My eyes flick back to Francesca, but…I don’t want to go yet. I want to get down and dirty with Francesca on the bathroom floor.
I can still taste her on my lips.
Enrico stands. “Yes, okay, I have to go into the village and pick up a few things now anyway.”
We all walk out onto the front porch and Olivia bends and kisses my cheek and then my mother’s. “It was so lovely to meet you both.”
I like her, she’s nice.
Enrico glares at me and then shakes my hand. “Goodbye.” He turns his attention to my mother. “Goodbye.”
So dismissive, that was an I’m never seeing you again kind of goodbye.
This guy is fucking weird.
My eyes find Francesca’s and she smiles softly over at me, as I stand in her light, time stands still and I swear I can hear the angels singing.
She’s breathtaking and not just in looks. She has this aura around her.
“Goodbye,” she murmurs.
My heart hammers in my chest. “Goodbye.”
We stare at each other and damn it, why is she his sister?
With a last wave she turns and heads back inside and I get into the car, Lorenzo gets behind the wheel and we drive away as I peer through the rear window.
The guards are all standing around as if it’s a prison, perhaps it is.
As the house disappears into the distance, I feel my elation deflate.
How the hell do I contact her?
She doesn’t have a phone and she isn’t allowed to date.
I glance over to my mom and she smiles awkwardly. “They seem nice.”
“The girls were,” I reply.
Lorenzo’s eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror and he gives me a stifled smile. “Enrico Ferrara is an acquired taste, you’ll warm up to each other in time,” he says casually.
My gaze drifts back out the window. “I seriously doubt that.”
Ten minutes later we arrive home and I trudge upstairs to my bedroom and flop onto my bed in disgust. I remember Francesca and the way she kissed me and I smile up at the ceiling.
So hot.
My mind is wandering to places it shouldn’t, of stealing kisses, forbidden meetings and rolling around under blankets. And if I’m completely honest, I’d be happy with a simple conversation.
But how do you contact someone who doesn’t have a phone?
I sit up with urgency, yes that’s it. I go to my drawers and look through, where is it? Rummaging through, I keep looking, I open another drawer and another. I know I have an old phone here somewhere, but where did I put it?
I wouldn’t have thrown it out, I always keep them for a backup in case. I go to my wardrobe and, standing on a chair, I pull a box down from the top shelf. There are cords and old electrical bits and pieces and I smile as I see the target in the bottom of the box.
Bingo, a phone.
I dig the cord out and quickly roll it up and stuff both into my pocket, I grab my keys from my side table and I run down the stairs two at a time. “Mom, I have to go out and get something quickly,” I call as I head for the front door.
“Are your friends here already?” she calls back.
Oh shit, I forgot they were picking me up. “Tell them I’ll be five minutes if they turn up, I’ll be back before they get here anyway.”
“Oh, okay. What’s so urgent?”
“I forgot to get some drinks for tonight,” I lie.
I run out to my car and plug the phone into my car charger, and I speed down the street and pull up at the shops and run in.
“Hello, can I help you?”
“I would like to buy a new sim card and some credit for this phone please.”
She types into her cash register. “How much credit do you want?”
All of it.
“Umm, fifty euros please.” I glance at my watch, shit, my friends will be at my house right about now.
After some more typing on her computer, she hands over a card. “This is your sim card here.” She points to a number. “This is the new phone number.” She prints out a receipt. “And here is your credit, the number you type in is right here.” She points to another code on the receipt.
“Okay, thanks.” I pay her and run back to my car and then carefully put the new sim card into the phone and type in the credit and save the number into my phone.
Right. Ready to go.
Now to get it to Francesca…hmm, how the hell do I do that? Enrico said he was going into town, let’s just hope that’s true. I drive back to the house and park out on the street, I sit in my car for a moment as I stare through the large metal gates at all the security guards standing around.
This could go bad, real fucking bad.
With a deep steeling breath, I get out of my car and walk up to the gates.
“Hello,” the guard says.
“Hi, I was just here and I left my phone inside the house,” I lie.
The guard looks to his colleague and the second man nods. “Yes. This is Giuliano. Let him in.”
The man opens the gates. “My apologies, Mr. Linden.”
“That’s okay.” How do they all know my name?
Stay calm.
I walk up the long driveway and past at least fifteen men and up to the front door, I knock as my heart hammers in my chest.
The door opens and I come face-to-face with Olivia. “Giuliano.” She smiles in surprise.
“Sorry to bother you.”
“Enrico isn’t here, he’s gone into town.”
“That’s okay, I think I left my phone here.”
“Oh.” She stands back, granting me access. “Come in.” She looks up the stairs. “Francesca,” she calls.
Francesca comes to the top of the stairs and her face falls as she sees me.
I stare up at her in awe, seriously, this girl is ridiculously hot.
“Giuliano left his phone here; did you see it?” Olivia asks.
Francesca’s eyes widen. “Umm.”
“I think I left it on the table upstairs,” I say.
Francesca opens her mouth to say something, but no words come out.
She can’t lie…oh, I like that about her.
“Help him look, will you?” Olivia asks.
“Yes, of course,” Francesca mumbles.
I take the stairs two at a time and Francesca turns and follows me up the hall. “What are you doing?” she whispers.
I dig the phone and charger out of my pocket and hold it out to her.
She stares at it in my hand. “What’s this?”
“It’s a phone.”
Her eyes widen.