Dante paced about the living room of his apartment, a cigarette in his mouth, he checked his phone for the time. 1:06 pm Via was supposed to be here around noon, but she still hasn't shown up yet, which pissed Dante off immensely. After the party and the kiss, Dante decided that enough was enough, no more stalling, no more worrying about pissing off her dad, no more worrying about hurting her feelings.
He had made sure there would be no distractions on miscommunications, he bluntly told Blitzo, Millie, and Moxxie that he was busy and to be left alone. He told Loona that he was going to tell Octavia his feelings and that she should not call or come over until he told her that it was safe. He was going to end this and didn't want any more distractions.
"I'm ending this shit now, Where the fuck is she!?" he shouted, his pacing turning into stomping, his neighbors pounded on his floor telling him to shut up.
Dante extinguished the cigarette in the overflowing ashtray on his coffee table, the fifth one this morning. He grabbed a wine bottle off the table and began drinking.
He had just finished the bottle and tossed it aside when he heard a knock at the door. Moving quickly, he opened the door and saw Octavia standing in the hallway. She was more dolled up than usual instead of her usual pink dress with a black jacket, she was wearing a dark blue dress. Her hat was gone, and her hair was tied up into a ponytail, Octavia smiled upon seeing Dante and hugged him.
"Hey there Sugarpie, how are you?" she asked happily, tightening her grip on Dante.
"I'm fine Via can you let go please?" Dante asked his voice sounding strained. Looking embarrassed Octavia released Dante and walked into his apartment, plopping down on his couch.
"Sorry I was late, I wanted to look my best for you, and well I lost track of time," she explained gesturing to her hair and dress.
"It's cool, no harm, no foul," Dante replied sitting down next to her, upon which Via immediately reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a firm squeeze.
"So, my love what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Octavia asked sending Dante a warm smile, Dante cringed.
Dante looked into her eyes and gulped he didn't want to do this he didn't, this was not going to be fun, it was not going to be easy, but he knew that this needed to be done.
Come on Dante let's just get this shit over with already, he thought to himself, taking a deep breath he placed a hand on Octavia's.
"Look Via I get that you like me but-" Dante stopped when Octavia raised her hand, a worried look on her face.
"Wait, wait, wait… are, are you breaking up with me?" she asked, her voice filled with worry, sounding as if she was about to cry.
"No Via we were never… ugh fine yes, I'm breaking up with you," Dante said exasperated.
"What why, why are you breaking up with me?" she asked sounding frantic.
"It's just that we're not right for each other ok, we wouldn't make a good couple," Dante explained but he could tell by her expression that she did not understand.
Dante looked into her eyes and saw they were filled with pain; Dante could pinpoint the moment her heart broke.
"I'm sorry Via," Dante said apologetically, squeezing her hand.
"Dante please don't do this, I'm sorry if I've been annoying or clingy, please give me another chance," she begged clasping her hands together.
"I'm sorry Via but my minds made up it's over we're done," he said trying to sound stern but also sympathetic.
"Please I can do better I'm serious," tears began running down her face leaving trails of mascara.
"I can change," she trials off sobbing into her hands, it was at this point that Dante grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her close so that they were face to face.
"Stop it, stop it right now!" Dante shouted shaking Octavia vigorously.
"This has nothing to do with you Octavia you're not the one at fault here, it's me I'm the problem I'm the issue alright!?" Dante stopped shaking Octavia who took a minute to reorient herself before looking at Dante utterly shocked.
"What do you mean you're the problem your amazing Dante!? Wonderful! The best demon in Hell how the fuck are you the issue?" she asked not understanding why he thought he was the one at fault.
"Because Via you're a great girl and all but I… I'm in love with someone else," he said, Octavia's eyes widened at that statement.
"Who is it, is it Loona?!" Octavia demanded, her voice taking on a hint of anger.
"What no, it's not Loona, Loona has nothing to do with this," he said adamantly, but then he stopped and thought about it for a moment.
"Ok she does have a little bit to do with this, but she's not the girl I'm in love with," he stated, crossing his arms.
"Then who is she and where can I find this stupid bitch?!" Octavia asked cracking her knuckles, ready for a fight. Suddenly Dante grabbed her by the collar of her dress and yanked her close a furious expression on his face.
"Ok one never call her a bitch," he growled his voice low and intense, his eyes starting to glow a dull red. Octavia tried to pull away but his grip on her dress was like iron.
"And two you can't meet her cause she's dead," he explained letting go of her dress and pushing her away.
"Wait she's dead?" Octavia looked at him in surprise, when he said he was in love with another woman she expected her to be some skank or something he met at a bar or something what she didn't expect was for the woman to be dead.
