Ch44

ENZO

What is she doing here?

That's what I think first when I sight my mother glaring at Nova. It's nothing new. It's been established that she doesn't like Nova. She doesn't care much for Noah but Nova... we all know she dislikes the girl. Then after the recording stuff... her hatred for the girl grew.

My mother’s eyes... icy, and sharp, takes in the scene. First, they land on me, holding Nova’s hand tightly in mine. Then her gaze drags over to Nova. She takes in her damp hair, and the plain black shirt swallowing her frame... my shirt.

I feel Nova flinch beside me, as she tries to yank her fingers out of my grip. Panic. She’s terrified. I don't let go immediately she tries to get her hand off. I tighten my grip, letting her know I’ve got her, before letting my fingers slide away.

"Mom," I say, stepping between them. I square my shoulders, blocking Nova from my mother's line of sight. "You said you weren't coming back until Sunday."

"Evidently, I came home early," she replies. She doesn't even bother looking at me. Her eyes stay locked on Nova over my shoulder. Her mouth curves into a disappointed line. "I see you’ve been keeping yourself... occupied."

I can feel Nova trembling behind me, wishing she could dissolve through the floor. My mother has always treated her like dirt under her high heels. And right now, seeing Nova standing in our living room dressed in my clothes, my mother looks like she’s just been handed a gold medal.

"Mrs. Moretti, I..." Nova starts. "It’s not..."

"Nova was just leaving," I cut in. I don't look back at her, but I reach behind my spine, finding her wrist and giving it a squeeze before dropping my hand. "She spilled something on her clothes. I let her use the shower."

"Is that what we're calling it?" My mother steps further into the foyer. She glances at the coffee table... the popcorn, the plate of chocolate chip cookies I spent half an hour trying not to burn, the tub of ice cream with two spoons in it. A tiny, condescending scoff slips from her lips. "How thoughtful of you, Enzo. Playing house while your father and I are away."

She stops a few feet away.

"Nova, dear," she says. "Does your brother know you're here in my son's clothes? Does Noah know what kind of... arrangements you two have made?"

I see Nova flinch behind me at the mention of Noah. That's it. That's my limit.

"Leave Noah out of this, Mom," I growl. "And don't talk to her like that."

My mother raises an eyebrow. "I am simply asking a question in my own home, Enzo." She turns her icy gaze back to Nova. "I think it’s best if you change into your own clothes and run along, Nova. Now."

"She'll leave when she's ready," I say.

"Enzo, no. It's fine," Nova whispers. She steps out from behind me before I can escalate it further, her eyes wide. "I'll... I'll go get my clothes."

She turns and bolts up the stairs. I watch her go. The moment her footsteps fade down the upper hallway, I turn on my mother. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What is wrong with me?" She sets her bag down with a thud. "You have a girl in our house, wearing your clothes, while her brother thinks you're out training. Do you have any idea how trashy this looks, Enzo? You have a reputation to maintain, and wasting your time with the same girl who took a recording of your private moment and set it out for the world to see..."

"Shut up," I bite out. "Just shut up. You don't know a damn thing about her."

"I know she doesn't belong here," my mother says coldly, pouring herself a glass of chilled white wine from the fridge. "And neither do your pathetic attempts at playing domestic."

We go back and forth for three minutes... her dropping subtle insults, me shoving every single one of them right back down her throat. By the time I hear Nova's footsteps coming back down the stairs, I'm breathing heavy, my hands clenched into fists in my joggers' pockets.

Nova reaches the bottom step. She’s changed back into her denim shorts and top... still slightly damp from earlier... clutching the straps of her backpack. She won't look at me. She's staring fixedly at my sneakers, her cheeks flushed crimson.

"I should go," she says. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come over."

Seeing her like this... looking so embarrassed, blaming herself for my mother's toxicity... makes me more than mad.

My parents rarely come home. That's why I've always been at Noah's place for most of the time. If they return, it just means something happened. And I cannot wait to see her off at the airport already.

Before Nova can rush past me toward the front door, I reach out and grab her forearm. Not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to lock her in place. I don't give a damn that my mother is standing thirty feet away watching us.

I pull Nova gently toward me. "Look at me,"

She lifts her eyes. They're glossy.

"Don't you dare say sorry," I mutter, keeping my voice low so it stays between us. "She's wrong. You didn't do anything wrong, okay? I'm sorry. I didn't know she was coming..." I cut myself off.

"It's fine, Enzo. Really. I just... I need to go home."

I search her face, hating every second of this. Slowly, my hand slides down her arm to wrap around her wrist, feeling her pulse fluttering wild and fast against my thumb.

"I'll walk you out," I say firmly.

"Enzo..."

"I'm walking you out, Nova. Don't argue with me."

