“And the sex? Shit, I honestly don’t know how you’re celibate, Liana. That vibrator of yours will only hold up for so long,” Izzy says.
We all laugh.
I haven’t dated since college. I had a slew of dates that didn’t work out well, and when the last one I went on ended up with the guy shitting himself, I decided to give up. I took it as a sign from God telling me to focus on my career instead, because who the hell has that much bad luck when it comes to dating?
“Speaking of, what’s going on with the Alessia and Massimo situation?” Lux asks.
I let out a sigh. “Absolutely nothing.”
“That sigh didn’t sound like nothing,” Amalia says.
Izzy stares at me, probably waiting for me to tell them I met with him again.
“I tried talking to Massimo last week, but once again, I got nowhere.” The irritation is so prominent in my voice, the girls exchange concerned glances.
“What exactly happened?” Izzy asks. “We haven’t had a chance to catch up since you went to his office.”
“Oh, you know, just the typical dickwad Massimo trying to extort me into marrying him.”
“Well—and I mean this in the nicest way—what did you expect to happen talking to him?” Izzy asks.
“What do you mean?”
“I just mean, after we talked with Alessia, I kind of assumed you were going to talk to Massimo about… I don’t know… his proposition?”
“Yeah,” I say with an exasperated sigh, “Iwasplanning onpossiblymaking some kind of arrangement with him, but the more he spoke, the more irate I got with him.”
“What did he say?” Lux asks.
“He acts like he knows me.”
“I’m sorry?” Izzy raises a confused brow at me.
“He acts like he knows me,” I repeat. “Sure, he knows some random things about me like my favorite food and my favorite color—which is kind of strange—but then he went off trying to tellmewhyI’mnot willing to marry him. As if being forced to do something isn’t a good enough reason to not want to do something. Or, gee, the fact that I just simply do not like him?”
“What did he say is your reasoning for not wanting to marry him is?” Amalia asks.
I scoff. “He says I’m scared.” Finishing my glass of wine off with one large gulp, I set it on the little table beside the couch and glance at my friends. They’re all staring at me as if they’re expecting me to say something else.
“Which is obviously ridiculous,” I rush out, which seems to pull them out of whatever moment they were just in.
“Yeah, definitely,” Lux says at the same time Izzy says, “Oh, yes, of course.”
I glance over at Amalia, who continues to sit there quietly with a crinkle in her brow.
“What is it?” I sigh out.
She shakes her head. “Oh, no, nothing.”
“I know that look on your face. There’s something you want to say.”
She bites the inside of her cheek. “It’s just… Do you think Massimo might have a point in saying that?”
Izzy’s eyes widen, and Lux darts hers back and forth between Amalia and me.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“You know, it’s not really my place to say. Just ignore me. I don’t really know what I’m talking about.”
