xander didn’t know what the hell he’d gotten himself into. he blamed his sister, fully, and all of her theatrics for this one. all it took was a few texts and somehow he went from minding his own business to being responsible for a living thing.

cat: did you know only 10% of black cats get adopted from shelters? xander: wow… clearly didn’t know that. cat: well, don’t you think that’s sad? xander: yes, of course i think that’s sad. i’m not evil. please just get to the point…

she dragged it out the way she always did, going on about some family friend with a litter of kittens about to be taken to a shelter. and somehow, by the end of it, it became xander’s problem to “save” the last one. they went back and forth until she wore him down just enough for him to give in, and now here he was… a pet owner. he’d spent the last two days taking care of this tiny little thing, and at first? he was completely thrown off. the claws, the late night bursts of energy, the constant squeaky meows. it was a lot. he hadn’t even told tori yet, mostly because he knew how it would sound. like he’d officially lost it this time. he figured he’d just explain it the next time he saw her.

he just didn’t expect it to be like this.

travis is convinced, without him, her boyfriend or whatever they were, would be completely useless. which is perfectly fine with him, because it kept his pockets lined with cash, and when it didn't jackson d'angelo owed him favors. and that was arguably more valuable. and because that man was so useless, travis was all but certain that he knew nothing about what was going on between him and the woman he called his own.

it had been weeks since the explosive argument with tori. the last time he saw her she was storming out of his house, heels striking the floor like punctuation marks at the end of something neither of them wanted to finish. there’d been no resolution afterward—no late-night calls, no angry texts, no attempt to circle back and clean up the wreckage. just silence. complete, deliberate silence. at first it ate at him. xander wasn’t used to things ending without some kind of control, some final word that tied the situation off neatly. but like most things in his life, he eventually adjusted to it. he adjusted to the quiet, to the absence. he wasn’t out chasing someone new, wasn’t hooking up with anyone else to fill the space she left behind. he was simply alone.

in some ways, that made things easier. no questions he couldn’t answer. no arguments waiting to ignite over things he couldn’t explain. no chasing after someone who didn’t seem entirely sure she wanted to stay. tori and xander had always moved in the same orbit—same kind of circles, same kind of families with too much influence and too much money behind them. for a while he’d convinced himself that meant something. that if anyone could understand the world he came from, it would be her.

unfortunately, that hadn’t turned out to be true.

no matter how much he showed up for her, no matter how many gifts he bought or how often he tried to make things easier, the one thing tori wanted most was the one thing xander simply couldn’t give her.

honesty.

or at least the kind she expected.

he knew he’d been secretive. especially when he hadn’t mentioned that their families had begun doing business together. the truth was, he didn’t have much control over that decision anyway. those deals were made long before he ever stepped into the room. still, it frustrated him that she couldn’t see his side of it—couldn’t understand that living with that level of secrecy didn’t exactly make him happy either. none of it was easy for him. but it was the life he’d been handed. and walking away from it had never really been an option. from his understanding, they were finished. tori had grown tired of xander’s secretive lifestyle, and xander had grown tired of fighting about it. it hurt more than he ever let show. like always, he did what he was best at—he swallowed the feeling, buried it somewhere deep where it couldn’t interfere with the rest of his life, and convinced himself it didn’t exist. except it did. what he felt for tori had been real. the way he’d wanted to win her over, the way he’d chased her approval even when it felt impossible. all of it had been real.

which was exactly why seeing her again hit harder than he expected.

xander had been doing a good job forgetting until the moment he caught sight of her across the room. the party itself was exactly the kind of event he was used to attending. an associate’s estate, filled with the kind of people who ran the world quietly from behind polished doors. everything about it was immaculate. guests danced beneath soft lighting, groups gathered outside smoking cigars on the terrace, and bartenders moved through the crowd pouring expensive liquor like it was water. the real conversations, though the ones that mattered—were happening elsewhere. most of the businessmen had disappeared into a private wing of the estate earlier in the evening. gambling, drinking, smoking, celebrating the close of another deal.

luck tended to favor xander.

by the time the card game was finished he walked away twenty thousand dollars richer. in his world that wasn’t even a notable amount of money, especially compared to the kind of deal he’d just helped secure. still he’d always enjoyed winning. he liked having his way. when the game broke up, the men filtered back toward the party together, laughter echoing through the halls as they returned with cigars in hand and easy confidence. associates clapped him on the shoulder, powerful businessmen and even a few mafia heads shaking his hand as they joined the rest of the guests. the room buzzed when they entered, attention briefly shifting toward their arrival. and when the noise settled again—that was when he saw her.

tori.

standing across the room, just as beautiful as he remembered. for a split second he was almost certain their eyes met. the moment sent a chill straight down his spine, the alcohol in his stomach suddenly burning a little hotter. he forced himself to stay composed. he couldn’t let her see anything. his heart was pounding harder than he liked to admit, and he hated the fact that she could still do that to him. it didn’t help that she looked exactly the way she always did—flawless, effortless, like the room naturally belonged to her.

at least he’d dressed the part.

his blond hair was loosely combed back with gel, though a few strands had fallen forward along his forehead. the tux was one of his best—kiton k-50, handmade in italy, cut perfectly to fit his frame. everything about him was black from head to toe, finished off with a pair of his nicest tom ford dress shoes. the only color came from the gold patek philippe resting against his wrist. xander had always been a new yorker at heart. he appreciated good tailoring and attention to detail. he couldn’t believe she was here. he spotted members of her family nearby too. whatever story she’d told them about the two of them, he honestly didn’t care. there was nothing about the situation that frightened him.

all he could focus on now was appearing natural.

he stole one more glance at her before bringing a cigar to his lips, lighting it with practiced ease. then he turned back to the man beside him, slipping into easy conversation, laughing at something that was said—doing everything he could to look exactly the way he always did.

things had been better with tori lately, and xander wasn’t about to take that for granted. he’d had enough of the arguments, enough of that cold shoulder she could give when he’d crossed some invisible line. so he’d been trying—actually trying. no disappearing acts, no days of unanswered texts. he’d been around more, present in the ways he’d promised, even if the rest of his life was quietly threatening to implode behind the scenes. the family stress, the things he kept tucked away—those parts he still danced around. some details felt better left unsaid. safer that way. still, he’d made an effort where it counted.

case in point: the mink coat.

she’d wanted it, and now it was hers. god, she was expensive. but the truth was he didn’t mind. there was something about the way tori expected things from him, like the world naturally bent in her direction that amused him more than it annoyed him. if anything, he liked indulging it. it had been a few days since they’d last seen each other, so he’d told her to come over. nothing formal. just time together. xander was stretched out in his loft chair when she arrived, ankle resting over his opposite knee, posture loose as he scrolled lazily through his phone. he looked up the moment the door opened, though, eyes lifting just in time to catch the storm cloud that was tori rushing inside.

✩˚｡⋆SPICY  PROMPTS

( @heatthens ) / yasira & luca