Ace's POV
My fist collided with the punching bag; All you could hear was the thud of my fist against the bag, echoing throughout the room. This is how I decided to release my anger when I was younger. Having the weight of the world on your shoulders is exhausting, mentally and physically.
Not to mention the fact that I never sleep.
I sat on the floor, taking a sip from my water bottle. "She's not dead" Dante announced as he strutted in with an unimpressed look on his face. "What?" I questioned confused, already worked up from my workout session. "Sofia, she's not dead, if anything she's very much alive" Dante grumbled before he handed me some pictures.
She was standing on a balcony and she seemed to be upset. But then....... in the second one, Haze had his arms around her and she was leaning into him. "How...." I was speechless, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Finally, in the last photo, she was asleep in his arms. She had done it, she had left and wasn't looking back; She was happy without me.
My chest and throat became tight as I stared at the last photo. It physically hurt to see them together.
God, I wished desperately that I was the one who had his arms around her. I shook my head, tired and exhausted. I didn't have enough energy to do anything about it at that moment so instead, I just threw the pictures aside.
"You're not going to go get her!" Dante's eyes widened in shock, possibly anger. "No" I muttered, taking another sip out of my water bottle. "He's going to kill her or get her killed!" Dante grabbed his hair frustratedly. "No he won't, I can already tell by the picture that he's in love with her" I responded bluntly, taking a sip from my water bottle.
"Ace look, she doesn't look happy" he pointed to the first picture. "She's never happy" I yelled at him, wanting to end this conversation. "No, she had the same look on her face when she sat on the couch next to me, she misses you" Dante begged me to believe him but I just couldn't.
I'm tired of constantly fighting, I'm tired of pulling than pushing. It's not fair to her and it's not fair to me.
"I'm tired, I'm going to do some work and then I'm going to bed" I strolled out of the hall and away from Dante.
Although, one thought kept creeping up on me.
She misses me.
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Sofia's POV:
It was the day of the dance. Haze had asked me a few days ago to come with him and I agreed very hesitantly but agreed nonetheless.
I had my make up, hair and nails done. The only thing left was to get into the dress; Haze told me that when I entered this ball, I wanted to be the only one who stood out. You're supposed to try stand out of the crowd and show how wealthy you are by what you wear. I knew most of this stuff but dress he chose was beautiful yet a bit dramatic. Apparently that's what we wanted though. Flawless.
Nina walked in as I finished the final touches.
Her jaw dropped as she stared at me in the dress. "Woah" she gasped. "Do I look bad?" I asked her while staring in the mirror. "Are you kidding me, you look gorgeous?!" She smiled reassuringly. "You look really good" I complimented her elegant black dress.
"Haze is going to go crazy when he sees you" she giggled excitedly. "We're supposed to be leaving now, do you need anything else?" She wondered waiting for a response. "No , I think I'm good" I nodded as I walked out with her.
"Hazeeee" Nina shrieked, causing him to turn around and look at us. I saw his jaw drop as his eyes followed me down the steps. "You look like an angel" he uttered, holding his out for me to take it. I froze for what felt like minutes but was actually only a moment. Everyone always called Ace the devil, the devil and an angel aren't compatible and they never have been.
"Thanks" I smiled softly, hooking my arm in with his. He planted a kiss on my lips before we left in a hurry.
I was extremely nervous. I had this gut feeling like something bad was gonna happen. I could feel it and not to mention the fact that I've never really been to a nice ball where nothing happens. Something always happens or that could just be my trauma, reminding me of what happened the last time I went to a ball.
Me and Haze were slowly becoming closer as time went by. It had been about two weeks.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even realise that we were already here. "You ready?" Haze mumbled to me, clearly seeing that I looked worried. I nodded slightly in response. "We can wait a few minutes if you're nervous" he reassured me. "I'm okay" I spoke quietly with a slight smile.
Truth be told that I wasn't. Not a single day of my miserable life; I never have been happy but I've longed for it for years. A happiness that's permanent. But everyday now, it seems to get easier. Each breath is becoming more effortless and the nightmares are starting to fade. It's been two weeks since I left Ace and I've stopped thinking about him constantly which I'm proud of. Haze is a good guy, he makes sure I have everything I need for school and just in general.
But so did Ace.
"Ok, let's go" Haze took my hand, helping me out of the limousine. We strolled into the hall where the ball was held, slowly. Nina and her boyfriend Ben were flirting behind us.
"That's so gross" Haze rolled his eyes as I slipped a smile at his disgusted face. "Leave her alone, she's happy" I smiled. Haze stared at me with awe. "What?" I covered my face with my hands as he just stared at me. "You're beautiful" He uttered.
He earned a genuine smile from me. "Stop" I whined, I couldn't help but smile at him. He made me happy. I noticed a smile spread across his face.
"Names and Mafia?" The guy at the door asked. "Haze Fury, The Vipers" Haze responded, suddenly becoming very serious and standing tall and strong. He was kind of intimidating to be honest.
"Nina Fury, Vipers" Nina repeated after Haze. "Sofia Diaz, Vipers" I uttered seeing Haze's face light up.
We walked into the massive hall full of people . "These are all the leaders of the Mafia's with a few exceptions" Haze teased her, getting a smack from her.
"Haze Fury and Sofia Diaz, leader of the Vipers" the guy announced as we walked in, startling me. I had my arm hooked with Haze's.