I open the front door, leading her onto the porch and slamming it shut behind us, locking my mother and her judgment inside. The scorching late-afternoon heat hits us like a wall, but I barely feel it.

We walk down the steps in silence until we reach her bike by the curb.

Nova turns to face me, wrapping her arms around herself. "You don't have to pretend anymore today, Enzo. She's inside. Nobody's watching."

I stop in my tracks. A disbelieving laugh leaves my chest. She actually thinks... I step closer, closing the distance between us. I only stop until I'm looming right over her, blocking out the sun.

"You think I was pretending down there?" I ask.

She blinks, completely caught off guard. "W-what?"

"On the couch. The cookies. Touching you." I take another forward, pinning her with my stare. "You think that was an act for an audience that wasn't even in the room yet?"

Her breath hitches. Her lips part slightly, and the flush on her cheeks deepens.

"Nova, I told you," I murmur, reaching out to tuck a stray strand of wet hair behind her ear. I let my fingers linger against the warm skin of her temple, unable to pull away. "I'm bad at the romantic shit. I don't know how to do this fake-dating thing without making a mess of it. But don't you ever think for a second that when I touch you, I'm acting."

I force myself to drop my hand, stepping back before I do something even more reckless right out on the street.

"Go home. Get some rest," I tell her, my voice softening back into its usual tone. "I'll text you tonight. And if Noah asks... tell him my mom is a bitch. He already knows anyway."

Before she could even utter another word, I cover the distance between us in three long strides, closing the gap before her brain can process it. My hand snakes around the back of her neck, my fingers tangling in her soft, damp hair, and I pull her up into me.

My lips crash down onto hers.

Nova gasps against my mouth, but she didn’t pull away. I tasted the sweet, lingering hint of sugar on her lips, feeling her entire body go soft against mine.

"ENZO!"

My mother’s voice pierces through the heat, coming from the open doorway.

I break the kiss instantly, yanking myself back. Nova stands there, her eyes wide and dazed, her lips swollen and pink.

"Go," I grit out, my chest heaving as I gently nudge her. "Nova, go."

She doesn't need to be told twice. She turns and walks away, down the road. I watch her until she turns the corner and disappears out of sight.

Only when I'm certain she's safe do I turn around and walk back toward the house.

The second my legs cross the threshold and the front door shuts, I turn to my mother.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" my mother screams. She throws her wine glass into the kitchen sink, where it shatters into sharp shards. "Are you out of your goddamn mind, Enzo?!"

"Shut the door, Mom," I say coldly, walking past her into the living room.

"Don't you dare walk away from me!" She marches after me. "Are you seriously sleeping with Noah's stupid sister?!"

My jaw locks so hard I feel it in my skull. I spin around, glaring down at her. "She isn't stupid. Keep her name out of your mouth."

"Oh, please! Look at you, defending her!" She throws her hands in the air, laughing hysterically. "She’s a nobody! A pathetic, needy little ghost who follows her brother around like a lost dog! And you're letting her wrap you around her little finger?!"

"You don't know shit about her, so stop talking,"

"I know enough! I know that girl almost ruined your life!" she shrieks, stepping right up to my face. "In fact, she ruined it! Do you have any idea how much money, how much effort your father and I put into building your future? And you're throwing it all away for her?!"

"My life isn't ruined, and Nova didn't do anything!" I yell back, my hands curling into tight fists at my sides. "You're the one who ruins everything she touches! Look at this house! It's a fucking graveyard because nobody can stand to be in the same room as you for more than five minutes!"

"Watch your mouth, Enzo!" she spits, her breath smelling heavily of white wine. "Wait until your father finds out about this! Just wait until he hears that you brought that trash into our house!"

"We're not dating! It's not what you think!"

She lets out a mocking laugh, pulling her iPhone out of her blazer pocket and shoving the screen inches from my eyes. "Don't lie to my face! I saw you two kissing just now from the cameras on my phone!"

I stared at the live stream footage paused on her screen... the exact angle of me pulling Nova in, my hand in her hair, her lips against mine.

I shove her phone away with my forearm. "I don't know what you think you saw, but Nova and I aren't together."

"You think I'm blind?!" she screams. "I saw your hands on her! I saw the way you were looking at her in the living room! Don't let her get to you! She's a parasite, Enzo! Her whole family is leeching off you, and now she’s trying to trap you..."

"I said shut up!" My voice thunders, cutting her off mid-sentence.

I take a deep, shaky breath, glaring at the woman who's supposed to be my mother, feeling nothing inside but hollow disgust.

"I don't give a damn what you saw on your stupid camera," I say. "And I don't give a damn about what you think my father is going to say."

"Enzo, you listen to me..."

"No, you listen to me, you miserable bitch,"