Their bambina

17 ~ Pick up

Isabella's POV ~

"Hurry your ass up and get here!"

"Calm your boots amorem. That's no way to speak to your driver." I could practically hear his smirk through the phone, if only I could punch his perfect face right now.

"Yeah whatever. I don't get how you convinced my brothers to let you pick me up." I said as I pulled my bag, which was slipping down my back, back up onto my shoulder, "Just hurry up, my back is killing me and it's fucking freezing out here."

"Okay, okay. Just stop moaning. I'm just pulling into the school car park." Nik laughs through the phone.

Lord help me. I've been waiting here for the past 30 minutes for him to show up and he has the audacity to laugh about it?!

"About time." I huff, before I hang up and make my way to Nik's, now parked, car.

Reaching his car, I pull the car door open and slam it shut, earning me a playful glare from Nik. I hit his arm and he puts his arms up in mock surrender.

"Well, you seem happy to see me."

"Definitely." I smile sarcastically, "Can we just leave? I'm starving."

"I have food in the back, we can stop off somewhere and eat?" Nik suggests and I look to the back seat and see what seems to be a whole picnic set out in baskets.

"Why'd you bring food?" I ask. No one just drives around with a whole restaurant in the back of their car.

"You've seemed pretty stressed with school and everything, so I thought we could go on a little picnic date." Nik smiled until he realised he called it a date.

His cheeks flush bright red and he starts playing with his fingers.

"I d-didn't mean a date, just something to clear your mind." Nik stutters slightly.

"A date would be nice." I smiled at him, "And you're right, I've been really stressed with school recently. A picnic would be perfect."

"Great." Nik smiled back, a blush still evident on his face. Ha, I make him flustered.

We drive in a comfortable silence, the only sound being the radio playing quietly in the background. Looking out of the window, my eyes bulge at the beautiful sight in front of me. There are cliffs overlooking the ocean as the sun begins to set over the horizon.

The view was enchanting.

"Glad you like the view." Nik smiles as he parks the car on one of the cliffs and comes round my side to help me out.

He takes my hand and gently kisses it and smirks when he sees a blush creep across my face.

Taking the picnic baskets and blankets out of the car, we find a spot by the edge of the cliff and place everything down.

We sit in silence as we both admire the sun set and the laughter of children on the beach below.

"Tell me about yourself." I blurt out suddenly, turning my face towards his.

"What do you mean?"

"You know a lot about me but I barely know anything about you. So tell me about yourself."

"Okay. What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

"I was born in Chelyabinsk, Russia, but I was raised in Moscow. My father is a horrid man who is called mercilessly. I'm 18, my birthday is January 8th so in just under a month I'll be 19. I like skateboarding and writing. My favourite colour is sage.", Nik states, smiling slightly.

"What about your mother?" I ask and immediately cover my mouth, "Shit. I'm sorry that was really insensitive. I shouldn't have asked."

"It's okay.", Nik laughs slightly, "I know most things about you, it's only fair you know about me."

He takes a deep breath before speaking, "A few years ago, when I was 13, my mother was kidnapped by the German mafia. My father never bothered looking for her, it was obvious to everyone from the beginning of their relationship that he was just using her for an heir. She loved him more than anything, but he despised her with everything in his body. Hated her face, her body, her voice. Everything. A year after her kidnapping, we were sent her head and a baby. Her baby. My baby sister." A few tears ran down his face as he finished the last sentence.

I could tell he wasn't done speaking but I didn't want to push him.

"You don't have to go on if you don't want to." I wrapped my arms around him reassuringly.

"No, I want to." He cleared his throat before continuing, "When I found out that my father was going to kidnap you to destroy your brothers, I knew I had to stop him. I tried everything that I could to get him to leave you alone but I couldn't. I did convince him to let you see Alex and I managed to get him to give you and Alex extra food and water. I didn't want your brothers to go through the same pain I went through with losing my sister. That's why I helped you get out of the warehouse and why I went to rescue you when you ran back inside."

"There was another reason, wasn't there." I state, looking deeply into his eyes. I could tell that that wasn't the only reason he saved me.

He sighed heavily in defeat, knowing damn well I could tell that there was something else.

"I grew to care for you. I grew to like you." He explains, a soft smile playing on his lips, "I really like you, Isabella Bianca Cortello-Moratti."

My chest felt like it exploded right then and there.

A million thoughts ran through my head.

Do I like Nik?

Do I like like him?

Like more than a friend?

Those thoughts kept running through my head as I said the words that shocked both me and Nik.

"I like you too. I really like you, Nikolai Aleksandr Romanof."

As soon as those words left my mouth, I felt a hand cup my cheek and a pair of lips smash into mine.

It wasn't a soft kiss, it was a kiss of dominance, of possessiveness.

"You have no idea how long I have been wanting to do that amorem."