Frantz-
I looked over at Liliana's sleeping form, and absentmindedly ran my index finger over her exposed cheek. The softness of her skin caused me to smile and sigh. I tried to keep my touch as light as possible, in hope of not waking her up. After she made her bold statement in the bathroom accusing me of leaving her alone, I asked, what she meant, but she simply remained silent, so I finished brushing her hair in silence, then I carried her to the bed, where she laid quietly until eventually she fell asleep. And all this time I had been standing above her and staring at her face like a total creep.
Shaking my head, I removed my hand from her face, and breathed out awkwardly before I walked out of the room, making sure to keep the door unlocked. Heading downstairs to the kitchen, I grabbed a glass of scotch and sat on my couch, while I thought about how I would handle the entire situation with Liliana. I hated seeing her like this, and if it wasn't for Carlos being in police custody right now, I probably would hunt him down and hurt him some more.
I hated the fact that Carlos had the chance to prey on Liliana, and now he has traumatized her. How was I supposed to appeal to Liliana now? Especially when she often looked at me as though I am the enemy.
I gulped back the bitter content of my glass as I remembered just how void her eyes appeared when I brushed her hair. I never thought I'd see the day where I yearned for Lili to threaten to kill me with a wine bottle. But I did. I wanted the sassy Liliana back, and maybe I would get her back, with a little bit of patience and lots of kindness. The only thing I couldn't do was let her go. And I know that the moment she woke up, it would be the topic of the day.
Call me selfish, but after seeing what happened between her and Carlos, I didn't want to give Liliana the chance to meet anyone else. I wanted her all to myself, because I know that for one, I would never force myself on her. And secondly, I didn't want to even think of the picture of her being in the arms of another man.
Before Carlos turned into the antagonist of this story, I still remember the urge to break his face and fingers when I saw him kissing on her at the airport. I had never felt a sense of possession towards anyone before, not even Christina. But Liliana, from the very first time I laid eyes on her, I knew she was different. Now Carlos may have almost ruined my chances to earn Lili's trust, but there was still hope.
At least... that's what I hoped.
I chuckled bitterly as a sharp pain suddenly erupted in my chest. And it was more mental than physical. I had done it. I had broken the one promise I made to myself. And it hurt. After Christina, I promised myself that I wouldn't fall for another woman. After I picked up the pieces of my broken heart, I sealed it shut with a wall composed of sex and booze. The more beds I laid on, the harder my resolve became. The more women I met, the more I pushed to never love another.
And then along came Liliana. And yeah, she pretty much destroyed that wall with her sassy comments, and her refreshing personality, and now, my heart was left exposed once again, and the pain of my shattered wall was making itself known in my chest. And just to add salt to the wound, I hated hoping, I hated uncertainties, I hated not knowing, especially when my heart was on the line.
And yet... I still hoped.
My hoping, however, would come to a sudden halt, when my phone rang, and I happily picked it up and greeted the one woman who has never betrayed my love, "ciao Madre".
"Don't 'ciao Madre' me you little bugiardo (liar)!" She greeted back, and I knew that by her tone, she was pissed.
"Ma, what happened?" I asked, with a sigh, aiming to calm her down.
"What happened is that you lied to me." She accused, her European accent making her words ten times more dramatic, "You told me that as soon as you returned from Rome you would come for a visit, but you never did." She revealed, and I groaned, closing my eyes, and facepalming myself once I had realized my mistake. Of course I would forget. She had every right to chew me up.
"Ay mamma Mi dispiace." I apologized, using our language, hoping to appeal to her and ease her anger.
"Oh don't you dare try to ease yourself out of this one. You are your father's son, knowing exactly how to push my buttons, and knowing exactly what to say to get yourself out of trouble. But not this time mister!" my mother scolded, and I had to give it to her. She knew me well. I chose to gulp back the last of my drink when she asked, out of the blue, "so what is her name?" and in that moment, there was a mishap in my throat as I swallowed, and a bit of the burning alcohol traveled down the wrong pipe causing me to stifle a harsh string of coughs with my hands.
