He was never on time, even on date nights and always left the bill for you to pay. When Vinnie found out, he was sure he hated the guy's guts. Every complaint to you about your boyfriend ended with a not so nonchalant shrug and “just saying,”.

It got to you, it really did, especially when the tattooed blonde distanced himself, much to your boyfriend’s enjoyment. He knew he wasn’t well liked, and it gave him an air of confidence, Vinnie would go as far as to call him borderline fucking sadistic.

He remembers the day vividly when your boyfriend waltzed into the room with you in tow and that stupid smirk on his face. Vinnie immediately disliked him, purely because of that fucking smirk that spoke a thousand words, ‘I’m better than you’, blah blah blah, Vinnie knew his façade was a pile of stinking bullshit.

“Who are you?” Vinnie snorted as he leaned back on the couch, legs spread. Although the question was directed towards your boyfriend, his eyes were glued to yours, his gaze heated.

“Uhm, guys, this is my-“ he interrupted you. Vinnie didn’t like that at all. He forced himself to take a deep breath, fidgeting in his seat to get comfortable. It didn’t work. “I’m her boyfriend,” he gloated with a nasty grin, and Vinnie was caught off guard by your soft smile directed towards your shitty boyfriend. It was a punch to the gut, seeing you with heart eyes not looking at him.

“Boyfriend?” Noah gaped at you, his eyes sneaking looks at Vinnie to gauge his reaction. He looked upset, and Noah knew why, but Vinnie himself wouldn’t admit it. He was stubborn that way, enough to break his own stubborn heart.

You smiled sheepishly, shy from the feeling of vulnerability that took over you as every pair of eyes in the room stared you and your boyfriend down. You hadn’t anticipated their negative reactions, it made you confused and disappointed, and a small tinge of embarrassment grew in your gut. Shame set your body alight, why would you be embarrassed to introduce your boyfriend?

“How long have you guys been dating?” Vinnie asked, a fake smile on his lips, it made you cringe. You knew Vinnie, both in and out, and you knew when he was genuine. He wasn’t now.

You turned to your boyfriend, tongue tied, “uhm, well we went official three days ago-“ he interrupted again. You really wanted to disappear.

“Babe,” he chuckled in a tone that Vinnie knew was condescending. “They asked when we began to date, not when we became official.” duh, you thought to yourself and quickly nodded with a small and strained smile.

You felt embarrassed, if he had let you finish your sentence then he would come to find out that you would’ve answered Vinnie’s question.

“Uhm-“ you stammered, he interrupted once again, sighing, “two months babe, two months.” Your stomach was hurting now and your face was burning as did your palms, so much so that your boyfriend let it go to wipe his palm on his jeans. ‘Oh god’ you felt mortified, hoping no one noticed the gesture despite standing on display in front of your friends.

Vinnie spoke, his eyes dark, “Maybe, you should, oh- I don’t know; let her finish speaking?” Vinnie glared at him, his posture less relaxed but he was still in the same position as earlier, though his hands twitched.

“Excuse me?” He took a threatening step forward, but you intercepted him quickly with a forced laugh, “okay,” you dragged out, “how about we stop this, and leave.” So you did.

Vinnie texted you an hour later, an apology, ending with him admitting to not wanting to lose you over a petty dick measuring fight. You reassured him that you weren't the type of person to throw away friendships for one guy.

He read the text with stinging eyes and a chewed up lip. He genuinely thought his chest was about to cave in, he saw his future, a future of which he painted with you by his side, hands intertwined with loving whispers in your shared bed, hidden from the world under the covers. It all fell apart. But he knew better than to admit his feelings to you. You were everything good in this world and he knew he wasn’t enough.

—————

Vinnie wasn’t a stranger to sarcasm, neither were you. Your new boyfriend on the other hand seemed to be.

It was supposed be a relaxed get together, celebrating summer with barbecue and drinks,

It was painful to listen to Vinnie disrespect your boyfriend whilst the boy in question unknowingly agreed to it all.

“You’re one of the nice guys, huh?” Vinnie smirked, his eyes mischievous as he stared at your boyfriend. His blood pumping the liquid courage through his body. Oblivious, he answered with a chuckle. “Yeah, totally dude, I hear it all the time.”

