An Artistic Talent

Comments: This chapter is in Gabe’s POV. There will some highly interesting events in this chapter.

Enjoy this chapter and I’m sorry in advanced for all the mistakes. Don’t forget to review at the end.

Happy Birthday Brianne. Thanks for the mall idea.

An Artistic Talent
Chapter Four

I plopped down on the couch trying to figure out where everyone was going to stay. I certainly wasn’t letting anyone sleep in the studio. An artist never shares his work until it’s finished. Well that is unless your taking classes and the teachers want you to paint in their class. But that is far besides the point. No one is stepping foot in my room. Not one person, it’s a mess and well I have things in there that shouldn’t be seen. My mother and father were in the kitchen talking while my mom made dinner with the meager ingredients that I actually have in my cabinets. Well she did have to send Giovanni to his apartment and to the market to find few things. I usually only eat TV dinners or Ramen. Correction Aria and I both usually eat TV dinners and Ramen. She normally here for dinner and then goes home after we, rather I do the sketching.

“Gabriel?” came a highly annoying voice and I looked over at one of my cousins.

“Yes?” I asked tersely.

“Who was that girl?” asked another one of my highly annoying snobbish cousins. “She was disgusting and ugly.” I tried not to pull her apart at that statement.

“First off Rosa, she’s not disgusting or ugly. She beautiful when she’s not wearing glasses or baggy clothes,” I hissed and she raised a perfect eyebrow. “She’s a good friend of mine,” Both cousins turned to look at each other. “No she’s not my girlfriend…yet.”

“Yet? You mean you want her as your girlfriend?” My father questioned as he sat across form me in the only armchair.

“Maybe, and if I do it’s none of your concern,” I stated and he glared at me.

“She’s Irish,” He reminded me.

“I know that father but that doesn’t quite mean that she’s part of the Irish Mob,” I told him and he nodded his head slightly.

“True, but she could know a few of the family members,” one of my cousins said before my father could speak.

“Can we please stop talking about this?” I asked and my father nodded. “Good now where are y’all sleeping? I don’t have enough room for any of you.”

“Don’t worry we’re all sleeping at Giovanni’s and he’s sleeping on your couch,” Mom said coming up behind me.

“Joy,” I muttered half-heartily. “Well if y’all excuse me I’m going to shower, call my friend, and go to the mall.”

“Bring Giovanni with you,” my father ordered.

“How about no, this friend is trained on how to fight. Sh…he’ll protect me.” I corrected quickly and saw my father frown. “Don’t be so worried. I know karate and he knows how to fire a fun and use the things around him as weapons. I’ll be fine,” I hope, was added in my thoughts.

I walked into my bedroom and grabbed a change of clothes from the chest of drawers on the other side of the room. I quickly showered and changed into black pants, a green t-shirt, and black vans. My wallet was slipped into my pocket along with my cell and my keys jingled in my hand as I started across the apartment, past my whole family towards the door. I didn’t even say bye as I left the apartment and headed own to my garage where my bike was parked. Minutes later the bike started up and I pulled out of the garage heading downtown to the mall. I had linked my cell to the com in the helmet and now I was calling Aria.

“Hello?” Came the voice of a male.

“Is Aria there?” I asked hoping I had the right number.

“Who is this?” The man asked and I heard the hard underlying tone in his voice.

“Gabriel,” I answered not giving my last name for obvious reasons. “Can I please speak to her, this is kind of important.”

“Gabriel Carminelli?” the man asked and I frowned and then grinned.

“Yea, that’s me. I take it Aria told you about her modeling for me,” I commented as I turned onto another road.

I heard the sound of the phone being put down but the call wasn’t ended, “Gabe, is something wrong?” Aria asked me after she picked up. “My brother was acting like you were some criminal for calling at seven pm.”

I laughed, “I just wanted to know if you wanted to go to the mall.”

“Definitely, anything to get away from my family for a few hours,” Her voice dropped an octave, “we’ve seriously got to talk about a few things.”

