Page 115 of Stuck Behind Her

I close the laptop, then take her hands and rest them on the table. They’re shaking slightly. You can’t see it, but you can feel it. “Come on, I’m leaving for Portland soon, and we still haven’t hung out a lot. We can walk for a bit, then stop at the lake in Central Park. I know they’ll understand,” I tell her. Her expression softens.

“Okay. Let me just get ready,” She answers, but she struggles to smile. She can’t. She’s definitely not okay.

She clears away her stuff, then puts on a pair of wide-legged jeans and a light pink shirt. She tells Oliver that we’re going for a walk, and we’re out of the door. The streets are crowded outside, so we take a lesser-known street, walking through the wind. It’ssnowing lightly, but it doesn’t bother her. It doesn’t bother me, as long as she’s feeling better.

I try my best to talk to her, distract her. The more distracted, the better. Her thoughts are quieter then. We get to the lake and sit on a nearby empty bench. Her face is more relaxed, and she’s not shaking anymore. I can still sense some stress in her, but it’s decreased.

“So, are you doing better?” I ask her. She swings her legs, hanging off the bench. Her head is turned toward me.

“Yeah. Thanks, I don’t know what was wrong,” she answers, a small smile appearing on her face. She’s able to smile now. As long as she’s smiling.

“It’s okay. All that matters is that you’re okay right now,” I tell her, taking her hand. She squeezes my hand slightly, leaning her head on my shoulder.

A wave of comfort is sent through my body, across my skin. “What would I do without you?” she asks.

“I don’t know. You might have to try it to know.”

“I hope I never have to,” she whispers, and a cold shudder takes over the comfort. I rub my thumb on her hand. I wish she’d never have to. But even if she does, I know she’ll do great. Because that’s Val. No matter what people think, she is one of the strongest people I know.

We sit there for a while, in silence. No words need to be said. As long as I know she’s okay, that she’s safe.

“I should go back, it’s been a while and I need to check on Ellie,” she tells me after a while.

The second she finishes her sentence, my phone rings. I look at the contact number. ‘Fashion mom’. Why is she calling me now? Is she okay?

“You go, I’ll follow you,” I tell her. She smiles, then gets up and starts walking back. When she’s far enough, I answer the phone. “Hey mamma.”

“Hey tesoro come stai? va tutto bene?” I hear her say, her voice cracking. She’s crying. I inhale a sharp breath.

“Ehy mamma... stai bene?”

“Sì, sto bene.”

“Ti senti sola? Mi avevi promesso che non ti saresti sentita sola finché ci sarò io.”

“Non mi sento così, mi sono venuti a trovarmi Carol e Daniel ieri. Sono anche quasi a lavoro tutto il tempo, è solo che te mi manchi...”

“Mi manchi anche te mamma, resisti altre due settimane e saremo insieme”

She laughs softly over the phone. “Hai parlato di quella cosa a Val?”

A pain hits my chest. “No,” I answer in a dark tone, dropping my head to look at my feet.

“Dovresti dirlo, Enzo. È meglio che glielo dici invece che lo scopra da sola. Quello è il motivo del perché sei qui, in California,” she reminds me.

“Lo so però è difficile, se glielo dico la ferirebbe, non ha bisogno di saperlo per ora, glielo dirò io, ho solo bisogno di un po' di tempo.”

How could it not be hard? It’s going to be impossible. But I don’t have much of a choice. It’s telling her, or her figuring out. I don’t think the second would make her feel better.

A sniff sounds through the line. “Va bene amore. Dovresti andare, non voglio farti sprecare tempo, fai attenzione mi raccomando, ci vediamo tra due settimane,” she concludes.

“A dopo tesoro, ti viglio bene.”

“Ti voglio bene anch’io, a dopo.” The call then ends. I look back at my reflection in the water, taking a deep breath.

I forgot all about that.

Chapter 73 – Dodici

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