We Belong Togetherr

Aria’s pov:

As I brushed my hair, I watched the long, dark strands flow over my shoulder, shimmering in the sunlight that streamed through the window.

Rosalie had always admired my hair, calling it 'beautiful brown silk' and claiming that men couldn't help but stare. But I knew that it was more than just my hair that made me special. She would often taunt me on why men wouldn’t look in her direction or pay close attention to her if we happened to be in the same room. ‘All eyes will be on you, riri.’ She’d say.

All in all, Rosalie was beautiful. She had midnight black hair and grey eyes. Tall and willowy like a top class model. Sometimes, I wished I had all her features, maybe just maybe, I wouldn’t be forced to marry a man like Matteo. Maybe someone else would have fallen for me and taken me away before the deal was struck.

Matteo was a self centered man so I’ve heard. I’ve heard tales of how cruel and misshapen his mind was and that was the man I was to marry. I remembered how my father said those words; ‘you are to marry Mr. Marino’s son, Matteo’. There was a break in his voice when he said them so I’m guessing he did want me to make the decision on my own long before the deal with the Marinos.

I winced when Rosalie forced my body into the oddly small dress. My dad picked it out for me and it occurred to me there and then it was all his plan to expose more than half of me to Matteo tonight. Rosalie murmured series of curses as she took in my frame tightly hugged by the freakishly small dress.

“Did he pick this out at the children section?”. She asked completely irritated.

“It’s going to rip apart if I laugh during dinner”. I said with a small smile on my face.

“Good thing Matteo isn’t known for his jokes. You’re good”.

We both laughed and I pulled her in for a warm hearty hug. She looked at me lovingly, pushed a few strands of my hair away from my face. Rosalie was my favorite person in the world. She filled every gap I had. She was everything to me.

To think we met in a toilet cubicle, she was being chased by drunk boys covered in mud and sweat. She ran into my cubicle and waited till they got fed up and went home. She didn’t care to look if it was occupied. She didn’t care to look if I was armed. After the scenerio, she turned to me and smiled. I remember her first words being; “you taking a shit?”. I was embarrassed and I was indeed taking a shit but in my own space which she invaded. She scoffed and left and ever since then, I have been seeing her more than often especially during school hours.

I bit down on my bottom lip slightly making sure not to smear the red glossy lipstick already there.

“You think he has two horns?”. I asked

“I don’t know. I bet three?”. She replied with a snarky smile on her face.

I was scared of Matteo. I mean who wouldn’t after all the tales of his cruelty and complicated nature going all around town. All I knew about my husband to be was, he was well known and popular for his atrocious behavior. And now, I had to look forward to this dinner with the Marinos; My father’s poor attempt of making me and Matteo meet before the wedding which was a few days from now. I couldn’t believe it. I was going to be the wife of one of the wealthiest men in Venice. A man lots of women want. A man I wouldn’t want to have a thing to do with on a normal day.

“How many women would hate me for marrying Matteo?”. I asked Rosalie while she made my hair into a low bun.

“I’m guessing thousands”. She shrugged.

“Do you think-”.

“Hey! I need you to calm down, Riri”. She cut me right off. “From what I’ve seen in the magazines…he doesn’t have huge monstrous horns or claws or a tail. He’s a man. A real man. You can make the best of this, Aria. I know you can”. Rosalie hugged my frame from the back, released my quivering body and turned to look me in the eyes.