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And I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt when he let go of my hand like that. But I saw the expression on her face and I have a feeling they didn’t break up because feelings faded. He probably doesn’t realize it, but his eyes soften when he looks at her. I’ve never seen him look like that before. Carlo doesn’t even notice as I inch backward and start walking away.
I hear the light clacking of heels behind me, and when I turn, Daniella’s there. She doesn’t say anything, she simply leads me to an empty hallway. I lean against the wall, trying hard to stop picturing the look on Carlo’s face as he looked at Cara.
“Don’t overthink it,” Daniella says.
I look up as she brushes her red hair off her face. She has been fairly nice to me all night, despite knowing that my relationship with Carlo is fake.
“What are you talking about?”
“Right now. You’re overthinking what you just saw. Don’t. If you overthink it, you’ll start seeing things that aren’t really there.”
“I’m pretty sure I saw what was happening perfectly clearly.”
She sighs and mutters to herself, “I really wasn’t going to meddle this time.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Listen, Tori, Carlo’s a complicated man. I’ve known him for years and even I don’t understand him. But I love him like a brother and I want him to be happy, which is why I’m going to advise you to be straightforward with him. He can be a little oblivious. If you want him to know something, you’re going to have to literally shove it in his face.”
I blink and stare and blink some more. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She smiles. “I believe I was pretty clear. Take it from me, I was in a similar position with another D’Angelo brother. They can be dumb when it comes to how they feel. Sometimes they need a little push.”
I sigh softly when I realize what she’s insinuating. “No, Daniella. I don’t—Carlo and I aren’t…” I struggle to decide how best to explain our situation.
“I think you should talk to him about it,” Daniella says softly. She offers me an encouraging look before straightening. “Right, well, I’m going to send him over here so you can talk.”
I nod and she leaves. I turn over her advice in my mind. I’m pretty sure she just asked me to tell Carlo how I really feel. Only problem is, I’m not so sure myself. The only feeling that’s clear right now is the jealousy that’s threatening to explode in my gut.
It takes a few minutes before Carlo shows up. He walks over and I allow myself to admire him for a moment. He really is handsome. His face is the embodiment of the bad boy with a motorcycle your parents warn you away from in high school. But I can’t imagine Carlo riding a motorcycle. He values order and control. He’s wound up tight.
As always, his expression is carefully blank as he approaches, though I do catch slight worry flickering in the brown depths of his eyes.
“Hey, you okay?” he asks, his gaze roaming my face.
I let out a soft breath. And I decide to go into this rip-off-the-Band-Aid style. He stares at me curiously as I stand in front of him.
“Do you still love her?”
Carlo stares at me for several seconds, uncomprehending. When he finally gets it, his eyebrows furrow.
“No. I told you I’ve never been in love with anyone.”
“But you dated her,” I argue. “You care about her.”
He looks uncomfortable now. “Cara and I never really dated. We were together but our relationship rarely passed the bounds of physical gratification.”
I turn those words over in my head. “So… you were fuck buddies?”
Carlo makes a face. “In a sense, yeah.”
“But you care about her,” I prod.
He sighs. “Cara and I are complicated.”
That does nothing to alleviate the feeling in my chest. The last thing I wanted was for him refer to his relationship with her as “complicated.” I wanted him to deny having any sort of relationship at all.
He must notice the expression on my face because his eyebrows crease. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
