Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 142640 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 713(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 475(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142640 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 713(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 475(@300wpm)
Two a.m., no texts, no missed calls.
Unimpressed, I roll my lips and put it away.
A loud laugh sounds over near the bar and I glance over, beautiful, scantily dressed girls are everywhere, along with every doe-eyed man in town.
But I don’t want to be here.
Not in the least, I would rather be at home talking on the phone to her.
If she would just fucking call me already.
“Mia is looking exceptionally hot today,” Alex whispers.
I glance up and my eyes sweep up and down the girl he talks about. “I guess.”
“There’s no guessing,” Valentino chimes in.
Right on cue, Mia looks up and smiles over at us. As if feeling suddenly brave, she walks toward us.
“Ugh,” I mutter under my breath as I sip my beer.
Val bumps me with his shoulder. “The fuck is wrong with you?”
“Hi, Giuliano,” she breathes.
“Hello.” I force a smile.
“I didn’t see you last weekend, Giuliano. I thought you would have been at Pria’s party for sure.”
“I had something on,” I lie. Well, it’s not technically a lie. I was on a date with another girl.
“What a shame,” she replies. “I only went to that party in hope to see you.”
“Sorry to disappoint.” I smirk. “You’ll have to make it up to me.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” I lift my beer to her in a silent salute.
She bites her bottom lip with a sexy smile. “Do you want to dance?”
I glance inside to the dance floor. “No. Not yet, maybe later. I want to hang with my friends for a while.”
“Oh.” Her eyes flick to my two friends.
I grab her hand and lift it. I kiss her fingertips. “I’ll come and find you later, hey?”
“Um, okay.” She smiles sexily before sauntering off through the crowd.
Alex and Valentino stare after her and I continue to drink my beer. Their attention comes back to me.
“What?”
“How the fuck do you get all the hottest girls?”
I shrug.
“Seriously, I mean. You’re not even nice to them.” Val rolls his eyes.
I shrug again as I pull my phone out and check it again.
Call me, fuck it.
“Did you see her?” Alex sighs. “Fucking hell, that body.” He pretends to wipe his forehead.
I glance around at my surroundings, same people, same girls. Nothing exciting or new. “I’m going to get going.” I announce.
“What?” Val frowns. “It’s only early.”
I shrug. “I’m bored.”
“What about Mia?” Alex gasps.
“Meh.” I shrug. “Zero interest.” I drain my beer. “You should go for it.”
They both stare at me as if I’m stupid and I put my beer bottle onto the counter. “Catch you both later.”
“Are you serious?”
“Completely, bye.” I make my way around the side of the house.
“Giuliano.” I hear a voice from behind me. I turn to see Maria and I inwardly wince. “Hi.”
“Where are you going?”
“To get some more drinks from my car.”
“You didn’t call me.”
“I….” I pause as I try to think of an excuse. “I lost your number, sorry.”
“Oh.” She smiles hopefully. “Well…. Thankfully, I can give it to you again.”
“Thankfully.” I fake a smile and look out onto the street. “I’m just getting some drinks for my friends, back soon.”
“I can’t wait.”
I widen my eyes. “Me too.” I walk toward the street as fast as I can. I hear another girl call my name. “Giuliano.” I roll my eyes in disgust.
Fuck.
I put my phone to my ear and pretend I’m speaking to someone and ignore the voice. I keep walking up the road and into the darkness.
As the music and laughter echoes in the distance from behind, I feel a strange detachment. Everything I should want is at that party, and yet nothing there interests me in the slightest.
I don’t know what I want, but I do know it isn’t here.
I dig out my phone and check it again.
Francesca Ferrara.
Call me, fuck it.
1
Francesca
I stare at the phone in my hand, “Just call him already,” Anna says from her place on my bed. “I can’t believe you haven’t called him yet, it’s been five days. He’s not going to wait forever, you know?”
“Exactly my point.” I slip the top off my empty shampoo bottle that I’m now using as a secret phone safe and put the phone back in its hidey spot. I screw on the lid and put it back in my bathroom cabinet.
“And what stupid point would that be?” she scoffs.
“He’s a player, Anna, what’s the point of starting something up with a heartbreaker who we both know isn’t going to wait for me to be allowed to date.”
“You don’t know he’s a player.”
“What kind of guy kisses a girl in the bathroom of a house tour and then sneaks her in a burner phone?”
“The hot kind.”
“I already know how this will go.”
She rolls her eyes. “And how is that?”
“I’ll fall for him and he will be out partying with every girl in town while I stay at home, for which he will have the perfect excuse because I’m not allowed out. And to be honest, I wouldn’t even blame him. Who wants to see a girl that you can’t even see?”