The Vine

by C. A Ellis

  “We’ve been lucky enough to be given a second chance. I survived and I got better, and then I came to find you. I would have never given up and stopped searching, but look—here you are with me. A miracle happened and I actually found you, and I should be the one pinching myself because I’ve got all I’ve ever wanted. You.

  “Let’s both grab this second chance with both hands and run like the wind—that’s what I did. That’s why in my haste to find you, I didn’t waste the time to try and find the original engagement ring I bought you, because my priority was just to find you. But as soon as I knew you were here in Verona and I was a small step closer to finding you, I bought a ring straight away, because I knew if I was ever given a second chance with you, I wasn’t going to waste a second of it.”

  Throughout his speech, Luke’s hold on my face has weakened, and his thumbs are now caressing the tears off of my cheeks. I nod in agreement because he’s right. I’m going to be Mrs. Castle, and I want to make this work, but if I keep wallowing in the past I could end up destroying us, and that I definitely would never forgive myself for.

  “Come here,” I hear Luke say before he pulls me into an embrace. He wraps his arms around me and cocoons me to his chest. I can hear his rapid heartbeat, probably caused by the thought of losing me. I pull back and look up to his exquisite face, and as his eyes meet mine, I see a discrete smile playing on his lips, before I say seriously, “It’s over.”

  There’s a brief silence and then I hear, “What? Us?” as he replies, but it’s barely a whisper, and hits me like a brick what he thinks I mean.

  “No! I mean the guilt bringing me down. It could eventually bring us down, so it’s over. The happiness in my heart can override it—will override it; it has to. I love you too much to ruin this. I want to be the best wife in the world, someone you can be proud of,” I say confidently. I know deep down it will take me time to release myself of the guilt, but I will do it—for him, for me and for us. “Please don’t make statements like ‘it’s over’, Angel, or my heart may never recover. I’m no spring chicken, you know.”

  At this, I giggle and kiss my beautiful man on the side of his mouth.

  “My God, I love that sound,” he shouts out, which makes me laugh as I look at him with nothing but adoration. “I also love that little cute face you’re pulling now; the only problem is, it makes me want to do naughty things to you.” He’s serious now, and his eyes are hooded with desire. As I lean in to take things further with him, not caring in the slightest I’m in the back of a taxi, it pulls to a halt, and as we glance outside, we realise we’ve reached our destination. “What utterly poor timing,” I hear him say.

  “To be continued,” I whisper as I give him a cheeky wink, followed by a kiss on the tip of his nose. I turn to leave so we can go our separate ways for a couple of hours, when Katy comes bounding up to us.

  “Sorry I’m late, guys.”

  Surprised, I give her a hug and ask, “Late for what?” She looks between Luke and me, and then I look at him as well. At least he has the decency to be a bit red in the face.

  “I thought you might like some company; that’s all,” he splutters, his eyes full of apology.

  I shake my head. “You are going to have to let me go some places on my own.”

  “I know, I know, but it’s only day two of having you back! Just appease me, please, and give me a little time,” he begs. I instantly forgive him—he’s been totally busted, and he just looks so cute. I know he’s not far off forty, but he still does the boyish-good-looks thing so well.

  I kiss him on the cheek and link arms with Katy before heading off to Stefano’s salon. We’ve walked right across the square and when I look back, Luke is still watching us. I give him a little wave and see him salute me before I turn back. God, I love him so much. We walk along, and I try to give Katy the heads up on some of the things she is going to hear today—my name change, Stefano becoming my close friend and how much I think of him and Isabella—and bless her, she doesn’t even bat an eyelid; she just takes it all in stride.

  Katy is silent for a short while; I assume she’s absorbing some of what I’ve told her. I put my arm up to point in the direction we’ll head in next, when I feel her pull out of the arm she’s linked with and grab my pointing hand. “What the hell is that?!” she screams, looking at my newly appointed rock.

  Shyness overtakes me as I say, “It’s my engagement ring. Luke asked me to marry him this morning, and obviously I said yes.” I shrug as if it’s no big deal.

