9. Mila
Mila
Dear Diary,
There’s a saying that if you pray for something hard enough, you will get it.
Or, as Nonno says, everything you wish for can come true, so only wish for something you know you want.
I think it’s a saying from his village, somewhere on the Amalfi Coast in Italy.
Nonno said he will take Nonna and me once I graduate from college.
I asked him if Parker would come as well, not because I want Parker to come, but because I want him to bring Ryker.
Nonno laughed. Then I went to my bedroom to say a prayer that Ryker would get to come.
I think it would be romantic if we fell in love in the same country where my grandparents did.
It would mean that we were fated to be together and that our relationship would be as perfect as my grandparents’.
Lara thinks that’s a big wish and prayer, but I figure it can’t hurt to try.
I’m also praying to stop world hunger and for peace among men, so I’m not being desperately selfish.
I’ll say another prayer tonight. I’d love to tell my grandchildren the story of how Ryker and I fell in love in Positano. I can already picture it.
Mila
XOXO
“Lunch is ready.” Parker walked out to the yard and stared at me with Troy for a few seconds without blinking. “Will you go and get Lara, please, Mila?”
“No, why don’t you go?” I said with a frown. Wasn’t Parker going to even ask me who the guy with his arms around me was?
“Fine,” he said gruffly, then he looked at me and frowned. “Who’s your friend?”
“This is Mila’s boyfriend, Troy,” Ryker said, responding for me. “He arrived in his Mercedes first thing this morning.”
“Yeah, it’s a cool car,” Troy said and grinned at him. “Much cooler than my Nissan.”
“I guess that’s why you traded it in, huh?” Ryker asked with his eyebrow raised.
“Traded it…?” Troy paused and then grinned. “Yeah, yeah, that’s why.” He looked at me and took my hand. “Wanna go catch up in the bedroom for a few seconds?”
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Ryker said with a frown. “So, you like sports cars, Troy?”
“Yeah. I used to drag race in high school. My buddy Pete souped up an old Honda CR-V, and we used to take it to the track every Friday.”
“I like car racing as well.” Ryker nodded. “I like to take out my dad’s Ferrari and race it.”
“Wow, a Ferrari.” Troy’s jaw dropped. “That’s dope.”
“Yeah. I drove a Spyder a couple of months ago.” He grinned.
“That’s cool,” Troy said. “I think I’m going to get a Honda Cbr and get into some street-bike racing.”
“Yeah, I do that too,” Ryker said. “Though my bike’s in the shop. I had a little accident a couple of months ago.”
“I didn’t know that,” I said sharply. “You were in a motorcycle accident?”
“Yeah, no biggie.” Ryker shrugged. “Just fractured my wrist.”
“You fractured your wrist?” I frowned and looked at his arm. “How did that happen?”
“A truck pulled into my lane, and he didn’t check his blind spot,” Ryker said nonchalantly. “It happens. It’s the risk you take every time you drive.”
“Yeah, but you don’t almost die in a car every day, like you do on a bike.”
“Bikes are safe,” Ryker said, his lips thinning.
“No, they aren’t,” I said stiffly, my heart thudding as my face heated up.
I couldn’t believe Ryker had been in an accident, and I didn’t even know.
No one had told me—not him, and not even Parker.
Did I matter that little? But why would they tell you, Mila?
A voice in my head whispered. What possible reason would you have to know about what’s going on in Ryker’s life?
It’s not like you’re his wife or girlfriend.
And, sadly, that was true. I was barely his friend.
“Mila, darling, did you miss me?” Troy asked, looking at me adoringly.
I wanted to ask him what the fuck was going on, but I figured he was some actor that Lara had hired to help me make Ryker jealous.
I kinda wish I’d made up the fake boyfriend for her now.
She could have hired someone to try to make Parker jealous.
In fact, I was going to tell her that very fact as soon as I got her in a private room.
How could she do this to me and not tell me? Ugh! I was so annoyed.
“Of course, my dear,” I said to Troy, looking into his sky-blue eyes and trying to smile. Parker and Ryker were looking at me, and I knew they were trying to figure out what was going on.
“I’ve been thinking about you all day and night, hoping that I could see you and kiss you all over,” Troy said.
Parker’s eyes narrowed as he looked over at me. Oh boy, Troy was really laying it on strong, and I knew that it was way too strong when I saw Parker at our side.
“So tell me again—who are you, exactly?” he said, looking at Troy properly for the first time.
