by Gina Azzi
I let the kiss linger for a few more moments before stepping back. My hand falls to her shoulder, and I push her hair back from her face.
“Thanks for tonight. I’ll see you soon,” I tell her, trying to be casual, nonchalant, but my blood is pounding in my ears … and in other places. She’s affects me too strongly.
She squints at me for a moment, a hazy confusion clouding her eyes before she nods. “Yeah. Thank you. For tonight.”
I lean closer and kiss her once more on the mouth. “Buona notte, bellezza.” Then, I turn and leave her standing in front of the green door. I can feel her eyes trained on the center of my back.
I’ve got her.
Chapter Twenty
Mia
“You kissed him? What kind of kiss are we talking here?” Emma’s face flashes across my computer screen. Her eyes are wide and her mouth hangs open. For once in her life, I think she’s speechless. Yay me! Although, I feel slightly guilty for not telling Maura first. I really needed an excited reaction and Emma always delivers.
“I didn’t kiss him. He kissed me.”
“But you kissed him back?”
“Well, yeah.”
“And …”
“It was amazing. His lips were like fire. I’ve never been kissed like that before. It’s like he was … I don’t know, all consuming or something,” I stutter, covering my eyes with one hand to hide my embarrassment.
Emma laughs loudly. “Oh my God! I am so freaking proud of you, Mia. Hallelujah! Who thought Rome would already have such a positive impact on you? You have to tell Lila. She’s going to die.”
“No, wait. Don’t tell anyone yet. I’m not even sure what’s actually happening here. After he kissed me, he … I don’t know … he like stepped back and was like ‘I’ll see you soon.’ What does that even mean? Like ‘I’ll-see-you-again-and-we’ll-make-out’ or ‘I’ll-catch-you-the-next-time-you-come-eat-at-my-family-restaurant?’ Ah! Do you think I ruined my study spot and now I have to find a new place to have caffé lattes and read Dante?” I didn’t even think of the repercussions. What if I have to find a new place to do my homework?
“Relax. It’s fine. You definitely don’t have to find a new study spot. Just see what happens. Go to the restaurant, be your normal self, don’t act weird, and just see where everything between the two of you leads.”
“Me, normal?” I say. “I’m freaking out here.”
Emma sighs. “I know, but this is a good thing, Mia. You made out with a hot Italiano after dancing the night away with a different hot Italiano. Just embrace it and have fun. You said you wanted to do this study abroad because of how much your mom wanted you to travel, enjoy life, have experiences. So go, enjoy, make out, have fun! Don’t complicate it by overthinking and overanalyzing. You made out with a hot guy. Awesome Saturday night. Done.”
“You’re right.”
“So when will you go back to the restaurant?”
I sigh. “I should wait at least a day, right?”
“Yeah.” She nods in agreement. “At least.”
“I hate games.” I huff, momentarily miserable at the thought of having to try and figure out how to let the situation between Lorenzo and I naturally unfold. If it’s natural, I shouldn’t have to plan it.
“What? They’re the best!” Emma gushes, fixing her bangs in the camera. “Just enjoy it. You’re not going to be in Rome forever; it’s only for four months. And you’re almost one month down. Take it one day at a time.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“I know, I know, easier said than done.” Emma holds her hands up in surrender.
I laugh. “That’s exactly how I feel.”
“Embrace it.” She smiles.
“What’s new by you?”
“Nothing really. Going to brunch with my new roomies tomorrow.”
“What? You’re cheating on us!”
She chuckles. “Shh, don’t tell the other girls. It will be fun though. A nice chance for all of us to catch up on our week. I barely see my roommates with how busy I am here.”
I smile. “Knowing you, that sounds about right.” Emma is always super involved. In everything.
“Anyway, love, I’ve got to go. I’m so glad to see your sunny face and hear about how you’re killing it in Roma. Keep me posted on Lorenzo deets. And make sure you call Lila soon. She’s a smitten kitten about Cade and wants to gush about him all the time.”
