i love you

Vincenzo Moreno

The door let loose by a single twist of the key.

I gripped the handle, only to freeze. Annoyance seeping onto my face, constricting my brows. My damn hands were sweaty. I was fucking nervous.

I ground my teeth, hard enough to produce an ache. Sure I’d gotten my shit together, I pushed the door. Unsurprisingly, the first thing I set my eyes on was Rina. Seated on the floor; her back to the bed, she looked up from the carpet and cast her dazed eyes on me. Tiny balls of sweat dotted her forehead, gleaming under the fluorescent light.

Before I could respond to that, she wrung her face, whimpering. I took an uncertain step forward.

"Non mi sento troppo bene." [I don’t feel too good]. Her increasing whimpering snapped me out of my trance.

“Hey,” I whispered, rushing towards her. I held her cheeks, brushing some strands of hair away from her face.

“It’ll be fine. I’m here now.”

The joy I felt when she clasped her hands on my flanks was unquantifiable. Yes, Rina. This i