Sighing, I decide to sit down and write some more. It’s my release from all the stresses and worries of my life. I wonder if Londyn would be willing to help me with some of the research. I bet that is a task she could easily handle and would actually enjoy. I think I’ll ask her tomorrow.
Just as I get comfortable at my writing desk in my study, the phone rings. I see the caller ID and cringe.
“Hello, Mother.”
“Do you have time to talk to an old lady?”
“I always have time for you.”
“Ah, I wish that were true. I talked to Nico today. He said you had dinner and plan to again next month.”
“Yes.”
“That makes me so happy.”
“I know, Mother.”
“I want to talk about Christmas.”
“It’s not even September.”
“It will be here before you know it. Your Nonna is coming up from Florida. It might be the last time she can make such a trip. I would like you to come out to the Cape this year.”
I take a deep breath. Christmas is by far the worst time of year for me and everyone knows it. I haven’t seen my grandmother in ages, though, and she is getting frail. I might as well concede and agree to the visit.
“I’ll be there.”
“Wonderful! We’ll do the feast of the seven fishes. Can you make your famous risotto di mare?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Luca,” she pauses. “Your father and I are excited to see you. We know it’s a hard time of year for you, but we’re here and we love you.”
“Thank you. I love you, too. See you soon.”
“Bye.”
I rub my hands over my face. A feeling of dread is already forming in the pit of my stomach. Knowing I have to spend Christmas in the place where it all happened causes me to feel nauseous. It was driving to the Cape that caused all of this. I just had to take her to the summer home that night. I thought it was going to be perfect. Romantic and just the two of us. I wanted to ask her the most important question of my life. Instead of placing a ring on her finger, I held her hand as her life slowly faded away. I remember sitting on the cold, ice packed road vividly. I remember Nico arriving and trying to calm me down. I remember the plan. The explanation of what happened. I remember Nico, so much younger than me, calmly telling the paramedics how the car lost control. I remember a police officer trying to get me in the ambulance. I remember them taking her away from me, prying her lifeless hand from my grip. I remember the sheet going over her face. I remember the last words she said to me. I love you, Luca.
Shaking my head, I do my best to rid my mind of the images. It’s useless, I know. I would give anything to change the events of that night. Why couldn’t it have been me? Why did such a young, vibrant girl have to die? It’s not fair. I couldn’t save her. Nico was there for me. Nico saved me. And I’ve been nothing but an asshole ever since.
“LONDYN? WHERE ARE YOU?” Madeleine’s voice calls out from the hallway.
“In here,” I reply, from my bedroom.
Madeleine walks in and jumps up on the edge of my bed. “What are you doing?”
“Getting dressed for work, of course. What are you doing?”
“Just got home.”
“You’re crazy. Where did you stay last night?”
“With Jonathon. You met him, remember?”
“I do.”
“I don’t like that you work,” Madeleine whines. “Stay home with me.”
“I can’t. Besides, I like working.”
“It seems boring.”
“Well, to you, I suppose it would be. For me, I enjoy the professor.”
“Yeah?” she asks. “In what way?”
“Well,” I say as I brush my hair out. “He treats me nicely and we have some amusing chats. The work keeps me busy, too. There are so many tasks I have, the days just fly by. Honestly, I can’t believe I’m starting my third week there today.”
“So you haven’t had any problems with his temper yet?”
“No. In fact, I’d say we get along well. My favorite thing is every morning when I come in, he’s playing music. It’s always beautiful and melancholy. I think it’s how he eases into his day.”
“Still sounds boring.”
“Not everything in life has to be exciting. Sometimes, it can just be pleasant and nice and thus far, my job is that for me.”
“If you say so. I still miss you being around every day. I barely see you.”
“I’m here every night. It’s you who isn’t.”
“True.”
“Alright, Maddie,” I say, and kiss her on the cheek. “I’m off. Go get some sleep.”
“Okay,” she says, stretching and yawning. Madeleine stands and shuffles off to her bedroom as I gather my things for the day.
Sitting on the train, I take a few moments to write in my boodle. I do really enjoy my job and find myself looking forward to seeing the professor every day. His intelligence is so sexy. Not at all nerdy and boring as I imagined he would be. I smile and put my things away as the train approaches my stop.
Walking to the office, I admire my surroundings. Every street in Cambridge is tree lined. The air is beginning to cool down as we head into the final week before classes start.
Climbing the stairs, I listen for today’s musical selection. Ah, the melody reaches me and I smile. The professor has excellent taste in music.
I enter the room quietly so as not to disrupt his reverie. He nods in my direction, clearly absorbed in the final climatic ending to the song. Taking my seat, I try not to stare, but cannot take my eyes off him. I do love the expression on his face in the morning. For just those few moments, he appears stress free and peaceful, but always just a bit sad.
As the music fades, he turns and smiles at me. I return his smile as I set up my desk.
“Good morning, Miss Harper.”
“To you as well.”
“You had a nice weekend, I hope.”
“I did. You?”
“It was fine.”
