◆ Falling In Love ◆

◇ KEL ◇

"So?  Did he sign it or what?  He's not replying to my emails anymore. Sonuvabitch ghosted me."

I giggled at Gaia's fairly incensed reaction.  It was my fault—I didn't tell her about the last conversation I had with Enzo, about that loan payment agreement I asked Gaia to revise.  Well, in all honesty, I didn't want to talk to her about him at all.

That last time I decided to hang out with him ended on a profoundly baffling note.  Lately, I couldn't think of much else besides his cryptic goodbye that day.  I just didn't know if Enzo really meant what he said...that it would be the last time we'd see each other.  That he would never bother me again.

It triggered a mini anxiety attack for me.  I never told him he was being a bother, and I didn't know why he said that.  "Sorry. He's just real busy these days," was my excuse.  Hopefully Gaia didn't think I totally wasted her time and effort because Enzo repeatedly and blatantly refused to sign that contract.

"So he didn't sign it?"

"No. He keeps saying it's not necessary."  I sighed,  recalling his dismissive behavior every time I would bring up the money I still owed him.  "Don't bother emailing him again. He's got a lot goin' on right now."

"Whatever."  Gaia scoffed on the other line.  "Where are you?"

"Um...on my way out."

"Out? Where? On a date?" she asked almost too enthusiastically.  Gaia even snickered.  "Finally."

"No. I'm here, in Italy."

"What?"

I winced at her screechy voice blaring through my headset.  "Jeez. You're like a megaphone."

"Why? Where you goin'? You're gonna see Miles?"

Precisely, I wanted to say.  But I knew she wasn't in favor of my decision to just hop on a flight to Italy just to spend time with him.  I just missed him a lot these days.  "I won't be here long."

"Does Jill and your mom know?"

"No. Don't tell 'em yet."  I sighed while rubbing my tired eyes.  It was a long flight but I didn't get much sleep.  I couldn't stretch my legs enough, and worse,  some kids were crying loudly behind where I sat.  "Please?"

"You're kidding." Gaia scoffed again.  "Just text them."

"Fine. Later. How's your new case?"

"Exhausting. Then another deposition." Gaia muttered something about deadlines.  "And I gotta show up at eight tomorrow. But, screw it. I'm still gettin' hammered tonight."

"Good for you." I giggled at her rambling as I stepped out of the airport by myself.  A duffel bag full of clothes and some documents were the only things I brought with me, besides my old satchel—Miles' birthday gift for me two years ago.

"How long you stayin' there in Italy? I thought you're still doing clinic rotations?"

"Yeah. We're starting General Surgery next week.  I finished the last one early and got a few days off, so..."

"How much did you spend on airfare alone?"  Gaia questioned in a louder voice, sounding rather disappointed by my decision to just fly all the way here amid a busy school year.  "You're in Italy now? By yourself?"

"Yeah. Just walked out of the airport," I muttered.  "I'm fine. His security staff's picking me up."

"Name and physical description? You know what they look like?"

"Relax. It's Alei, his personal bodyguard."  I faked a chuckle just to pacify her worries.  "Just gonna check up on Miles."

"Why? What's up with him?" Gaia murmured, her tone still dubious.

"I told you: he's supposed to be in rehab.  But he won't listen."

"Mykaela, you can't help someone who doesn't want help."  She sighed audibly on the other end.  "Anyhoo, I dug up some old case files."

"What case files?" I frowned as I stood still by the waiting area, waiting for a familiar SUV.  Miles said Alessio would pick me up today.

"Some racketeering charges against his dad."

Someone filed a case against Mr. Falco? "When? Where?"

"Long time ago. It's on public records," Gaia explained in a mumble.  "You said Miles and his mom lived in Massachusetts before. Right?"

"Yeah, and New York.  For a year, I think."  I didn't say anything more.  Although I was pretty sure Mr. Falco was also a mob boss by profession, I just didn't have solid evidence to prove it.

Besides, Miles trusted me to keep it all a secret.  For now, I would keep it that way.  I didn't want it to cause any rift between us.  Our current relationship was complicated enough.  Well, to me, at least.

"Dude, his dad's bad news—I'm tellin' ya," Gaia warned.  "Stay away from that filthy rich creep. You hear me?"

◇

Umbria, Italy

Alessio and an older driver of the Falcos picked me up at the airport and drove me straight to Ricchar's estate.  The drive took roughly four and half hours.  Instead of admiring the picturesque scenery on the way, I napped in the backseat during much of the ride.

When we reached the Falcos' estate, I was greeted by a smiling and very pregnant Cloe and a bearded Ricchar.  They welcomed me into their three-storey mansion as if they had been eagerly waiting for my arrival.  The next minute, Miles dragged me away and brought me to the guest room where I stayed last time.

It was a pretty spacious room on the third floor, complete with a queen-sized bed, a large rug, thick drapes and a chilly balcony facing the labyrinth.  That old, creepy maze...just one of the few things I didn't miss about this idyllic place.

"Want me to sleep here?" Miles asked after he placed my stuff by the dresser.  He wore a button-down gray shirt with the sleeves hiked up past his elbows, showing some of his muscular arms.  He had a little scruff, but it matched his longer hair that reached his broad shoulders.  His smooth skin looked quite tanner than usual, too.

I stood by the bed and silently admired his healthier appearance.