“Something bad happen?” I asked coming to a stop at a light.

“Yes, I’ll tell you about it at the mall. I just need to change, then I’ll meet you there,” She replied and hug up before waiting for me to answer.

I rolled my eyes and wondered how she would find me since we didn’t say where we would meet. I yawned and went down the street towards the large mall at the other end. I parked near Sears and went into the mall heading straight for FYE. That store is both Aria’s and my favorite. I started browsing the racks of CDs and jumped feeling arms circle my waist. I twisted around and smiled at Aria. I wondered how she got here so fast, I’ve never been to her house, but still it takes me twenty minutes to get from my apartment to the mall.

“You got here quick,” I commented and she smiled at me while I put my arm around her shoulders.

“I live down the street,” she told me and lifted a CD into the air. “I’ve been looking all over for this CD,” she told me and started sifting through some other CDs and came up with two more. “I think I’ll buy these. Are you going to get anything?”

I held up a CD, “This one.”

We walked over to the cashier and handed him our CDs, well Aria stole my CD and put it with hers and only gave me a smile. She handed over her credit card and signed the receipt and we left heading towards the food court to get some food. My arm was still around her shoulders and her arm was around my waist. On the way to the food court we stopped at Hot Topic and walked inside. For the first time I realized she was wearing a black peasant skirt that stopped an inch below her knees and a deep red spaghetti strap tank top. Of course she still wasn’t heels. I don’t know why, it’s not like she doesn’t wear heels when she’s dancing. All she wore now are black flip flops. She headed straight for the T-shirts and I smiled following her. She grabbed a Green Day shirt and then a Finch t-shirt. I grabbed a pair of earrings from the case and handed them to her. She looked at them and rolled her eyes.

“You really think I’d wear these?” She asked looking at me like I was totally insane.

“They’d look good on you,” I told her and she rolled her eyes yet again. “Please?” I pleaded like a little kid and she handed the guy everything and I handed the guy my credit cad before she could hand him hers. “Won again,” I told her and she glared at me.

“Can we go to Claires, I need to buy a few things from there?” She asked looking up at me since I was far taller then her.

“Sure,” I responded and we left Hot Topic. “After that we’ll go and eat.”

“Definitely, I’m starving. I don’t trust my step-mother in the kitchen,” She told me and I laughed as we started across the mall to the other side where Claires is.

“So what is it, you wanted to tell me?” I asked pulling her closer to me.

“My cousin Aislinn was kidnapped by the Russians,” she told me and looked away. “Everyone thinks the Italians did it. They found an Italian Insignia that they claim is the sign of the Mafia. There was also a witness who said one of the guys with the kidnappers was Italian.”

“this is getting worse and worse as time goes on. We need to stop it,” I whispered into her ear.

“I know but how?” she asked tightening her grip around my waist. “there’ someone following us.”

“I know,” I retorted as I took her bags from her. “Don’t suppose you have your gun?”

“Dammit, I left it in the car,,” She told my hurriedly as she gazed around us like a shopper wondering which store to go into.

I had been aware that we were being followed since we left FYE. From the look Aria had on her face it was apparent she didn’t know who this man was. At first I had thought her father had sent someone, a bodyguard to go with her, but she was sure to know the man if that was the case. My arm moved tighter around her shoulder and my other hand slipped into my back pocket. I had a pocketknife in there. Now if only I could get it to aria and then find an empty area void of camera and people that we could confront this man. All around us people were talking, senseless chatter. I was worried about the man that was following us that I barely registered that Aria was talking to me. She was making it seem like we didn’t know we were being followed. Finally giving up on thinking about a place to go I paused at a bench and she sat down with me. She straightened her skirt a bit and started looking at the CDs she had bought, mainly the one she bought for me.

“I love this song,” she said pointing at one. “You’ll have to burn the CD for me when you actually open it up.” I nodded to her and started to play with some of her hair, twirling it in my fingers.