And then I saw him. Standing by the stairs, just gazing at me. I immediately froze as soon as we locked eye contact. I couldn't describe the expression on his face; He looked hurt but not surprised.
"Haze, can we go dance?" I asked him quickly, wanting to get out of sight. "Yeah sure" he spoke softly while he walked me over to the dance floor.
Immediately, Ace and I's song began to play as I stepped onto the dance floor. Haze placed his hand on my hip before grabbing my other hand and extending our arms out into the cliche dance stance.
"You seem a bit shaken" Haze fessed up. "No, I'm fine" I shrugged giving him a reassuring smile. "Ok" he sighed, continuing the dance yet knowing something was wrong. "You know, I never knew I'd like someone as much as I like you" he admitted to me. "Why?" I questioned him, genuinely confused. "No one ever really.... caught my eye" He mumbled, trying to put it as nicely as possible. "And then I seen a picture of you and god, you were like an angel sent down for me" Haze rambled on. "But I have to let you go now" he joked, twirling me around only for another random man to catch me.
I was confused with what just happened . "Relax, I won't bite" the guy teased. "Why did we change?"I asked the random dude nervously. "It's apart of the dance dear" he explained. He tried to make conversation with me but I kept shutting him down and giving short replies.
"Change time" he warned me before spinning me around.
Someone grabbed my hand, catching me before I tripped. Before I even saw his face, I immediately knew who it was because no one's touch even comes close. No one else's touch makes my heart skip a beat. No one else's touch made me want them so bad except for one person. Ace.
He caught me in his arms. Our bodies pressed together as I was taken aback. "Fuck" I mumbled, shaking my head. "That's a bit mean" he uttered teasingly, raising his eyebrows at me. "No, I'm not doing this Ace" I growled at him yet for some reason, still continuing the dance. "Someones feisty" he said playfully. "Fuck you" I glared at him, finally calming down. "You would love too" he muttered back to me with a grin.
"I was doing fine without you" I rolled my eyes at him, trying desperately to stop the tears from welling up in my eyes. I realised that I had never really gotten over what happened that night; How he just let me leave. "Yeah, I can see that. Haze Fury, my most fearsome competitor" Ace raised his eyebrows at me, probably thinking that it wasn't a coincidence. "He was actually Roman when I met him but whatever" I said defensive but quickly realising that it didn't matter. Ace just shot me a confused look.
"Do you love him?" Ace suddenly asked, catching me off guard. I wanted to hurt him so badly, I really wanted too but my heart wouldn't allow it. "No" I sighed defeatedly. It was my heart that ached for him. I longed to feel his touch against my skin, to have his lips against mine, to be cradled in his arms just one more time.
It's always been him.
"The universe hates us" I stated to him softly. "Why?" He questioned with a soft tone before twirling me around. "Because we're bad for eachother Ace. Haze makes me happy but you're not fully content with me so I don't know what to do" I said angrily.
"I lied" Ace sighed; It's like a weight was instantly lifted off his shoulders with two words. "What?" I questioned him confused. "There was no other girls, I didn't want you for your virginity, I wanted all of you, every bit; I wanted your soul and your heart. I wanted it all" Ace looked furious yet sad. "Stop Ace... I have a boyfriend" I begged him.
"I loved your smile to your cheekiness and the way you were never afraid of me" He rambled, just letting it all out. "Stop please!" I begged, my eyes becoming watery again as I realised just how long I've waited to hear him say those words.
"I miss you annoying me and cheering me up when I was in a bad mood. I miss being excited to come home because I knew you would be there" Ace finally stopped with a sad expression plastered on his face. "Now I come home to an empty house wishing I'd made you stay" He shook his head regretfully.
"I thought you were too good for me so I destroyed it, set fire to it because that's what I do Sofia, I break things, you know that!" He voiced frustratedly while look of regret washed over his face. "I'm a coward, I was afraid of what I felt for you, incase it destroyed myself and my reputation but I don't care anymore Sofia, all I've ever needed was you" He pleaded with me to listen and believe him.
I couldn't talk; I just couldn't.
"You waited this long to tell me?" I shook my head, letting it hang. "I'm sorry" Ace muttered, almost begging me to forgive him. "It's not that simple anymore" I said harshly, glancing back up at him. "Haze is my boyfriend now, Ace. He admitted his feelings for me the second he knew but you led me on, you-" I was trying desperately to reject the things I was feeling.
"Tell me you don't feel the same" Ace interrupted me. I wanted to tell him that I didn't; I wanted him to suffer like I did, for as long as I did. But yet again, my heart is to blame.
"It wouldn't be possible for you to be with just one girl" I snarled at him. "It's more than possible but that one girl has to be you" he uttered to me, while I fell backwards purposely for the end of the dance, his arm supporting my back and our faces so close, yet so far.
The song ended and everyone clapped.
"If you're going to leave here tonight... with him, I'll respect that but you'd be lying to yourself because I know you feel it too" he whispered into my ear quietly. "Does his touch feel like mine? Does he care for you the way I do? Does he want you the way I want you?" Ace leaned in closer if that was even possible.
"No" I let out a breath, finally admitting it to him. "Come home with me" Ace pleaded. "But you'll break my heart again" I stared at him with pain in my eyes. "This time I won't, I swear to you I won't but if I do, I won't do it purposely" Ace mumbled as he stroked my cheek with his thumb. "You have a choice to make" Ace helped me up before walking back into the crowd of people taking my heart with him.