I laugh. “I know, but I’m happy she’s with him. I’ll catch up with her soon. Thanks for listening. Enjoy brunch tomorrow.”
“Thanks. Love you.”
“Love you too. Ciao.”
“See ya.” Emma clicks off, her face momentarily frozen on screen before disappearing.
I sigh, falling back onto my bed and checking the time. 3:40AM. Where is Lexi? Should I wait up for her? Text her? How does this work? If it were Lila or Emma or Maura, I would call them until I knew where they were. I contemplate for a moment before deciding better safe than sorry. Rolling over onto my stomach I send her a quick message.
Me: Hey – just checking that you’re okay? Are you coming home tonight?
I feel better now that I’ve discussed Lorenzo with Emma. I know that she’s right. I just need to enjoy the experience. It was my idea to be present in the moment, not overthink everything and just live for once, but it’s so much harder than I thought it would be. Letting go of my insecurities, my routine, the discipline that keeps me focused and in control, even for a night, is difficult the next morning when I look in the mirror and see the swollen bulge of my stomach, the meaty flesh of my thighs.
Don’t think about it.
Ugh. I can’t help it. After tossing and turning for fifteen minutes, I make my way down the hall and into the bathroom. Once my system is purged, I feel much better. Lighter and cleaner, sleep calls out to me.
My last thoughts as my eyes flutter closed are that I, Mia Petrella, took shots at a club, danced with Pepe, and ended the night with a goodnight kiss from Lorenzo.
Who knew that such a short time in Italy could be this life changing?
Chapter Twenty-One
Lorenzo
The next afternoon Mama slaps the back of my head lightly with a wooden spoon when I saunter into the restaurant around 1:00PM. Shit. I overslept. And I never cleaned up the kitchen from last night with Mia. Claudia was supposed to wake me, but according to her text message, she forgot.
“Did you have a good night?” Mama asks politely, but I sense the derision in her tone. She’s pissed. I’m grateful she doesn’t mention the mess she walked into this morning.
“Sorry, Mama. I overslept.” I shrug, trying to look apologetic. But what’s the big deal? It’s not like there wasn’t any other staff coming in this morning and the restaurant didn’t open on time. Everything worked out fine. I hate when she makes things into a bigger deal than the situation warrants.
I really don’t want to piss her off either. Especially before I’ve even had an espresso.
“Lorenzo,” she sighs heavily, her hands twisting in her apron, “when are you going to understand that you have some responsibility, some accountability, to show up when you’re supposed to? I’m glad you had a fun time with your friends, but not if it interferes with your commitments. Not when it interferes with business.” Her eyes harden as she looks at me. “You’re not a child anymore. You are the man of this family. Start acting like it.” She nods at me, effectively ending our conversation, before walking out of the kitchen.
I watch the back of her frame sway as she walks out onto the patio and sits down at the corner table. At Mia’s table. She cradles her face in her open palms for a moment, and I can tell she’s trying to steady whatever emotion she’s feeling.
I lean back against the counter, thinking. It’s so unlike Mama to react like that because I’m a few hours late for a shift, or a family dinner, or anything. I get that she’s annoyed I left the kitchen a mess, but it’s still out of character for her to react so strongly. Sh
e used to just laugh off my behavior with a “boys will be boys” shrug and a wink when Papa would come down hard on me. Now, it’s like role reversal, and she’s adopted his strict demeanor and he’s laughing down at me as if to say, the joke’s on you.
I groan out loud. Ever since Papa’s passing, Mama has been stressed, overwhelmed, serious. She’s lost her laidback nature and easy smile. Instead, her eyes are bleary with exhaustion and her mouth is set in a grim, firm line. Am I missing something here? Maybe Claudia is right and something is actually wrong.
My head pounds. I need an espresso before I can give this situation any serious thought.
I’d rather think about last night and kissing Mia instead.
* * *
Mama leaves the restaurant early in the evening. On her way out, she squeezes my hand and kisses the back of my wrist. “I’ll see you at home.” She says it sternly and I understand her message loud and clear: no partying tonight.
