Page 37 of Ghost Ribbon

“You’ll come to school tomorrow.”

“Why does it matter if I am there or not?”

“Because I must see you. These eyes of mine need the sight of you.”

Marco’s head snapped up. His cheeks flushed bright red all the way to the tips of his ears. He opened his mouth, closed it, then tried again. “If I come tomorrow… will you stop showing up here? Will you leave my family out of it?”

“Behave,” I said softly, “and I’ll consider it.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only one you’re getting.” My hand shot out and gripped the back of his neck, fingers wrapping firmly around the delicate skin. I yanked him forward until our faces were only inches apart.

“I’m not asking,” I whispered against his lips, and held him there, feeling the rapid flutter of his pulse beneath my fingers. Then I slowly released him.

Marco stumbled back half a step.

I opened the car door and slid inside without another word. I started the engine, rolled the window down just enough to look at him one last time.

“Tomorrow, Malyshka,” I said. “Don’t make me come find you again.”

Then I drove off into the night, leaving him standing there under the streetlight.

Chapter 11 - Marco

I stepped back inside the house, my heart still hammering from the conversation with Alexei outside. The moment the door clicked shut behind me, my mom was there, eyes bright with excitement as she wiped her hands on a dish towel.

“Marco! Come here, come here,” she said, pulling me gently toward the living room. “Sit down. Really, why didn’t you tell me? He seems like such a nice young man. You didn’t feel unsafe telling me because he is a guy, did you? I hope not. Your father and I love you no matter what. You know that, right?”

I shook my head quickly and forced a small smile, trying to look normal even though my stomach was twisting into knots. “It’s not that, Mom. Really. I just… didn’t know how to bring it up.”

She sat down beside me on the couch, taking my hands in hers. “You should have told me sooner! I could have made something special for dinner. He seems very fond of you. The way he looked at you… ah, young love. It reminds me of when your father and I first started dating.” She laughed softly. “We want you to be happy too, tesoro. No secrets, okay?”

I nodded. Alexei wasn’t my boyfriend. He was something far more dangerous. But I couldn’t bring myself to shatter her happiness.

“Yeah… no secrets.”

She squeezed my hands, looking genuinely thrilled. “Well, I’m happy for you. He seems very mature. You deserve someone who looks at you like that. Next time he comes over, I’ll make sure your father and Luca are here too. We can have a proper family dinner. What does he like to eat? I’ll make something special.”

I laughed softly, the sound a little forced. “You don’t have to go to any trouble.”

“Nonsense,” she said, waving her hand. “My son has a boyfriend. This is big news! I want to make it special. You two looked so cute together at the table.”

She beamed and pulled me into a hug.

I hugged her back, closing my eyes for a second. “I love you.”

“I love you too, tesoro. Now go get some rest. You look exhausted.”

I nodded and headed upstairs to my room, closing the door behind me. The moment I was alone, the smile dropped from my face. I sat on the edge of my bed and stared at the wall.

I woke up the next morning to the soft light filtering through my curtains. I lay there for a long time, Alexei’s words from the night before echoing in my head. Don’t make me come find you again.

I hadn’t been there in a while. That was bad. Really bad. Physical attendance was not required but I was there on scholarship, and if my grades dropped, I would lose it completely. The thought of explaining that to my parents made me feel sick. They already worked so hard just to keep us afloat in this small house. Losing the scholarship would be another burden I couldn’t put on them.

But I had no choice.

A few weeks ago I had picked up a job at a small store. I worked from early morning until almost eight at night, stocking shelves, helping customers, doing whatever they needed. My parents didn’t know. They couldn’t know.