“I’m the worst friend,” Bella announces dramatically when I pick up the phone. Chuckling, I wander over to the balcony and open the door. My iced tea in one hand and the phone in the other, I sit down, the concrete cold on my legs.
“No, you’re not. At least you finally called me back.” I giggle. “Things still going well, I’m guessing?”
“Too well,” she replies, her voice glum. “I’m waiting for things to go wrong, Luce. They have to. They always do.” She sighs. “He’s probably a serial killer or something.”
“Or maybe you’ve finally found a decent guy?” I suggest, taking a sip of my drink.
“Maybe. Okay. What’s new with you?” she asks.
Do I tell her? I take a deep breath. I need to tell someone.
“Bell, everything is a mess.” I groan. I don’t even know where to begin.
“Are you okay? What’s happened?” she asks, her voice full of alarm.
“Pietro.”
“Pietro?” she repeats, confused.
“Yes. He came to town for a few days and we kind of hooked up—”
“You kind of hooked up?” Bella screams. Laughing, I lift the phone away from my ear until her voice returns to normal. “What the hell does that mean? Explain, Lucy. Details!”
“You’ve been so hard to get ahold of that Pietro has been there for me since I moved here. We talk nearly every night, text all the time. We flirt.”
“You flirt? Holy hell, Luce. That man is a god. You slept with him? Is he, you know, well equipped?”
“Bella,” I gasp, laughing. “Some things are off-limits, even for you. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. We argued about my dad. He left and I haven’t heard from him since. I think it freaked him out when I told him I was a virgin.”
“You told him that? Never tell them that, Luce.” Bella groans.
“I told him after,” I say defensively.
“That’s even worse!” Bella sighs. “Okay. What do you want? A relationship? Some fun? Do you like him?”
“Yes,” I admit. “I like him a lot and the thought of him not being in my life is something I can’t think about. But my dad—”
“Is the relationship you, Pietro, and your dad?” she cuts in.
“No,” I say, and laugh, screwing up my nose.
“Then I don’t give two fucks what your dad thinks. If you like Pietro, then tell him. Be honest. I’m the queen of fucking up relationships and trust me, the best way to do that is to avoid the truth.”
“I guess you’re right,” I mumble.
If only talking to him didn’t feel so terrifying. What if he totally rejects me? Rubbing my forehead, I sigh. Why does this all have to be so hard?
“Worst case, you could always make the guy jealous by flirting with one of the guys in your dance class,” Bella teases.
“But then I’d have to tell him about it, or he’d never know.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s true. Hey, maybe I could let it slip to him?”
“No, stay out of it, Bells. I don’t need this any messier than it already is.”
“Glad that’s what you think my help would do,” she says, feigning hurt. “I have to go, but I’ll call you tomorrow and see how you’re doing, okay? Don’t sit around pining for him. Keep yourself occupied.”
“Okay.” I sigh. Easier said than done.