Married to My Enemy

After this conversation with my father, I vowed to put a strong effort into winning Arianna over. However, she refused to answer my calls, even after a whole week had gone by. Needless to say, she wasn’t making things easy for me. I couldn’t help wondering if she had told her parents that she disapproved of the arrangement and whether I’d be receiving a call at some point informing me that the deal was off.

When Saturday rolled around, I attempted to call Arianna damn-near every hour, to no avail. I felt like a pest, but each time I even gave a fleeting thought to throwing in the towel, I shuddered at how disappointed my father would be with me. No matter how old I got, disappointing my father remained something that I was always leery of doing. I would probably go the rest of my life see

king his approval.

After the tenth straight time of calling Arianna and receiving no answer, I angrily threw my phone onto the couch and began pacing the room.

What could I have possibly done to offend her so badly?

I’d replayed the night of our first meeting so many times in my head that I began to automatically recall the feel of her skin every time I closed my eyes. She had been so into me at the time. I was excellent at reading body language, and I knew for a fact that she had wanted to be with me that night. Hell, I had been willing to take things slow, but she sped things up by kissing me first.

So, what on earth had gone so wrong between then and now? I just couldn’t figure it out.

“The fact that you don’t know why is precisely the problem.” Those had been her last words to me, except for the faked cheer she had mustered to tell me goodbye and that she’d had a nice time when she and her parents left after dinner.

Unable to take it anymore, I decided that I needed to hear from Arianna in person. I wanted her to look me in the eye and explain what it was about me that she found so repulsive.

At just that moment, my mother walked into the living room. “Oh!” she said with a start. “I didn’t realize you were still here, Gio.”

“I was just leaving,” I said.

“Where you headed to?”

“I’m going to see Arianna.”

The smile that spread across my mother’s face was almost too heartbreaking to bear. I turned away from her. She was my mother, and like all mothers, she had a sixth sense. If she looked at me for too long, she would know that something was wrong.

“So, things are going well between the two of you then?” she said.

“Sure,” I said, much too quickly. “See you later, Ma.”

I then darted out the door before she could ask me anything else.

I got in my car, already knowing where the Marino residence was, for I had been given an open invite to their home by Mr. and Mrs. Marino—much to Arianna’s chagrin, of course. I figured I might as well use it to my advantage though. Besides, she wouldn’t be rude to me in front of her parents. Hopefully, I could work some charm over them again, which would, in turn, make Arianna warm up to me as well. At least that’s what I hoped.

Only time would tell.

As I continued to drive, it became apparent just how affluent the Marino’s were. Their neighborhood was beautiful, as were the homes that populated it. And once I pulled up to the Marino residence, I understood firsthand why my father was so desperate to get into the family.

I pulled into the driveway, my nerves skyrocketing.

What if Arianna wasn’t home? What if she refused to let me in? What if she had already told her parents that she wanted nothing to do with me, and they sent away and told me to inform my father that the engagement was over?

Before I lost my nerve completely, I forced myself out of my car and headed to the doorstep.

Holding my breath, I pressed the doorbell.

All remained silent, and for a moment, I suspected no one was home. Relieved and dejected at the same time, I prepared to leave. But then I began to hear stirring from behind the door.

My heart began to pound as I saw the doorknob turning.

There she was. Arianna Marino.

She apparently hadn’t been expecting company, for she was dressed in workout clothes and had her hair tied back into a sloppy ponytail. Yet, my breath caught in my throat anyway, for she still looked beautiful. Even workout clothes couldn’t hide the magnificent curves of her figure. And with her face fresh and free of makeup, her natural beauty was put on prominent display.

Her eyes widened at the sight of me and then began to narrow suspiciously.

“Hello,” I said