Chapter 7 #7
"You, Gio, and a new representative from their side, will be traveling together to Spain next week. You'll be handling all the meetings with the clients. Just for a few days."
I stare at her.
Someone is messing with me. There's no other explanation.
They scream at me to stay away from him, to not touch him, to not look at him, and now they're sending me on a cute little business trip with him?
"You're sending me to Spain. With Gio."
"Yes, and one more. A young man, very promising. He's a cousin of Gio's. I believe his name is... Lorenzo?"
I start laughing. Because this is funny. This is actually funny.
The universe keeps telling me "fuck you" right to my face with zero mercy.
"Lorenzo," I repeat, like maybe she didn't say it right the first time.
She nods happily. "Yes. I don't think you've met him yet. Very polite. Very sharp. You'll like him."
Oh, I met him, mom.
Well, no. I didn't meet him. He met me.
And not in a normal, civilized, professional way.
The only things he knows about me are:
1) I'm a horny 22-year-old in deep denial.
2) His cousin makes me feel things I'm not ready to unpack.
3) I got slapped because I like Gio.
4) And I apparently talk to strangers about it while drunk.
Yes. This is definitely a great first impression.
Very impressive. Very "future teacher of small children" vibes. He is absolutely going to look at me with side-eye our entire trip. "What's his role exactly?" I ask, trying to sound neutral.
My voice cracks halfway through. She waves it off.
"He'll explain more when he arrives. Don't worry about that now. We'll talk when everyone's here. Just smile, okay?"
Smile. Right. I nod slowly, but inside I'm screaming.
Spain.
A week.
Alone.
With Gio.
And Lorenzo.
Kill me.
Now.
God, the minutes stretch out like years.
Every second that ticks by just twists the knife deeper.
Then the door opens. And they walk in.
Gio and Lorenzo. It's almost unfair how they look. Sharp suits, sunglasses pushed up into their hair, gold watches flashing under their cuffs.
And the way they walk? It's like they own the entire country of Italy.
I can't explain it, but that's exactly the vibe: "You're welcome for our presence."
That face of theirs, and that posture... like the meeting was waiting on them personally to begin.
I swallow hard.
Okay. Maybe I'll repress my feelings tomorrow. Right now I just want to feel something good, for once. So I let myself admire him quietly as he walks, greeting people.
He comes closer, toward my side of the room.
I stand up, ready to greet him properly, but he just places his hand on my shoulder, squeezes, and then walks right past me.
Just walks past me like I'm background furniture.
I smile. My head drops. Shame crawls up my spine.
He hates me.
He's disgusted with me.
He probably laughed all night with Lorenzo about the shit I said, how pathetic I was. I want to melt through the floor. I want to cry.
"Darling," my mother says, leading me a few steps forward, "this is Lorenzo. The young man I told you about, you three will be going to Spain together."
I make myself look up. Lorenzo's smiling at me.
Like we didn't share the most humiliating night of my life a few hours ago.
He offers his hand. "Nice to officially meet you, Rava."
I shake it, because what else can I do? My palm is clammy.
"Yeah. You too."
I let a few minutes pass before I risk another glance at Gio, just to check.
Just to see if maybe, maybe he's looking at me too.
I look up. And the exact second my eyes land on him, he turns away. Heat hits my face.
Embarrassment?
Shame?
Humiliation?
Who knows.
It all feels the same right now.
I look away just as fast, pretending I was looking at the wall or the ceiling or the air. Anything but him. We sit down.
Me across from Lorenzo. Gio next to him.
I can't focus on a single word anyone's saying. All I can think about is how Gio looked right through me like I'm nothing. Like I never even existed.
That hurts worse than if he'd punched me in the face.
The meeting starts. God, it's so boring. So painfully boring I'm reconsidering every decision that led me here.
And I hate admitting this, but Gio's bullshit actually kept me awake all this time. Turns out without all that, I'm just dying in silence.
I drop my gaze across the table. Gio looks like he'd rather be in prison. He starts folding the seminar handout.
He makes a little paper boat.
A whole paper boat. In the middle of a corporate meeting.
I bite back a smile. Screw it. I pull out my phone under the table and type out a quick message.
ME:
-Did your personality die, or are you always this boring at meetings?
I hit send and watch him out of the corner of my eye. Gio's phone buzzes in his lap. He shifts, glances down.
For a second, nothing. Then he smirks, and finally lifts his eyes to meet mine across the table.
My heart kicks against my ribs.
