Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 664 -

*Caterina*

There was something strange, yet special, about waking up in a new place, especially if it was a new place where you wanted to create a future.

I could still vaguely recall how I felt back when Elio and Alessandro relocated my mother and me to the safe house when our old home had been broken into. It was cold and so unfamiliar that I honestly felt uncomfortable being in it for a good while.

Slowly but surely, I'd gotten used to the place. But it wasn't as though I was there under decent circumstances to begin with. But this... this was different.

My eyes slowly crept open as the morning light from the sun streamed into the room. As I lay on my side, I felt the heavy weight of Elio's arm dapped around my middle. I bit the inside of my cheek and found myself smiling like a fool.

It all felt so invigorating to be lying in bed in our new apartment with the man I loved. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world, and I didn't want this feeling to end. My body was happily satiated from our lovemaking from the previous night, and I had little to no desire to move from my spot.

Unfortunately, my finals were just a day away, and I knew that I needed all the study time I could get my hands on in order to feel prepared. So, against my better want or judgment, I slowly attempted to pull myself out of bed.

Elio must have sensed my intention and instantly tightened his hold on my waist. A sharp gasp escaped my lips as he pulled me back to his side.

"Not yet." I heard him mumble.

"Elio."

"Five more minutes, please," he insisted.

I fought back a laugh and still tried to climb out from under the blankets. But Elio was relentless and locked his arms around me like a vise.

A series of giggles bubbled out of me. "Elio, come on," I said. "I need to get up."

"Mm, but you don't have classes today," he groaned into the crook of my neck.

His words were a tantalizing brush against my skin that sent shivers down the length of my spine.

"You're right, I don't."

His hands grazed along my hips and lower stomach, making me jolt and squirm. I could feel him smiling.

"Then that means that I get at least five more minutes with you like this," he stated.

I took in a deep breath and let out a sigh in complete forfeit.

"Well, with that kind of reasoning, who the hell am I to argue such a thing?" I muttered.

Elio let out a deep chuckle and kissed the sensitive spot just below my ear.

Another five minutes flew by and this time, Elio slid out of bed and dragged his feet toward the closet. I watched him get ready with a fresh shirt and a pair of dark-colored pants. With what little motivation I had, I pulled myself upward and found my footing. Unlike Elio, I decided to grab a set of clothes before heading to take a quick shower.

As soon as I came out, I headed into the kitchen where I found him pouring two freshly made mugs of coffee. My chest swelled with the warmth of feeling so naturally domesticated as we were together.

"What are your plans for today since you don't have classes scheduled?" he asked while sipping his coffee.

"I think I might call Anna and have her come over here to help me study. You know I have my finals tomorrow," I mentioned.

Elio nodded his head and gave me a reassuring smile. "I already know that you're going to ace them all."

Flushing, I took another big sip from my mug and shrugged my shoulders.

"Well, I wish I felt as confident as you're making me sound," I said sheepishly.

He walked around the counter and leaned down to place a single kiss on my head. "You're going to do great no matter what." He glanced down at his watch to check the time. "I need to head out. I'll call you later, okay?"

I nodded my head and watched him take off for work. Once I finished up with my coffee, I reached for my phone and called Anna.

A few rings went by before I heard her voice on the other end of the line.

"Hey, Cat!"

"Hey!" I greeted her. "Are you busy today? I was thinking you could come over to the new apartment and we could spend the day preparing for finals."

Anna eagerly agreed and told me she'd be over as soon as possible. As I finished getting ready, I grabbed my notebooks and set everything up in the living room. My nerves were giddy with excitement. Not only was I ready for finals to be over, but I was really looking forward to finally showing Anna around the new apartment.

Apart from possibly seeing each other in between classes, I felt as though she and I hardly had any time to actually see each other. Needless to say, she also sounded like she was ready for this semester to be over.

Within the hour, I heard a knock at the front door and quickly rushed to answer it. Standing on the other side was Anna with her bag and a large smile stamped on her face.

"Hey! Oh, my God, Cat! This place is beautiful," she said with a gasp. "All I did was walk through the main lobby and already I'm in love with the place."

She and I shared a laugh and I offered to take her bag and place it with my own stuff in the living room.

