MATTEO’s POV
I slammed my fist into the dashboard angrily. I was consumed by a burning rage, my mind replaying the events in the warehouse over and over. I could see Anthonio’s smug face, his mocking smile, and I wanted to scream.
I was so angry with myself. I had him in my sight, and I hesitated. I let him get away! I felt like a failure, a coward. I should have pulled the trigger. I should have ended it once and for all.
But no, I let my emotions get the better of me. I let my fear cloud my judgment. And now, Anthonio was still out there, plotting, scheming, and laughing at me.
I couldn’t shake off the feeling of defeat or fear. I felt like I’ve let everyone down, including myself. I took a deep breath, trying to calm down, but my anger and frustration still simmered.
I knew I needed to regroup to refocus. I needed to come up with a new plan, a new strategy. Not just rush into the scene unprepared.
Carter walked in, his hands on his waist and his face hard and cold. He was disappointed. I looked away from him and scoffed, but I could still feel his eyes on me.
“We are a team. We said an hour! We were to go in an hour! For fucks sake Matteo!”.
Carter’s words stung, but I knew he was right. I was so blinded by my anger and desire for revenge that I forgot the basics of teamwork and strategy.
“I know, Carter,” I say, my voice laced with frustration and disappointment. “I messed up. I let my emotions get the better of me.”
Carter’s expression softens slightly, but his eyes still hold a hint of disappointment. “Matteo, we would have gotten him if we worked together. We can’t have you going off half-cocked like that. It’s too dangerous.”
I nodded, knowing he’s right. I feel a twinge of regret and anger. “You’re right, we’ll take down Anthonio together.”
Carter’s face relaxes into a nod of approval. “We’ll get him next time, together.”
Carter sighed and popped up the one question he shouldn’t have.
“How is Aria?”
“Carter, what the hell are you doing bringing up Aria’s name?” I growled, my eyes narrowing in anger. “You know better than to mention her to me,”
Carter raised his hands in a calming gesture. “Whoa, Matteo, easy does it. I just asked a simple question. I didn’t mean to stir up anything.”
I took a step closer, my voice dropping to a low, menacing tone. “You don’t get to ask about Aria. You don’t even get to think about her. Do you get that?. She’s mine, Carter. Mine. And I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her.”
Carter’s eyes flashed with a hint of fear, but he stood his ground. “Matteo, I understand that you care about her, but you need to calm down. We are just talking, man.”
“Talking?!!”
“Yeah, don’t do it again. What you did with Daya. Maybe you being like this was what made her leave you for a psycho”
I took a deep breath, trying to rein in my possessiveness. But the mere mention of Aria’s name has set off a primal instinct in me, and I couldn’t shake off the feeling.
I walked back to my seat and slumped back into my chair, my body sagging under the weight of my own emotions. I let out a deep sigh, feeling the tension seep out of my muscles as I struggled to regain control.
“Carter, she’s driving me insane,” I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper. “Aria… she’s like a fire in my blood, a constant burn that I can’t extinguish. Every moment I’m with her, I feel like I’m drowning in her eyes, suffocating under the weight of my own desire.”
I ran my hands through my hair, my fingers tangling in the strands as I tried to find the words to describe the chaos she’s unleashed inside me.
“She’s a storm, Carter, a hurricane that’s torn through my life and left me shattered. And yet… and yet, I can’t help but want more. More of her, more of her touch, more of her.”
“You love her”. He announced.
“Love? No”. I looked at him. “I don’t love Carter”.
“But you loved Daya. Don’t let your life with Daya ruin whatever you have”.
I looked up at Carter, my eyes pleading for understanding. “I don’t know what to do.”
“I don’t think Aria loves you, Matteo”
Carter’s words were like a punch to the gut, knocking the wind out of me.
“What did you say?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
“I said, I don’t think Aria loves you, Matteo,” Carter replies, his eyes filled with a mix of concern and honesty. “I know you think she does, but I’ve seen the way she looks at you, the way she acts around you. It’s not the same way you look at her, the way you act around her.”
I felt like I’d been slapped, the sting of his words reverberating through my mind. No, no, no, I thought to myself, refusing to accept what Carter was saying. Aria loves me. She has to. I could feel it, I could sense it.
But Carter’s words planted a seed of doubt in my mind, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that he might be right. That Aria might not love me as intensely as passionately, as I love her.
I looked away, trying to process this new information, trying to reconcile the Aria I think I knew with the one Carter was describing. My mind was a jumble of emotions, but I turned to him and laughed.
“You’re one funny guy, Carter”. I said to him as I made my way to him. I held the back of his neck and pulled him close.
“She loves me, and I’ll make you see that”. I smiled before returning back to my desk.