Page 41 of Faking With The Frenemy

“Did either of you ever stop to think what you were doing to me? You beat up the men I liked for years! You made them break things off with me! Do you know how my self-esteem suffered because I thought I couldn’t hold anyone’s interest? Meanwhile, you two were cornering the boys in my life and chasing them off! Do you know how crazy it sounds to say that out loud? I can’t even tell my friends about my family because I am ashamed of you!” My chest was heaving up and down. I probably should not get so agitated in my condition, but my emotions were past the point where I could stuff them down.

“Do you know how many men you drove away? How many relationships that I had to ruin even after I escaped your shadow because I had commitment issues? I even did it to Michael, who is the best thing that has ever happened to me!” I felt like I was teetering on the edge, but I had to get my point across.

“Do you have any idea what I have had to endure? No. I don’t think you do. Ever since Mom died, you and Enzo took it upon yourselves to make a prisoner out of me,” I spat, and my father looked surprised, like he did not realize what he had been doing all this time. “It is not my fault that you couldn’t get there in time before Mom was murdered, Dad! So don’t cage me like a bird because you’re afraid of your own failures!”

Father gasped, holding his chest like he had been stabbed, and my brother’s gaze became horrified. Even Michael looked like he was taken aback. I didn’t care, though, and I wasn’t done.

“So having sex without getting married is bad, is that it? Tell me, Father, why was Enzo allowed to pursue as many women as he did? Enzo was out with a new girl almost every night when we were young, and he certainly hasn’t married any of them! Did those girls all lack fathers and brothers?” Enzo looked away, having the grace to look sheepish.

“Now you barge in here like the police and beat up a man you have both known for years,” I continued. “Did either of you stop to think how I felt about him? Did you ask yourself how he made me feel? He has given me the most wholesome experience of my life! He’s given me happiness! And I love him! I love him, Dad, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Not now, not ever!”

I could feel my head ringing as I wound down. The room fell deathly still as I stopped speaking. I staggered backward, my temples pounding like a drumbeat.

“Alessia… are you okay?” I don’t know which of them asked.

I shook my head as I felt a wave of nausea wash over me. I tried to take one step forward, but it was a mistake. I felt the strength leave my legs, and everything went black.

18

Michael

Few things in the world could shock me as much as Enzo attacking me did. It was not only his attack alone, but the dangerous look on his face that terrified me the most. Just as he swung at me, I saw no trace of recognition or love, only the desire to cause pain.

In all the years I had known Enzo, we had never had a physical altercation before. We did a lot of physical activities together, and I knew how strong he was. I never saw him as a fighter, however. His punch landed cleanly with a heavy smack, throwing me off my feet. It did not hurt as much as it stunned me, and I could not fully process what was going on or why my best friend was attacking me.

He lunged at me immediately after his strike, his eyes cold and hard. As I ducked out of the way of the next blow, I remembered how worried and afraid Alessia had been about Enzo finding out about us or the baby. She kept trying to make me see that the man differed from what I had imagined.

I saw that now, and I was teetering dangerously on the edge of a painful experience. I refused to attack Enzo, though. I could not bring myself to retaliate his blows with some of mine. Not only was he my best friend, but he was also the brother of my partner. Family holidays would never be the same if I tried to settle this as violently as Enzo did.

Even though I tried to avoid Enzo's attacks, he still landed several clean strikes, each one renewing my shock. He threw attack after attack, and I hoped he would tire soon. However, the more he threw at me, the more powerful the attacks were.

I remembered the first time I saw Enzo—a gangly youth with a European accent and a timid face. The new transfer student did not have a chance of surviving high school. His ability to deal with the bullies drew me to him, never backing down from a challenge or confrontation.

It was a hard year for him, and I expected him to return to Italy during the summer break. He returned to California permanently. We became friends that year and remained friends through college and beyond, so many years and experiences.

None of that mattered right now, as he tried to separate my head from my body. I ducked under one of his blows, grabbing him by the hip. Only then did I look at the door and notice that he was not alone. His father stood quietly in the doorway, watching the brawl with angry eyes.

Standing behind him were two of the biggest men I had ever seen. As I tackled Enzo to the floor, I wondered what he hoped to accomplish by coming to my house with muscle in tow and attacking me without justification. As we tumbled over the ground, I saw the men advance into the living room toward Alessia.

“You leave her alone, damn it!” I shouted as they skirted past me and Enzo. I looked at Alessia with concern and could see the anger written all over her face. The whole time Enzo attacked me, I could hear her voice but could not make out the words.

As the men advanced on her, she edged back into the living room. She yelled something at the two men, then hurled her bowl of soup at them. They picked her up as easily as a bag of cotton, carrying her like a ragdoll to the door.

I felt a burst of anger take over when I saw how roughly they handled her. I wanted to kill the two men for touching her, so I scrambled toward Enzo, trying to get at them. Maybe I could not hurt my best friend, but I sure as hell was going to take the damage out on someone else.

Enzo, noticing my intention, pinned me to the ground to prevent me from intercepting his father’s men. I grunted and pushed against him, but he had a good grip on me, and it would be a miracle to get away without causing him pain. I was growing tired of being defensive; it was about time I gave Enzo a little taste of his own medicine.

Before I could strike him, however, I heard a shriek of pain coming from one man towing Alessia. He held his leg and stumbled to the floor while Alessia shoved the other off balance. When she shouted for all of us to stop, the command had been so resolute that all motion in the room ceased immediately.

Her entire body violently shook as she blasted her father and brother. Her face was a ripe red, and her knuckles were bone white. It hurt me to see her like this. All I wanted to do was go to her and hug her. Help her calm down. Like the rest of the men in the room, I sat still and listened to her pour her heart out.

A part of me knew that this fight was hers alone, and she needed to handle it on her own. She had a lot on her mind, and there was no way to keep avoiding it. She had to let it out now or allow it to continue to affect her life. She spoke passionately. I found out for the first time that she and Enzo had lost their mother as children.

It was weird how I had never noticed before and stranger still that they never talked about it. I had been to Enzo’s several times over the years, smoked pot with his father on his ranch, and golfed with his uncles. Yet, I had no idea that their mother had died. Alessia was right; I did not really know Enzo at all. The part I knew over so many years was just a little slice of the man he had become.

I looked at Alessia’s father as she spoke; his shame was glaring. He attempted to keep his composure, but his shoulders were drooping and he relied more on his cane for balance. Alessia continued ripping into her father and brother, her voice going so high that I imagined the entire building could hear it. And she said a lot. I did not know the story of her family, so it was surprising to me.

A strained vein emerged on her neck as she spoke, her agitation boiling to a point. I became worried and wanted this complete debacle to end. Before I could move, Alessia stumbled forward and collapsed, too quick for me to do anything but stare at her.

---