You went to interrupt before Vinnie took it too far, but your boyfriend quickly dismissed you with a hand on your thigh and a slurred whisper of “shh let ‘im speak, babe”

Vinnie rolled his eyes at the site, jealousy growing with each sip of alcohol. “Must be your pride and joy,” Vinnie murmured and your boyfriend huffed, “of course I pride myself in being a humble guy.”

“Vincent,” you snapped and Vinnie’s eyes went wide. “That’s enough.” You stared Vinnie down and he kept his eyes locked on yours despite your glaring, though your glaring eyes quickly turned soft the longer you stared at each other.

Your boyfriend spoke up, snapping your attention to him, though Vinnie didn’t care to remove his eyes from you. His eyebrows furrowed and a frown tugged down the corner of his lips, it looked ridiculous. “Is there something going on between you two that I should know about?” His words sounded forced as he spoke through clenched teeth.

You flinched from his words, your brows furrowed as you stared at him with a gaping mouth. “What?” Your voice shook and your face felt hot.

He rolled his eyes, taking a swig from his beer bottle. “You heard me,” he spat as he glared at you and Vinnie, though your gaze didn’t dare to meet Vinnie’s blank ones.

“I-“ you began before Vinnie interrupted you, his voice expressionless and his face equally so when you finally looked at him.

“Fuck you.” Oh god, you quickly stood up and glanced around for help to stop the fight that would inevitably follow. “Noah?” You yelled out and the boy quickly appeared with a lazy smile on his face before it quickly dropped when he saw your panicked expression.

He quickly walked up to you. “Woah, what’s wrong?” You were just about to gesture towards Vinnie and your boyfriend, but quickly stopped when your boyfriend clumsily stood up and threw the glass bottle toward Vinnie. Glass shattered on the concrete before Vinnie’s feet, beer staining his trousers and skin.

A gasp left your lips before you quickly ran forward to intercept your boyfriend who obviously wasn’t done. Vinnie had also gotten to his feet now, his eyes dark and fist clenched, his body tense as he stared your boyfriend down.

“Lil’ bitch,” your boyfriend slurred, your hand grasping his arm to hold him back. You tried to ignore him instead focusing on Vinnie who was now being held back by Noah. You took notice of the circle of which has formed around you, people curious to see what the escalation would be like.

Fingers pinched your arm tightly, almost breaking through skin. You tore your arm away from your boyfriend to see his glare directed to you now. Your arm burned from where he pinched you.

“What the fuck?” You exclaimed angrily as you gave him a light push. He wobbled a few steps back before he spat on your shoes, a disgusted expression on his face. “You’re his lil’ bitch, aren’t you?” He wiped the stray saliva from his chin with a crazed smile. “You’re his whore aren’t you?” You felt your nose burn as tears blurred your vision.

One second you were staring at your boyfriend, the next his body laid upon the ground, Vinnie straddling him, his fists flying. You could vaguely hear voices screaming, before Vinnie was quickly taken away from the bloodied man you once called your boyfriend.

Through your blurred vision you saw Vinnie being taken into the house by Noah and a couple of other guys, their faces pale.

“Hey,” a soft voice spoke. A blonde haired girl stood before you with a soft, shaky smile. “Let’s get you inside.” She didn’t wait for you to answer before she gently took your hand and walked you inside. You were grateful but your mouth felt wired shut. You wanted to know what happened to Vinnie and where he was taken to.

“Where is he?” She guided you to the plush couch and kneeled down before you, her hand still holding yours.

“Who? Vinnie?” She asked, her eyes quickly darting to the backyard where a commotion was still going on. You could only nod, a tear tickling your skin as it slid down your cheek and neck.

“They took him to the front lawn, someone called the cops.” Your heart stopped. “They’re hoping to explain the situation or something.” She gave you a reassuring smile. “He only protected you, stupidly of course,” she chuckled and you let a teary one out too.

“What’s your name?” Your voice cracked. She gave you a cheeky grin before answering you. “Phoebe, and you?” You told her your name and took a deep breath, “how bad is it?”

