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“For the modeling.”
They had stayed off the video call, and Alessandro was glad for it when he felt his cheeks redden.
“Why aren’t there photographs of you all over the net?”
“Because I used a different name.” Alessandro Rosselli had landed in Boston ten years ago, leaving his other self behind.
“I’m sorry, Alessandro.”
“Thank you,cara.” He sighed, and again, the words came out that he’d hidden for years. “I was ashamed of what I did. It was the quickest way to leave my parents’ house and make my own money. I met many, many good friends and some creepy, exploiting men—I learned the wordcreepymy first year—and I made enough money to live, and I got to travel all over the world, and I learned English and French and Spanish and Russian. But in the end, I knew if I didn’t break away from modeling, I would never become an actor. So I sold everything I had, deleted all my social media under my old name, and moved to my friend’s apartment here.”
“That sounds terrifying. I’ve never moved more than a hundred miles from home in my life.”
“You have reasons to stay.” And he would do well to remember it.
“Mm.” He heard fabric slide against fabric. Had he made her restless?
“I am sorry I caused your argument with your sister.”
“It was coming,” she said. “And it was worth it.”
Alessandro couldn’t stop the smile that spread over his face. “Whether you mean me or Friday night, I thank you.”
“Right now, I mean Friday night.”
A vision of Megan, sprawled out on her bed, waiting for him, made Alessandro catch his breath. “I thank you even more.”
“It’s late,” she said.
“Yes.” He glanced at the clock glowing in his dim room. “I should let you—”
“No. That’s not what I meant. If you were here right now, I’d suggest we go to bed.”
“Megan.” Alessandro was so aroused he had to adjust himself. But he was up for the challenge. “If I were there right now, I would gather all your hair in my hands and kiss those lips I have dreamed of for years.”
“And then?” she said. Her voice was low, breathy, inviting.
So Alessandro made love to her over the phone, and her soft moans and gasped words were his entire reward. She gave as good as she got, until they were both panting and laughing, and he didn’t care what time it was.
When his heart rate had somewhat returned to normal, he said, “If I were braver, I would call Nelson right now.”
“You’d find only a squished noodle in my apartment,” she said faintly. Alessandro laughed.
“You are welcome.”
“So are you.”
“Ah,cara mia. What will we do?”
“I don’t know. Just… don’t hang up yet?”
“Of course.” He couldn’t sever this connection between them, not for all the money he owned. “Tell me about your day.”
♦
He woke the next morning with a dead cell phone battery and the phone still on his pillow. And a peace he hadn’t felt in years, if ever.
He plugged his phone in and hummed his way through his shower. When he got out, his phone was ringing. He ran through the bedroom, naked, to catch it. Was Megan looking to start again where they left off?
