Chapter 5 Resolution

• Niccolo’s POV
• “I met someone recently,” Damon uttered, as the bartender placed two glasses of mojito in front of us.
• We were currently at ecstasy, a private downtown, as Damon had called me earlier while I was at work, because he had something important to tell me.
• “So that is the important thing you couldn't tell me over the phone,” I said, and he scoffed.
• “It's important, you know,” He defended himself. “I mean, she is important. It's been three days since I met her yet I can't get her out of my head.”
• Tell me about it, I thought, as my mind drifted to Talia.
• Five days ago, I had eaten her out on the balcony, under the illuminating light of the galaxies of stars in the sky, and the whole thing had felt surreal yet passionate.
• One moment, I was thinking of ways to curb my sexual attraction toward her, and in the other, I was performing oral sex on her.
• However, after she ran away that night, I realized something.
• The fact that I had broken Alexander's trust.
• The man had handed Talia over to me, to care for and to protect throughout the duration of her stay at my place, not to to engage in sexual activities with her.
• Yet I had caved in to my lust and had done so.
• Although deep down inside me, I had no regret about that night, I still felt I had to give her some distance.
• And that was exactly what I had been doing for the past five days.
• I would leave for work as early as five in the morning before she woke up and would only go home when it was almost midnight, because I feared seeing her would make my resolution slip away.
• My employees were probably gossiping about me, now that I often stayed at work until it was late.
• Fuck, I was so pathetic.
• I couldn't even keep my hands to myself around Talia.
• “Hey, are you even listening to me?” Damon's voice wafted into my line of hearing, bringing me back to reality.
• “Yes, I am,” I fibbed. “What's up?”
• “What was my last utterance?” He asked, giving me a skeptical look.
• “Hey, are you even listening to me?” I replied, to which he huffed.
• “Apart from that, what else did I say?” He asked, and I shrugged.
• “See, you weren't listening at all,” Damon said. “Something is bothering you.”
• “What are you even talking about?” I asked before waving the bartender over. “I need a refill.”
• “That means I'm right. Is it work?” He asked then muttered. “It can't be work. You are never bothered by work. What could it be then?”
• For a moment, I deliberated telling Damon about Talia. Since he had no idea who she was, I could omit some details
• “I also met someone recently,” I began and his eyes gaped. “Why do you seem so shocked?”
• “Do you remember when you told me that you are never going to date again after you caught Ivy cheating?” Damon asked, and I snorted.
• Ivy was my ex-girlfriend who I had caught in bed with my close friend of a decade.
• The whole thing had broken me and I had resolved to stay away from anything related to relationships and sleep with random women instead.
• It was better than way as no feelings were involved.
• However, Talia was starting to make me rethink that resolve.
• “She is a thing of the past and she'll remain there,” I replied.
• “I'm glad,” Damon replied. “Now tell me about the woman you met recently. The powerful woman who managed to thaw your frozen heart. You know for some time now, I was starting to think you had a black stone in place of a heart because you didn't want to date anyone.”
• “Will you listen to me, Damon?” I spat, and my brother raised his arms in surrender.
• “I will. I'm all ears now.”
• “I am very attracted to her and vice versa,” I started, my thoughts racing back to that night.
• Especially how Talia had looked so fuckable as she confessed that she saw me as a man and wanted me to see her as a woman.
• Fuck, I could already feel my pants tightening at my lascivious thought.
• “Go on.”
• “But there's a problem,” I said. “She's younger.”
• “You are not possibly attracted to a minor, are you?” Damon darted me a pointed look which made me scoff but shake my head in negation regardless.
• “Of course not. She's twenty one, meaning she's way younger than me,” I replied. “I have been avoiding her for the past five days and I know I won't be able to do this for long because she will soon notice my avoidance. Hell, she may have even noticed.”
• “Frankly speaking, I don't see a problem since you are both adults,” He said. “Or did she tell you that she's inconvenienced by your age gap?”
• “No, she didn't.”
• “Then there's no big deal, man,” Damon replied. “Don't throw something good away because you think your age gap is scandalous.”
• “Alright, I won't,” I replied. “When did you become the logical one between the both of us?”
• “I have always been the more logical one, Niccolo.” Damon bragged.
• “Fuck off,” I retorted. “Enough about me. You were saying something about meeting someone earlier.”
• “Yes, I was,” Damon nodded, stirring his drink with the stack of olive inside it. “I met her on a dating app.”
• “Is that so?”
• Damon hummed in response. “We both share the same likes and dislikes. She's taking a course in mixology, can you imagine? Meanwhile I'm opening a nightclub soon. If that isn't fate, I don't know what else it is.”
• “Well, I wish you luck with your mystery woman,” I said, looking down at my wristwatch.
• It was currently some minutes to eleven.
• “She's not mysterious, Niccolo. Her name is Estella and she lives in Italy with her grandma,” My brother countered. “The only thing I don't know about her is her age and her appearance. Not that it would matter anyway since I find her really attractive even without seeing her.”
• “That's great, buddy,” I said. “It's getting late and I have to drive, you know?”
• “Is Colin not back from his leave?” Damon asked.
• Colin was the name of my middle-aged driver.
• “He's back. He resumed on Monday,” I divulged. “I just felt like driving myself.”
• “That's understandable. I love driving too. It's part of the reasons why I'm yet to employ a driver. Anyway, we can leave now.” He said before downing the rest of his mojito.
• “Thanks, Keeley,” He told the bartender, a middle-aged woman, who darted him a wink before we exited the bar.
• “I'll see you at the opening ceremony,” I said, as I keyed my Lamborghini Aventador open.
• “Likewise,” Damon replied. “Goodnight, man.”
• And with that, he entered his Maserati and drove off.
• Thereafter, I hopped into my car and swerved out of the parking lot onto the main road, a firm resolve planted to my mind.
• From that moment onward, I would stop avoiding Talia and allow things to play out.