She sighed and chewed her button lip, “it looked worse than it is.” And it looked horrifying. You turned around to get a glimpse of your now unofficial ex boyfriend, and he was being held up by two guys, his nose bent and blood covering his lower face with splatters everywhere. Vinnie had done some proper damage in that short moment.

“Oh, don’t look,” she tugged at your hand and made you focus on her. She quickly got up and nodded to someone, whom you didn’t know.”

“She okay?” It was Noah, his hair disheveled and he looked flustered, his eyes quickly glancing outside before focusing on you again.

“Welp, she’s definitely shaken up and could definitely use a friend and some reassurance.” She gave you a small smile before walking back outside again. You wanted to thank her but you found yourself tongue tied.

Noah took a seat beside you, his body slumped against the cushions, and dragged a hand over his face before sitting straight. He looked exhausted.

“Are you okay?” You whispered shakily, your lips trembling. He snorted, “I’m fine, just tired from dealing with cops.” Oh god, your mind drew a scenario of Vinnie in the back of a patrol car.

“Is Vinnie arrested?” Your voice trembled, ‘god this shouldn’t be happening’ you thought to yourself.

Noah laughed this time, the sound loud in the quiet and tense living room. “Psst, no. They understood and they’re actually taking your man in instead for being drunk and disorderly.” Your mouth fell open before you quickly turned around in your seat again to find him again, but he was already gone. The guests back to mingling as though nothing had happened.

“Where’s Vinnie?” You asked Noah, mouth still gaping.

“Here,” another voice answered. Vinnie. He stood by the doorway with wrapped hands and a change of clothing. A sheepish smile on his blushing face. You quickly got up and wrapped your arms around his waist, your head resting on his hard chest. His arms quickly engulfed you tightly. “Thank you for standing up for me.” You sniffled .

“Meh, I always hated the guy.” You lifted your head to stare at him and a smile grew on his lips. “Just saying.”

——————

It took two months before you agreed to go out with Vinnie. He had planned the whole night, home baked pizzas with snacks and a handful of movies. You were both snuggled up under a shared blanket, hands intertwined. He rested his chin atop your head. “It feels surreal, you know?” He spoke. You moved to get a look at him. His dark eyes soft as they glanced at you under the glow of the lit candles on the living room table.

“It feels like I’m about to wake up at any moment and resent myself for this only being a dream.” He continued, he looked melancholy, as his inked hands nervously played with yours. “I never wanted to lose you, and I did anyway.” Your heart felt heavy as you listened. You wanted to say something but you could tell he wasn’t done speaking.

He sighed, forcing himself to let it all out. “I think I’m in love with you, I think I’ve been for a very long time. I don’t really know the definition of love but I know that you’re all I think about. You make me feel safe and nervous at the same time and it’s very confusing,” you both chuckled before he continued.

“I can’t see anyone else being in your place and if I had the power to, I would freeze time so I could spend an eternity here with you.” You were crying now and his warm hand lifted to grasp your wet cheek. His eyes were alight and a smile grew on his lips as he laughed.

“Fuck,” you sniffled, a smile covering your lips as your heart pounded in your chest. You felt indescribable happiness and love. The type of love written in books and wished upon falling stars. “I think I’m in love with you too.” You answered and quickly placed your lips on his.

His hands found their way to your waist before guiding your body down. He leaned over you, his lips still on yours whilst his tongue begged for entrance, and you let him. His tongue fought for dominance whilst he fit himself between your thighs. He slowly separated his tongue from yours and softly nipped on your bottom lip. A breathy laugh escaped his lips, his breath warming your swollen lips.

He quickly kissed your face, speaking between his kisses. “I” kiss “love” kiss “you” kiss.

———————

the boy smiled, "you forgot the lips."

