Page 17 of Faking With The Frenemy

An elderly couple approached us, and Alessia got up to greet them warmly. I watched as they had a pleasant conversation in rapid Italian. I occasionally saw the man gesturing to me and could tell they were talking about me. Again, it was hard not to feel like a pure breed stallion paraded like a prized possession before a group of people.

The room grew hot suddenly. I felt the pressing urge to get away and go for some air. I got up suddenly, startling Alessia and her relatives. “I’m sorry. I need to get some air.” I made my way through the press of bodies, the suffocation worsening.

I pushed out into the cool night air and took a deep breath. I inhaled slow, steadying breaths, and the dizziness disappeared. Music and voices still floated softly from the hall, interjecting the dark night. All I wanted to do was find my bed and end this nightmare of a day.

I leaned on a stone railing, surveying the fields that surrounded the mansion. The smell of grapes and citrus was stronger at night, and their sweet smell filled my nose. I loved how the wind felt on my skin, the air smelling clean.

I closed my eyes, allowing my mind to drift into the night along with the music, voices, and wind. The last thing I wanted was to return to the hall and continue my charade with Alessia. Footsteps scraped against the stone floor behind me, forcing me out of my reverie.

I opened my eyes and glanced over to see who interrupted me. Enzo was leaning with his back to the stone railing, wearing a silly grin. He pulled a familiar metal case from his right breast pocket and retrieved a cigarette. He held it to me, offering me one in his usual way — even though he knew I did not smoke. I turned it down with a wave of my hand, leaning on my elbows.

Enzo brought out a silver lighter from his pocket and lit the cigarette. The white smoke he puffed out floated in the air, rising slowly into the sky. We stood together in silence. Enzo enjoying his smoke.

“Why is your face so sour?” Enzo asked, an amused grin on his face. “You look like you stepped on a hot pile of sterco di cavallo.”

“Oh, shut up,” I said, rolling my eyes in the darkness. “You know how much I hate complicated situations like this.”

Enzo barked out a loud laugh. “Exactly, mio fratello. Why do you think I am enjoying this so much? I mean, you, Michael Gates, having to pretend to a bunch of old Italian ladies that you are dating their little baby? Priceless. You’re the single, most serious man I know in the whole world, always busy working and putting out fires.

“Seeing you involved with this whole spectacle has me reeling from laughter. I genuinely felt bad for you when I saw you dancing.” He bent over, laughing, and I made a show of ignoring him.

Enzo took a last pull on the cigarette, tossing the butt to the stony floor and stamping out the light with the heel of his heavy leather boot. He looked at me, still smiling, and continued speaking, “And all for what? For saving my sister from a clumsy fall. I’m sure you wish now that you never helped her.”

I chuckled and shrugged. “One of those things, I guess.” I turned to face Enzo. “Is your sister always such a difficult woman?”

Enzo smiled. “Alessia is quite free-spirited. She only does what she desires, and often. We try to prevent her from doing some things. She has this notion that my father and I nag her too much, so she tries her hardest to do the exact opposite of anything we say.

Enzo picked another cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and blew a column of smoke into the night air. “This was why she ran to Paris from home several years ago. It took us some time to find her, and even then, she threatened to report it to the police if we tried to bring her back to Italy.

“She claimed she wanted to study art and didn’t want any member of our family following or looking for her. We still send people down there from time to time — covertly, of course — just to make sure she’s okay and see what she’s been up to. We watch out to see if there’s anyone we need to picchiare.”

I turned to look at him in shock. “I’m sorry, what?” My understanding of Italian was sketchy, but I knew some words. I definitely knew a violent word when I heard one. “What do you mean, ‘beat up?’”

Enzo turned to me with the most sinister look I had ever seen on his usually playful face. “If I find out that any man is trying to mess with my sister, I will absolutely destroy him.” His voice sounded cold and hard, like stone grinding on stone, and I couldn’t help feeling like Alessia was right after all.

Maybe I didn’t know my friend as well as I thought. This was a whole other side of him - a darker side. And boy, was it intense to witness. It explains why Alessia lied about the nature of our relationship and the dread on her face when she saw her brother. It seemed she was terrified of him and what he was going to do. I thought she was being an asshole earlier, but it turned out that she was only trying to keep me out of trouble. I made a mental note to thank Alessia as soon as I got back inside.

I snapped out of thought to find Enzo staring at me coolly. I had been quiet since he last spoke and cleared my throat awkwardly. “Is this why you never told me you had a sister? We have been friends for so long, and I have visited your home several times. How come I have never even met her? Seems like a lot of information to withhold from a friend, don’t you think?”

“Well, it’s my duty to keep my sister away from men, and I take that duty seriously.” Enzo vaulted onto the railing, swinging his legs over the top. He turned to regard me. “Although, given how busy you are and how little time you have for women and fun, I suppose you would have been the safest man for my sister. I guess it just never came up.”

I did not know Enzo at all. When we spoke about his sister, there was a dangerous look in his eyes, and I could tell that he was prepared to carry out dangerous actions to prove his point. As I watched, the cloud lifted, and his cheerful countenance returned as if it had never left.

Enzo swung his legs over the side, jumping to the stone floor. “Well, you better get back to your acting, then. It would be bad form to leave your girlfriend for too long. Best you returned now before she begins to attract a few more flies.” I glared at him, and he laughed, slapping me on the shoulder before turning to leave.

I took a few more minutes to prepare myself to return to the party. I followed in Enzo’s wake, the noise and festivities swallowing me the moment I stepped through the doors. The merriment had not slowed in my absence; instead, it seemed to have picked up speed. I wondered how long they planned to go at it before calling it a night.

I found Alessia at our table, sitting and watching the dancing as before. She smiled as she saw me approach, and I returned the smile, resuming my seat beside her.

“And where did you run off to?” she asked playfully. “I was convinced you had ditched me to my fate, abandoning me in the dark of night, just as I had done to you. Would have been quite the irony.”

I laughed at that, appreciating the humor. “Nah. I felt suffocated and needed some fresh air. Did not plan to stay that long.”

“Oh, that’s fine,” she said, turning to face me. “Honestly, I am tired of the party already, and the pretense is fraying my nerves. Would you like us to sit in the garden and talk? I think we have put up enough of a show for one night.”

I nodded in agreement, getting up and offering her my hand. She took it, and we left the hall together. It took a little longer than I had expected. Alessia stopped every ten seconds to bid a relative good night. I followed patiently, smiling frequently, behind Alessia.

I was grateful to be back in the open air; the evening breeze was cooling the sweat on my arms and face. Alessia led the way to the massive garden behind the mansion, and I followed her steps a little slower.

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