoughts to the back of his mind.

“Are you sure?” She asked him, worried that she had said something that might have upset him.

“I am all right darlin” he reassured her and flashed her a smile.

The morning couldn’t have come faster. Harry had laid awake most of the night and at best got an hour of sleep.  The texts he had read kept replaying in his mind.

Hey

Hi

We need to talk. Can we meet up?

Not today. Busy.

Next week?

Fine.

Alessandro rudely knocked on the door and yelled from outside waking the couple up.

“I’ll fuckin’ kill him,” Harry said hoarsely after he had finally gotten comfortable, and exhaustion had gotten the best of him. He no longer wanted to go to Lake Como. He just wanted to sleep away his anxiety.

“Good morning” She softly said, pulling her body closer to his and cuddling up to him. Harry always enjoyed the first minutes after waking up and ever since Y/N had come into his life, he enjoyed it even more. Harry loved how those 15 to 30 minutes of intimacy, in between the sheets, made him feel.  Perhaps, it was how warm her skin usually was when she pressed up against him, but the sensation always made his demons disappear.

And just like clockwork, all his anxiety had evaporated into thin air.

The weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The relief was instant, and so he wrapped his arm securely around her and kissed her forehead as her head lay on his chest. Harry just hoped that the relief maintained consistently throughout the rest of the trip. He wanted to ask her about him, but he knew he had wronged and had crossed a boundary, and he would also be at fault. Therefore, he decided to remain quiet and wished the subject would rise into a conversation.

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ Alessandro! How much shit are you bringing?” William complained as he pushed his bag through the train station.  Alessandro had been exceptionally difficult this morning, and he had complained about the heaviness of his bag since they had gotten out of the cars.

“All necessities” Alessandro responded as he walked ahead of everyone wearing a gorgeous white linen shirt and pants. “Michael, get your head out of your fuckin’ phone! Who do you keep texting?”

“What?” Harry, William, and Y/N laughed at how unbothered he was with everything happening around him.

After numberless fights about which way, the platform their train left was, the group finally found themselves sitting on their respective seats.

“Where should we have dinner tonight?” Alessandro asked as he looked through the different options that he had written down on his phone.

“I plan to stay in” Michael added, “I want to relax. We’ve done enough in Rome”. William nodded along, agreeing with Michael. William just wanted to sit around with the view of the lake and enjoy a glass of wine, and an enjoyable book.

Alessandro looked up from his screen with pursed lips.

“Harry?” He asked him, hopeful that his friend would agree to go out to dinner with him. Even though, Harry’s mind had a different back to the texts that he had found on Y/N's phone. “You have been exceptionally quiet today. Are you all, right?” Harry wasn’t a loud person, but he was a strong opinionated man that always made his thoughts be heard.

“I think staying in would be nice. I am feeling quite tired.” Y/N was also surprised at his utter silence lately. She knew that there was something bothering him. She just hadn’t been able to get it out of him.

“I guess I’ll just ask the chef to prepare dinner” Alessandro loved going out, and he was a bit disappointed. He wanted to see his other friends, but he was also not going to go out on his own.

“How long is the ride?” Y/N asked noticing how comfortable everyone was getting.

“Almost four hours from here to Milano” It had been a while since the three men had traveled by train, but they knew that Y/N would appreciate it more by train than by plane. “It’s a long ride, but the views make it worth the time.”

“We have to change trains in Milano Centrale, and that train line is quite shorter.”

“At least we get to stretch our legs there.” Michael pointed out.

“Wish we were staying a few hours” Alessandro sighed, just to do some light shopping” he shrugged.

“Do you get tired of doing the same shit?” Michael asked, “You work in fashion, and you go out shopping most days. I would be sick of it” Alessandro rolled his eyes.

“It is a way of life” William and Harry laughed at him, “Most of you Neanderthals just throw on a suit and call it fashion, but guess what? Fashion is way more than that.”