"Yep, she died a while ago actually," Dante said his voice starting to sound strained as if just mentioning her was painful for him. Octavia placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry for your loss but if she's not around anymore then why can't we be together?" she asked wondering why this dead woman was a factor.
"Because I love her because not having her here with me feels like there's a hole in my heart," Dante stated, Octavia gave Dante a sympathetic look, but despite feeling bad for him still didn't get how or why this was getting in the way.
"But she's gone why don't you let me help you, I can help you move on, help you fill that hole in your heart?" she asked squeezing his shoulder.
"Because the hole in my heart will never be filled that's why!" he yelled shaking her hand off.
"I can't just move on it's not that simple, do you think I want to stay hung up on her I'd move on if I could and I've tried God help me I've tried," Dante pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"Every time I start a relationship with a woman I always end up comparing them to Rose, every time I hold hands with them I think 'I wish I was holding Rose's hand' every time I kiss them I think 'I wish I was kissing Rose' or 'Rose was a way better kisser' hell every time I have sex with a woman I usually have to think of Rose to get into it," Dante finished his tirade, breathing heavy and messaging his temples.
"Seriously, you have to think of her just to fuck?" Octavia asked sounding both curious and a little upset as well.
"Yep, I've basically mastered the art of thinking of another woman while making it seem like I'm focusing on the girl I'm fucking," he said with a bit of a strained laugh.
"So, whenever you're with a girl all you do is just think of this Rose chick?" Octavia asked her voice sounded strained, hurt even by this sudden revelation.
"Yeah, I mean there have been a few girls I've dated that I've genuinely liked and even enjoyed their company, I thought I might have even loved them," Octavia perked up at this statement.
"But in the end, I just couldn't move on from Rose, they were always second best to her and it was unfair to them," Dante explained Octavia visibly deflated, a look of defeat on her face.
"That's why I'm ending things with you because you deserve better than being second best," Octavia looked up at Dante who placed a hand on her shoulder.
They sat in silence for a moment Octavia used that time to compose herself and wipe away her tears and ruined makeup. Octavia dapped at her eyes with a tissue and saw how it was stained black and purple from her eyeliner and mascara.
"Satan I must look like a mess!" she stated looking at the makeup-stained tissue dejectedly.
"What? No, you look like a million bucks," Dante replied in an exaggerated joking tone of voice, Octavia giggled at Dante's antics.
"Ahh there's that smile," Dante said patting her on the shoulder.
"Oh, knock it off you," Octavia laughed, pausing Octavia turned to face Dante.
"What was she like if you don't mind me asking?"
"No, I don't mind at all," Dante said, taking a moment before eventually starting.
"Rose was an amazing person, kind, generous, loving, she was always willing to help people always willing to listen and be a shoulder to cry on," he said looking up at the ceiling with a warm smile as he reminisced.
"She was always there to help and never turned her back on anyone, not to mention she was a total bombshell," he said with a smile.
"Oh really?" Octavia asked sarcastically, she was confident that Rose wasn't nearly as hot as her.
"Ohh yeah she was gorgeous, probably the prettiest girl I have ever met, she also had a great figure, I mean her tits were about average size but her ass, ohh mama that ass was pure perfection, I mean the shape the way it bounced when she walked," Dante trailed off lost in the thought of his late girlfriend's ass. Octavia quickly looked at her butt before her attention was quickly diverted back to Dante.
"But all in all, her best feature was her hair, she was born with bright vibrant red hair, she was the first person I ever saw with that color it was mesmerizing," he explained once again lost in his memories of Rose. Octavia grabbed her hair a thought suddenly coming to mind.
"Oh, and don't think about dying your hair, it's not gonna work," Dante stated, noticing the way Octavia was playing with her hair. Octavia dropped her hands in embarrassment.
"So, she was really that great?" Octavia asked, trying to divert attention away from her embarrassing little moment.
"Yep, she was amazing, hell she even convinced me not to kill myself," Octavia's eyes went wide in shock at that sudden revelation.
"Wait, you were planning on killing yourself!?" Octavia asked, completely mortified by the idea that Dante was planning on ending his own life at one point.
"Yep when I was like 15 I think I made a noose and everything, she found it in my closet then she sat me down and we had a long talk, she convinced me to keep going not to give up, and when I was upset she was always there for me she helped keep me sane," Dante finish looking up at the ceiling the smile on his face quickly reverted into a look of sadness.
"Her death hurt, it did, it was like someone stabbed a knife through my heart, when she left, I was alone I had no one," Dante choked out those last words, Octavia saw tears starting to run down his face.