  “And you didn’t think to mention this momentous news when we met up a few minutes ago?” she asks still shouting, and I laugh because her voice has gone all squeaky.

  “Believe me, I wanted to call you straight away, but I also wanted to tell you in person. I just didn’t mention it straight away; that’s all.” I knew I’d actually forgotten because of what had gone on during the taxi ride, but I wasn’t about to bring that up.

  “Oh, I’m glad you think it’s so funny,” she continues, trying and failing miserably to look annoyed. Finally, she gives in to a smirk before saying, “That, my friend, is one amazing, gorgeous, not-enough-words-to-describe-it rock on your finger.”

  “I know!” I giggle, linking arms with her again. “It’s stunning.”

  “It’s even nicer than the first ring he bought you, and that’s saying something,” Katy says, not noticing how rigid I have gone.

  “Luke spoke about an original ring and you’ve seen it?” I ask.

  “Oh, yeah, he was on his way back from picking it up when he had the accident and it was brought in by the police with his other belongings from the car, and I happened to see it on the side of his bed when I was visiting. That was when Luke read his letter.”

  I’m silent once again, thinking of Luke’s accident and of him reading the letter I thought was going to be buried with him. Will I ever get over my sense of betrayal? I know Luke’s clearly forgiven me—well, actually he says there’s nothing to forgive—but I’ve not completely forgiven myself yet.

  Katy cuts into my thoughts, adding, “You’ve seen it too.”

  “Have I?” I ask, confused.

  “Yes, it’s the ring Saskia the Psychopath had on in that picture you saw. She must have stolen it from Lucas when she took that picture of us.”

  “Wow, she really is unhinged; should I be worried?”

  “No, I don’t think so. No one has seen or heard from her since; she’s probably embarrassed she didn’t succeed with her big get-Lucas-back plan and has disappeared with her tail between her legs,” Katy explains, clearly not worried.

  “On to more important things—when is the wedding going to be?”

  “Luke wants it to be next month,” I say matter-of-factly.

  “Don’t be bossed around by him, Lizzy. When do you want it? It’s your big day too,” Katy says crossly.

  “I’m not being bossed about, Katy; I will be happy and honoured to marry him wherever he wants and whenever he wants, and anyway, I don’t want a massive affair,” I say seriously.

  “Okay,” she says, clearly pacified on that issue, but continues smugly, “So I take it I will be the maid of honour?”

  “Actually, no,” I say, waiting for the back-lash that is about to come. As I see her face contort, I quickly continue, “I was actually going to ask if you would give me away.”

  I get a screaming, excited acceptance and then the tears come, and I mean mine, not hers. As we approach Stefano’s salon, I’m still mopping up my happy tears. I see him tear out in the most femininely aggressive way possible when he sees me.

  “Ella, Ella, are you okay? I’ve been so worried about you! Luca came here sporting a black eye and a cracked cheek saying you had gone off with some strange guy who had given him a clump, and I desperately tried to find you, but I couldn’t,” he rushes out on one breath. I can see the panic in his eyes, and I feel awful for all he is about to find out; he does really care for me.

  I look awkwardly bet
ween him and Katy before I say, “I’m fine, Stef; really I am. I’m so sorry I frightened you. Are you free for a bit? There’s some stuff I need to explain to you, including what happened with Luca.”

  Stefano keeps looking between Katy and me, but he says nothing. He nods and goes back into the salon without a word, and it’s unnerving since I have never seen him this quiet. When he reappears, he seems a little bit more himself. “So, Ella, are you going to introduce me to this fine specimen of a woman?” he asks, eyeing Katy up and down.

  “Stefano, this is my best friend Katy,” I reply with a gleam in my eyes.

  “I’m hurt,” he says, clutching at his heart, “I thought I was your best friend.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Stefano. I’ve heard so much about you,” Katy says, holding out her hand.

  He takes it, turns it and kisses the back of her hand. “That’s wonderful,” Stefano says, “but I haven’t heard anything about you before.” I look at Katy, silently apologising, and I see her wave me away, wordlessly telling me not to worry. I love that we’ve known each other so long we don’t always have to speak to communicate. I link arms with Stefano on one side and Katy on the other, and we head to the nearest café.