“I love that song you were playing. You have great taste in music.”
“Thank you. You are a Josh Groban fan?”
“Very much so, yes.”
“What is your favorite song by him?”
I think for a moment. “I don’t know that I could pick just one. The one that was just on, Un amore per sempre, is very nice. I also really like L’ultimo giorno and Mi mancherai. Really though, you could put on anything by him. I could listen for days and not tire of it.”
“On that topic we feel the same.” He smiles. “Your Italian pronunciation is very nice.”
“Oh, thank you. My professor was a stickler for it. He’s from Rome and really spent time making sure we had it. He adores his language and wants it to sound right.”
“Well, the Italian language is one of the most beautiful languages to me. Perhaps the most beautiful. The way the words are strung together is melodic, like a song. Correct pronunciation is important to maintain that aspect of it.”
“Agreed. You have a bit of an accent, I’ve noticed.”
“Yes. My parents spoke only Italian at home for many years and I enjoyed that part of my life so I spoke it with them. Nico was the exact opposite. He only learned to speak it when he found out women found it attractive.” He chuckles after he says this.
The professor stands, grabbing my attention and holding it hostage. As he walks to my desk, I notice that I hold my breath for a moment. My pulse quickens and I cannot ascertain if it is from fear or excitement. He causes this reaction in me.
“We are the talk of the faculty lounge, dear girl,” he says, smiling.
“How so?”
“You’ve managed nearly three weeks with me. Not an easy feat.”
“I haven’t found it difficult to work for you.”
“That’s because you are wicked smart, as they say here in Boston.”
I laugh. “I try. Were your other assistants dumb?”
“Not at all. Just incapable of managing me. You have the magic touch.”
“As long as you are pleased with my work, then I am too.”
“I am very pleased with your work. In fact, I would say I am downright hopeful that this is the beginning of a very long relationship. Though I don’t expect you will work for me forever. You have too much potential.”
“I’m honored that you say that, but I have no plans to do anything else for the foreseeable future.”
“That’s part of my responsibility here. To help you find your direction.”
“I welcome that process since I haven’t an idea.”
“We’ll see what we can do, but for now, thank you for being here. I look forward to the school year.”
“As do I. What’s on the list for today?”
“I have a pile of mail I haven’t gone through and some of it requires responses.”
“Okay, I’ll get right on it.”
“Thank you, Miss Harper.”
“You’re welcome, Professor.”
I have plenty of work to keep me busy all day. Each day gets more hectic as we approach the beginning of the term. I find that I enjoy the tasks I’m given and as time goes by, he seems to give me more and more responsibility. I hope that I am earning his trust and respect. I feel like I am.
Looking up at the clock, I realize it’s nearly five so I begin shutting down my computer and gathering my things together. I glance at the professor, who sits across from me studying a piece of paper. His brow is furrowed and every so often, he runs his fingers through his hair. I honestly could sit and watch him read like that for days.
“If there is nothing else, Professor, I’ll be on my way.”
“Yes, of course,” he says, glancing up at me. “Nice job, again.”
“Thank you. Good evening.”
“Good night.”
As I ride the train back home, I smile to myself. Things are going very well. People are even talking about it! I am so very proud that I’ve managed to make this work out. Honestly, it hasn’t been a hardship at all. I can’t say that my guard is completely down, but at least it’s not a daily battle of wills as I anticipated.
At my stop, I hop off the train and up the stairs. I’m excited to get home and tell Maddie how things are going. Rushing down the street, I bump into someone and step right out into traffic. A loud honk startles me as I feel a strong arm pulling me back to safety. I look up at the person who helped me and I am utterly shocked at who I see.
“Hello again,” he says, as I stare into honey colored eyes.
“Hello,” I stammer.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, I think so.” My hands grip tightly around his large bicep, as his other arm supports me from behind. I don’t know if I’m shaking from my near death experience or the fact that the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen has his arms around me.
“You should be careful,” he says.
“Yes. I tripped. I’m surprised to see you here.”
“Why? I live in this neighborhood.”
Holy crap. This man lives near me? “Oh. Of course.”
“You live here too?”
“Yes. Right over there.” I point to my building across the street.
“I live that way,” he points to my right. “I’ll help you across the street.”
“It’s not necessary. I can manage.”
“I insist.” His smile fills his face. “You know my name, but I never got yours.”
“Londyn.”
“Nice to meet you, Londyn.”
“You too, Nico.”
“I hope my brother hasn’t treated you terribly. He has a reputation for that.”
“He’s been quite professional.”
“Good to hear.”
We cross the street and walk the block to my flat. The entire time, which is probably no more than five minutes, my mind races that I’m standing next to him. I have no idea what to say.
“Hey, so since we live in the same neighborhood, we should catch a bite sometime,” Nico says, his words stunning me into complete silence.
I just stand there staring at him, trying to comprehend what he just said to me. Eat? With me? Why?
“Londyn?”
“Um, yeah. Sure. We could do that.”
“How about tonight? You hungry?”
