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“I wouldn’t count on Nevio. He’s already drunk one-third of his bottle, and he’ll finish it by midnight.”
“Does he always drink this much?” I asked.
“At parties, yes, especially since Greta has moved to New York. Being around so many people makes him murderous pretty quickly, and the alcohol mellows him out.”
I nodded as if this made sense. I had caught the occasional glimpse behind Nevio’s smirking mask and seen how much he missed his twin. He had a heart, but it was well-guarded. I headed for the living room. The music rang in my ears, and I had to resist the urge to cover them with my palms. Alessio danced toward me, barring my way and leaving me no choice but to engage in a quick dance with him, though that was only for show of course. “Not a good idea, Aurora.”
“What’s your problem?”
“Remember the black hole?”
“I’ve known Nevio and you all my life. You act like I’m an oblivious bystander who’ll be shocked by the skeletons in Nevio’s closet.”
Alessio smiled condescendingly. “You know us by day.”
“It’s dark outside now,” I muttered, glancing past him to Nevio, who perched on the backrest of a long leather sofa while both girls stood closely in front of him.
Alessio shook his head, then danced backward, briefly lifting his hands, palms outwards to signal defeat. I walked around him and headed straight for Nevio, even if my heart hammered hard enough to do lasting damage to my ribs.
Now I wished I’d actually had some alcohol to boost my confidence and silence my doubts. Before I could really go over what to say to him, I was already beside Nevio—and the two girls who gave me their best mean-girl expressions.
“Three is one too many,” the girl with dark curls said.
I would have thought two girls was already one too many, but Nevio probably didn’t agree. I wasn’t naive enough to think he hadn’t done pretty much everything you could do sexually, even a threesome with two girls. I shoved the idea out of my head.
Nevio wrapped an arm around my shoulders, one corner of his mouth pulling up. “Rory is always welcome, and there’s no reason to be jealous, girls. She’s only here to chat with a good friend. Right, Rory?”
I wasn’t here for a good-friend chat. I was here to get out of the friend-zone. Three sets of eyes regarded me expectantly.
I swallowed, trying to say what I’d come here to say. Instead, I muttered, “Right,” and gave them a tight smile. I doubted the girls believed it, and I wasn’t sure if Nevio did either. I took a sip from my beverage, then reached for Nevio’s vodka bottle. He regarded me closely as I brought it to my lips and took the tiniest sip. And holy shit, did it burn. I tried to suppress my coughing, but it was useless. My eyes watered, and a few coughs burst out of me.
Nevio took the bottle from me. “You should stay away from the hard stuff.” The way he said it made me believe he wasn’t only referring to the vodka. Annoyed at myself and Nevio, I retreated. By now, Massimo and Carlotta had found a place on a sofa in the corner. I didn’t want to go over to them.
Instead, I headed outside into the garden, which wasn’t as crowded as the inside but not as deserted as I would have liked in my current mood. I took a deep breath but only got a whiff of smoke and something sweeter, probably marijuana. My belly tightened. Having seen what drugs did to my grandmother, I’d never been tempted by joints, much less any harder stuff. Dad would have probably locked me into my room until I was thirty if he ever suspected me of doing drugs.
“I warned you,” Alessio said, almost giving me a heart attack as he appeared right behind me. He held a joint in his hand.
I gave him a hard look. “You shouldn’t smoke that.”
“I’m working on my self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s all part of the plan.”
“That made no sense,” I said.
He gave me a dark smile and took a brief pull from his joint. “I know. I guess I’m trying to channel the past.”
I hoped he realized that he sounded crazy. He chuckled and tossed the joint away, then squashed it with his boot. “Self-destruction comes in different forms. You have your Nevio. I have my joint.”
“Oh, shut up.”
He became serious. “Listen, Rory, this emotional bullshit isn’t my thing, but if you really feel like you need to ruin yourself with Nevio, then at least pick a different place and time. Nevio at parties is like a crack pipe. The rush is short and not worth the utter havoc it’ll wreak on you.”
“Why do you insist on protecting me? I don’t see you warning Carlotta from Massimo?”
Alessio scoffed. “Carlotta has God, and Massimo has logic. They’ll be fine.”
I took a deep breath. “I’ll be fine, okay? Nevio doesn’t want anything from me. We’re just good friends, so you can chill.”
Alessio’s expression piqued my curiosity.
