Page 54 of Valentino

Here I was thinking that he’s playing some major mind game and he’s just already taken.

He passes my plate over. “Thanks.” We begin to eat in silence.

Don’t ask it…. Do not ask it.

Act casual, change the subject.

“How long have you been seeing her?”

His eyes rise to meet mine and as if hesitating he takes a mouthful of food. “I’ve been in a dark place, so it was either that or burn the world to the ground.”

Oh.

“Are you seeing anyone?” he asks.

“No,” I scoff. “I’m sworn off men for life.”

A trace of a smile crosses his face before he shovels a mouthful of food into his mouth. “We’re not all bad.”

Really?

Because you have a secret girlfriend that I didn’t know about….

Actually, this is better, because now I know that him staying with me and the whole Carlo thing has nothing to do with me.

I need to come clean; this lie is eating me alive.

“I’ve got something to tell you, but I don’t want you to freak out because I’m sure it means nothing.”

“Such as?”

“Carlo called me.”

He swallows the food in his mouth before replying. “When?”

“A few days ago.”

“What did he want?”

Why does he seem so calm about this? I thought he would completely freak out.

“He called me while I was at work and said that he didn’t shoot Giovanna and that there was another shooter.”

His eyes hold mine as he continues to chew. “What else did he say?”

“Nothing, he said that he was going to call me that night, but he never did.”

“Why didn’t you tell me when I asked you before?”

“I don’t know.” I shrug. “I was scared, I guess.”

“You want him back, don’t you?” he snaps. “That’s why you wanted him to call you back.”

“What? No. Absolutely not. I don’t.” I sip my wine and shrug as I try to articulate my thoughts. “The truth is that we probably weren’t going to work out anyway.”

“What does that mean?” he fires back.

“When we were together we only saw each other a few times a week, and I don’t know.” I shrug. “I guess we weren’t that serious, if anything we were ramping down not up.”