“I won’t see you before then?”
“I have some things to take care of,” he tells me. “But I want you to do something for me.”
“Okay, what?”
“From now on, when I ask you about him, I want you to be completely honest, even if you think I won’t like the answer.”
I swallow, wondering if that’s such a good idea. But I guess it’s fair.
I nod my agreement.
“And one more thing.”
“Yeah?”
“Send me a picture before bed. I want to see what I’m missing.”
“Hey.”I smile at Rafe, sneaking a glance at his packed bag sitting on the coffee table. “You leaving?”
“Yeah. Earlier than planned, but I didn’t want to bail without saying goodbye.”
I don’t have to ask to know that Romeo is already gone. It’s not a surprise, considering he wasn’t here when I left for school.
I swallow the weird feeling in my throat and nod.
“Thanks for taking care of my stubborn-ass brother.” He rises from the lounge and grabs his bag. “It’s funny, he’s never let anyone else do that.”
“Oh?” I rasp.
Part of me knew that, but I wish Rafe weren’t confirming it right now. It only makes things more difficult.
“You two always had a special connection.”
“Yeah, we did. A long time ago.”
“I guess some things never change.” He offers me a sad smile. “No matter how much he tries to push everyone away.”
With those parting words, he takes his leave, and I stand there staring after him until my phone pings and snaps me out of it.
Frowning at the screen, I open the text from Michael.
You’ll meet with Riccardo this Saturday at the Vitale estate to discuss wedding plans with Valentina and have a dance lesson with their nonna.
The phrase "wedding plans" settles in my gut like a lead weight.
The last thing on earth I want to do right now is start planning my wedding to Riccardo. But trying to explain to Michael that I want to focus on school for the rest of the year would be as productive as banging my head against a brick wall. He’d yank me out so fast, without an ounce of regret, if I said something like that.
Channeling my self-preservation, I text him back my agreement.
With that dark cloud hanging over my head, I venture to my room and find a black gift box on my bed. When I open it up, there’s a note waiting for me inside.
See you Friday, kitty cat.
I unfold the tissue paper, revealing a kitten half-mask first—the face a smooth, soft pink, with rose-gold filigree curling around the eyes. The ears are made of soft pink velvet, and two pieces of satin ribbon tie it together at the back.
Beneath that, there’s a matching choker that looks like a cat collar, complete with a tiny bell.
When I unfold the costume itself, I find a blush pink long-sleeve leotard with a scoop neck and a snap closure. The second piece is a short, chiffon wrap skirt.
