The Maid: Mafia Romance (Series)

Miscommunication

His breath came out harshly. His eyes were burning fire. With lust and with fury.

For fuck’s sake! For the first time in his life, he was having a fight with his lover. But this was not like any normal fight. They weren’t fighting over a minuscule issue like adopting a cat or dog. No, this involved a third party, another guy. Fucking God, he was mad.

Never in his mind had he envisioned his love life would come to this. Once he’d found his Jennifer, they’d live in peace. He, moving away from the life of the mafia, and she, studying or doing whatever the heck she wanted in her life. Just as long as they got to live together. Just the two of them. Peacefully.

Except it had come to this. Ever since he’d given her that fucking phone.

He’d thought by taking her to Singapore for a few days for a hiatus that she might forget her phone. It kind of worked. But as soon as they arrived back in New York, her head was literally glued to her phone again. And he’d wondered why. Until now. The answer was right there. Less than twenty hours and here she was, meeting with him. What a fool he was for playing the detective and following her here.

When he saw them holding hands, his world came crashing down. And before he knew it, he’d crashed into their scene, smacking his lips to his lover to prove to that twerp that Jay only belonged to him, and only he had the right to kiss her.

But it had all backfired, because now Jay was super pissed. She vomited out words of how he shouldn’t act like that in public, and especially in front of her best friend.

Fuck the best friend. He didn’t even know she had a friend, let alone a best friend who’s a guy.

Fuck! This was all wrong. It should have been him who was pissed. But seeing her this pissed made him even more pissed.

“Explain to me, Jay, who the fuck was that twerp, or I’ll go bash his head in.”

“I already said it; he’s my best friend, and you can’t go bash his head in. It’s wrong. And I’ll still be mad at you.”

“You don’t think I’m mad at you right now, seeing you holding hands with him? I don’t like it when you go behind my back, Jay.”

“I’m not going behind your back.”

“Then why did you meet up secretly, behind my back.”

“I wasn’t secretly meeting him. We’re in public. Today is a school day. Plus, how was I to know that you’d followed me here. You don’t trust me?”Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“Trust? Jay, I’m finding it hard to trust you when you don’t fucking tell me who your friends are. And don’t say I didn’t introduce you to my friends because I fucking did. You’ve met Dawson, Justin, and Julian. I trust you enough to let you go to school on your own, even when I suggested Bobby drop you off. But you refused, saying you were capable of going by yourself. So, I trusted your judgment. I trusted you enough to give you your own free space, your very own bedroom, even when we already shared a bed. But what about you? How can I trust you when you’re hiding things from me?”

Her face suddenly changed, from a pissed-off look to a look of regret.

What the hell! And then she suddenly spouted out, with tears sprouting from her eyes, “You’re right, Boss. I’m a really bad person.”

“I’m still mad, Jay. Why are you crying?” He was taken aback by the change of her demeanor.

Fuck, this made him feel like he was the bad guy, and he kind of felt remorseful for making her cry. Were his words too harsh? But it didn’t make sense. Jay was never like this. Before, she would always yell back at him. A word for a word. A tooth for a tooth. Now, she just stood there in complete silence, with tears slowly sliding down her cheeks. He felt sick, like someone had thrown a ten-pound stone into his gut. “Tell me, Jay, why are you crying?”

He held her in his arms, shaking her so he could get his answer. And when it came, it wasn’t the one he was after.

“Because I’m a bad person. I have to come clean. Boss, thank you for awakening me. I have to set things right.”

What? He watched as she shook herself free from his grip and sprinted off back into Café Love Sick.

“Where are you going?” he yelled from where he stood, completely and utterly mad now.

“To Crispin!”

“What? You chose that twerp over me?” His eyes glared red. Fuck, he couldn’t believe his ears. He lost to that loser kid.

“Go home first. I need to clear something up with him. Then I’ll talk to you.”

And then she was gone. Out of his sight.

Oh, the nerve of that girl. The nerve… Giovanni was vibrating with anger; he was literally buzzing in flames.

Fuck! Why did he even tolerate such atrocious behavior? No girl had ever done that to him before.

Fine! He’d go back home. He didn’t fucking care anymore. When she came back, he’d give her his two cents.

“Who was that guy? Was he your lover, like he said?”

It was so painful to tell him, but I had to. Giovanni was right. I was a deceitful person. How could I call Crispin my best friend when I had lied to him? Again and again. What kind of awful person could do that to their own friend?

“Crispin, I’m sorry.”

“So, it’s true then. He is your boyfriend.” His face saddened.

“Yes. His name is Giovanni.”

Crispin looked hurt. I was also hurt. But I had to carry on. Enough of this. No more lies. “And I also live with him.”

“What about your landlord? Didn’t you say that you boarded with him?”

“The truth is Giovanni is my landlord.”