But that's it. No reply. No snarky comeback. He just locks the screen and turns back to the presentation like I don't exist.
I sit there, stunned. Weirdly pissed.
What the hell was that?
I glance down at my notes, pretending to read them.
Maybe he's dealing with something. Who knows. He always has something going on, problems stacked on problems stacked on that stubborn spine of his.
Maybe this is just another one of those times.
1 hour later
The meeting finally ends, and everyone starts gathering their things. I pack my stuff too.
"We'll need you packed and ready to leave in two days," one of the executives says. "Spain is waiting."
Everyone agrees.
Handshakes.
Congratulations.
Fake excitement.
We're dismissed, and the three of us, me, Gio, and Lorenzo, move toward the elevators. The second the doors close, the silence hits like a brick wall. Thick. Fucking suffocating.
Exactly what I deserve.
Gio on my left. Lorenzo on my right. And me in the middle, staring at the ceiling. I want to drown myself. This is officially the most awkward moment of my entire existence.
I'm standing between the man who now knows way too much about my fantasies, and the man who happens to be the star of those fantasies.
Lucky me. I clear my throat. "So..." I start awkwardly, "what time's the flight?"
Gio doesn't even turn his head.
"Early," he says, clipped.
Lorenzo snorts a laugh, like he's loving this. "This is gonna be so much fun," he says, grinning like an asshole.
The elevator dings. Gio walks out without a word. I'm left standing there with Lorenzo, who slaps my back like we're old drinking buddies and follows him out.
I head straight for my car.
If I crash on the way home?
At this point it would feel like release.
…
We step into the house.
I sit by the door with my arms crossed. My parents move around like everything is normal.
"Can I ask something?" I mumble, staring at the floor.
"You must ask something," my dad says while taking off his jacket.
"Why do we have to go to Spain? The three of us? Why not... literally anyone else? You didn't even ask me. You just announced it."
My mom ties her hair into a ponytail.
"It wasn't exactly our decision. The company requested it. You're the three youngest members, and they thought this would be a good opportunity for you to handle something on your own."
I sigh and rub my eyes under my glasses.
"Where are we staying?"
"I booked a room at your hotel," he says. My head snaps up. "What do you mean a room?"
"It was the only one left. It's summer in Spain. Everything is full."
I stare back at the floor, because I truly do not need the image of sharing a room with Gio Fontana while trying to pretend I'm normal.
My dad steps closer. "You better behave and keep your hands to yourself. It's for your own good."
I clench my jaw. I hate when he talks like that.
"I'll behave because I decide to, not because you told me to."
"Good," he says.
"Because if anything happens and I find out that delinquent laid a hand on you again, I'll break his arms myself."
I exhale sharply.
Yeah. In no universe does telling him the truth sound like a good idea.
That I feel something for Gio.
That the thing he's terrified of... is already happening inside me. And it sucks.
Because if Gio were a girl, I could just say it.
Even if she was awful or messy or absolutely wrong for me, I could still say, "You know what? I like her."
But with Gio? I can't say anything.
Not a word. Not here. Not to them.
So I just nod and swallow everything whole. "Don't worry," I say, my voice sharper than it needs to be.
"He won't touch me."
42) Viva Espana!
Gio
The airport is a fucking zoo.
People are pushing, and it pisses me the fuck off.
Come to the damn airport at a normal time if you don't wanna sprint, Karen. It's not my fault you woke up twelve minutes before boarding.
Move.
I'm trying to have a peaceful morning meltdown over here.
Everyone's losing their minds. Everyone except him. Rava's walking ahead of me, and he's so calm it actually freaks me out a little.
He hasn't said a word to me. Nothing besides one sleepy "good morning," and now he's just gliding with his stupid suitcase.
Every three minutes exactly, he shoves his shoulder bag higher because it keeps sliding off, and every time he does it, he gets slightly angrier at the bag.
It's hysterical.
If we were alone, I'd probably say something like, "Good job, Rava, your patience is actually insane."
He'd melt. He'd pretend he wouldn't, but come on, the guy lights up like a traffic light when I praise him.
I accidentally let out a laugh.
He spins around instantly, staring at me like a confused baby deer.
Good. Let him stay confused. Let him wonder what he broke.
We reach the check-in counter. Lorenzo's already ahead of us, flirting shamelessly with the poor girl behind the desk.
She's laughing, twirling her hair. My guy is eating it up.
I slam my passport down on the counter next to him, not bothering to smile. Rava drops his next to mine.