Page 17 of Third Degree

6

Gianna Daphne

18 years old

“What the—” I stretched my arms above my head as the sun peeked through the windows. I realized that I was on an uncomfortable bed of… leather?

Quickly, I kicked an oversized beach towel off my body and frantically blinked away any dizzy sleep haze. My seat was reclined all the way back, which wasn’t how it was when I’d initially gotten into the car.

Elio lay peacefully beside me, his presence exuding an inexplicable power within the confines of the Jeep. The clock mocked me with its relentless ticking—5 a.m.

Shit, I had spent the entire night here, oblivious to the exhaustion that weighed me down.

Outside, the neighbor’s house stood as a looming reminder of the urgency to slip inside undetected lest Tomas discover my absence. And there, next to me, was this godlike creature transformed into human form, a man plagued by insomnia now resting in the uncomfortable confines of the car. Surely, it must have taken him ages to drift off.

With painstaking slowness, I cautiously opened the car door, praying for silence as I closed it behind me. Glancing back, relief washed over me as the car remained undisturbed. Phew.

I sprinted back to the house, stealthily slipping through the back door, my heart racing with gratitude that no one had followed in my wake. Thank God it was common for my father and uncle to have blacked-out cars around the house all night. Otherwise, Elio would have raised a ton of suspicion.

Collapsing onto my bed, I squeezed my eyes shut, yearning for the arrival of a new night where secrets could unfurl under the cover of darkness.

I must have woken back up in the early evening when my cousins came to tell me that dinner would be served soon.

I decided that tonight I would pull out one of the dresses I brought. It wasn’t fancy or anything, but it was a formfitting ribbed casual minidress with spaghetti straps. I threw on an oversized jean jacket with it, knowing that tonight I wouldn’t hesitate to visithim.

Dinner dragged on painfully, and my family jeered at me for wearing an actual dress.

“Gianna, you will be happy to hear some good news,” my dad spoke as he sipped his wine.

“What is it, Papa?” I asked, annoyed and obsessively checking my phone to see it tick closer to 8 p.m.

“We will be back in Chicago next week. We have a big dinner Friday night with the person we came here for, and if he agrees to go, we will pack up and be gone on Monday.”

“No!” I screamed. Just as things were starting to go my way. As I learned about the little freedom that was afforded to me.

“No?” my mother asked at the same time as my father.

“I just meant to say I will miss my cousins and the garden here.”

“You have been begging to go home from the moment we left. I thought you would be happy, no?” My dad’s eyes narrowed in my direction.

I worked to collect myself. “Of course. You are right, Papa. I am very happy, and I am looking forward to the dinner on Friday with your guest.” I gave him the sweetest eyes I could. If this was my last week with Elio, then I wanted to make it count.

I needed to get out of this dinner quickly and go see him. I needed it for me. For my confidence. For my freedom.

The guests disappeared and just as I’d left the last two nights, I ran out the back door when Tomas “put me to bed.” Like the fucking child that I was treated like here.

Walking down the path, I realized I hadn’t heard the familiar jingle of Nutella’s collar or any footsteps. I had gotten all the way down to where I could now see Elio’s house in the distance. From over here, I could tell his house light was on.

Last week here. Make it count.I summoned all the courage I could and took that first step toward his home. I was about to look like the world’s biggest stalker.

When I reached the blue door, I knocked softly and heard Nutella’s familiar bark inside.

“Go get your Daddy, Nutella,” I whispered to the dog, who I knew very well wasn’t going to understand a thing I was saying.

I knocked once more and realized that if I pushed along the door, it would open with ease. Being the bold stalker that I suddenly felt like, I opened it.

“Elio?” I asked in the otherwise empty room.

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