XOXO

20. Violeta

What are the fucking chances? I swear its serendipity and I’m not a stalker.

Budapest was amazing. Most of my stay there was filled with all the touristy things, and forgetting about Rendezvous. That was until Ruwon matched with me. He sent a message saying he had had a great time with me and if I wanted to meet up he would be in Greece.

Waking up alone infuriated me that he hadn’t give me a chance to say goodbye.

I didn’t hold onto that anger because I had no reason to be mad.

I had left countless people in the same way.

It also made me wonder if this was karma for leaving Levi the second time, even though Matteo had left me too.

It wasn’t a good feeling to wake up alone, and it didn't help when I saw that he had left me a necklace that I had been eyeing but didn’t end up getting.

The necklace was dainty with the letters XOXO in the middle.

It was so ironic that he would leave me with an XOXO and I couldn’t help but be happy he left me something to remember him and this entire trip by. I hadn’t taken it off since that day I left for Budapest. Now I was in Nafplion, Greece, visiting a fortress, wondering if Ruwon was here?

I might have come to Greece a little early, wondering if it was stupid to message him and ask him if he was here.

So far I was being stubborn, telling myself I didn’t need a man to enjoy Europe, but traveling solo was taking its toll on me.

I was tired of traveling, it was exhausting and I had enjoyed my days with Ruwon.

If I was being completely honest, my best days were with the three men who hadn’t left my mind.

Did they think of me too?

I still talked to Levi on occasion, his work and the deadline he had was coming up were keeping him busy.

He had been silent the last few days, making me think he either didn’t finish or he did and was dead to the world.

Matteo and I hadn’t talked to each other, which was no surprise, but his sister still talked to me every day, so I got updates on him.

Sometimes I wondered if he told her things, hoping she would pass them along.

On late nights, there were a few times I wanted to message him, but it felt weird and honestly, what the hell would I say?

Maybe it was time I went home, even though the thought of going home made me physically ill.

I pushed away my negative thoughts as I took in the fortress again. I took a few photos before sending one to my brother.

Me: Love you and miss you, but Greece is gorgeous. You should come visit me.

I didn’t expect my brother to answer me since it was five in the morning over there.

It’s a me, Mario!: I hate you, but Maya was saying we should go out there with you now that some time has passed.

Me: Do it! Come visit me because I miss you and I’m not ready to go home.

Me: How are things over there?

It’s a me, Mario!: Do you really want to know?

Me: Yes…. no

Me: Is it still bad?

It’s a me, Mario!: Dad has stopped mentioning it. Mom is still pretending you are coming back, but Lorenzo calls me drunk still looking for you.

Me: Mom… I’m not even going to think about what she thinks is going to happen.

I meant nothing to Lorenzo. Why was he still calling?

It’s a me, Mario!: Mom is mom you know that and you left him at the altar, I think he feels like it’s personal.

Me: He's so fucking full of himself.

It’s a me, Mario!: Yeah, he still thinks I know where you are, but he’s stopped the harassment.

Guilt hit me in the solar plexus and I wanted to cry. I left Mario to deal with my leaving and I should have been a big girl and just called off the wedding.

It’s a me, Mario!: Stop with the guilt. We both know ending that wedding would have been hard and they wouldn’t have cared about your feelings. Lorenzo can’t do shit but ask where you are. We are fine.

Me: I don’t think I’ll ever stop feeling guilty.

It’s a me, Mario!: Well, go visit more places. Maybe it’s time to go to Asia.

Me: I’m getting tired of traveling and being alone, but I don’t think I’m ready to go home yet.

It’s a me, Mario!: Then just live overseas so we can have a place to visit. You don’t need to come back. You work remotely anyways or at least you can.

Matteo’s words came back to me. Living with wishes is not a way to live. You want a change, then make it happen.

Me: I’ll think about it and let you know.

It’s a me, Mario!: Do that and I’ll talk to Maya about visiting.

Me: Why are you even awake?

It’s a me, Mario!: The stomach flu has reached our home.

Me: Oh fuck, I’m sorry. Go to sleep, rest, lots of water and electrolytes! I love you. Give my love to the kids and Maya.

It’s a me, Mario!: Love you too. Have fun, Peach!

I laughed at his childhood name for me, looking around at the beautiful place I was in. A man who looked like Matteo caught my eye, but when I glanced in that direction again, he was gone. My mind was officially going crazy.

I took a few more pictures before I went back inside to finish my tour.

It was a very cool place, but it was hot as hell and I desperately needed to cool off.

There was a beach close by and nothing sounded better than a dip in the ocean before I decided where to eat.

The boat ride back to the mainland took longer than it did coming to the fortress.

By the time I made it to the beach, I was hot, irritated and ready to dive into the beach with everything I had on me.

There were a lot of people and as I looked for an unoccupied umbrella, it was clear that I would not find any shade.

I was hiking my bag onto my shoulder when I heard someone yell my name.

I looked around the crowd when I saw a familiar blond who was dripping wet, waving at me.

What are the fucking odds Levi was here?

I waved back, walking towards him. I spotted Matteo, which made my steps falter.

I continued walking towards them, nervous as hell, stopping dead in my tracks when I saw that Ruwon was with them.

What the fuck was happening?!

I looked at all of them, wondering if this was some sick joke or was this some fucking coincidence.

“Hey, Vi!” Levi yelled, taking the last few steps between us, embracing me in a big hug that lifted my feet off the ground.

“Levi,” I sighed, melting into his embrace

Damn, I had missed him.

“Violeta?” Ruwon said, as Levi set me down.

