Bianca Monty had an obsession with brushing her teeth. It was something she clearly liked doing a lot and really, it didn’t have anything to do with the fear of losing teeth as she got older. It was something she would happily do for ten minutes several times a day every single day. It was the end results that kept her obsession quite strong. She just loved her whites pearly.
It was when her doorbell rang that she finally put down her toothbrush and rinsed her mouth clean. Checking her teeth in the mirror, she gave a satisfied nod before heading downstairs to open her front door. She wasn’t surprised to see her ex-boyfriend, Kent Capp, standing in front of her with a sort of goofy smile spread across his face. A couple of days ago they had decided to break up for the hundredth time, but as routines would go, she knew she’d see him again within a day or two at her doorstep.
Amused at how predictable he was, she pulled him in before anyone else would notice that a Capp was willingly standing in front of a Monty’s door. It was the sort of thing that would be featured in the gossip column of the neighborhood weekly newsletter if they weren’t careful. Standing with her back pressed to the door, she looked at him. His infectious smile finally caused her to break out in one herself.
“What are you doing here, Capp?” Her tone was light and playful.
He shrugged, still smiling at her. “I missed you, Monty.” His reply was simple.
Rolling her eyes, she grinned at him. “You know, if I was the suspicious type, I’d seriously wonder if you kept coming back not because you had feelings for me, but instead to piss off your father.” She teased.
He raised a brow at her before responding with, “You know that’s not the reason I keep coming back.”
“I never said I was the suspicious type, now did I?” She moved away from the door and walked towards her living room area, knowing that he’d follow her.
He plopped himself down on the couch with a sigh. “I’m sorry we seem to do this a lot, Bianca.” He looked at her as she sat down next to him, “I mean the break up and make up thing.” He explained.
“That’s not what upsets me, Kent.” She said quietly while staring at him.
“What then? Is it the fact that we aren’t married?” He laughed humorlessly.
When she remained silent, the muscles around his jaw tightened and he grew somber. “Aside from the fact that we have serious relationship issues, you know that I can’t give you that. Not now, anyway.” He looked away, not wanting to see any disappointment on her face.
“I’m not asking for a happy ever after with you, Kent.” She exhaled noisily. “I just want us to stop with the high school drama. I know we’re bound to have issues in this relationship, especially when you consider which families we both come from,” She eyed him nervously. “But I just want us to either give this relationship an all or nothing. I’m honestly sick of all the breakups we’ve been through within the last few months. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but why do we have to avoid those issues with a simple solution like a break up?” She shook her head.
“Look, I realize it’s stupid that we do that okay!” He exclaimed. He rubbed the back of his neck in frustration as he tried to find something to say that would make the entire situation better without him having to actually promise anything. “Bianca, half the time, I don’t know what we’re doing or why we’re even doing it when it’s actually the most risky thing either of us could be doing. Are you honestly telling me you can handle the stress and the pressure that would come from either of our families if they found out that we were seeing each other?”
It was her turn to advert her eyes. “No,” she said with a frown. “I guess not. “
“Well then, let’s just make a promise to enjoy this for what it is and not make it what it’s not.” With that said he pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. “I like you a lot. Although I’m not ready to be in a full blown relationship, I know that I want you, I want to be around you. Can that just be enough for now?”
She looked at him, silently pondering what he said for a moment before leaning closer to him and pressing her lips against his as an answer. He let out a guttural moan as he responded to her kiss with an urgent one of his own. Pulling away from him suddenly, she looked at him with twinkling eyes.
“Does this mean we are allowed to see other people then?” She teased.
“Not if your life depended on it,” he scowled. The idea of her with another man did not sit well with him.
She pouted, still teasing him, “You are a very selfish man, Kent Capp.”
“Only when it comes to you,” was his only reply as he pulled her close again for another kiss.
She pushed him away and got off his lap. “Well, if this is the kind of relationship you want, then you have to leave.”
“What?” He looked at her confused, his eyes searching her face for signs of anger. Only detecting traces of humor, he raised his brow at her. “What do you mean?”
“My mother is coming over and if she catches you here…” she trailed off letting him complete the sentence silently in his head. “I’ll walk you to the door.” She smiled.
