Page 43 of Enzo

This is it.

“Goodnight, Molly.” And then I do it. Instinctively. I reach for her hand, lift it to my lips and drop a light kiss on it.

She giggles.

“You’re such a gentleman, Enzo.” She smiles and steps inside, closing the door behind her.

Through the glass window, I watch her disappear inside, as I stand outside, hands in my pockets, feeling something that I can't label. It feels like a dull ache of losing the company of someone who made the world feel a little different for a few hours.

***

It’s noon by the time I wake. I didn’t fall asleep easily, too many thoughts going around in my head.

I’m seeing Mama later this evening, but until then I have nothing planned.

I could have spent the day with Molly.

Molly.

I remember her vividly.

And now I’m left with the absence of her.

I'm supposed to contact Luca Valizar's office, to arrange a meeting, but that isn't important anymore.

Molly is no longer even in the country. I wish we'd had more time together. I wish I'd asked for her number. I didn’t and now it’s too late. Now she’s just a memory.

I can’t dwell on her too much. There are things I need to do, so I get up, shower and dress and drink a cup of coffee, while staring out of my hotel suite. But I’m not really looking at the views, no more than I’m enjoying my freshly brewed cup of coffee that room service delivered.

I pick up my cell phone and find that it’s completely dead, so I plug in the charging cable before stepping out onto the balcony. I hear a noise. It sounds like a lot of notification pings.

What the heck is going on?

I step back into my room and pick up my phone. I jolt back in shock when I see that I have over thirty missed calls, tons of texts. Most from my brothers, and some from friends.

A few from Mama.

Father, too.

The quietness of the morning evaporates.

What's happened?

Father?

It can’t be. Heart racing, I call Matteo.

He answers after a while. “Wassup?” He sounds drowsy.

“What's happened? Is it Father? Is he okay?”

“What the hell have you been up to, Mysterious Man?”

“What?”

Through the rough edges of my mind, I remember Molly calling me that.

“You’ve set the internet on fire. You’re an internet sensation. What the hell did you do?”