Page 54 of Unforgivable Ties

I was pretty sure this was the opposite side of the mall I was meeting Jessica at, but I wanted to get out of his presence.

“Uh huh,” I said, opening the door while the car was still coming to a stop. “Thank you!”

“I’ll see you tonight,” he said.

“See you,” I mumbled in return, slamming the car door shut behind me.

It felt like gravity was three times lighter and the temperature had cooled by twenty degrees being out of his presence. I exhaled deeply, the cold winter air forming foggy clouds in front of me. I felt my phone buzz from the pocket of my coat, and I scrambled to take it out.

Jessica texted, saying she was at the food court. I shot her a response, saying I’d be there in a couple of minutes.

Navigating through the labyrinth of stores and the sea of Christmas shoppers, I clutched my bag tighter to avoid getting pick-pocketed in the crowd. The twinkling lights intertwined with pine garland, ornamented trees at every corner, and holiday songs floating through the air felt strangely out of place in my chaotic mind.

Finally, I saw the illuminated sign of the food court and moved towards it like a moth to a flame. Jessica was sitting at a corner table, tapping away at her phone.

“Hey, Jess,” I said, feeling my lips crack into a genuine smile for the first time that day.

She looked up from her phone, her eyes brightening when she saw me. “Hey! How was your trip?” she asked, gesturing for me to sit down across from her.

The trip was just another lie that I had fed my best friend. She thought the purpose really was to meet his family for the firsttime. I was a terrible friend for not telling her the truth about my situation, but I couldn’t do it.

“It was good,” I said, putting on a smile that could rival a thespian’s. “His mom is really nice.”

I told her all about Vincenzo’s family, and to be fair, I really did feel that way about them. His mom was welcoming and kind, and his nephew was so adorable.

“Awe, that sounds like fun. It’s nice you get along with his family,” she responded. “Now he just needs to meet yours!”

“Yeah...”

“You aren’t able to make it home this year?” she asked.

“No, not this year,” I replied, looking down at my hands and avoiding her gaze. The truth was, Cesare didn’t want me gone for that long, and when an organization was paying your $100,000 tuition, you didn’t tell them no.

“Can’t Vincenzo pay for it?”

She had assumed it was money troubles, and if it was before I met Vincenzo, it would have been. I used to have no money as a student and my family wasn’t very well off.

“He’s not my sugar daddy, Jess,” I said, frowning at her.

“I know, I know! But I mean, he lives in a penthouse, for Christ’s sake, and a plane ticket is like $200,” she said, her hands extending so dramatically they almost knocked over her coffee. “Speaking of which, you haven’t invited me over to see it in person, the photos—”

“I will soon. Vincenzo and I are going to enjoy spending Christmas by ourselves.” I shrugged off the question, trying to keep my tone casual. “We’ll have a party after New Year’s, okay?”

She pouted jokingly and responded, “He’s monopolizing your time. I miss hanging out with you.”

I almost laughed out loud. It wasn’t Vincenzo that was monopolizing it; it was the injured criminals I treated in the warehouse.

The two of us stood up from the table and started strolling through the mall, distracted by the glittering holiday decorations and echoing strains of cheery music from nearby stores.

“What are you getting him?” Jessica asked.

“Um...I don’t know.”

What did Vincenzo like? There was so much about him I didn’t know. Heck, I didn’t even know his last name and age until yesterday.

My mind swirled with possibilities, digging through the fragments of information I had about him. While doing his laundry and cleaning his room, I noticed he only had one pair of cuff links that he used for his suits. They were simple silver pieces, worn from years of use.

“He needs cuff links.”

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