by L. M Anthony
Then she leaned forward, and I checked that thought at the mischievous smile on her face.
“So…” she drawled, and I was instantly on edge. “Are you going to bring someone home?”
I gave her an unimpressed look.
“No,” I said shortly. I’d never been one for one night stands.
“It would be awesome if you did,” Chiara continued, either not noticing or not caring about my swiftly darkening mood. “I’ve never seen you go out, and I’ve never seen you with someone either. I know you’ve had girlfriends in the past; Pietro told me about Martina when I came across a picture of her. That was a long time ago, though.”
“It was,” I said, frowning at her.
“So, you need to get back out there,” Chiara said, punching the air. “Remind the ladies that you’re available!”
Unbidden, a picture of the American woman from the airport came to mind. This irritated me. She had featured prominently in my dreams last night, telling me that I had lost my chance to get to know her. I didn’t need a dream to tell me that.
Chiara was still talking. Any appreciation I had felt was currently gone. I opened my mouth, though I wasn’t sure what I was going to say, just that it probably wouldn’t be pleasant.
“Chiara.”
Chiara and I looked around at Pietro’s voice. He was frowning sternly at Chiara.
“Don’t you have work to do?” he asked pointedly.
“Oh, right,” Chiara said, wincing. “Sorry, I’m going.”
She darted away. I watched her go and felt myself relax. I didn’t like talking about Martina, and Chiara had caught me completely off guard when she mentioned her.
“I apologize,” Pietro said, stepping further into the room. “I told Chiara the bare minimum about Martina, but maybe I should have made sure she was properly informed.”
“It’s fine,” I sighed, suddenly tired. “You couldn’t have known she would bring her up. I know she meant well, too.”
“She did,” Pietro agreed. “She, like the rest of us, would simply like to see you happy.”
Not sure how to respond to that, I turned to look in the mirror again. Normally, I went to these parties after work, so I always went in my work clothes, which was enough to scare away anyone who was brave enough to duck around my glare. I felt only vulnerable in clothes so obviously meant for a party.
“Chiara chose well,” Pietro commented, noticing me looking at myself.
“She did,” I said.
Part of me wanted to change. But, I decided not to. Not only would it upset Chiara, but it would help me blend in at the party a little more. And maybe it would even—god forbid—help me make some new friends.
“I still don’t really want to go,” I sighed.
“So I’ve heard,” Pietro said, bemused. “But, you made a promise that you must now keep. I think you will have a good time.”
“Maybe,” I said doubtfully.
“And, you never know, perhaps you will meet someone,” Pietro continued with a small smile. “One can only hope.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Things will happen if they’re meant to,” I told him.
Not that I believed they would. I’d made too many mistakes to want to get too close to someone again. Right now, all I wanted to do was work on my company and do the best I could to continue getting through life.
Anything else could wait.
Chapter Five
The moment I got to the party, I was filled with regret. The music was loud, several people were already there, and many of them already had bottles or cups of alcohol in their hands. I considered just turning around and telling Alessandro tomorrow that I did show up… even if only for a few seconds.
My plan, however, was ruined when Alessandro himself parted from the crowd and came toward me, beaming.
“Matteo!” he laughed, clapping me on the back. “You made it!”
“Yeah,” I said, wrinkling my nose as someone passed, a cigarette in hand. “I did.”
“Come on,” Alessandro said, grinning. “Don’t make that face! You’re here, and that’s what counts. Try to have some fun, yeah?”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said with a sigh. “Did you get any wine.”
“Just over there,” Alessandro said, pointing to a table covered in bottles and plastic cups. The table was right next to a large speaker. “The wines aren’t up to your standards, of course, but I did my best with my budget.”
I laughed.
“Next time, I’ll bring a bottle of my finest wine,” I promised.
“I’ll hold you to that,” Alessandro said with a wink. I heard someone call his name, and he glanced back before grinning at me. “I’ll be back.”