“Si.”
She nods once and then briskly leaves the kitchen, handing out orders and reminders to Simona and the waitresses working tonight as she makes her way to the exit.
Damn. I was hoping Mia would come by today but maybe it’s best she didn’t. With Mama’s foul mood overshadowing the entire restaurant, my flirting would have been ineffective, my game completely blocked.
“How pissed was she?” Claudia asks, sidling up beside me.
“What are you doing here?”
“I felt bad that I forgot to wake you.” She shrugs an apology. “I thought I would come by and see if you needed any help?”
Wow. That’s a kind and rare gesture from Claudia. I narrow my eyes at her. “What do you want?”
She huffs. “You seriously suck. It’s like everyone has to have an ulterior motive with you. I was just trying to be helpful.” Her gaze meets mine. I’m shocked to see that her eyes are sincere.
“You’re serious?”
She nods. “I’m worried about Mama.”
Damn it. I knew something was up. “Why?”
Claudia’s eyes widen and darken. “Why?” she retorts. “Are you blind? She’s acting completely different. She’s so serious and frustrated and stressed about everything. And I mean everything. When I asked her about Zio Benito, she played dumb, as if she didn’t know what I was talking about. But I know what I heard. Then yesterday she broke down in tears over a broken vase. I mean, really, when has Mama ever cried over anything material that can obviously be replaced? I was like ‘just order a new one.’”
“Maybe she’s still grieving?”
“No.” My sister shakes her head. “It’s something else.”
And as much as I hate to admit it, I know she’s right.
But what is it?
“A table of ten just sat down on the patio,” Simona calls out, walking into the kitchen and picking up a stack of rolled silverware.
Claudia sighs, tying an apron around her waist. “I got it.”
“Thanks,” I tell her.
She smiles at me. “Don’t worry, Enzo. We’ll figure out what’s going on with Mama.” She pats my hand as she brushes past me and out of the kitchen.
I frown to myself. I really hope so.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Mia
I squeeze my eyes shut tight against the sunlight streaming into my room. Damn it. I forgot to close the shutters last night before I fell asleep. I groan to myself, opening my eyes slowly, prepared for the blazing headache that will throb behind my eyes and dull the rest of my senses. After a few blinks, I’m surprised to note that I feel fine. Not awesome. But definitely not nursing the hangover I was imagining. Score!
“Ugh, it’s about time you woke up.” Lexi’s voice causes me to jump in bed. She’s sitting at my desk chair, flipping through a magazine.
“What are you doing?”
“Waiting for you to wake up so we can eat breakfast and discuss everything that happened last night.” She snaps her magazine shut and angles her body toward me. “I want to know everything. Plus, I’m starving.”
“I texted you last night.” I hold my phone up at her.
“I know. I answered,” she replies.
I check my phone and note that she did answer. At seven this morning. “Really? 7:00AM?”
She shrugs. “I was busy … if you know what I mean.” She swivels her hips suggestively.
“Ew, stop. I’m getting up.”
“Finally!” Lexi claps her hands together loudly. The sound is jarring, and I’m grateful my headache is a dull throb and not a relentless pounding. “Be ready in fifteen,” she orders, leaving my room.
I sink back against the pillows and sigh. And then I smile.
This is so much more fun than I ever anticipated!
* * *
Lexi and I do some window-shopping on Via del Corso as we stroll down the street. We grabbed a quick breakfast at a café in Palazzo del Popolo, and now we are walking back home. Lexi is eating a gelato and moaning after each bite.
“You really should have got some,” she says for the third time, panna doting the end of her nose. “This is amazing.”
“So you keep saying.” I shake my head. “I really am hungover.”
She nods in understanding. “I can’t believe you ended up leaving with Lorenzo. I knew he liked you!”
“Yeah, I didn’t see that coming.” Even though I hoped it would.
“But it’s what you wanted, right?”
I nod. “Yeah.” I look up at her and smile. “It’s definitely what I wanted.”