“So how about Johnny Rockets?” I asked finally and she looked over at me with a smile.

“Of course, I have a craving for a peanut butter vanilla milkshake,” She told me and I rested back against the seat. “Ok then, how about we go to Claires afterwards.” I wasn’t really asking and she knew that.

“Fine, plus I’m starving. I haven’t eaten in hours,” She was doing some good acting, she should have been an actor instead of a dancer.

Then again she’s a wonderful dancer. She knows almost every move to every single ballroom dance. Since she’s from Ireland, she also knows Irish step. That’s her favorite I think. She’d be in the dance studio near the art studios and I stop by to see her dancing Irish step while her partner is practicing moves for some other dance. I stopped myself from yawning and finally Aria got fed up with sitting and looking at the CDs so she pulled me to my feet and started to drag me to the diner. I stopped and pulled her against me with a laugh. She blushed as her hands hit my chest. It seems that whenever I grab her and pull her towards me she puts her hands on my chest. I smiled and she looked up at me with a strange look in her eyes. I tilted my head towards her and kissed her. She kissed me back and then pulled away looking at something behind me. I turned and ducked a punch as quickly as I could.

“What are you doing to my sister?” Came an enraged voice.

“Aw shit,” muttered Aria as she stepped forward and grabbed her ‘brother’s’ hand and slapped him hard. “What do you think your doing Brennan?” She asked confusion very evident in her posture. “Gabe wasn’t hurting me, he’s my boyfriend.”

Ok so maybe she was stretching the truth a bit. But let me put it this way, I don’t care. I would love to be her boyfriend. Let’s just say this last month has been fun. I’ve never been closer to a girl in my life. Usually I just have one night stands. The models I use are from pictures I have in my house. Pictures of my cousins and sister. Aria is my first model and I would hope that she’s now my girlfriend. Her brother glared at me and Aria was saying words to him in Irish Gaelic, trying to get him to calm down. She reached back and hanged me the bags which I took. She led him over to a bench and I moved forward with them. Instead of sitting I stood before them, glaring at Brennan while he glared at me. Aria threw her hands into the air and glared at both of us.

“Brennan tell Gabe your sorry and then go home, I’ll talk to you later,” Brennan didn’t move and Aria fumed. “Brennan Gabe is my boyfriend. I don’t appreciate you trying to punch him. Now tell him your sorry and leave.” Her Irish accent came stronger when she was mad.

“I shouldn’t have to. He shouldn’t be dating you,” Brennan hissed and she shrugged. “He’s Gabriel Velario!”

“No shit, really? I didn’t know that,” she hissed sarcastically. “I don’t care what you think, I’m not breaking up with him. I’ll see him as much as I want. I’m twenty years old, not fifteen. The minute I turned eighteen I was able to make my own decisions, I’m an adult not some teenager who needs her family to make decisions for her.”

“Máiréad,” he started, “I just want what is best for you and Velario isn’t what is best for you.”

“First off his family has nothing to do with Aislinn being kidnapped, it was the Russians. Why can’t you all get it through your thick skulls,” She exclaimed very angry. “I don’t care what you all think is best for me, this is what I think is best for me.” She stood up and looked at me, “let’s go eat Gabe.”

“Of course,” I retorted and took her hand in mine when she came towards me.

“This so not a good day,” she whispered and I smiled.

“I know,” I replied and smiled at her, “I have a villa in south Italy, what do you say we buy some clothes and whatever we’ll need and head there.”

“You serious?” She asked and I nodded. “Of course. I’d love to do that. It’s a good thing I grabbed my messenger bag when I left the house. My lap top is in there.”

“Let’s go eat and then we’ll go shopping,” I told her. “I’ll buy the tickets when we get to the airport.” She nodded and I started to think about what we would do in my villa. “We’ll still work on getting both sides together,” I told her and she nodded.

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Next chapter their in Southern Italy and a fight ensues between both Aria, Gabe, and the Russians.