Page 29 of Obsessions of the Heart

Elio walked off, turning around to give me a wave and a wink. “Don’t worry if you forget, cuz. I’ll find her even if you do.”

His normally reddish-blond hair sparkled like golden strawberries in the sunlight. It was quite unique, but then again, everything about Elio seemed to be unique. Cin snapped her fingers in my face, stealing back my attention, and I looked at her. “What?”

Cin glanced at her phone. “Shit! We gotta get to class. Come on. Afterward, you will tell me why you need that psycho’s phone number.”

I let her tug me to our class. We went right past Luca, whose face looked cool as stone. His arms were crossed, and he glared at me like I was somehow the root of all his problems. I raised my brow in his direction, trying to figure him out, but he didn’t take the bait. Instead, he walked off, leaving me feeling like this wasn't the last I was going to see of his sourpuss face.

I spent the rest of the day with Cin as my shadow, making sure I got everywhere safe and sound. When I told her that I didn't want her to get in trouble with any of her professors, she simply said it wouldn’t be a problem then changed the subject. After a while, I didn't fight it anymore, reminding myself that she was a big girl who could make her own decisions.

She eventually had to take off for the weekend, going to some kind of family event, but she promised she would check up with me despite my assurances not to worry. I wasn't planning on leaving my dorm room any time soon.

I didn't tell her I just wanted to get myself comfortable with all the classes and online applications. Then I would make good use of the calendar on my phone by scheduling out all of the things I had due. This way I wouldn't forget.

Then there were the nightmares that I also didn't tell her about. I would wrestle in my sleep, feeling darkness closing in on me. With no way out and no light in the dark, I was stuck in a pitch-black space all alone. I just hoped that this didn't continue when she got back. I didn't want to see her pity or concern.

Before she left, she gave me Elio’s number. After some texts back and forth, we finally settled on Tuesday for lunch. When he mentioned some place that had a unique but quaint atmosphere, I agreed on the condition that he let me pay for his coffee. I had to take my victories where I could get them.

Then just like that, Cin returned to our room Sunday night, complaining about her siblings, cousin, and mom. Apparently, her father had died about five years ago in an accident. My heart tugged, pushing me to tell her my background and make it even between us, but I didn't. The fear that she would look at me differently, treat me differently, was still too strong.

Her gaze would land on me expectantly, but I would smile and change the subject. After a few times, she played along with my diversions. I just needed time, I told myself, but my mind whispered that that was just an excuse, a lie. What I really needed was trust. I wouldn't tell anyone anything real until I trusted them completely. I thought I was getting there with Cin because she had this way of making me want to tell her everything, but I just wasn’t totally there yet.

Before I knew it, Monday blew by. Elio wasn’t in English class, but Cin assured me he’d be finished wrapping up his family stuff in time to work on our project. She asked me several times if this was a date, and I vehemently told her no.

I was genuinely starting to enjoy Elio, but more as a funny, eccentric friend. He didn't make me feel pressured and knew my boundaries even though he tried to push them. He was the only male Ricci that I felt mildly comfortable with, not that my sample size was all that large.

That seemed to settle Cin’s concerns, and we had a girls movie night. She somehow hacked into a local movie theater, so we watched the newest release on her laptop while sharing two bags of popcorn. We laughed, booed the hero, and championed the villain, both of us having soft spots for people that had gotten the raw end of the deal in life. It was the most normal I’d felt in a while.

Cin woke up Tuesday, grumbling about having to go to class while I stayed cozy in my bed, laughing at her whining. My phone buzzed the moment she closed the door, and a couple texts later, Elio and I settled on meeting in front of my dorm at eleven AM.

I checked my email, packed my bag with my laptop, and took a shower. With my jeans and leggings being dirty, the only clean clothing I had was my black skater skirt and a blue v-neck t-shirt that said ‘I woke up this way’. Making a mental note to go to the laundry room, I put on my clothes.

Even with all of that, I had a couple of hours left, so I pulled out my laptop and worked out some ideas for the project. I was so engrossed in my ideas that I didn’t pull away from it until my phone started buzzing.

I shot up, furiously packing everything as I picked up the phone. “I’m so sorry, Elio. I was working on the project, and I lost track of time. I’m coming down now.”

“Hey! That's not fair! We’re supposed to work on that together.” I flew out my door, backpack over my shoulder, and locked the room.

“I didn't do the whole thing! I was just thinking of some ideas. Nothing major. You’ll still have a lot of your ideas and work in this paper, promise.” I took the stairs, wanting to get down as fast as possible.

He grumbled into the phone, “That's not what I'm talking about. I don't care if you want me to write the whole thing or if you do. I just don't want you cutting our time together short. It's irresponsible.”

Pushing my way out the front door, I fought back. “Elio, I told you that this wasn't—” I stopped short, mouth open and flapping. Elio’s shit-eating grin widened as the idling Aston Martin revved up while he winked at me. I thought it was the exact make, model, and color from the last James Bond movie. I was too underdressed to even sit in his damn car.

He made a show of hanging up his phone before he rolled down his window. “Come on, my fruity booty!” Cocking my head, I slowly made my way to his car with pinched brows.

“Seriously?! Did you need all this?” I motioned to the beast of a car in front of me. Its taillight was more expensive than everything I’d owned my entire life.

He blinked at me a few times before reaching over to pop open the door. “What do you mean? This is the junk car. Luca wouldn't let me touch any of the nicer ones. He says I don’t understand how much money I have in my hands. I remind him that it's just a pile of metal with four wheels, but he begs to differ.” He shrugged then patted the leather seat like he was enticing a kitten to come play.

With a grumble, I gingerly sat down, keeping my bag on my lap. “I guess that's the only thing that me and Luca can agree on.”

“Hey! No mention of Luca in Gretchen.” He pet the dashboard lovingly before whispering to me, “She knows that she’s his least favorite. It hurts her feelings, so I like to take her out for a spin every once in a while. Let the old girl sing.”

He revved up the engine. The rumble beneath me vibrated, my bare thighs feeling every purr. I ran my hand along the buttery soft leather, letting Gretchen know that I believed she was a stellar car. He shifted gears without a word, and we zoomed off.

Just like the guard said on my first day, Elio used the back exit. With just a click of a button, the impenetrable gates opened to their master.

It was a windy way down a paved single-lane road until we hit one of the major roads, then off we went. Elio said it would only take about thirty minutes to get to the closest major city, so I settled back in my seat to enjoy the ride.

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