Chapter 11 Aurelia
Aurelia
I packed up my things in my apartment, which were mostly just my clothes and other belongings.
None of the furniture was mine, and I didn’t feel remotely sentimental about parting with it.
This had been a refuge when Enzo kicked me out of my own home and had someone replace me, so I would always be grateful for that.
It was the start of something new, when Constantine came into my life and pushed my walls down until he made his way in. But I was ready to move on.
Ready to move in with Constantine.
A part of me worried that moving in with him too quickly might ruin what we had, because from what I’d gathered, he’d never lived with a woman before.
Maybe my constant presence would be too much.
Maybe the proximity would ruin the magic.
But I trusted Constantine wouldn’t have asked unless I was truly welcome there.
I was organizing a few things in a box when I got a text message from Armand.
Hey, Aurelia. How are things?
Armand was Enzo’s best friend, so this was weird.
The more time I was around Constantine, the less of a filter I had.
I just spoke my mind and cut through the bullshit.
We’ve been broken up for six weeks, so why the fuck are you texting me now?
I liked Armand when Enzo and I were together, but once that relationship was over, so was the friendship.
A harsh reality, but that was just how it went.
I know I should have texted you before.
Yeah, probably. Peace out.
I’ve been meaning to reach out to you for a while, but it was complicated. Could we meet for a cup of coffee?
Nah.
Please, Aurelia. I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important.
I’m not your friend, Armand.
I know it seemed that way, but that’s never been the case. I’ve worried about you this entire time, and Enzo and I aren’t even friends anymore.
Whoa, that was news to me.
Come on. A cup of coffee. Please.
I should just ignore his messages, but the fact that they weren’t friends anymore did intrigue me. Fine. I’ve got an hour, but then I’ve got to get back to packing.
Packing? You’re moving again?
Yep. Moving in with my ridiculously hot boyfriend.
I met Armand at the café. I went ahead and ordered my coffee and took a seat, because like hell was I gonna wait for him. He hadn’t done anything to me, but he must have known that Enzo was sneaking around behind my back and chose to be loyal to him—which meant he was no friend of mine.
Armand arrived, and instead of ordering something inside, he immediately took the seat across from me.
I was glad he didn’t try to hug me.
I was in a T-shirt and shorts with sneakers, and sunglasses on my nose, even though the sun wasn’t directly in my face. I took a drink of my coffee, then returned it to the saucer. “Long time no see, huh?”
“Yeah.” He had the humility to look down as he released a sigh. “I knew about Luna for a couple of months before you broke up—”
“Before he left me for her—in Taormina—and kicked me out of our apartment.”
“Yeah.” At least he admitted it. “I just wanted you to know I gave him shit about it the entire time. Told him he was making the biggest mistake of his life and he should end it while he still had a chance to salvage his relationship with you. He didn’t listen, obviously.
It was like he was bewitched or something. ”
“Damn, she must have a nice pussy.”
His eyes widened at what I said.
Now I really did sound like Constantine.
“Honestly, I don’t know what he ever saw in her.”
“So you met her?”
“I stopped by the apartment to return something, and she was there . . . it was awkward.”
“Where was I?”
“At work.”
“Ugh, that’s fucking disgusting.”
“I know, I know. He and I caught up later, and he told me what was going on. And I hated him for putting me in this position. Because we all loved you, still do, and then we were wrapped up in this lie. We felt like shit.”
“But not shitty enough to tell me.”
“Yeah, I regret that.”
“Actually, I’m glad you didn’t.” Because I wouldn’t have ended up in Taormina and met Constantine. “That was where I met him.”
“The guy you’re moving in with?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s probably not my place to say, but is this just a rebound situation?”
“Nope, it’s definitely not.” I grabbed my phone. “Let me show you what this hunk of a man looks like.” When I unlocked my phone, Constantine texted me.
Is he bothering you?
My heart gave a jerk when I read that message, wondering if he was nearby or the men who tailed me day and night had informed him of my lunchtime coffee date. But I was glad he’d learned from his past mistakes and didn’t bombard me and bark at Armand until he left. No, he’s an old friend.
Constantine didn’t text me again.
I pulled up one of Constantine’s pictures and showed Armand. “Look at this man.”
Armand glanced at the screen before he looked at me again. “I mean, he’s not bad to look at.”