He darted off. Prior experience told me that I wouldn’t see him again for some time as he was passed from friend to friend. I wandered toward the table Alessandro had pointed at. I needed a drink if I wanted to get through this.
Then I stopped, shocked.
Standing at the table was a very familiar blonde woman. She was considering the wines before carefully selecting one that I recognized as a Moscato. She poured a cup as I watched and sipped at it.
What was she doing here? Not only was she apparently on holiday in Lecce, but she was also at a party that my friend had thrown. What were the chances?
Regardless, it was something I couldn’t pass up a second time. My feet carried me forward, and I was speaking before I knew it.
“Good choice,” I said, making sure to speak English in case she didn’t know any Italian.
She startled, almost dropping her drink, and swung around to look up at me. Her blue eyes were just as piercing as I remembered.
“Sorry?” she asked.
“The wine,” I said, nodding at her cup. “Moscato, yes?”
She just stared at me as though I had grown two heads.
“Sorry?” she asked again.
There was something oddly humorous about her confusion. I had assumed that she had known what wine she was choosing since she had chosen the only good bottle on the table, but I was wrong. I couldn’t help but laugh at my own foolishness, and she blushed. Thankfully, she didn’t look mad.
“The wine is a Moscato wine,” I explained. “It tastes of apple, yes?”
“Yes,” she said, peering into her cup. “How did you know?”
I smiled wryly. If I didn’t know how to tell wines at a glance, I shouldn’t be in business. I didn’t say this, however, as I gestured at the bottles behind her. “I watched you pour it. It is one of the nicest wines here tonight, among this otherwise poor selection. I assumed you knew what you were choosing.”
“Oh.” She blushed, and I watched the red spread across her cheeks, unable to tear my eyes away. “I just chose one at random. The only wine I know is Riesling.”
I was surprised. It wasn’t a common wine to know. It was nice to hear that she knew of it, and I smiled.
“A very distinctive wine,” I said.
“I appreciate the apple taste of it,” she said boldly, suddenly more confident now that she had gotten something right.
I laughed again. This woman definitely wasn’t like others. She was interesting. All of a sudden, her eyes widened and she gasped.
“You’re the coffee guy!” she almost shouted, and I blinked, surprised. “You’re the one that made me spill the coffee and then bought me a new one!”
I smiled, glad to be remembered.
“Yes, I remember you as well,” I said. It was definitely an understatement given that I couldn’t get her out of my head. “I am sorry for causing you to lose your drink.”
“It’s fine,” she assured me. “And you bought me a new one. You disappeared before I could thank you.”
“I was the one that caused the situation in the first place,” I reminded her. I looked around, wincing at the loudness of the music from the nearby speakers. “It’s a little loud; do you mind if we head over there, where it’s quieter?”
> I hoped she would agree. I was enjoying talking to her, though I would understand if she didn’t want to follow a total stranger.
“Sure,” she said with a smile. “I need to keep an eye out for my friend, though.”
“Okay,” I agreed. Suddenly, I realized that I still didn’t know this woman’s name. “What is your name?”
She flushed and laughed.
“Laura,” she said, holding out a hand to shake.
I looked at it and then shook her hand. Her palm slotted neatly into mine—like it was meant to be there.
“Matteo Ricci,” I said. “Are you on holiday from America?”
“You can tell by my accent?” she guessed, and I nodded, deciding not to tell her that I had seen her waiting for her bag from the same carousel as mine. “Yeah, for three weeks with my friend Dina, who I’m looking for now. We came from Chicago. Do you live in Lecce?”
Dina… where had I heard that name?
“Yes,” I said. “Some of the time. I do travel a lot. I went to Chicago on business just last year, though I didn’t get many chances to take in the sights.”
“That’s a shame,” Laura said, eyeing me thoughtfully. “Maybe you’ll get the chance to go again some time.”
“Perhaps,” I said with a shrug.