He must be working out more often.  Perhaps to get rid of the stress caused by his fairly new corporate job.  At first glance, no one would suspect he was and is a drug addict.  "What?" he mumbled when I just kept staring at him.

"Are you eating healthier? Working out more?" I put on a smile and took off my jacket.

"Yeah. You?"

"I try," I lied while suppressing a guilty grin.

Miles scoffed and stepped forward to stand closer to me, his shadowed eyes focusing on my face.   "Want a hot bath?"

The room stayed noiseless when I kept smiling at him.  A hot bath sounded nice.  My strained back and legs would definitely love a relaxing bath this evening.  "You're gonna fix me one?"

"Yeah." His brows creased a little. His cologne smelled slightly of flowers and something minty, but his breath smelled of cigarettes.

I wanted to hug him, and ask him why he was smoking again, but I knew he wouldn't appreciate my nagging.

Miles didn't hug me earlier—maybe because his cousins were watching us closely.  He only kissed me on both cheeks, the usual Italian greeting.  But now that we were completely alone in a room, maybe he no longer felt cautious.

"Can I get a hug first?"

◇

The bath he fixed me took only 20 minutes or so.  I wanted to hang out with Miles before Cloe or Ricchar called us to join them for dinner.  As I expected, Miles invited me to talk a walk around the spacious garden.

He seemed busy on his phone, though, sighing at something from time to time while his lips pouted.  Probably something work-related.

"If we're still single by the time we're 35, would you ask me to get married?"

Miles snickered at my not so coy proposition, but he didn't look up from his phone.  He just kept texting.  "You wanna get married? At 35?"

"I dunno," I muttered, keeping up a straight face to sell my joke.

Ricchar and Cloe got married before they hit 30.  After more than a decade of being together and with no kids, they still seemed genuinely happy with each other's company.

Sometimes I just envied their relationship.  "Maybe.  Maybe not." I held onto Miles' forearm.  "But would you?"

Miles paused his slow steps and eyed me.  Another frown played up the semi-perplexed, semi-discouraged look on his face now.  He looked like he just sucked on a lemon.

"Would you?" I kept up a serious tone.

"If you really want to, then..."

I placed my arm around his lower back and laughed, sensing his immediate unease.  "I'm kidding, Maximiliano. Don't look so disgusted."

"Ha-ha. Hilarious."  He rolled his eyes as we resumed strolling past the labyrinth.  Like the last time we were here, it still looked well-maintained.  Large trees and trimmed hedges surrounded the area, blocking a lot of sunlight.  "What payment contract was he talking about?"

"What?"

"Lorenzio." Miles pocketed his phone and rested his heavy arm on my shoulders.  "He said you asked him to sign a contract, for the money he gave you."

"Oh. That," I muttered, hesitant to share details.  "Gaia drafted a contract last year.  I asked her to revise it when he...loaned me more money. I asked Enzo to sign it. But I didn't expect he would...fly to New York that soon."

Miles tutted. "If you just gave him the money I sent you—"

"No. I'm not using your savings to pay him back."  I gripped his forearm as we walked past another neatly trimmed hedge.  The smell of dewy grass and earth promptly reminded me of the climate in this part of the country.

"How's Gaia?"

"Busier. She's working at her uncle's law firm."

"Sounds serious."

"She looks like a rockstar sometimes, but she's real focused on her job now," I commented with a smile.  Like my Mommy Tilda, Gaia's mother also pushed her daughter to pursue a serious and demanding career.

"How much did you tell her?" Miles asked with a slight pout and furrowed brows.  He spoke quietly now, even though we were alone here in Ricchar and Cloe's wide garden.  "About what happened here?"

"Don't worry about it," I said reassuringly.  Then I recalled my conversation with Gaia this morning.  Her warning about Mr. Falco didn't really surprise me.  From the looks of it, she wasn't aware of the other details about the Falcos' background, or anything beyond those old case files.  For now.  "I made her promise."

"What if, the authorities talk to her?"  Miles paused his steps.  We stood near the entrance to the maze now.  "She's a lawyer;  she's obliged to cooperate."

"Yeah. I know. But I still trust her more." I hugged him to ease his concern somehow.  It would be a while before we would have some time to hang out again—I just wanted to keep the mood light.  "Why didn't you tell me you guys got a new ship?"

"Serrafim?"

"That's the name? Pretty." I pulled away to smile at him.

He touched my chin.  Miles stared into my eyes while we stood behind a tall hedge concealing us from everyone's sight.  "I'd take you there but you get seasick easily. And I gotta throw that old pedo a birthday party soon."

I stepped back and chuckled at his bluntness.  Every bit of me felt giddy as he embraced me, effectively distracting me from the jet lag.  It also made me giggle that we were being touchy-feely while hiding behind bushes like teenagers, afraid of getting caught.  "You mean Enzo's uncle?"

"Yeah." Miles sighed as his arms tightened around my waist.  "Likes young hookers too much."

"You'll be there at the party?" I asked, still worried about him possibly running into Enzo's brother soon.  Definitely not something to look forward to.  I could easily imagine it wouldn't end well for both parties.  "When is it?"

"Next weekend. I'm busy. Alei's guys will keep an eye on the ship."

"Oh."

"You didn't answer my question."  His warm palm caressed my face, and his beautiful lips pouted again.

I squinted at him.  "Which one?"

"Want me to sleep with you tonight?"

◇