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‘We had sex once and you were ready to pick up your life and move to Rome.’
She sat silent. Did he think she was like that with everyone she met? Really? That she tore off her clothes, she bent over on command—that she would actively choose to feel like this? Put her hand up for this kind of hurt?
Yet she had.
And for the chance of one full moon night with Dante, she was sitting here being told how to pull better.
Because that was all he did.
She really had chosen to swim with a shark.
‘Just slow down...reel it back a bit...’ He was warming to his theory. He smiled. ‘Then you will have guys eating out of your hand.’
‘Thank you, Dante.’ She gave a tart smile. ‘It’s nice to have a playboy’s advice.’
‘No problem.’
‘Do you want mine?’ Alicia offered. ‘I mean, while we’re sharing our thoughts on this beautiful night.’
‘No, thanks.’
‘For free?’
‘I don’t need it,’ he said.
‘Oh, Dante, you do.’
‘Oh, Alicia, I really don’t,’ he said. ‘Because I don’t want a relationship that works. I don’t want the same things as you.’
He didn’t even hide it.
‘So how shall we say we met?’ Alicia asked. ‘I’m sure your family will ask. Do we say—?’
‘Say you’re from the south too...just be vague.’ He named a couple of nearby towns. ‘But say we met in Milan.’
‘What?’ She stared at him. ‘I’m not supposed to mention we knew each other as children?’
‘I’m hardly going to tell them about our time at the river after my mother’s funeral...’
She felt a flash of tears in her eyes and blinked them back, trying to not show how much it hurt that he could so readily erase their rich past, the little stitches in the tapestry of her history reduced to sex by the river.
‘I am going get some sleep,’ Alicia said, trying to hold on and hide her hurt and silent fury. ‘I was up early. I’m sure you want me looking fresh tomorrow.’
‘Alicia.’ He caught her wrist. ‘Don’t storm off.’
‘I’m not storming off.’
‘Oh,bella, you are...’
‘I’m really not.’
‘A silent storm.’
‘No,’ she said. ‘Just tired.’
She was white with fury as she slipped off the lemon dress and for the first time in her life had a bath.
Only so that she could give in to the tears as the taps ran.