My heart feels like it just shot straight up and lodged itself in my throat. I’m quite positive I just broke into a sweat. “Tonight?” I squeak.
“Sure. There’s a great place at the corner. You like sushi?”
“Yes.”
“So you’ll go?”
“I, um…”
“Ah, man,” Nico says as he runs his hands through his hair, just like his brother. “Did you have plans tonight? Rude of me not to ask.” He grins. “I don’t want to make any boyfriends angry.”
“I don’t have a boyfriend right now.”
“So you’ll go?”
I take a deep breath and convince myself this is all really happening. “Yes, I’ll go. Would you mind if I drop off my things?”
“Not at all.”
“Okay. You can come up.” Madeleine is going to shit a brick when she sees Nico. At least I’ll have proof I was really asked to dinner by someone who looks like a model.
As I unlock the door to our flat and walk in, Madeleine glances back at me from her position on the sofa briefly, then pops straight up when she sees Nico.
“Hello,” she says, her tone full of curiosity.
“Nico, this is my flat mate and best friend, Madeleine.”
She stands and brushes the crumbs from the crisps she eats off her chest. I can already tell she is turning on the charm, a natural response to an attractive man. Her pretty smile fills her face as she extends her hand.
“Pleased to meet you.”
“You two from the same place?” Nico asks, noting Madeleine’s accent.
“We are. Grew up together. I follow Londyn everywhere she goes,” Madeleine says, giggling.
“That’s cool,” he responds.
“I’ll be right back, Nico,” I say before heading into my bedroom. I splash cool water on my face and attempt to calm my rattled nerves. What am I going to talk about with someone like him? I doubt I can just sit and stare at him the entire time. I spritz myself with some perfume I never wear. At the last minute, I decide to smear my lips with the gloss Madeleine is always trying to get me to wear. The white linen skirt and yellow blouse I wore all day will have to work. It’s the best I can do on such short notice.
I walk back into the living room where Madeleine is practically dripping off of Nico. He stands awkwardly near the door, his eyes shifting around the room.
“I’m back,” I announce.
Nico smiles and his shoulders relax. Did Madeleine make him uncomfortable? The thought is amusing to me.
“Great. It was nice meeting you, Madeleine. I won’t have her out too late.” He opens the front door. “Or maybe I will,” he adds, winking.
I silently curse my cheeks for revealing my embarrassment once again. Smiling weakly, I wave goodbye to Madeleine who stares at me like I just turned green in front of her. I can only imagine the conversation we’ll have later.
“Your friend is fun,” Nico says once we get back to street level.
“Fun is a good word for her.”
“Thanks for accepting my invite.”
“Of course.” I would walk down the street in only my knickers if he asked.
We walk quietly down the street, navigating the crowds of Bostonians on their way home. It could be my imagination, but I think every woman who walks by stares at Nico then wonders how someone like me is walking next to him. I’m wondering the same thing.
At the restaurant, the hostess takes us to our table. We settle in and I order a gin and tonic to take the edge off. Not only can I not remember the last time I was on a date, I am positive it was never with anyone like Nico.
He leans his sexy bod
y over the table, resting his arms against it. “How long have you lived in Boston?”
“Five years.”
“Do you like it here?”
“Yes.” A lot more now, thank you very much.
“What is your favorite part?”
You. I mustn’t say that. “I like the city’s culture and history. I think it’s beautiful and parts of it remind me of home.”
“Why did you move here?”
“I just wanted to. My brother lives here. He works at Harvard too.”
“Is he a professor there?”
“No. Research doctor.”
Nico nods and pauses as the server drops off our drinks. “How old are you?”
His question takes be aback a bit. He’s very forward. “Twenty-five.”
“You seem younger. Just making sure you were legal,” he says, and then laughs.
I don’t know what to make of a comment like that. “Whatever that means.”
“Sorry, I hope I didn’t offend you. I’m just teasing you.”
“Okay.”
“Do you like working for my brother?”
“So far.”
“I think he likes you. He told me at dinner he thinks you could work out.”
It’s with sudden clarity that I realize Nico could be my peek into the professor’s life.
“That’s nice he said that. I’m trying very hard to live up to his high standards.”
Nico guffaws. “Yeah, that’s an understatement.”
“Do you two get along well?”
“Well enough. It’s a little strained sometimes. I remind him of…” Nico stops mid-sentence and takes a sip of his beer. “Luca’s work keeps him very busy. We don’t see each other as much as we should.”
I know he purposely didn’t finish his sentence. So the brother is going to be just as mysterious as the professor it seems.
“Why did you ask me out tonight?” I ask.
“Why not?” Nico grins and I feel myself turning to putty.
“You don’t know me.”
“Maybe I want to.”
“I don’t see why.”
“I don’t see why not.”
The server returns with our order. I allowed Nico to order since I am not picky at all when it comes to food. I gaze at the multitude of options before me. Lifting a piece of tuna sashimi to my lips, I take a bite. It’s quite good and gives me a moment to think of what to say next.
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