"ohhhhh, rigghttt," the girl's lip corners turned up, as she leaned in and pressed her lips to vinnie's.

he immediately rested his hand on her thigh, squeezing it a little, when she bit down softly on his lip. vinnie slowly continued to kiss her towards her jaw, as the girl tilted her head, while his hand moved up her thigh.

before things could go any further, she pulled away, moving his hand, "okayyyyy," she grabbed her phone and turned it on. y/n had already entered tiktok and the camera was already facing her.

she glanced at vinnie, "you ready?"

the boy nodded his head, while he gave her a small smile, that made her go warm.

she took her lipstick and pressed the button. as the sound started playing she applied the lipstick, that she accidentally smeared.

when she felt vinnie's hand on her skin, softly wiping her lipstick, she couldn't help but smile, and when y/n turned the camera and looked at him, her face went warm.

the way he was caressing her cheek, and the way he was looking at her lips... it made her feel weak. she could feel her heart starting to beat faster.

and when his eyes met her's she knew that the boy had noticed the way he had made her feel. vinnie leaned in, but the kiss wasn't captured on the camera, because the sound had ended.

"you okay?" y/n felt the smirk against her lips.

she laid down, as she pulled him closer to her, "shut up."

the comments after the video is posted:

user1: what am i doing wrong.

user2: the eyes never lie.

user3: THE WAY HE LOOKS AT HER.

user4: he doesn't even look happy.

user5: the way he smiles when he sees her blush. HE'S IN LOVEEEE.

user6: ew.

user7: her smile is gorgeous.

—

the couple arrived in seattle much earlier in the morning than either would typically prefer to be awake for, greeted by the unvarying gloomy weather that comes with a seattle spring. immediately, the pair gravitated towards the bed as soon as they made it through the doors of their airbnb. the faint sound of rain tapping against the window lulling their already tired bodies right to sleep.

they napped for most of the day, tangled in each other’s arms, until both were abruptly woken up by the ringing of vinnie’s phone. reaching his arm out to grab the device, wanting to quickly put an end the loud noise, he answered the call.

“hey mom,” he mumbled.

y/n couldn’t hear what maria was saying on the other end, but based on vinnie’s responses she assumed it was something that would require her to get out the surprisingly comfy bed she was very much content in.

“mom wants us there in an hour for dinner,” he said after hanging up.

“noo, i’m too tired. i don’t wanna get up,” y/n responded, smushing her head further in the pillow as if that would hide her from going anywhere.

“i know. trust me i would much rather stay in bed with you all night,” he smirked. “but my whole family’s gonna be there.”

this instantly made y/n shoot up, slightly freaking out. “shit i forgot about that. i need to shower, i feel so gross after that flight. and what am i gonna wear?”

“baby calm down, it’s okay. it’s only a barbecue, you don’t have to dress up or anything. you could wear sweats and you’d still look perfect,” he replied, placing a kiss to her forehead, knowing that always calmed her.

“but it’s your family, vin. you know i like to make a good impression. i don’t want them to think i don’t care.”

“why? they already love you more than me,” vinnie joked, although he wasn’t so sure it actually was one. his family was utterly enamored with her, more so than he’s seen with any other girl he’d previously brought home through the years. but then again, he couldn’t blame them, she was perfect after all.

“you know that’s not true. now c’mon, let’s go shower,” y/n said, dragging her boyfriend out of the bed and into the ensuite bathroom, both shuddering at the contrast of the cool tile floor compared to the warm bed they were lounging in moments ago.

“damn if you wanted to see me naked, all you had to do was ask.” vinnie teased, sneaking a grab at his girlfriend’s ass, making her jump.

“that’ll be enough out of you,” she deadpanned, despite the giggles that left her mouth.

—

as if by magic, the couple made it to vinnie’s childhood home precisely on time, even with the inevitable funny business that took place in the shower, adding more than just a few minutes.

they were instantly greeted with the loud welcome of the boy’s entire family, hugs approaching from all directions, including y/n’s legs, prompting her to look down to see vinnie’s baby cousin squeezing her legs, wanting some attention from the girl.

y/n bent over in attempt to get closer to the little one, “well hello there cutie. what are you up to?”

however the little girl didn’t answer. suddenly getting distracted when she saw the tall, messy haired boy standing next to y/n. “vinnie!” she squealed, reaching her arms out for him.

vinnie scooped her up in his arms. “what do you want, monkey?” he smiled, resulting in the small girl to burst out in a fit of laughter.