“Oh, come on. You know he’s a high-quality piece of man meat.” I put the phone aside. “You can be straight and still recognize it.”
“Well, I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks. When Enzo left me, I was at my lowest point. But now I realize that needed to happen for me to find where I really belong. I know I’ve given you a hard time up until this point, but there’s really no hard feelings between us.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “It’s complicated when your best friend is a cheating asshole.
If one of my friends did that, I’m not sure what I’d do either.
Feel like shit for the guy getting cheated on but afraid to destroy your friendship—and it’s a choice you shouldn’t have to make in the first place. ”
“That’s exactly how I feel about it.”
“Then why aren’t you friends anymore?”
He shrugged. “I know what he does in his personal life and in his business to an extent, but I just didn’t look at him the same after that.
I told him this was all a mistake, and he snapped at me and said some things he couldn’t take back.
I just didn’t know him anymore, so after he moved in with Luna, I kinda just dropped him. Some of the other guys did too.”
“Damn.” I actually felt a little bad for Enzo. Just a little, though. “I heard he and Luna broke up.”
“Really?” he asked, both eyebrows elevated like this was really a surprise.
I shrugged. “The girls stalk his socials. He’s been posting a lot of pictures of himself alone. And he did stop by my place a couple weeks ago and told me it was a mistake, and he was sorry about the whole thing. So yeah, I’m not surprised it ended.”
“Bet that felt good.”
“Eh, not really,” I said. “I’ve moved on.”
“This guy sounds like the real deal.”
“Oh, he is. His name is Constantine.”
Now that the conversation seemed finished, he sat there awkwardly, glancing at the street and the motorbikes that passed before he looked at me again. “I know this is kinda weird, but I’m gonna go for it anyway . . . what do you think about us being friends?”
“Really?” I couldn’t help but smile.
“Yeah. We all thought you were the coolest chick ever.”
Something about that compliment made my heart squeeze. Enzo had made me feel so unwanted for so long, and now I really knew it was his problem and not mine. That even people in his camp truly cared for me. That I wasn’t as worthless and replaceable as he made it seem.
“I honestly wondered if Enzo had a brain tumor because of how ludicrous it was.”
“I still don’t know what happened.”
“She was his superior and complained about her marriage. They had chemistry, and he just got lost in the forbidden aspect of it all, I guess. Why it wasn’t just a onetime fuckup is beyond me—not that that should have happened either.”
“Yeah.”
“We all make mistakes, I get that. I wouldn’t have judged him if that was all it was. But lying to you for, what? Months? Keeping you on the hook while also exploring this other relationship . . . it was just sickening. I kinda hate him for making me complicit in the bullshit.”
All the animosity I had was completely gone. I felt like I got a piece of myself back. “Yes, we can be friends.”
“Yeah?” he asked with a smile. “We’re all going out on Friday night. You wanna come?”
“Depends. Can I bring Constantine?”
“Of course.”
“You seeing anybody?”
“I was for a while, but it kinda just fizzled out,” he said. “Does Constantine have a sister?”
“He does and she’s beautiful, but she lives in Taormina.”
“Damn.”
“Might be for the best, because you wouldn’t want to date any of his relatives.”
“Why?”
Because he’s kinda psycho . . . sometimes. “He’s just a bit protective, is all.”
Instead of me driving my motorbike around, Constantine’s driver chauffeured me wherever I needed to go. After I finished my lunch with Armand, he took me back to my apartment, and I continued to pack up my stuff for another couple of hours.
When I was done, the driver came upstairs and loaded it into the back of the Range Rover, and then he drove me across the city, where I could meet my client for a sunset shoot.
They were family portraits, probably to be used in an annual Christmas card.
Once I was done there, the driver took me back to Constantine’s place.
It was a little strange to be driven everywhere, but it was nice not to fight traffic or squeeze my motorbike between cars or worry about parking at every stop. I just hopped out of the back seat, and the driver continued on.
He drove me behind the large gates to Constantine’s estate, and when we pulled around the fountain, the security guys opened the back and began unloading everything.
In the distance, at different spots on the property, I could see the armed guys carrying machine guns.
Every corner was guarded by a dozen of them.
There weren’t any in the house—as far as I knew—so that was a relief.