Page 28 of Faking With The Frenemy

I swung my legs to the floor as my stomach protested again. I had not had an appetite in a few days; however, I was certain I could eat a house if I found one edible enough. It was almost as if my forming baby was reminding me that my body was no longer mine alone.

I was still wearing the clothes I had left Paris in, so I took a quick shower and changed into a lounge outfit before heading down for dinner. In the hallway outside my room, I glanced at the door to Michael’s room, wondering how he was dealing with this new reality. I wondered what was going through his mind underneath the cool and composed exterior.

I tiptoed down the hall to the stairway at the end before tiptoeing down in minutes. Shockingly, there were sounds coming from the floor below, and I made my way cautiously, wondering who it was.

A pleasant aroma filled the air as I walked into the kitchen, driving my hunger to new heights. It surprised me to find Michael busy over the sink. He was humming quietly to himself, bobbing his head from side to side to a silent song.

He turned to the oven but froze when he saw me watching him. He smiled and ran his hand through his hair. “Hey.”

“Hey,” I replied. “What are you doing?” I walked to the table and sat down.

“You looked like you had had a long day, and I wanted to make you some dinner.” He turned to the oven and put on some mitts. He lifted a wonderful ceramic dish of lasagna out of the oven, setting it down carefully on the counter. “I know, I know. You don’t have to love lasagna because you’re Italian, but I thought it would be nice.”

I laughed unexpectedly and covered my mouth. “I love lasagna, actually. Thank you. I am starving like crazy.” I gestured to the pan. “It smells really nice.”

He smiled and turned to get our dishes. It smelled nice. It looked properly done, even better than I would have made it. I watched him cautiously as he prepared the table. He had a way of surprising me with the things he could do.

We ate in silence, the sounds of cutlery on china interspersed with polite table talk. The food tasted even better than it looked and smelled. I stole glances at Michael between bites, amazed at how great his cooking was.

“How are you feeling?” Michael asked after clearing the table and doing the dishes.

“Great,” I said. “I’m still tired. Must be all the flying I did today.”

“You should go get some rest,” Michael said. I agreed and turned to leave, but he called me back, remembering something. “So, I was talking to my family earlier, and they think it would be a good idea for us to tell Enzo and your family about the baby.”

I rubbed my forehead tiredly. I had tried hard not to think about this, and the last thing I needed now was Michael bringing it up. Not right now, at least.

“I don’t want to do that just yet,” I replied. “I have still not decided what I want to do about the baby. Can I sleep on your offer and decide first before we involve Enzo or my family?”

He looked like he wanted to argue, but thankfully thought better of it and nodded his assent. I turned and headed up to my bedroom. I kept my mind blank as I climbed into bed, my full stomach making it effortless for me to drift asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

I woke up feeling much more clear-headed than I had the previous day. I walked to the window and opened the drapes to admit the welcoming sunlight. It was a beautiful day, and I felt strong and alert.

I jumped as I realized I had not updated my friends since I left Milan almost twenty-four hours ago. I couldn’t imagine how worried they’d be given my silence. I had no cellular network, but found the Wi-Fi password on the bedside table.

My phone chimed and vibrated for about five minutes as hundreds of texts and FaceTime missed calls flooded in. My friends had texted and called in a frenzy, and I found it amusing and cute how worried they were. I called, and they all picked up immediately. They all spoke at once, with mixed messages of worry and anger. The whole time, I was smiling, which infuriated Jenna further.

“Explain yourself, young woman,” Jenna retorted. “Are you trying to give someone a heart attack? Well, congratulations, because you were almost successful.”

“Oh, don’t be dramatic, Jenna,” I replied, laughing. “I’m sorry, guys. I really am. A lot happened yesterday, and I have been sleeping a lot.”

“Well?” Kelly asked. “How did it go? Where are you? Where’s Michael? When are you returning? What—”

“One question at a time, Kelly,” Louise cut in, thankfully ending Rachel’s barrage of questions. “Work us through what happened, Alessia. Please?”

I gave them the rundown of everything significant that had happened since our last conversation. I spoke about how handsome Michael still looked, his icy demeanor, his offer to co-parent, and how he had offered me to stay with him for a while. They drank it all in like parched animals at a watering hole.

“So, you’d be in New York indefinitely?” Rachel asked. “How does it feel being back with him again?”

“Honestly, I haven't got the faintest idea how long I will be here,” I said, rubbing my eyes. “I mean, I don’t have lots of clothes or anything. I had not planned on a long trip. It definitely feels weird being with Michael again. I feel some of our old tension, but it’s too early to say.”

“When you say co-parent,” Jenna chipped in, “do you mean as a couple? Planning to take things seriously?”

“I don’t know yet, Jenna,” I replied. “Like I said, I have not given him a reply yet. I will know where things are in a few days. One thing I can’t deny, though, is that I am crazy about him. I think I was wrong to walk away the way I did. I hope I didn’t mess things up too badly.”

“If you did, you would be on a plane back to Paris already,” Kelly said. “Hey, are you going to tell Enzo? If you are considering keeping the child and Michael wants to be in the picture, it’s only a matter of time before Enzo finds out.”

“I know, I know. Trust me,” I replied. “Michael and his family want us to inform Enzo, but I will decide when I know what I want.”

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