“I’m Troy, Mila’s boyfriend,” Troy said confidently, his perfect white teeth looking up at Parker as if he expected that answer to be the solution to any problems that might come up. “Who are you?” Troy’s smile faltered as he realized that Parker was now glaring at him.
“I’m Mila’s big brother,” he said and squared his shoulders. “Her very protective, older, big brother.”
“Oh, hi,” Troy said, looking at me for help. I nearly started laughing at the absurdity of the situation. Troy, who I’d never seen until ten minutes ago, was looking for me to help him with my brother.
“How long have you been dating Mila?”
“Um, it feels like I’ve known her all my life,” Troy said with a beguiling smile that turned to despair as Parker didn’t smile back.
“It’s been a while,” he said weakly, and he reached for my hand.
I sidestepped him and stuffed my hand in my pocket.
I looked over at Ryker, who was watching everything with an eagle eye and a small smirk on his lips. Jackass!
“Hey, hey.” Barbie sauntered outside. “What are you two up to?” Barbie looked at Parker and then Ryker, and gave what I’m sure she considered a sweet, sexy smile. “I thought we were going to eat?” She touched Parker on the shoulder and batted her eyelashes. “I was waiting.”
“Yeah, we are,” Parker said, his eyes lighting up as he looked at her. My heart pounded as I wondered what was going on, but then Barbie walked over to Ryker and slapped him on the ass.
“And you, big boy, you need to eat,” she said and licked her lips, like some hungry cat that had just seen a bowl of milk and hadn’t had anything to drink in days.
“We’re coming,” Ryker said, and I couldn’t tell if he sounded apathetic or angry.
I’m sure he couldn’t be happy at the fact that Barbie was now flirting with Parker as well.
Unless they were sharing her. Ugh, I was sick even thinking about that.
Was Lara right? Did Parker and Ryker really share women? That was just gross!
“Parker, go and get Lara,” Ryker said, and my brother looked over at him, sighed, and then headed out to the lake to get Lara. I heard Troy let out a deep sigh of relief as Parker walked away, then he turned to me and whispered, “What’s the plan for tonight?”
“What?” I asked, my voice louder than I would have hoped.
“Who are you?” Barbie turned to Troy, looking pleasantly surprised to see another good-looking man in the mix.
Maybe she was hoping for a foursome? Ho!
I immediately felt guilty about my thoughts and tried to tell myself that she was a perfectly nice girl and that I was just jealous because she had arrived with Ryker.
However, I knew that what I was feeling stemmed from more than just jealousy.
And while I didn’t like women to call other women hoes because I felt the term was offensive, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking that about her.
“Hi, I’m Troy. Who are you?” Troy said, his eyes widening in that way that guy’s eyes always did when they saw a hot chick and got super excited as if they thought they had a chance with her.
I glared at him for being so eager, and I knew it was irrational to be pissed because I didn’t know him or really care to.
“Barbie.”
“Perfect name for someone like you.”
“Oh?” she asked, looking up at him with a questioning look. I grinned as I thought that perhaps Troy was on my side. Maybe he could see Barbie for what she really was, even if Ryker and Parker were both blinded to her true self.
“You’re as gorgeous as a doll,” he said, practically salivating as he spoke. “And what doll is prettier than Barbie?”
“True.” She giggled and pushed her breasts out. “I think I’m going to like you, Troy.” She grabbed his arm. “Come inside with me and let me get you a drink.”
“Okay,” he said eagerly, and then paused and looked at me. “Is that okay? We can talk about tonight later.”
“Uh-huh,” I said, feeling pissed. Even my fake boyfriend was leaving me for Barbie.
I looked over at Ryker to see if he was laughing at me, but his eyes were focused on Barbie, and he looked annoyed.
And that hurt me even more. At least he could have given me a look of compassion.
Here I was, standing like some loser, while my “boyfriend” left me alone.
“See you in a second, my love,” Troy called back to me as he walked into the house, his mind obviously off of me.
“So, I guess Troy is real.” Ryker walked closer to me, and his eyes searched mine. “I owe you an apology.”
“Yeah, you do,” I said, and I was proud of myself for not technically lying. I didn’t confirm that Troy was real, and Ryker owed me an apology for many different things, so my saying he owed me an apology wasn’t really lying.
“So, you find him attractive?” Ryker’s eyes narrowed.
“What do you think?” I shook my head at him. “That’s a stupid question.”
“Why is it stupid?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Why would I date someone I wasn’t attracted to?” I bit down on my lower lip. Okay, I was definitely furthering the lie now. There was no technical glitch that would get me out of this lie. I was basically confirming that Troy and I were dating. Ugh, I was going to kill Lara.