Riccardo's POV
It's true what they say about women being confusing. One minute, Olivia is all sunshine and giggles, and the next, she's fuming with anger and I have no idea why.
I let out a sigh of frustration, my room enveloped in darkness, just the way I prefer it, devoid of any intrusive light. I toss and turn, desperate for sleep in my pitch-black room. I prefer it that way, with no light from anywhere.
••
Before leaving for work, I made Olivia's favorite coffee and breakfast. But now, I'm groaning and spinning around in my swivel chair with a pen between my fingers.
"What's up, my dude?" Beck asks, noticing my restlessness. "You've been doing that for the past three minutes and it's freaking me out."
I ignore Beck and groan again, raking my hair back.
Why is she màd?
I hate this.
This is upsetting.
"Did you have a fight with Ollie?" he asks.
I glare at him. No one gets to call her any nickname but me.
"I stand with Ollie," Philip chimes in.
"You don't even know what happened," I complain.
"I'm also with Ollie."
I stand up, banging my palms on my desk, glaring at my friends, who seem to be taking Olivia's side.
"Hey, that reminds me. When did Asia come back?" Beck asks.
"How did that remind you of Asia? We're talking about Olivia."
"Two days ago," I mutter, staring out of the window. "She visited yesterday."
"I wonder why she didn't visit me," Beck says.
"No one wants to visit you, Beckett," Philip teases.
"Don't call me that."
"That's your name."
"It sounds like a grandpa's name."
"Sucks to be you."
"I hàte you."
"It is mutual."
I call Olivia, but she doesn't pick up. I flinch when Philip places his hand on my shoulder. "Just give her some time. She will come around."
I hope she does.
I really do.
"I need to go now. See you later."
"Bye-bye."
✷✷✷✷
I glance at the wall clock for the millionth time since I got back, and Olivia, who was supposed to be home, isn't. I'm busy with my latest project when she finally arrives, singing and dancing.
"Where are you coming from?" I demand.
"Hello to you too. My day was great," Olivia sarcastically replies.
"I'm not in the mood for your attitude right now."
She hums and smiles. "And what makes you think I'm in the mood for your questions?"
"Olivia, I'm serious."
"Good for you," she retorts, walking to the kitchen.
I watch her, trying to remain calm, but she won't tell me where she's been all day. I'm already mad, and I don't want her to be mad, too.
I walk to her in the kitchen. "I'm just worried about you. You barely spoke to me yesterday, and we didn't see each other this morning. I expected to see you at home when I got back so we could resolve this."
"There is nothing to resolve here, Riccardo," she snaps. "I am back now, so you can relax and stop being controlling."
"I'm not being controlling yet."
"You intend to be?" she asks, surprised.
I apologize, but she doesn't reply.
I lean down to her eye level. "I'm sorry, sunshine. Please let's not fight."
She glares at me. "Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"That. That stupídly cute smile you're using to bribe me."
I admit, I know she likes my dimples which she would deny if asked, but I'm not bribing her.
Maybe.
"Is it working?"
"No."
I tease her, trying to make her smile. "Are you sure?"
She admits, "Pretty much, yeah."
"Are you a hundred percent sure?"
Olivia pokes her finger at my dimple and shakes her head. "No."
My smile widens at her response, and despite her attempt to hide it, a smile threatens to break through.
"I was with Axel," she says.
Why him out of everyone else?!
God, I can't even begin to explain how much I despise him.
I loàthe him so much, and it's unfortunate that he happens to be one of the most important people in Olivia's life.
"You're not màd?"
"Oh, I am, alright. I just don't want you to get upset again, so I'll keep my màdness to myself."
Olivia finally let a grin slip, and her caramel brown eyes lit up with bliss. "Good. Keep it to yourself."
Thank goodness, my gorgeous wife is smiling with me again.
If she's like this when upset, I can't help but wonder how our kids will be.
"Can I get a hug?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Pretty please?"
"No."
"Pretty please with sprinkles on top?"
Olivia laughed, dropping her finger from my dimple before turning to leave without giving me my hug. I circled my arms around her small waist, pulling her to rest on my chest, her back against my front.
"I love you." When I placed a kiss on the nape of her neck, a gasp escaped her mouth, and she shivered in my arms. "Your hair smells nice."
"Don't smell my hair, you fréak."
Of course, I didn't listen and continued inhaling the sweet fragrance of her soft, long hair. "What do you want to eat for dinner?"
"Nothing. I'm full."
Of course, she is.
That idiotic fool would have made her eat with him.
With the knowledge that I'm about to be manipulatíve, I still asked. "Without me?"
"Yeah. Axel insisted."
I knew it!
That deranged luñatic is trying to mess with me. He should already know that I hàte sharing what is mine with anyone.
I nodded, then buried my face in the crook of my wife's neck to continue breathing in her scent. "Movie night?"
"You watch movies?" Olivia asked, shock lacing her question.
"Of course. I'm human."
"Hmm. You sure?"
"Hey," I playfully exclaimed, turning her to face me. Her bottom lip tucked between her teeth, trying but failing to hide her smile. "You kiss me all the time."
"No, I don't," she quickly denied.
"Yes, you do. Would you kiss me if I wasn't human?"
"Don't flatter yourself, Riccardo."
"I actually want to flatter myself, sunshine, because my darling wife refuses to accept the glaringly bright fact that she loves kissing me, her husband."
It was shocking and completely unbelievable, but crimson red coated Olivia's cheeks, and as the realization slowly dawned on me, my mouth dropped.
She's blushing.
"Oh, my God! Did you just blush?" I asked, even though I'm sure of what I'm seeing right before my very eyes.
"No. I told you just now, do not flatter yourself," was her response before running up the stairs.
••
Everywhere was dark, pitch-dark, with only the blinding light from the TV lighting up the living room where Olivia and I sat on one of the sofas, watching the movie.
About twenty-something minutes ago, Olivia came back downstairs in her nightdress and brought two blankets, one for each of us. Now, we were snug and cozy under the blankets, watching the movie she called 'The Notebook,' while eating popcorn and ice cream.
Well, only Olivia was licking the ice cream because she refused to release the tub from her grip while we both shared the popcorn.
"Have you watched Titanic?" She asked, wiping clean the little smear of ice cream on the spoon with her tongue.
This is tortúre.
"No, but I have heard of it."
"We will watch it after this," she said, not asking or requesting, just a direct order as if she knew I wouldn't say no to her.
One hour later, she was crying and wiping her eyes with a tissue, having changed the movie to the next one. When I asked her the reason for her tears, she simply said, and I quote, "Did you not watch what I just watched?!" So now, I decided to keep quiet.
I did watch the movie when I wasn't staring at Olivia, but I don't see what made her cry. In my opinion, a movie shouldn't make people cry. It's stúpid, but if my wife does it, then it's fine.
"Ah, Leonardo is soooooo handsome," she sighed softly, staring dreamily at another man who isn't me.
I glared at the TV screen, clutching the blanket tightly.
She sighed again, more softly than before. "Look at that hair, it's gorgeous!"
Okay.
It's official; I hàte Leonardo.
I tuned out the sounds around me as she kept praising and crushing on the guy who currently topped my 'hàte list', pushing Morris to number two.
"He is such a good kisser." That compliment shattered both my self-control and my ability to think, and the next second, she was under my body with her eyes widened in shock.
TBC 📖✍️
Ah, Olivia! Do you want someone to dié?! 😂
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