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“What’s going on with Roland’s son anyway?” I hear Daniel shout in the background, and I smile. “Because personally, I’ve been dying to fight with Roland with a reasonable excuse.”
“Sorry Daniel, but it’s none of your business. This is between my daughter and me,” my mom tells him. “Anyway, what happened with them?”
I sigh. “Elias has a black eye, Lorenzo thinks he forced himself on me, and I think you can guess the rest. I tried talking to Lorenzo, but he’s stuck on the idea,” I explain to her.
“That’s my fault, I made Lorenzo paranoid about Roland. Did you tell him that you like Elias?”
“No. I don’t know anymore. My mind feels like a mess, and the two are fighting, I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.”
“Elias is still his friend; I’m sure Lorenzo won’t leave on bad terms. He’ll come to his senses. But are you okay?”
“I’m fine, just tired. It’s hard hosting an event and trying to stop two people from killing each other at the same time,” I tellher. I don’t want to worry her, it’s not like she can do much at this distance. It’s better that she doesn’t worry about me.
“Okay, whatever you say. Just take care of yourself. If it’s too much, come back,” she tells me.
My limbs start weakening, a tingling feeling on my skin. I raise my head, a sudden pain in my chest.
“Yes, I will. I should go sleep, we have plans tomorrow,” I say, closing my eyes.
“Okay. Be careful, flower,” she tells me then ends the call. The phone falls out of my hand and into my lap. My head aches, and there’s a ringing in my ear. My head feels light, and everything starts spinning. My hand grips onto the couch, keeping me steady.
I open my eyes but they’re burning. My head is beating and aching, on the verge of exploding. I can hear ringing and it gets louder. Stop. Stop! I take deep breaths, trying to ignore the sound. The sudden rush of thoughts in my brain. But nothing goes away. I raise my legs up onto the couch, wrapping my hands around them. I notice that they’re slightly shaking. Breathe, Val.
I pull my legs closer to me, my whole body shaking with them. My head drops onto my knees, my heart beating in my chest. Everything’s spinning, but yet nothing is at all. Nothing’s there. Only the loud ringing sound. Breathing suddenly feels harder. God, not again. Not here.
Reality seems like it’s closing around me, and I’m suffocating, but I’m getting air at the same time. My body is numb, my skin hot. My ears feel like they’re being pulled. Stop. Stop. Stop. Please, shut up. Leave me alone.
I just want to be alone, for once.
Chapter 72 – tredici
Lorenzo
I wake up late today, and quickly get ready. We’re going out again, so I get dressed and fix my hair before going to Val’s room. I don’t know where we’re going, and I don’t think we’ve decided, but it’s probably somewhere less known because of the weekend crowds.
Elias is still in our bedroom, and Aurora is talking to Elaina and Ellie. I look around, looking for Val, until I spot her sitting at the island table, on one of the high chairs, in front of her computer. Her gaze is fixed on the screen, but she isn’t typing anything. Why is she working this early? She doesn’t usually work in the morning.
I approach her and sit next to her on the other chair. Her computer is untouched, her elbows resting on the table as she rests her chin on her joined hands. The document on the screen is blank.
“Hey,” I call, but she doesn’t answer at first. I raise my hand and place it on her shoulder. “Val,” I call again, startling her. She turns her head toward me.
“Sorry, do you need something?” she asks in a soft voice. She was zoned out. There’s a hint of black under her eyes.
“Are you okay? You don’t normally work this early,” I say. She doesn’t look okay.
She nods her head, humming a short sound of agreement. Her eyes then return to the laptop. Her fingers fidget, and I notice her spin the small ring I gave her. She’s stressed. Why is she working then? She would’ve stopped if she didn’t have ideas.
“Vi, when did you wake up?” I ask her. She doesn’t answer immediately. “Vi?” I say her name again.
She turns her head. “Uhm, I don’t know. At about four, I think. I couldn’t sleep,” she answers. Couldn’t sleep. Stressed. Zoned out. Did something happen? Did she have another attack?
She doesn’t look okay, nonetheless. She needs to rest. She needs some type of distraction. “How about you and I go out for a bit?” I suggest.
“Well, we’re going out soon, and I have to get ready and everything.”
“We’ll cancel it.”
She shakes her head. “No, I can’t do that. The trip is already a mess as it is, I can’t cancel another outing.” Her voice is shaky, and her eyes are glassy.