And another kick to the gut. The pain in his eyes showed it all. The more I spoke the truth, the more it hurt him. But I had to do this. I didn’t want to continue to be this person anymore, constantly lying just to get out of some sticky situation. If I continued hiding from him, and lying to him, what would kind of person would that make me? A dishonest person, a pathological liar. And Crispin didn’t deserve that. Nor did Giovanni.

“Four months ago, I told you that my sister and Pa left me to move to another city. Truth was, like you suspected, they abandoned me,” I quietly said, a little tear shedding from my eye. Oh, how pathetic my life was. I was sure Crispin must have it tougher, having so many siblings to care for back home in Chicago, what with his mother who had to raised them all. “But I shouldn’t call it abandoned. After all, I’m already nineteen, free to live my life. I’m an adult now. I don’t need them to spoon-feed me. But they left me with a massive debt. And I have to pay it off.”

“How much, Jenny? How much is the debt? Is it your father? He was the one with the debt, right? He left it to you, right? I’ll help pay it for you.”

“Thank you for being a good friend, but you really can’t pay it off. Not even I can pay off that much in my entire lifetime.”

“How much exactly, Jenny? After I graduate, I can help.”

“Three million dollars.”

His eyes glazed back in horror. “Three million.”

“Yes. Pa left me that much to pay on his behalf.”

“Did he get a loan from a loan shark to accumulate that much debt?”

“Well, kind of. He got it from the mafia.”

“No way!” Crispin sighed in disbelief. “Is that why you moved in with your boyfriend? Because that mafia guy was after you, since you’ve been held responsible for the debt.”

“No, Crispin. That’s where you are wrong. Pa got the loan from Giovanni. He is the mafia boss.”

“Oh fuck! Did he force you to be with him in exchange for that debt?”

“No. It didn’t start off like that. I only made him coffee and did his housework, but over time, I came to love him. Then out of necessity, we made a contract as lovers, instead.”

“You need help, Jenny. Obviously, it’s dangerous living with him. Break the contract. I’ll help you escape. These people are cruel. When they want you, they’ll do anything to make you stay. As soon as they’re tired of you, they’ll kill you. It’s not safe to be with him.”

“That’s where you are wrong, Crispin. In all my life, never have I felt safer than with him. He is not the usual mafioso that people think of. He doesn’t hurt people. I believe it’s only a front. Giovanni is not that type of person.”

“Jenny, you have been brainwashed. A mafia member will always be in the mafia. They kill people. That’s how they make money.”

“Giovanni doesn’t kill people. I’ve lived with him for four months now, and I’ve never seen him kill anyone.”

“You’ve known me for more than six years, but you still didn’t know I like you. How can you be so sure he isn’t dangerous?”

“I know it sounds stupid, but in my gut, I know he’s a good person.” Quietly, I conveyed my inner feelings to him. “I’m sorry, Crispin. I’m sorry I couldn’t love you more than as a friend. I’m sorry I couldn’t love you more than as a sibling. I wish the love you have for me would be given to you in tenfold by someone who adores you.”

“Is it because you have that guy now?”

“No. Even if Giovanni didn’t exist in my life, my feelings for you would still be the same.”

“And if I were to force you…”

“I don’t think you would force me. It’s not within your nature.”

“And if I decide that I can’t be friends with you anymore?”

“Then I’ll be sad. Plus, I don’t want us not to be friends. I don’t want to walk along the streets and be like strangers, not greeting each other. I want us to be friends always. I want to be there for you, like you were always there for me. I want to see you happy when you meet that person who you love.”

“But I love you.”

“That’s why I’m sad. I wish I could love you back. But I already love Giovanni. And I don’t think I can love anyone else. Can we please stay friends?”

Crispin laughed, although his eyes were brewing with tears. “My heart hurts, Jenny, but when you ask me like that, I can’t refuse you. I would prefer to get my heart broken now, but I really don’t think I could lose you as a friend, too.”

“Thank you, Crispin, for understanding me, for helping me through all my tough times. I want us to be friends forever, help each other out in times of need, support each other in times of want. I’ll always be there for you, Crispin. Just as you’ve always been there for me. If you happen to fall in love, I’ll be happy for you. If you happen to have your heart broken, I’ll listen to you. I’ll always be there for you, because you are my best friend. You have helped me so much in the past. Tomorrow, or in the future, if you ever need me, I’ll be there for you, too.” Crispin nodded with tears in his eyes, just as I said this with tears in my eyes.

“Yes. Let’s be friends forever, Jenny.”

“Yes. Let’s.” And we pinky swore.

Somehow after that talk, I felt much better, as if a ten-pound brick had been lifted off my chest.

“You should go see him. He looked pretty pissed off. I thought he was about to rip my throat out.” Crispin reminded me of Giovanni.

“Yeah. Maybe I should. It’s raining pretty bad.” Outside the rain was pounding. When did it start raining? I was too absorbed in our conversation; I didn’t even notice the nasty weather until now. I checked the time. We’d been talking for a little over an hour. I hope Giovanni wouldn’t be too pissed off. Hopefully, he’d calmed down by now.