Riccardo's POV
"Dude, can you please put your phone down and listen to us?" Beck winced like a five-year-old child. "When did you get engaged? When did you even have a girlfriend?" He looked over at Philip for support, I suppose. "Why aren't you saying anything? Did you know about this?"
I had told them about my engagement yesterday in our group chat, and they both freaked out. They bombarded me with messages all night, but I ignored all of them.
I hissed, standing up from the sofa and walked to the window. "Too many questions. It's starting to give me a headache."
Philip walked over and put his hand on my shoulder. "Then answer the questions, Ricky. And by the way, Beck, I had no idea. He didn't tell me." He playfully slapped the back of my head, causing me to choke on my drink. "Serves you right."
"Look," I faced both of them. "She didn't want us to tell anyone until now."
Beck stared at me with surprise written all over his face. "I never thought you would actually listen and agree to someone's demand."
"She's not just someone."
He strolled over, took my drink, chugged it all in one go, and handed the glass back to me. "Look at you. You're whipped."
"If he looks whipped like that, she must be really beautiful."
I looked at Philip and nodded. "She is." With a smile on my face, I walked over to the drinks table and placed the glass on it. "She is beautiful. So, so, so beautiful. She's an angel."
"Can I see a picture of her?"
"No."
Philip tried to stifle his laughter but failed. He burst out laughing at Beck, who looked at him blankly.
"It's not funny."
"It kind of is. Don't you think so, Ricky?"
"Remind me why we're friends again." Beck retorted before I could say a word. "I need to find new friends."
"Good luck." Philip and I said in unison.
"You're ganging up on me. Me?"
"Who are you?"
I took my phone out of my pocket, tapped on the only contact I wanted to see right now.
My sunshine.
My Olivia.
My soon-to-be wife.
I looked over my shoulder to see my best friends bickering as usual. I made sure there was a couple of feet between us before I leaned against the wall to text my sweetheart.
ME: Wear a dress.
It took two whole minutes for her to reply, and I began to think something happened to her.
My Sunshine: No.
Of course. The Olivia I know doesn't like to be bossed around. She hatés it when someone tells her what to do. This was my way of starting a conversation between us.
Aaaaaaand, I may or may not genuinely want to see her in a dress.
ME: Why not?
I waited for a minute, two minutes, three minutes, and I realized she was ignoring me.
I'm not used to being ignored. I don't like being ignored, especially not by my sunshine.
ME: I asked you a question.
ME: Don't ignore me.
I hàte this feeling. Passionately.
Should I drive there right now?
I don't want her to get màd.
I don't like it when she's màd at me.
ME: I want you to wear a dress.
I tried again to see if she would change her mind, but I should have known better. Once she sets her mind, there's no going back.
ME: Sunshine, ignoring me isn't a good idea.
I hàte this.
Why does my heart feel like it's been punched?
Is this what being ignored feels like?
No!
I don't want to be ignored. I hàte it.
ME: If you don't reply to me this instant, I'll have to drive over and make you. I have some ideas. Do you want to hear them?
My Sunshine: I'm not wearing a dress, Riccardo. Forget it.
I released a breath, running my fingers through my unruly hair.
ME: Good girl. I was starting to think I'd have to puñish you.
I couldn't suppress the smirk that spread across my face as different vivid images of how to punísh my little perfect sunshine filled my mind.
For three years, these images and this pounding feeling in my chest have hauntéd me, urging me to expedite my plans of making Olivia mine.
I needed time and a well-thought-out plan to achieve my goal. If I could overcome all the obstacles to get where I am right now, I can do anything. I started digging and digging with the little information I had: her name, Olivia, and the CCTV camera footage of the bar.
I gathered every piece of information I needed to get to her and waited for two years. When the time was right, I made my move.
No sane person would fall in love with someone who used manipulatíon to win them over. But given enough time, anything can happen. I only needed two years to make her love me the way I loved her, and if she didn't, I would let her go.
Just kidding, I'm never letting her go.
I would find another way to make her stay with me, always. In my arms.
"Freakiñg bastard."
"Asshóle."
My ears rang from their choice of words, and I turned to glare at my friends. They seemed to realize what they did and grinned stupidly at me.
There are a lot of things I hàte in this world, and cusswórds come first. I'm not a devoted Christian. In fact, I've only been to church twice. The first time was when I was ten, and Beck had his first crush. Philip and I followed him to church that day to see the girl. That was also Beck's first time in church. The second time was at my sister's wedding. I really hàte cusswords so much that they physically affect me.
I wasn't raised in a family that used many cusswórds. They did sometimes, but not excessively. I didn't prohibit my friends from using them; I just didn't want to hear them.
ME: On my way.
✯✯✯✯
The atmosphere in the car was uncomfortably silent as Olivia refused to look away from the window. I glanced at her, trying to come up with ways to start a conversation.
I let my eyes trail down her outfit again, a satisfied smile tugging at my lips. The clothes fit her perfectly, accentuating her curves and edges. Her hair cascaded over her shoulder in its natural wavy length, and her delicate fingers tucked the strands away from her face.
She was ethereal. She was perfect. She was gorgeous. She was beautiful.
I still couldn't understand how she could be so beautiful. My sunshine was beautiful, and she knew it. She carried herself with confidence and elegance.
Olivia must have felt my gaze on her. She turned her head to face me, wearing a quizzical look. "Do I have something on my face?"
"Yes."
Immense beauty. That's what was on her face.
"What?" She reached for her handbag, unzipped it, and took out a small mirror to check her face. "I don't see anything. Riccardo, I'm not in the mood for jokes."
"And who said I was joking?"
"How many more minutes until we get there?"
"Sixty minutes."
"Why not just say one hour?"
"Because you asked for minutes, sunshine."
My sunshine frowned, glaring at me with a mix of angér and annoyance in her captivating caramel brown eyes. "My name is Olivia Donovan, not sunshine."
"That will change very soon."
She would take my last name and carry it with pride and elegance, just as she always did.
"What will?"
"Donovan," I simply replied.
"What do..." Her voice trailed off, and I glanced at her to see her trying to piece together the puzzle. "I'm not taking your last name, Riccardo."
"God, I love my name even more now." I smiled, and she huffed cutely, folding her arms and turning back to the window. "The way it just rolls off your tongue ignites a firé inside me. A firé I don't want to extinguish. I'll let the firé consume me if you're the one who ignited it."
Some people might call me obsesséd or cràzy, and I wholeheartedly agree with them.
If they saw Olivia through my eyes, they would understand how I felt. Yes, I was obsesséd and cràzy about her.
My sunshine was simply perfect. I was obsessivély cràzy about her.
"If you keep saying stuff like that, I'll be forced to júmp ôut of this car right now."
"You won't do that," I said with certainty.
"Why do you think I wouldn't?"
"Simple. You love your family, and you definitely love yourself enough not to even consider it."
A spark flashed in her eyes, fleeting but noticeable. That spark confirmed the truth of what I said, and even if she tried to hide it, I knew.
"Côcky asshóle."
I winced, and my ears rang again.
"Language."
"You can't dictate what I do, wear, or say. You're not in control of my life, Riccardo. I have the right to choose what I do, wear, and say, do you understand?" Her firmness doesn't bother me; instead, it amuses me. "You're a freàk."
"Believe what you want, sunshine."
She is the light in my life.
The sunshine that brightens my world.
Without her, darkness would engulf me. I'm not fearful of darkness. What truly frightens me is the thought of losing her.
I can't let that happen.
I won't let that happen.
TBC 📖✍️
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