Hope Emily Nightingale

It's been nearly a week since I abducted Nino. He's been confined to the room across from mine. I bring him meals and spend time in the room while Ava interacts with him. Each day, my desire to end this facade of being his captor grows stronger. Even if I were to release him and apologize, I doubt he'd forgive me. His expression remains neutral, making it difficult to discern his thoughts, even when he's relaxed with Ava. I often find myself pondering how things might have been if we had met under different circumstances. Would we have connected, or would I have simply been another face in the crowd he typically ignores? I need to find a way to quell these feelings because he could never possibly reciprocate them.

I sat in the corner of the room, looking up from my diary, while Ava passionately asserted her right to get tattoos, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Nino is a captive here . I listened to her attentively, amused by how unfazed she was by Nino's advice to wait till she was older. Eventually, Ivory arrived and whisked Ava away to spend time with Dean, leaving behind an awkward silence. I walked over to the bed, picked up the empty pizza box, and turned to leave when Nino unexpectedly grabbed my hand, surprising me. It was the first time he had initiated any form of interaction with me. I looked at him, eyebrows raised, secretly hoping for a meaningful conversation. He held my gaze for a moment before letting go of my hand and muttering an apology. He then lay back down on the bed, turning his back to me. As I watched him, I couldn't help but notice the phoenix tattoo on his back, which seemed to come to life with every movement of his muscles.

It's surreal being on opposite sides of this conflict. Holding him hostage while knowing Fina, who's like a sister to me, is captive with his brother—it's a twisted situation. I just hoped it resolved swiftly so we could return to normalcy. Exiting the room with the empty pizza box, I closed the door behind me.

After getting rid of the empty box, I headed to the kitchen for a drink. Dean was seated on a chair, with Ava perched on the edge of the table, and he was feeding her. When he noticed me, he began speaking.

"Ava seems to be getting attached to Nino. And something tells me you're also losing your resolve to keep him as just your captive."

"Ava seems to love his tattoos more than yours. Don't be jealous. And I don't know what you're talking about. He's a captive and I'll go to any lengths as long as that means I'll get Fina back."

"So you're telling me you won't have trouble letting him go?"

"Of course not!"

I couldn't seem to convince him, or even myself, for that matter. What on earth had I gotten myself into? I really hoped this fleeting interest I had in Nino faded away, or I'm in serious trouble.