"Ma, what are you talking about?" I asked, as I tried to past my coughing and wheezing as a harsh yet failed attempt to clear my throat.
"You know exactly what I am talking about. Only a woman would have you in this mood." My mother probed, making sure to emphasize on the word 'mood'.
"I am not in a 'mood'." I tried to defend. But maybe I responded too quickly.
"Mmh hmm, defensive, forgetful, brooding... il mio amore, you're in a mood." My mom persisted, and I rolled my eyes knowing very well if she was sitting close to me, she would've slapped the back of my head so hard my brain would shake in my skull.
"Mamma, I am not going to argue with you." I gave up. There was no point in denying anything when my mom was already on the right track. Because I was the only child, she knew me like the back of her hand. I couldn't hide anything from her, even if I wanted to.
"Don't because you will lose." My mom stated, in a matter of fact tone.
"Right." I simply replied, seeing no point in saying anything else.
"Listen, there is nothing wrong with you finding love, I just, I don't want a repeat of three years ago. It took a while to get you out of that hole. Whomever you've met now, just don't be too quick to trust her with your heart, I would hate to have to pick up the pieces once again." My mother advised and pleaded softly.
"Mamma-"
"Just promise me." She begged passionately, and sighing and closing my eyes, I replied, "lo prometto."
"Va bene, ti amo figlio mio, ciao." My mom stated, softly, and I smiled as I replied, "ti amo mamma, ciao."
I hung up the phone and sighed quietly as I leaned back against the couch and closed my eyes, which reopened just as quick when I heard a floorboard crack a few steps behind me. I turned around and noticed Liliana standing at the base of the stairs, her eyes as suspicious as her silent steps.
"Hi." I greeted softly, hoping to not scare her off. My aim was to have a nice and slow approach.
"Hi." She replied, her fingers playing softly with the hem of my shirt that reached her upper thighs.
"How are you feeling?" I asked, carefully, trying to not appear like a creep who loved the image of her dressed in my clothing.
"Um better, a little thirsty with a killer headache, do you have anything...?" She trailed off, as she looked down, her cheeks flaring with a crimson blush.
"Uh yeah, just have a seat, I'll get you something." I invited, and while she made her way to the couch, I headed to the kitchen and grabbed her a glass of water, and an aspirin. While I did so, I told myself to play it school and not scare her off. I just needed her to trust me.
After taking a breath, I returned to the sitting area where I found Lili looking over a picture of me and mother in Rome, and when she noticed me, she quickly placed the frame down, and I could see her eyes become guarded. I handed her the glass and pill and took a seat across from her. She drank her water and medication quietly, and when she was done, she placed the glass down on the coffee table, and sat with her hands intertwined and resting on her thighs.
I leaned back on the love seat and waited for her to speak.
And speak, she did.
Narrator-
"You sound beautiful when you speak Italian." Liliana blurted out nervously before she could stop herself.
"Thank you." Frantz nodded his head and smiled softly. He already knew where this conversation was going.
"So I want to go." Liliana declared after taking another awkward pause. Frantz was glad to see that she wasted no time at all to get straight to the point.
"Go where?" Frantz asked, his tone remaining casual. No stress.
"Home." Liliana replied, though her tone already sounded annoyed.
"No." Frantz said, without wasting a breath.
"What do you mean no? You can't keep me here." Liliana was ready to put up a fight, even though her brain was literally throbbing with an annoying ache.
"I mean no, you're not going anywhere." Frantz declared. He was done playing games.
"So what? Is this some kind of kidnapping or something? keeping me here against my will?" Liliana felt herself getting hotter by the second.
"Word it however you wish, you're not leaving." Frantz replied, with a tone of finality.
"Watch me." Liliana declared, then she pursed her lips and stood up as she headed to the door. Frantz watched her from his seat, knowing the next few moments were going to be very entertaining.