Page 76 of His Two Hidden Masks

I turned off the water and dried myself with a towel. Slipping on my robe, I walked to my window to assess the temperature in the campo. I had slept all afternoon and into the evening.

Between late nights with Dylan and stressful run-ins with Roberto, James, and my father, a few hours of sleep gave me a much-needed energy boost. Outside, the campo was alive and buzzing with people all wearing scarves and hats. The night sky was cloudless, the air bracing and cold. I planned to bundle up.

If I didn’t want to be late, I needed to hurry. I put on black leather pants, a tight black sweater, a bit of mascara, and a dab of lip gloss. I left my hair down long and grabbed my red merino wool wrap.

The waning moon bathed the campo in a beautiful blue light. Auntie Aurora’s predication ran through my mind. The cards foretold my destiny to fall in love with a man bathed in moonlight. His name started with the letter D. Auntie Aurora never wavered; she believed Dylan and I were fated for each other.

If Dylan was my destiny, where was he now? And was it possible to have a happily-ever-after when we both lied to each other the night we met? The truth was, Dylan would leave Venice someday. He never lied about that.

16

Affe di Bacco was a family-owned pizza place with fabulous cocktails and a heated outdoor patio overlooking the lagoon.

In the summertime, Leo and I would bask in the late afternoon sun enjoying an Aperol Spritz. I loved the bitter and sweet of those gorgeous orange drinks.

On impulse, I switched my shoes before going outside. My thigh high red suede boots clicked on the cobblestones as I walked to the restaurant. I could no longer look at those boots without thinking of Dylan fucking me on the marble countertop wearing nothing else.

I replayed the memory of his body drilling into mine. I walked across San Marco Square, arms crossed, my merino wrap embracing me like a blanket. If Dylan was destined to someday live on only in my memories, I was going to enjoy every single one of them. Running late, Leo texted me.

Outside table saved you a seat the girls can’t wait to meet you.

I stopped walking. Wait, what? The girls? How was I going to get the lowdown on David if Leo turned our night into a party. It wasn’t unusual for Leo to invite women from his tours out to join us.

Leo didn’t want to sleep with women, but he loved them. He flirted and forged real friendships with people. I was used to being added to his impromptu parties. Sometimes it was to power a big sale. Other times, Leo genuinely wanted to add a little bit of Venetian magic to someone’s trip.

I took a deep breath and responded. This was Leo’s night, and I was committed to rolling with his plans.

On my way

People crowded the piazza. Tables at all the restaurants were full up. In the center of the piazza, stood a stone pillar decorated with Carnival masks.

A mask wearing violinist played “Con te Partiro” by the edge of the water. I walked towards the white lights that sparkled above the awning at Affe di Bacco.

“Bella!” Leo waved, stood up from a table, and walked to the patio entrance to meet me.

I reached up and pulled him into a fierce hug, pressing my face against his chest. “That asshole,” I said. “I’m so sorry, Leo.”

“I’m fine,” he said. “So fine. I just can’t believe it, but it’s true. David has been fucking a new ‘it’ boy in Paris.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” He looked skyward. “David sent me a dick pic.”

“Wait, what?”

“David sent me his lover’s dick pic.”

I put my hand up to my mouth. “You’re joking.”

“I wish,” he said. “And let’s just say, I know what my boyfriend’s dick looks like, and that was not it.”

“Why would he do that?” I said, leaning toward him.

“Um, because he’s a dipshit who doesn’t know how to use his phone? He probably had a folder called ‘Dick pics’ and maybe he was drunk? I don’t know.”

“Are you sure you want to have dinner with a crowd tonight?” I asked. “I am sure Terry from Tucson or Marianne from Medford would understand. If you need to debrief on dipshit David, we can go.”

“Oh, please,” Leo said. “I don’t want to talk about him anymore. I do not want to think about his lying ass. What I need is to be surrounded by love and beauty and to drink my face off. And you are going to love these American girls.”

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