Page 10 of Blue in the Deep Blue Sea

He sighed as the line grew silent.

“Why?” he asked.

“He didn’t come back home,idiota.“ I rolled my eyes, “why else would I ask if he is with you? To hear your voice?” I laughed.

“Of course. Why would Miss Gabriella De Luca ever be concerned about her childhood friend?”

I laughed.

“Funny. I don’t remember us ending on the wordfriend.”

“Still holding a grudge?”

“Oh, so your brain still works?” I sighed. “Good to know your last two brain cells survived another night of drowning in alcohol.”

He huffed a laugh.

“So that’s a yes.” A low chuckle crackled through the speaker. “I have more than two brain cells, smart-ass.”

“Oliver, I knew you before you started drinking.” I leaned back against the counter. “Trust me, alcohol isn’t the problem.”

A beat of silence cut through the line, just before he barked out a laugh.

“Jesus Christ.”

“Did I hurt your feelings,bitch boy?”

His laugh came softer this time.

“Good to know some things never change.”

“Unfortunately.” I sighed. “To cut both of our miseries short, I just want to ask one thing… Can I still usethe good old coverthat Gianni was with you last night in case my mother asks?”

“Sure,” he said simply.

As my lips parted to thank him, he had already hung up.

I leaned against the wall and placed the handset back on the receiver. If this had happened a while ago, my mind would’ve been flooded with regret for hurting him. Now he deserved every harsh word I’d ever thrown at him.

Everything between us felt cold and empty.

My gaze drifted to the sink, overflowing with dirty dishes that waited for me. If I didn’t wash them, no one would. My mother had given up on housework a long time ago. She cleaned for everyone else because it was her job, but at home she either lay on the sofa or sat in front of the television. Everything in this house somehow became my responsibility, as if I were the one holding all of us together.

I closed my eyes and let out a slow breath, giving the memories room to rise.

It was the summer of 2001, just before the Light Festival. Annie always came two weeks before it began, sometime in the middle of July. We usually avoided the festival, but that year Annie wanted to see Inno. They both came every summer, and even though they came from completely different worlds, somehow they’d found one that belonged only to them.

I knew that summer would be different.

It had always been Annie and me.

Now it was Annie, Inno, and me.

I’d promised her we’d go to the festival, but just before midnight, before the fireworks began, we’d slip away to the beach. We’d tuck our wishes inside glass bottles and set them adrift on the sea.

It was what we’d always done, ever since we were six years old.

Setting the last plate on the yellowed plastic dish rack to dry, I dragged my feet towards my bedroom. Mother was working the late shift tonight, so it would just be Gianni and me.