54. Three letter words

I clutched the envelope tighter against my chest, crumpling the thick paper beneath the desperate constriction of my fingers. As if the delicate paper could somehow shield me from the oncoming flood of truth that threatened to sweep me under its raging currents.

"It's nothing," I lied, the words tasting like bitter ash on my tongue as I averted my gaze from Giovanni's piercing stare. "Nothing to worry about."

A soft exhalation, edged with something between a scoff and a rueful chuckle, brushed past his full lips. "On the contrary, Tessoro. The way you're looking at me now..." He shook his head slowly, waves of ebony hair slipping over his brow. "The way you're clutching that letter as if it might dissolve you where you stand - that's precisely what has me worried."

His deep timbre seemed to reverberate through me, sending an involuntary shiver rippling across my skin. I swallowed hard against the tightness encircling my throat as my treacherous heart hammered against my ribcage.

Drawi