We reached the corner I had indicated. It was much quieter here, and there weren’t as many people. I saw Laura watching me, and I glanced at her.
She cut a stunning figure in the black dress she was wearing, which hugged her curves. On her feet were silver heels, which made her legs seem even longer. Part of me was itching to reach out and touch her to see if her skin felt as soft as it looked, but I kept my hands down. I was still a stranger to her, and I did not want to treat her like that.
I hadn’t spoken to her for long. But, already, I didn’t want the night to end. I had thought Laura was interesting yesterday at the airport. She was more so now that she was here, and I was talking to her. It helped that she was beautiful, with her long hair in a braid and light makeup on her face. My eyes were drawn to her pink lips.
“Laura!”
I pulled my eyes away from Laura at the sound of a male voice calling for her. She smiled, and then she grimaced when she saw who was approaching.
“Problem?” I asked, concerned by her quick change in attitude.
“No,” she grumbled, clearly lying.
I looked around. A tall young man with black hair and a winning smile was approaching us. Something about that smile instantly put me on edge. This man was a predator. He bobbed through the crowd until he reached us.
“Laura, you got separated,” the man said. Then he saw me and paused. “Who’s this?”
“Matteo,” I said as politely as I could, holding my hand out. “Laura and I got to talking, and she asked me to help her keep an eye out for her friend.”
“Right,” the man said, giving Matteo’s hand a quick shake. “I’m Lorenzo, I’m staying with Dina and Laura.”
I stiffened. This man was staying with Laura. The thought made unease curl in my gut, especially as I watched the way Lorenzo was leaning toward Laura, intent clear in his eyes.
I also remembered, now, where I had heard Dina’s name. Alessandro had mentioned both Lorenzo and Dina, saying that both of them were currently in town.
“Some lines got crossed,” I heard Laura explain, sounding less than pleased. “Anyway, what do you want, Lorenzo?”
At least Laura was as unhappy at Lorenzo’s presence as I was. Lorenzo looked confused by the question.
“I was looking for you,” he said, putting a hand on Laura’s arm. I wanted to grab it, but Laura shrugged him off quickly. “Dina is looking over there. Do you want to join us on the dance floor?”
I wanted to tell this man to back off. But I had no right. Laura was still a stranger to me, and we had only spoken for around five minutes. If Laura wanted to go with Lorenzo, I would have to step aside, as much as I didn’t want to.
Thankfully, it didn’t look like Laura was pleased by the idea of leaving either.
“No thanks,” she said, her voice cold. “Why don’t you go find someone else to dance with?”
I glanced at her. She sounded angry. I wondered if something had happened between the two of them.
“Is this about earlier?” Lorenzo demanded, confirming that thought.
“I don’t give a damn what you do, Lorenzo,” Laura said haughtily. “So you shouldn’t care what I do, either.”
Lorenzo glared.
“If you don’t care, why are you acting like such a bitch about it?” he sneered, his personality suddenly flipping.
Okay, that was it. I stepped between the two of them giving Lorenzo a hard look.
“Hey, I think that’s enough,” I said.
“Yeah, that’s enough, Lorenzo,” Laura continued, waving him off. “I’m fine staying right where I am, thanks. I’ll catch up with Dina later. Let her know if you see her.”
“Tell her yourself,” Lorenzo snorted. “I’m not your messenger. Have fun with this guy, he’s the life of the party.”
He stalked away, and I scowled at his retreating back. Laura looked up at me, confused, as I rolled my eyes.
“What did he mean by that?” she asked.
I chuckled.
“I don’t come to these parties to get roaring drunk the same way many of these people do,” I said, unable to completely hide my disdain. “I normally leave before things can get too rowdy.”
To my surprise, Laura laughed.
“You sound like you don’t like these parties much,” she said, grinning at me. “I don’t either. I only came because Dina dragged me out. They can be fun, but I can think of better things to do.”
