Chapter Two
Alessandro Rossi,Alex to his friends, grabbed his two black duffel bags from the baggage claim carousel and balanced it all with his camera equipment as he looked around the Naples airport. Twisting his wrist, he checked his Garmin solar watch, making his way through the rest of the airport and stepping out into the warm early afternoon, getting the attention of a waiting taxi driver.
He gave the driver the address to the garage nearby where he housed his car, anticipation building for this trip home. When his long photography assignment ended a week early, he planned to surprise his father and sister at their office. And if time permitted, he’d visit his friends Enzo and Adrian. They knew about him arriving early and would keep his secret until he could see his family.
Alex wanted to make the most of his short visit. The Asia project was his longest to date, keeping him away from home for almost a year.
When the taxi dropped him off at the garage, he transferred his luggage to his car and set off for the two-hour-long ride to Positano. He knew there was a chance that his sister, Sofia, and their dad, Leonardo, would be busy since he wasn’t expected yet, so he grabbed his phone and connected to Bluetooth. Excited about his plan, he called his sister to make certain she was at the office, but the call went to voicemail.
“Probably in a meeting.”
When he got the same result from his call to his dad, he decided to head to see Enzo first. The gym he owned was on the outskirts of Positano, and the GPS said he would be there in about twenty minutes.
Alex could feel the tension of the long travel day slowly dissipate as he drove. Even though he had only lived in Positano a few months before heading to this last assignment, it was home because it was where Sofia and his dad now lived.
He pushed his long hair out of his eyes, relishing the sights that buzzed past him as he drove. The narrow, winding roads were nerve-wracking to navigate at first, but he soon gained his confidence.
Now that he was a local, the view of never-ending lemon groves and hilltop vistas was a welcome sight. He only got nervous when he had to pass the constant stream of tour buses as they barely scraped by him on the winding roads.
From his open window, the breeze brought the smells he had come to love. Salty air, sweet citrus, and earthy pine created a cacophony of familiar fragrances that eased the loneliness of the last several months. It was the smell of home.
Alex was deeply passionate about his photography career, but the extended assignment away from his family and friends only amplified that sense of loneliness.
It also made it harder to cope with his broken heart. Though Bella’s betrayal now felt like a distant memory, the pain and trust issues it left behind still weighed heavily on him. Sofia had told him she worried that the experience had hardenedhis heart, that he had shut himself off from even the idea of love ever since. He feared she might be right.
During his time away, he met several lovely and available women—other photographers and representatives of the charities he worked with, including those in the offices of the magazines that commissioned his work.
A few showed an interest, but Alex shied away from any connection outside the parameters of his profession. His heart had shut down at the first hint of their attention. He’d never give his heart away so freely again, he vowed.
Not wanting to dwell on those memories, Alex scrubbed his face with his hand, grateful he was now minutes away from Enzo’s gym.
Pulling up to the gym’s parking lot, Alex slid out of the car and stretched his long legs and back.
He grinned when he entered the doors of Inspire Fitness, his eyes scanning the cavernous room for his friend. Everything at the gym was the same as the last time he was there, including the distinct smell of sweat, bleach, and vinyl.
He spotted Enzo and watched the sparring match in the boxing ring at the back of the room.
Enzo was a former professional boxer and watching him spar was like witnessing a dancer. His moves were graceful and calculated but also fueled with a power that defied his compact stature. His gracefulness and strength had been a deadly combination for his past opponents.
As Alex strode toward the ring, he knew when Enzo spotted him. Barely dodging a shot to the ribs when he took his eyes off his sparring partner, he climbed out of the ring, ripping off his gloves as he stalked toward Alex with a grin.
“Brother, look at you. Man, it’s so good to see you in person,” Enzo bellowed as he slapped Alex's back with heavy hands as they hugged.
“Yeah, I got tired of seeing your ugly mug on just video calls,” Alex answered when they stepped back.
Pointing his chin toward the now abandoned sparring partner, Alex asked, “Is that the boxer you’ve been telling me about?”
Enzo glanced at the tall man exiting the ring, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “Yeah. Still cocky, but he’s got potential.”
Turning back to Alex, he said, “You didn’t mention when you texted how you finished up so quickly.”
“Some of the charity’s main representatives were called back to London, so I used the time to start editing sooner than expected.”
Clapping his hand down on Enzo’s shoulder, he continued. “You’re going to Adrian's exhibit tomorrow night, right? You'll never hear the end of it if you don't,” Alex said, waving to a few of their mutual friends.
“Yeah, yeah, he called me three times this week to remind me. Like I’d forget.”
Alex followed Enzo up the narrow metal stairs leading to his sparse office. The loud pulsing music was reduced to a quiet hum as the door closed. He sat on the chair facing the desk, letting his friend sit behind it. Enzo grabbed a towel from a gym bag on the floor and wiped his face as he scanned his friend’s face with a curious look.