Groaning, he silently cursed her mother and got up. Walking to the front door of her apartment with her, he gave her a kiss on her cheek before leaving. Watching him leave, Bianca shook her head.
What have I gotten myself into? She mused as she closed the door behind her.
A couple of minutes later, there was a knock on her door. Opening it, she was surprised to find her mother standing there. Bianca suddenly found herself being pulled into her mother’s arms for a hug and a kiss.
“Hello Ma—” She started only to be interrupted by her mother.
“There was a Capp here!” Isabella Monty huffed at her oldest child.
“There was?” Bianca asked, using an uninterested tone. "How strange..."
Isabella rolled her eyes, “I thought that this part of the town was ours!” She exclaimed. “How dare they trespass?”
“Mama,” Bianca motioned for her mother to step inside her apartment, “it’s an apartment building. They have nothing to do with the agreement made between the Capp’s and the Monty’s about not trespassing each other’s land. The people who own the buildings are neutral when it comes to the feud between our family and theirs.”
They were standing in her kitchen now. Bianca handed her mother a cup of coffee. Picking a cup for herself, she took a slow sip while watching her mother from above the rim of the mug.
“They shouldn’t be allowed on this side anyway!” Isabella continued. “They agreed the road that parts the two sides of lands are our boundaries. We’ve managed to stay on our part, why can’t they?”
It was Bianca’s turn to roll her eyes. “Mama, does it really matter that much?”
Noticing her daughter’s aggravation, she suddenly became sad. “I’m just scared for you, Bianca, forgive me. I know the police said that they weren’t responsible for your brother Claudio and his wife’s death, but there is no proven evidence that they weren’t involved.”
“And there isn’t any evidence that they were!” Bianca shot back at her mother. Realizing she sounded defensive, she toned it down a little and apologized, “I’m sorry Mama; I don’t like talking about my baby brother’s death.” She let out a sigh and took a sip from her mug hoping her mother would drop the subject.
“So…” Her mother looked around her apartment. “Are you dating anyone?”
Bianca shook her head, amazed at her mother’s gall. “You know I’m not.” She lied.
“I know,” Isabella motioned to the bare walls in her daughter’s apartment. “If you were married, Bianca, you’d have family photographs to cover these naked walls of yours. “ Looking back at her daughter she gave her a sheepish smile. “You know a friend of mine was telling me how her son was looking for a wife to settle down with. I gave her your number.”
“Mama, how could you?” Bianca stared at her mother in shock. “You had no right to do that!”
“Of course you tell your own Madre she has no right to look out for your future,” Isabella looked at her daughter incredulously.
Rolling her eyes, Bianca took both their mugs and placed them in the sink. “Mama, I have an errand to run. Forgive me for cutting your visit short, but I really must get going.”
She gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. “I will see you and Papa for dinner tonight, okay? Maybe you can also convince my brother Antonio and his children to come as well…I haven’t seen the twins in a while.”
“Maybe your Papa can convince him to come. And if you’re lucky, you’ll get to see your nephews Romeo and Mercutio as well.” She grumbled. “If they decide to make it home for dinner that is. They’re lucky your younger brother is in a better place…if he only knew how his sons were acting.” She sighed as she turned around and exited her daughter’s apartment.
At the thought of her younger son, Isabella grew sad. Claudio’s death had impacted her entire family like a car crash. It had been difficult for them to move pass it, especially when her second son, Antonio’s wife, Hero had committed suicide right after Claudio and his wife, Olivia’s passing. Isabella was happy to have been able to raise Claudio’s children, but with the careless way they’ve been acting recently, she no longer slept at night. She was constantly afraid of what would happen to her grandsons.
“What has happened to my family?” She whispered miserably to herself.
~~*~~
Thank you for your comments: Model_Material, sweetiesweetie85, alliemarie2323, xhyleh, acidsugar, smellincoffee, ComorantEnt!
You all are so great! Thank you for all your support on this story, I really didn’t think I’d have any readers since not a lot of stories about Veronaville have been written before (none that I found anyway). So I appreciate that you all are enjoying my take on how it is in the neighborhood of Veronaville.
Btw, the word Madre means Mother. (Just thought I'd clear that up if there was any confusion)