  When we arrive, we all take a seat around a table and order our coffees, and then I wince as I hear Katy say without thinking, “Lizzy, are you eating anything?”

  “Lizzy?” Stefano questions confused.

  I put my hand on his. “That’s one of the things I need to talk to you about.”

  “Whoa,” I hear him say, as he picks my hand up and is eye-to-eye with my engagement ring. “Start talking.”

  For nearly an hour, I talk and Stefano listens. I see sadness in his face at times, and I hope it’s because of my story and not because I’m hurting him. I tell him everything, as he deserves the whole truth. I talk about Katy, my mum and dad, meeting Luke, his accident and the fact he nearly died. I explain how I thought he had passed away, about my escape to Italy, Luca kissing me at lunch and me telling him it would never be. I even see Katy raise her eyebrows at that part. Lastly, I tell him about Katy finding me, my reunion last night with Luke and of course, the proposal.

  Stefano looks totally shell-shocked when I have finished, and I am frightened I have lost him. “Why didn’t you tell me, Ella—I mean, Lizzy? You could have confided in me, you know,” Stefano says, sounding hurt.

  “I wanted to, Stef, so many times, but the fact is, I wanted to start a new life. And in order for me to survive it, I couldn’t talk about all the people I loved and missed so badly. But if it’s any consolation, meeting you made my life bearable again.” Stefano just looks at me sadly. “I don’t want to lose you, Stef; you mean a lot to me,” I say, trying to repair any damage I might have caused. I see him stand, so I stand too, thinking he’s going to walk out and away from me and I’ll at least have to try to stop him, but instead, he surprises me and pulls me into one of his infamous bear hugs.

  “So when am I going to meet this Luke guy and give you my approval?” Stefano asks smiling.

  “Well, I’m meeting him for lunch; you’re more than welcome to join us,” I say.

  “I can’t do lunch; I’ve been out most of the morning, so I need to get back to the salon. But I can meet up tonight, eh?” he asks eagerly.

  “Okay, we’re staying at The Vine Palazzo. Do you want to meet us there for dinner at about eight? The restaurant is meant to be amazing,” I suggest.

  “Very plush. Yes, I’d love to. Will I have the pleasure of dining with you too, Katy?” Stefano asks.

  Katy, who has managed to stay quiet through our whole conversation, looks to me and I nod. “Yeah, I guess you do, you lucky thing,” she says cheekily. “And Stefano, when you meet Lucas tonight—if you want to get off on the right foot with him—for your sake, don’t call him Luke. Only Lizzy gets that pleasure, I’m afraid.”

  Stefano raises his eyebrows at me. “Sounds like an interesting character.”

  “Oh, he is,” I gush, “and you’ll love him as much as I do.”

  He smiles cheekily, and I know his mind’s in the gutter somewhere so I warn him off. “Well, maybe not as much as I do, and certainly not how I do,” I joke. Stefano throws his head back laughing and hugs me, and then he turns to Katy and embraces her before he heads back to his salon. When he’s gone, I sigh a breath of relief as I look at Katy and she looks at me.

  “Wow, that was intense,” she says before she cracks up laughing.

  Our next stop is Isabella, so we head over to see her. I tell her everything, just as I told Stefano, but leaving out all the bits about Luca. Being related, I don’t think it’s fair to betray him and hurt her. I know he will be totally distraught at his own behaviour, even if he’s a little pissed at Luke.

  Isabella, although shocked, is totally accepting of everything, just as I knew she would be. But she’s absolutely devastated when I tell her I’ll probably be moving back to London, so I will no longer be able to work with her. I leave the café promising I’ll be back soon to visit. I want us to go and see Luca, but we need to meet Luke for lunch.

  After a lovely lunch with my fiancé and my best friend, Katy and I head off in search of Luca. Luke thinks we’re off to a spa, which is true after our Luca stop, but I just didn’t think it was a good idea to tell him where I was going until after the event. When I saw him at lunch, he had been extremely happy because he had already sourced me a mobile phone, so he can contact me whenever he needs, and I promised him I will answer any text or call from him no matter where I am.