“It’s a great industry with lots of business opportunities” Alessandro rolled his eyes and tried to control himself and not cuss them out.

“You’ve learned nothing!”

“Fashion is supposed to be fun, Ale” Harry chipped in, “It’s not supposed to be this rigorous thing that can be defined”.

“Tell that to the models that stave themselves to fit into a size 0.”

“Woah! We got out of topic here” Y/N giggled, “I thought we were only talking about Alessandro's shopaholic tendencies.” They all laughed. Then submerged into their entertainment options to make time go faster.

Harry got his laptop out and paid for Wi-Fi and got to work.

“You are starring” Harry commented feeling her eyes on him. He needed to check over some reports and sign some business prepositions that Andrew had forwarded him. “What do you need?” He asked as he swiftly typed.

“Nothing. I just love seeing your concentration expressions.” Harry smiled; he squeezed her thigh momentarily before going back to his screen.

“Are you going to tell us what is bothering you?” William asked as he looked up, minutes after Y/N had dozed off, reading a book.

“It’s nothing”

“Something is clearly bothering you. You’ve been quiet” Alessandro added, “And if you don’t want to share, then I suggest you change your attitude because she is picking up on it too”.

“You are ruining the trip” Harry exhaled loudly, “Not just for her, but for us too” Michael added to his comment.

Harry remained quiet, feeling the tension between him and them.

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“There is no way” Y/N stared in awe as they entered the gates of Alessandro’s family state. “You were raised here?” Alessandro smiled warmly at the house and its green fields.  He couldn’t stop the memories of his childhood from flooding in. The feeling of the freshly cut grass under his feet or how he would sit on the hill and watch the sunset most days.

“I was” He smiled, “up until college” Alessandro had never been able to relate to his friends when it came to his childhood. To this day, he had no complaints about the way his parents raised him. Both had been very loving and understanding of him.  When college came around, they had emphasized to him that he could be whomever he wanted and didn't necessarily have to inherit the family business. They encouraged him to choose what he wanted. Alessandro loved his parents, and he was excited to meet them.

Tall cypress trees and bright flower bushes decorated the entrance of the house and its surroundings. And the stone arches and statues carved out of marble and others of stone couldn’t be missed.  The state stood right beside the dark blue lake.

Alessandro was the first out of the car as soon as it came to a full stop at the front door of the house.

“Benvenuto a casa, Ale” an older man said, as soon as Alessandro got out of the car.

“Antonio” Alessandro pulled him into a tight hug. Antonio was the house butler. He was in charge and knew everything that happened within the house.

“How is this place real?” Y/N whispered as Harry helped her out of the van that had picked them up from the train station.

“Stunning right?”

“Figlio” A strong voice interrupted Y/N’s conversation with Harry.  A gorgeous older woman followed the man. “benvenuto” the couple piled Alessandro into a hug after kisses.  “Oh! Look at this! My adopted sons finally had the dignity to see their papa” He exclaimed noticing the other three men that stood behind their son.

Ricardo and Chiara beamed with happiness as they hugged all boys. The couple felt whole. They felt like the house was full just like every summer. It had been a long time since they had been able to spend some quality time with all four of them.

“You must be Y/N! Harry’s girlfriend. Welcome,” Ricardo kissed each of her cheeks. “I am Ricardo. Alessandro’s father”. He held her hand in between both of his and patted it.

“Thank you for having me.”

“Harry is famiglia and since you are his girlfriend that makes you family too” he reassured her, “scusa! This is my wife Chiara” Alessandro’s mother was stunning. She was the definition of elegance and chic. She wore a flowy green dress, with Channel white slingbacks. Her hair was up in a mess but elegant updo which made her pearl necklace steal the attention.

“It’s so nice to meet you” Chiara smiled after they greeted one another.

“It’s very refreshing to have another girl in the house” Y/N understood after being traveling with them for a few weeks. it was refreshing to have some female energy around and on her side.