Lexi squeals and grabs my arm. “Amazing! Oh, let’s go in here. I want to try on that dress.” She stops outside Zara to point to a mannequin wearing a short navy dress with an embellished collar. “We should both buy new outfits today.” Lexi decides.
I’m about to shake my head no, but really, why the hell not?
“Let’s do it.” I agree, letting her pull me into the store.
* * *
When Professoressa Giuliana dismisses class on Wednesday, I’m surprised that Pete still hasn’t appeared. Is he sick? He was in class earlier this week, and we agreed to finally discuss our project today and then meet after our next class to begin working on actual concepts and ideas. I debate texting him to check in. But that’s too nerdy right? I mean, he’s my classmate not my BFF, and it’s not like our project is due tomorrow. We have weeks, months before we have to submit it.
On the way out of class, I turn in my reflection assignment. Oh wow, Pete is missing the deadline for the reflection! I stop at the end of the hallway and dig through my backpack to make sure I have all the books and materials I need for the next assignment.
“Mia! Wait up!” Pete calls outs suddenly, startling me. He playfully bumps his shoulder against mine when he catches up to me.
“Hey! You weren’t in class today, everything okay?”
Pete nods, his hazel eyes flashing mischievously. “I overslept.”
I laugh. Well, that’s a relief. Although incredibly irresponsible. Oh my God, stop judging him. “You didn’t miss much.”
“I figured. I just popped by to turn in the assignment and tell Professoressa that I wasn’t feeling well this morning.”
“What did she say?”
“She laughed and said next time I shouldn’t drink so many Peronis during a football match.” He dips his broad shoulders, the soft fabric of his Polo shirt pulling against his biceps. He smirks sheepishly, embarrassed that our professor called him out on his hangover.
I laugh, swatting his arm. Jeez, even his forearms are all muscle. “Busted.”
“Unfortunately.” He fake grimaces. “Hey, now that I’m here and finally awake, want to work on our partner project?”
“Now? I thought we were going to meet after next class.”
“Yeah. I mean, we could wait if you have plans today. Or we could go grab a coffee and start brainstorming topics. Get an idea for what we want to cover. I know I’ve been a bit MIA. I don’t want you to think I’m
not taking this seriously.” Pete’s eyes meet mine, serious, studious, genuine. Not bloodshot or rimmed in red that speaks of the typical hangovers Lila and Emma sport after a night at the frat houses.
Then again, when has anyone—other than myself of course—ever harped on a group project like the world is going to end if everything isn’t completed months in advance? I almost jump giddily but refrain when I realize how pathetic that would make me. Reining in my enthusiasm, I settle for a smile.
“Sure. I know a great spot.”
“Lead on.” Pete holds open the door to the main entrance and gently places his hand on my lower back, guiding me into the sunshine.
“Do you have any travel plans for the next few weekends?” I ask him as we walk to Angelina’s. “A lot of people in class seem to be traveling every weekend. I guess that’s why our courses aren’t offered on Fridays.” It’s pretty amazing having a three-day weekend. Every weekend. It’s so completely different than the hectic schedule I was always trying to juggle at McShain.
“Not for another two weeks.” Pete groans, running a hand through his sandy hair. “But then I’m definitely going to Germany and Austria. You?”
I shake my head. “I haven’t really thought about it yet. I’ve just been enjoying Rome. I like feeling like I belong here.”
“Yeah. I know what you mean. Like if we travel every weekend, we’re not really living the experience here.”
“Exactly.” We turn the corner and I point to the restaurant. “This is it.”
“Cool.”
When Pete and I sit down at my usual corner table, I feel Lorenzo’s gaze on the back of my neck. I don’t turn my head. I don’t want him to think I’m bringing another guy here to make him jealous. Because I’m not, right? I mean, isn’t not like Lorenzo and I are a “thing.” We’re not. It was just one kiss, after a long night of drinking. It’s not like I mean anything to him. I don’t. But still, the heaviness of his gaze causes butterflies deep in my stomach and a thrill runs up my spine.