as vinnie continued to mess around with his adorable cousin, y/n was swiftly whisked away by his mom who wanted an update on anything and everything that’s happened since the couple’s last visit.

while engaged in a conversation with maria, along with a few of his aunts, y/n helped prepare the copious amount of food that looked as if it could feed an entire army. how many people were they expecting? she thought to herself.

although, the girl wasn’t much help. too distracted by watching vinnie play with his younger cousins across the room, she almost cut her finger chopping up some tomatoes. she decided then it was best to leave it to the professionals, instead doing what she does best: munching on some chips.

the kids were running around and climbing all over vinnie, but he didn’t seem to care; he was too occupied with the tiny two year old that laid in his arms who seemed to be just as infatuated by him as he was with her. y/n couldn’t help but smile at the sight, he was so gentle with the baby while also keeping the other kids entertained around him. she couldn’t look away, it might have been the cutest thing she had ever witnessed.

it had the girl thinking about how great of a father he would be to their own kids one day. even though she knew they were still very young, being only a couple years into adulthood with a lot of life left to live. seeing vinnie with the toddler made her want to forget all that nonsense and make a baby as soon as they got back to the airbnb that very night.

maria noticed y/n was in her own little world, having missed the last few minutes of their conversation. following her eyes to see what had the younger girl so dazed, she immediately understood. as her boys started to get older and mature into fine young men, maria began to get more and more excited about the idea of grandbabies in her future.

she didn’t say anything to the girl beside her, but only grinned, knowing she apparently had the same thing on her mind.

—

ten short minutes later, vinnie’s dad walked through the back door with two plates full of hot dogs, hamburgers, and one veggie burger made just for y/n. she thought it was so sweet how they always remembered to make something for her with no question about it.

“food’s ready!”

grabbing the specially made burger, a handful of fries, plus some yummy looking mac and cheese, y/n settled onto the couch beside her boyfriend. “hi bub.”

“hey baby,” he replied placing a kiss on her cheek. “what have you been up to? haven’t talked you all night.”

“i was helping your mom get dinner ready. although i don’t think i did much. i was a little distracted.”

“how come?” he said half paying attention, too busy shoveling food into his mouth.

“because of you” she simply stated, now gaining his full attention.

“oh yeah? why’s that?” he said with a smug look on his face.

“because you looked so cute playing with the kids. and don’t even get me started on you with the baby. i’ve never seen something more adorable,” y/n said slightly blushing once she glanced up to see vinnie intently looking at her. beginning to get shy, she quietly continued, “just had me thinking.”

he took the plate of food from her hold, placing it on the table in front of them before pulling the girl onto his lap.

since the couple’s first date, vinnie knew y/n was the one he was going to marry, the one he would have kids with. he knew they would eventually grow old together and stick by each other’s side through everything else life brought their way. with that being said, he always got extreme baby fever whenever he saw his girlfriend with kids. even just the way she was so nurturing towards his cat, hera, had him feeling domestic.

he was thrilled to know she felt the same way after seeing him with his baby cousin; but kept it cool, not wanting to overwhelm her.

noting how quiet the girl had become, he brushed some of the hair out of her face, placing a kiss to her forehead. “what are you thinking about in that brilliant mind of yours?”

“how much i would love to go back the airbnb right now and start a little family of our own.” y/n answered, not leaving room for hesitation, which had vinnie’s cheeks now turning red at her unusual bluntness.

“i mean i’m down if you are,” he smirked.

“baby i was kidding. as much as i would love a mini you or me running around, we’re too young. we got a lot of time left, plus i want you to myself for a little longer.” y/n giggled, leaning her head on the boy’s strong, but comfortable shoulder.

“well i guess we could always just practice for tonight,” he countered, a sly grin on his face leading y/n to roll her eyes.

—

the two cuddled on the couch for a little longer once they finished their food, discussing everything they planned to do while on their short trip.

feeling the couch shift under them, the couple noticed vinnie’s mom now sat next to them with a big smile on her face, happy to her son so in love.

“so when are you two giving me grandbabies?” maria asked candidly.

y/n and vinnie just turned to each other and laughed.

not soon enough, they both thought.