“I’m not allowed to date.”
I pull back to look at her and frown. “Says who?”
“Everyone.”
“Can I call you?”
“I don’t have a phone.”
“What?” I screw up my face. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not allowed to have a phone.” She seems embarrassed.
I stare at her in confusion. “Are you brushing me off?”
“No.” She goes up onto her toes and kisses me. “I promise, I’m not allowed.”
I stare at her, everyone has a phone. Is she lying?
“You have to believe me.”
“Why can’t you have a phone?”
“Because I have a guard with me at all times and—” She cuts herself off with a shrug.
“All the time?” I gasp.
She nods.
“Well, how am I going to see you again if you aren’t allowed to date and you’re always guarded?” I demand, indignant.
“Maybe you can come back and visit,” she says hopefully as if a plan is taking place in her mind. “Yes. Do that. Come back over and visit my brother.” She looks toward the door. “We have to go, he’ll be suspicious.”
I clench my jaw as I search for an answer.
Well. This sucks.
I meet the most beautiful girl in the world and I have no way of contacting her.
Just my fucking luck.
“Will you still be here if I come back tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
We kiss again, it’s sweet and unexpected and man…it does things to me.
I’m a hot mess down there.
I’ve kissed a lot of girls, none have ever affected me like this.
With one last look she walks out of the bathroom and downstairs as if totally unfazed.
I stare after her with my heart nearly beating out of my chest.
Huh?
I stand on the spot and deep breathe as I try to contain myself, I pull my shirt out of my pants to cover my hardened dick.
The fuck was that?
With shaky legs I walk down the stairs and out onto the patio where they are now sitting. Everyone turns their attention to me, and my mom glances up and smiles, I fake a smile and go up onto my toes.
This is awkward.
“Are you studying?” Enrico asks me.
“I start university in the new year.”
“What are you studying?”
“Double degree, commerce and law.”
“That’s incredible,” Olivia gushes. She turns to my mother. “You must be so proud.”
“I am.” Mom smiles.
Enrico’s eyes hold mine and he tilts his chin to the sky as if annoyed.
What is this dickhead’s problem?
Francesca bites her bottom lip to hide her smile and I get the feeling that she liked my answer.
“Are you still at school, Francesca?” my mother asks her.
“Yes, hoping to study interior design when I finish,” she replies shyly.
I catch myself smiling goofily over at her and I snap my eyes away.
Keep it together, fool.
“We should get going, Giulio,” my mother says as she stands.
So soon?
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.