“Hey, Ru,” I said, feeling my face get even hotter.

“Violeta?” Matteo scowled.

“Hi to you too, Matteo,” I snipped.

“Wait, you know Ru?” Levi asked, sounding too happy for what I was feeling.

“We met on the Amalfi Coast,” I said, tucking my hair behind my ear to have something to do.

“Oh, another Rendezvous.” Matteo narrowed his eyes.

“No,” Ruwon shook his head, looking between all of us. “The Queens invited her to have lunch with them after she was stood up. I arrived after and let's just say we didn’t have the best introduction.”

“Wait, our parents had lunch with her?” Matteo growled.

“Oh my god. Maya and Jacque are your parents?” I looked between Matteo and Levi immediately, seeing the resemblance between Maya and Matteo.

“Shit, you met my dad. That’s cool,” Levi said, as people bumped into us. “Come over, we have an umbrella.”

Levi threaded his hand through mine, leading me to their spot. Ruwon and Matteo followed us and their gaze almost burned a hole into my back. The tension behind me felt like it was brewing, activating my fight-or-flight instinct.

“This is us,” Levi said, as shoes and a bag were scattered around. “Damn, we didn’t think to bring a blanket to sit on.”

“Oh, I have one, but I don’t know if it will be big enough for all of us,” I said, digging in my bag for it.

“I’m getting a drink,” Matteo said, disappearing quickly.

It felt like the festival all over again. Damn, maybe I should leave.

“This will be big enough for us,” Levi said, grabbing the thin blanket, extending it out, arranging it so it was all under the shade.

I glanced at where Matteo had left, finding Ruwon looking at me. I smiled, hoping to break our awkwardness. He didn’t return it. There was nothing but distrust on his face.

“So, how do you guys know each other?” I asked, sitting down.

“Our parents have been friends since we were little,” Levi said, sitting next to me.

“That’s really cool,” I said, feeling so damn uncomfortable. “Your parents were so cool.”

“What are the chances you met our parents and met each of us in Europe?” Levi grinned.

He was so fucking sweet, completely unaware that Matteo and Ruwon did not want me here or trust me.

“It is very odd that you’ve met all of us, even our parents,” Ruwon said, finally sitting down.

“Holy shit; Vi is the girl you had fun with on the coast,” Levi said, his eyes growing big with realization.

Fuck, did they share shit about me? Oh, fuck. This was too much.

“Damn, Vi. You showed Ru a good time becau—”

“Levi, I don't think she wants to hear what we said about her,” Ruwon said quickly.

“Yeah, I don’t think I want notes being compared,” I laughed nervously.

“We would never,” Levi said, taken aback. “We don’t share details like that.”

“You know what? I think this is awkward,” I said, grabbing my bag.

“Damn, these assholes charged a lot for these,” Matteo said in Italian. “They better be good.”

He handed me a drink first, stopping my exit.

“I don’t know how the hell we ran into you again, but it’s feeling like stalking,” Matteo said. “Are you stalking us?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but didn’t know what the fuck to say.

“Matteo, don’t be an ass,” Levi said, shaking his head.

“I met Ru organically. We didn’t even meet on the app,” I said, quickly glancing at Ruwon who was looking like he distrusted me more and more.

Levi laughed. “It’s fate. She thought we needed one more rendezvous.”

I chuckled, “I swear I’m not stalking. Nafplion sounded great and then I was going to visit some islands before going to Athens.”

“Are you going to see VI3E?” Levi asked.

“I hope so, it’s sold out though,” I said, taking a sip of the frozen drink Matteo brought me.

“Have you messaged Woosung?” Matteo asked, his scowl nowhere to be found.

“No, not yet. I was trying to get the courage to,” I said, feeling sheepish. “I didn’t want to bother him, but I really want to see VI3E.”

“You think messaging Woosung is going to get you tickets?” Ruwon sneered. “You think he gives tickets to people who message him?”

My heart deflated hearing the disgust in his voice. It seemed we were back to square one again.

“He’s the one who gave me his social media when I met him at the festival,” I said calmly. “He told me to reach out for tickets.”

Ruwon scowled.

“Do it. He wouldn’t have given you his social, if he didn’t want you to go or reach out,” Levi said, glancing at Ruwon warily.

“Yeah,” I said, looking down at my drink before finishing it in one go. “Thanks for that. I needed it.”

I dug in my bag for my wallet, pulling out twenty euros and handing them to Matteo.

“Thanks for the drink,” I said, avoiding him trying to give it back to me. “I’m hot and need a dip.”

I took off my top, shimmying my shorts off next.

“It was great to see y’all. You can leave my stuff here after you leave,” I said, walking away, feeling shame hit me hard.

“Vi!”

I didn’t turn around as I ran to the ocean, hoping they would just leave before I went back. The moment the water hit me, I felt marginally better, but I realized I shouldn’t have just left. But they were sitting on my blanket and I loved that one so much.

My lip trembled as the waves hit me until I felt arms reach around my waist. I stiffened as I raised my hand to hit whoever had the audacity to touch me when Levi came into view, then Matteo and lastly Ruwon.

“Don’t think I’m done with you yet,” Levi whispered. “You left last time, and I wasn’t done with you, so don’t think you can run away again. Let’s say, you owe me.”

I was exhausted and Levi taking the reins sounded damn good.

“It was awkward,” I murmured.

“They’ll get over it,” he said confidently.

I didn’t think they would, but maybe Levi and I could hang out for a bit before we went our separate ways. One last rendezvous wouldn’t hurt, right?