Laura was dragged here by Dina, and I was dragged here by Alessandro. As two people who really didn’t want to be here, it was nice that we found each other. Still…
“Well, this one hasn’t turned out so bad,” I said.
I turned to look at her. She looked confused, and I knew she didn’t understand what I meant. She had no idea of my growing intrigue in her, nor of how beautiful I thought she was. She shifted under my gaze.
“Yeah?” she asked with a cough. “Did something good happen?”
I thought about how to answer, a little amused and trying not to show it so she didn’t think I was laughing at her. I sipped at my drink.
“Yeah, you could say that,” I said. Then I changed the subject. “Are you sure you don’t want to go after Lorenzo? Seemed like you two have history.”
A dark cloud immediately came over Laura’s face. She looked angry, upset, and a bit hurt. I felt jealous; someone who could hurt her like this was someone that she had liked.
“I only met him today,” she scoffed. That surprised me; from the way they were acting, I had thought they had known each other for longer. “He’s a giant flirt and an even bigger jerk that thinks I’m just going to fall at his feet because he’s stupidly attractive. I hate guys like him.”
Did she? She meant what she was saying, I could see it, but it also wasn’t hard to see that she felt something for Lorenzo. I wondered what Lorenzo had seen when he watched Laura and me together.
“You’ll have to put up with him for three weeks,” I pointed out.
“Not if I spend every second of it exploring Italy,” Laura said cheerfully with a grin. “Lecce is a big enough place to avoid him in.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all worked out,” I said, amused. “Maybe we’ll run into each other, and I can show you some proper wine.”
Laura glanced at him, looking thoughtful. I wondered what she thought of me. Maybe I was just coming across as a creepy stranger. I wanted to move closer to see how she would react, but I didn’t. I would give Laura her space, for now. I wasn’t interested in flings at the best of times, and Laura didn’t seem like the type of girl who would be interested in that sort of thing either.
“Sounds good,” she said finally with a nod.
I sm
iled, pleased. If Laura was interested in hanging out with me, then it meant she wasn’t opposed to my company. Laura smiled back, and I found myself thinking how beautiful the expression was as it lit up her entire face.
“Laura!”
The moment was broken by a loud call, this one female. Feeling a little irritated, I looked up. The dark-haired woman that I vaguely remembered seeing at the airport with Laura was fighting her way through the crowd, attracting attention as she called out.
“Your friend?” I asked Laura, who looked embarrassed.
“Yes,” Laura groaned, covering her face with her hands as several people glanced at her.
“Laura!”
“She sounds intent on finding you,” I said, looking around.
It seemed that Laura had a good, if interesting, friend in this Dina. I watched as the woman finally pushed through the last of the ground and straightened, waving off some complaints. She beamed when she saw Laura.
“Laura!” she exclaimed, throwing herself at Laura and wrapping her in a tight hug. “I lost you!”
“We got separated,” Laura said, and I could hear the laugh in her voice. “Lorenzo found me before, did he tell you?”
“That jerk!” Dina gasped, eyes narrowing. “I saw him seconds ago, and he didn’t say anything!”
“No doubt because Laura chased him off,” I commented, remembering the moment with amusement.
Dina glanced at me, confused. She looked me up and down, and I felt like I was under a microscope, being judged.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Dina, this is Matteo,” Laura said, stepping in. “He was helping me look for you.”
Neither of us had left the corner since we came here, so that was a bit of a stretch. From Dina’s unimpressed look, she also wasn’t convinced.
“Yeah?” she asked. She glared at me as if I was the one who had lied. “From this corner.”
Alright, damage control. I didn’t know why Dina was so suspicious, but she was probably just looking out for her friend.
“We were keeping an eye out,” I said, meeting her eyes. “There was no sense in attempting to make our way through the crowd and getting even more lost. Laura was certain you would know your way around these sorts of parties enough to eventually find her.”