"Well, come on. I'll give you a tour of the place," I offered cheerfully.

I first brought Anna through the large kitchen and private eating area. Her eyes went wide as she took notice of all the brand-new appliances and cookware. She moaned over the espresso machine as well as the double-decker oven that was already built into the wall.

"So, tell me," she started, "how did everyone take it when you told them that you and Elio were moving in together?"

I raised my brows and let out a long breath. "Honestly? It went a lot better than I expected."

We moved on from the kitchen into the formal dining room, which had a large hand-crafted dining table and several dark wood chairs.

"Part of me kind of anticipated a hundred questions and numerous looks of doubt and shock," I told her. "Most of the family is well aware of how Elio and I acted around one another when we were younger. But really, everyone was surprisingly supportive, my mom especially."

Anna gave me a smile and nodded her head.

"That's great. But how do you feel about being here with Elio when your mom is still going through her recovery?"

'God, sometimes it's really scary how well this woman knows me,' I thought to myself.

The corner of my mouth began to curve upward into a knowing grin. "Well, funny you should mention that," I noted. "Because a few days ago, Elio told me that he and I own this apartment space as well as the one below it too." Anna's eyes grew wide in disbelief. "So, I told my mom that on top of Elio and I moving in together, that she would be moving here along with us."

"Oh my God, Cat! That's awesome!" she exclaimed. "I'm so happy for you both."

"Come on, I'll show you a peek of the bedrooms and then we'll get into studying."

My friend let out an unhappy grunt at the mention of schoolwork, but she graciously followed behind me through the rest of the apartment.

***

After I was done showing Anna around, we settled down in the living room and found ourselves surrounded by a sea of notebooks, highlighters, and made-up flashcards for various classes. The bulk of her work centered around mathematics and statistics, whereas mine fell to art history and chemistry.

Anna sat with her legs folded beneath her on the couch. She had a small stack of white note cards sitting in front of her while I readied my mind to focus on each individual question. "Ready?" Anna asked firmly.

I nodded my head and narrowed my eyes in burning anticipation. "Do it."

She picked up the first flashcard and read it off. "What type of subjects were seen most in Paleolithic Art?"

"Paleolithic Art showed primarily animals, almost never any humans."

"What's an example of a kind of animal one would see?"

"Usually horses, bulls, and cattle."

"Correct!"

A wave of pride and much-needed confidence washed over me. Before I knew it, we flew through the entire first round of flashcards without a single missed question. I felt good.

We heard a buzz, and Anna turned her head to glance at the coffee table. "Oh, Cat. I think that's your phone going off."

I quickly turned my attention to see Elio calling me.

"Hello?"

His deep voice rolled through the speaker. "Hello, Love. How's your day been so far?"

"Pretty good actually."

"That's good," he said. "I want you to come out here and meet me for lunch. I have a surprise visitor you need to see."

"Oh, okay," I said with a hint of suspicion in my voice.

Elio ended the call and went on to send me the address where he wanted to meet. I bit the inside of my cheek.

I told Anna that we needed to cut our study session a little short on account of needing to meet Elio for lunch. She thankfully understood and was happy to walk back down toward the lobby.

We said our goodbyes and I gingerly made my way to my car and pulled up the address Elio sent me. I quickly call him back and tell him that I'm on my way.

Much to my dismay, the address that Elio sent me didn't exactly lead to a restaurant or some kind of cafe. The road I was told to stay on led me down a long, narrow path that brought me to a warehouse. An unsettling sensation started to swirl in the pit of my stomach. Just seeing the run-down looking structure made my skin crawl with vicious, unsightly memories.

'Why the hell did Elio tell me to meet him here?' I asked myself nervously.

I had half a mind to turn my car around and head back to the apartment, but something in the back of my mind was telling me to stay.

I hesitated to park the car and turn off the ignition. But my nerves seemed to ease when I caught sight of Elio heading toward me. He walked around the front of the car and pulled open my door for me. Just as I was about to open my mouth to speak, he held up his hand.

"I do have lunch. But you said you wanted me to keep you in the loop."

I eyed him curiously and felt myself go pale as I turned my head back toward the warehouse, not having a single idea what waited for me within those walls.