I drank more water, filled a glass, and took it to bed with me despite the fact that it was only seven p.m. I flopped onto my bed and sighed with frustration. The fire licked up inside my ribcage. My limbs had an unexplained energy, like they needed to move. I tried to ignore the feeling. I closed my eyes, and waited for sleep.
My phone vibrated. I rolled over to check it. It was a text from Dante—the first one since the night of the Festival.
Ciao Bella
I smiled, and wrote back. Ciao Bello.
Dante: Fed tells me you're sick?
Me: Just a bit of fever and a cough, is all.
Dante: Poor baby.?? Maybe I can come by? Cheer you up?
I chewed my lip. I didn't know Dante that well, so I didn't feel comfortable having him at the house. But maybe it was time to stop playing hermit. I needed to get outside. Enough moping. It would be nice to think about something else for a change. Or someone else, rather. I smiled in remembrance of the dance party on the beach, Dante's hands pulling me close.
Me: I'm feeling better. Just a little cooped up. How about we go for a drink? I'd love something cold.
Dante: Beautiful. Where?
I thought again. I didn't want to go far, in case I felt bad and had to come home. There was a juice and smoothie bar not far from the Besaggio's villa.
Me: Puro?
Dante: I know it. Love that place. Can you go now?
Me: Half hour?
Dante: Perfetto. Look forward to see you.
I changed out of the jogging shorts and t-shirt I was wearing and into a white sleeveless blouse with a lace inset at the neck, shorts, and a pair of sandals. I left the house early so I could walk slowly. The evening was warm and the sun had only recently gone down, leaving the sky pink. A light breeze cooled my damp scalp.
Dante was sitting on the edge of a stone fountain not far from Puro, texting. He looked up and gave me a heart-stopping grin. I couldn't help but smile back. I wondered if he'd be able to tell there was something different about me. My stomach gave a nervous flutter.
Dante tucked his phone away and got up. He took both my hands and kissed each of my cheeks tenderly, his tilted brown eyes devouring my face.
"You most definitely do not look sick." He took my chin gently between his fingers.
"Thank you," I rasped.
"Whoa." His smile faded. "You look beautiful, but you sound rough. Poor thing." He made a sound of empathy and put an arm around my shoulders and squeezed. "Let me buy you a juice?"
I nodded, melting at his tenderness. I chose peach and strawberry juice and they topped the concoction with mint leaves. Dante ordered an orange juice and we took our drinks back to the fountain to sit down.
"You didn't text me," Dante said, looking impressed. "All girls text me relentlessly after meeting me."
"Wow, you're not cocky at all, are you." I canted my head. "I guess I'm not all girls." In truth, I probably would have texted him if my life hadn't been thrown into turmoil. But I wasn't about to tell him that.
"It's clear you're not." He nudged my shoulder with his and took a sip of his orange juice.
"So, everybody survived the Festa? All of your friends?"
He nodded, smiling. "But most of those guys aren't really friends."
"They aren't?" I was surprised. They'd seemed pretty chummy to me. Why else would they be hanging out on a boat together during a holiday?
"Most of them are... potential employees, let’s say. What is the word in English? Recruits? Is that right?"
"You party with potential employees? What kind of work are they applying for? Who can drink the most and not drown?"
He laughed, his almond eyes crinkling. "I like to see what people are like in real life. When they're relaxed and off the clock, you know."
"What is that you do, exactly?"
"I have interests in a few businesses in Venezia, mostly in tourism, but some in private security." He got a faraway look in his eyes. "I'd really like to take over my father's business one day. If I can ever get him to see my worth." He muttered this last almost under his breath. I was about to ask him to expand when he snapped back to focus. He pulled a knee up and turned to face me, leaning in closer. "But I don't want to talk about them, I want to talk about you. What's your story?"
I took a sip of my juice, nervous under his scrutiny. "I'm pretty boring. Just a small-town Canadian kid looking for adventure in beautiful Italy."
"Tell me about your family." Dante finished his juice and set the cup down. "Sisters or brothers? Only child? Parents together?" He brushed my hair back over my shoulder, his fingertips grazing my neck. "Boyfriend?"
I shivered and the fire inside me flickered. Chemistry crackled between us, the kind that Georjayna and I were always going on about.
"Two brothers, garden-variety parents." I turned to face him, my voice fading to a smoky whisper. "No boyfriend."
"Hmmmm." He made a noise deep in his throat. "Are you taking applicants for the job?"
I bit my straw between my teeth, smiling at him over my cup. I took a sip and then said, "I might be. Must be fiercely intelligent, devastatingly funny, and kind to baby animals. Italian heritage will be considered a plus."
He smiled and leaned closer. "I passed kindergarten and had a pet turtle once, does that count?"
I gave a dry laugh, air whistling through my throat. His eyes crinkled at me. His lips were heading for mine. I had the sudden and ridiculous thought that Elda and Pietro were somewhere nearby, watching.
"I'll just pop these in the trash." I grabbed his cup and dodged his kiss at the same time.
He hung his head comically and I laughed again. I finally felt good for the first time since Isaia gave me the fire. Flirting with Dante made me feel like a normal teenage girl again. I batted my eyes at him over my shoulder and let my hips sway as I walked to the recycling bins.
He groaned and yelled, "You're killing me."
I laughed, feeling his eyes on me.
Two men stood near the bins, smoking cigarettes. One of them jerked his chin toward me. The other turned to look. They both blew two jets of smoke out of their nostrils at the exact same time. An image of two bulls getting ready to charge rose unbidden to my mind and my mouth twitched with humour. One of them said something to me in Italian. I didn't understand what he said, but the suggestive look on his face gave me some idea of his meaning. Down, boys.
Dante's voice behind me made me jump. How had he gotten here so fast? He put an arm around my waist while he spoke to them, his voice soft but with an edge.
They exchanged more words, ratcheting the conversation into unfriendly. One of the guys flicked his cigarette at Dante's feet. I stepped back instinctively, but Dante didn't move. His arm tightened around me, holding me still. My head began to throb as the heat of the fire inside me intensified. My eyes felt dry and gummy. We had been having such a nice time. Why did they have to ruin our evening?
A tense moment of silence passed before Dante spoke again. The two men shared a look, their eyes wide. They uttered what were most certainly apologies and turned to walk away.
"What did you say?" I watched the two slink away. The taller one threw a resentful look over his shoulder.
"It's nothing you need to worry about." He kissed my temple and squeezed my waist.
"No, really. I'd like to know."
"Sometimes I need to make my ...dominio a little more clearly," he said as we began to walk.
"Dominio?" I echoed, my eyes narrowed as I tried to make sense of his sentence. I put my fingers to my temples. The headache was getting worse. My eyes were growing hot. I had a flutter of panic. What if my eyes did the glowing thing?
"Baby, are you okay?" Dante stopped and stood in front of me. He took my face tenderly in his hands.
"I think I should go home," I said, closing my eyes.
"Still not feeling good, huh? Okay, I'll walk you."
"It's okay. Thank you, but really, I'm fine."
"Don't be stubborn, I'll take you."
"No, no. I insist. I'm alright. I'll just go straight home to bed, anyway. There's no need and it's not far." I said this firmly. I needed to be alone.
He didn't answer at first. "Okay, have it your way, bella," he said finally. He kissed my cheeks. "Text me when you get home, okay?"