Feeling bad Octavia reached forward and began wiping away his tears. Dante jerked away in surprise at the sudden contact, touching his face he noticed the tears.
"Oh shit! I got caught up in the moment, I'm sorry," he said, wiping away his tears.
"What are you sorry about?" Octavia asked, her voice filled with sympathy.
"Just, I don't like crying around others I don't want them to see me vulnerable," Dante explained sounding embarrassed when suddenly Octavia wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug.
"You don't have to act strong around others you know, I care about you, I won't judge you or shame you for crying, you let me cry on your shoulder so the least I can do is let you cry on mine," Octavia said, her voice filled with sympathy. Dante returned the hug, laughing quietly to himself as tears rolled down his face.
"Rose said the exact same thing to me once, thank you," He started tightening his grip on her, burying his face into her shoulder.
"No problem," Octavia replied nuzzling him.
For the next hour, Dante talked about Rose telling Octavia the various stories of his time with her, his adopted family, and his friends. He talked about all the times he and his friends got into trouble, and the difficulty he had in telling Rose how he felt.
"Francesco loved to tease me about my crush, nothing mean, he'd just smile and laugh whenever I got tongue-tied and acted like an idiot around her," he said with a laugh at remembering such happy memories.
"So, were you and this Francesco guy close?" Octavia asked wanting to know more about this guy Dante kept going on and on about.
"I'd say so we were brothers after all," he explained.
"Ohh, I didn't know you had a brother; I thought your family was," Dante stopped her before she could finish that last remark.
"Adoptive brother me and him were both orphans taken in by the same man, Rose was also an orphan her folks died when she was a kid, she lived with her uncle the same guy who took me and Francesco in," he told her, looking up longingly at the ceiling.
"Giovanni was a kind man always willing and able to help others, first he took in his little niece when her parents died, then he took in a small boy he found sitting in front of an orphanage, then the most charitable thing of all he took in a dirty and temperamental 14-year-old he found begging for change, he was a great man, I'm glad to have met him," he stated a smile on his face as he thought of his family.
"Is he still around?" Octavia asked, the smile on his face immediately fading away.
"No, he died a while ago, tuberculosis," he explained.
"I'm sorry, is Francesco dead as well?" Octavia asked patting him on the shoulder.
"No, he's definitely still alive, though I have no idea where he is we're not on speaking terms right now," Octavia gave his shoulder a squeeze.
I'm so sorry," she said, Dante placed a hand on hers.
"It's fine maybe I'll see him again but honestly I doubt it," Dante tried to brush it off as if it wasn't a big deal, but Octavia could tell from his tone that he was sadder than he let on.
After another hour or so Octavia decided that it was time for her to head back home, as she got up off the couch, she took one more look around the place figuring this was probably the last time she'd ever see it. Turning to face Dante, she looked him over one last time.
This is probably the last time I'm gonna see him, she thought to herself, sadness spreading through her body she turned away trying to conceal it. It turns out she wasn't as subtle as she thought Dante took notice of her sadness as grabbed her wrist as she was heading for the door.
"Look Via I want you to know that I am always here for you I'm always willing to listen to you and help you with your problems, you're always welcome here," he said Octavia smiled and pulled him into one last hug before leaving.
Epilogue
Dante lay in bed staring up at his cracked ceiling, Loona curled up next to him head nestled in the crook of his neck. After Via had left Dante called Loona and informed her that it was done, she immediately rushed over and jumped him they had gone at it like rabbits. Dante originally wanted some time to himself; he was emotionally exhausted and needed some time to recover but things between him and Loona had been tense and he hoped this would help fix things between them. Finally, they had run out of energy and were ready to sleep, as Loona began drifting into sleep, she lifted her head and looked at Dante.
"So, she really took it well?" she asked not sounding entirely convinced.
"I mean she cried but I was able to talk her down and get her to see reason," he explained running his right hand gently across her scratched-up back. Smiling Loona gently kissed Dante on the lips before returning to her previous position in the crook of his neck and going to sleep.
Dante watched her intently, the past few weeks had been so tense between them that he hoped that now things would finally settle down and go back to normal for them. As he watched her sleep, he remembered what he had said to Octavia earlier;
That's why I'm ending things with you because you deserve better than being second best,
Dante looked at Loona and sighed, looking back up at the ceiling he thought once more of Rose.
End
Alright everyone another chapter down, things have finally been settled with Octavia and now he can focus solely on Loona without interruptions… well from anyone alive that is. Tell me what you guys think in the comments I'm always interested in hearing your thoughts. Thanks for reading! :)