Giuliano opens his menu and peruses the breakfast choices and Anna widens her eyes at me in a what’s going on gesture.
I give her a subtle shake of my head and get to reading my menu too.
“What do you want, Chesk?” Giuliano asks.
Anna points her teaspoon at me, “That is a good question. What do you want, Chesk?”
Giuliano glances up at her and she withers. “For breakfast, I mean. Jeez.”
“Umm….” I stare at the menu, too distracted to even read the words. This is a living nightmare, they all know what we’ve done. I can’t stand it; I am going straight to hell.
“Are you two finished your little one-night stand?” Giuliano says casually as he stares at his menu.
“Who said it was a one-night stand?” Carlo fires back.
Giuliano glances up as if surprised.
“I’m staying with Anna all weekend,” he announces. “You’re going to have to stay in that spare room a few more nights.”
Giuliano exhales heavily as if annoyed and I bite my lip to hide my smile, I know for a fact that he’s very happy in my spare room.
Anna smiles over at Carlo. “That’s a bit presumptuous, isn’t it?”
Carlo reaches over and squeezes her thigh, “Behave yourself, before I punish you.”
Oh….
Carlo and Anna stare at each other and I can feel the spark between them.
Go Anna.
“Do you guys still want to go shopping today?” Anna asks.
Giuliano winces and I can’t think of anything worse, I’m exhausted. I hardly slept all night.
“Sure.” Carlo shrugs.
“I’m most definitely out,” Giuliano says. “Shopping is the very last thing I want to do in Ibiza. I’m going to the beach.”
I really should go shopping with the others but screw it. “That sounds good, I’m beaching too.”
“What are we doing tonight?” Carlo asks.
“There’s a bar down at the beach, we could maybe go there?” Anna suggests.
“Sounds good.” I smile.
“Shall I book for six p.m.?” Carlo asks, he looks to Anna. “You ready to go?”
“Uh-huh,” Anna swoons as she stands and takes Carlo’s hand.
I look between them in shock, is it really that easy to get Giuliano to myself today?
“Great.” I smile. “I’ll see you both tonight.”
Giuliano stays silent and I get the feeling he would rather just stay in our room, well too bad. I’m not leaving Anna…not that she looks like she minds, she’s literally glowing. “Have fun shopping.”
“You two try not to kill each other,” Carlo says as they walk off.
Giuliano’s eyes hold mine and a trace of a smile crosses his face. “Death by cock,” he mouths.
I roll my lips to hide my smile and I whip him with the serviette. “Behave yourself.”
* * *
The warmth of the sun dances across my skin.
Giuliano and I are lying on our backs on towels on the beach, the sound of the waves gently lapping the shore in the background. I’m wearing a black bikini and have a black straw hat over my face. It’s so weird, I’ve always been aware of the guards around me. Today, it has a new hurdle, I’m terrified that they are going to pick up on something between Giuliano and I.
Bruno and Sav are in the café at the back of the beach, watching over us.
Spoiling my fun.
I just want to roll over and kiss him and rub the suntan oil into his back and frolic and cuddle in the water. But I can’t, we can’t.
Giuliano reaches over between our bodies and links my pinkie finger with his and I smile under my hat. Such a simple gesture that says so much.
He wishes we were alone too.
He rolls over onto his side so that he faces me and leans up onto his elbow. “Do you regret last night?” I don’t answer and he reaches over and lifts my hat so that he can see my face. “Do you?”
“What if they know?” I say.
“They don’t.”
“What if they do?”
“They can’t prove anything, it would only be speculation. We are allowed to be friends.”
I nod as I stare at him.
“It’s three days, Chesk. Out of a whole lifetime, it’s just three days.”
I stare at him as I feel my heart break. He’s right, out of a whole lifetime, I only get him for three days.
I nod sadly.
“What does that mean?” He frowns.
I sit up, suddenly motivated to do all the things. “It means I want to go back to our room. Right now.”
He sits up too. “To do what?”
“Earn our ticket to hell.”
He chuckles and then bursts out laughing. “Pretty sure I already got mine, but happy to help you earn you yours.”
We burst through the bedroom door and Giuliano takes my hand, pulls me through the apartment and throws me on the bed. “Don’t move.” He disappears and comes back with my beach bag and rattles through it.
What’s he doing?
He produces my suntan oil and smirks. “Wouldn’t want you to get burned.” He pours some onto his hand.