  I think it will be better to go to the hotel and pack a few of my things up, and maybe I might see Luca while I’m there. Katy and I are chatting as we enter the boutique hotel; I rummage around in my bag for my room key as we wait for the lift. I don’t even like being here anymore; it just reminds me of seeing those awful pictures and how they made me feel. I’d been to rock bottom, and I really didn’t want to go back there again, and that’s how seeing those pictures made me feel.

  I hear someone call my name—well, they call Ella—and the hairs on the back of neck stand up as I know the voice. I turn slowly to face a gorgeous, although slightly battered Luca.

  I hear Katy whisper, “Oh, my God…or should I say what a god,” before falling silent. I try not to smirk at her comment as I say “Luca” in greeting to him.

  I am wracking my brains of what to say when Luca—who has just been standing in front of me looking shameful—speaks in that amazing accent of his, taking no notice of the company I’m keeping, and just stares into my eyes. “I’m sorry, Ella. I don’t know what else to say. I’m embarrassed, I’m ashamed and I’m just so sorry. Can you forgive me, please? I know now we will not be anything more than friends and I can accept that. I have to accept that because I want you in my life.”

  “Luca, of course I forgive you,” I say as I lightly touch his face, and just as I’m about to give him a small talking-to about his behaviour yesterday, he grabs my hand roughly, bringing it harshly up between our faces and looks at my rock.

  “What the hell is that?” All the softness in his tone is now gone.

  “Luca, I have forgiven you for your outburst, but I won’t forgive you a second time. So calm down, let go of my hand and we need to go somewhere more private, because now you need to hear my truths, and hopefully you’ll find a way to forgive me too.”

  He throws my hand down and we head off to a conference room; thankfully, it’s not the one from my nightmares. Luca opens the door, I walk in and Katy follows, and I flinch as the door slams behind us. Wow, that Italian temper of his sure flairs up quickly, I think to myself. Katy pulls up a chair and starts playing with her phone; I figure with Luca acting like she’s not even in the room she thinks she doesn’t need to pay much attention, and it’s not like she doesn’t know my story—she’s heard it enough over the last couple of days.

  Luca is just staring at me with his arms folded, so I guess I’ll start. I take a deep breath and begin, “L
uca, I am not Ella, or should I say, my name is not Ella. I am not Ella Castel; my name is Elizabeth Maynard, but my friends tend to call me Lizzy”.”

  Luca looks completely floored by my confession, but composes himself quickly. “Well, well, Elizabeth,” and it is not lost on me he doesn’t class me as a friend anymore, “so you—the girl who made me feel so goddamn awful about lying to you—has now shown her true colours by admitting that, in fact, you have been lying to me all this time. I assume that means you also lied to Stefano and dear, sweet Isabella, who think the absolute world of you.”

  “Yes, you’re right, Luca; I have lied, but only to protect myself, so I won’t apologise for that because the alternative doesn’t even bear thinking about. I have spoken to Isabella and Stefano, and they of course were both shocked, but they also understand my reasons I did what I did, and I count myself very lucky they have both graciously forgiven me.” I fume as I continue, “I came here hoping you would do me the same honour, but looking at the way you’re reacting already, shall I stop wasting my breath and assume I’m not forgiven before you even hear my story?” I’m incredibly angry and now he knows it.

  “What I would like to know, Elizabeth, is who the hell you’re engaged to, and please don’t tell me it’s that psycho who attacked me yesterday,” Luca spits nastily.

  “Luca, do you remember when we met on the aeroplane and you said I was the saddest person you had ever seen, and I told you the reason for my sadness was because a friend of mine passed away?” I see him nod, so I continue, “Well, you just assumed at the time it was a girl, but it wasn’t, Luca. It was him; Lucas Castle is the absolute love of my life, and I thought I had lost him forever and it almost killed me. You of all people saw first-hand how damn miserable and damaged I was, and by becoming Ella, I recovered a part of myself—not completely, but enough to survive. So no, I don’t regret what I did.