Our Love Story

Maybe there is such a thing as a magic genie after all.

“Oh, bella,” Enzo says frowning. “What in the world are you doing out here crying? Need me to take your pain away?”

I bite my bottom lip. Where did these men come from?

“Give it a rest, Enzo. Can’t you see she’s in pain?”

Enzo nods. “I know, I know. But bambino,” he says to me. “Why are you crying?”

I sniffle, wiping my eyes with my palms. “I just... I had a really bad night.”

“Where are you staying? Let us walk you back home to make sure you get there safe. You really shouldn’t be out here alone at night. A lot of homeless people make camp on the beach, and I’d hate for you to find yourself somewhere you don’t want to be,” Mason says.

My throat constricts. How do I tell these men that there is no home?

There is nowhere for me to go?

They must notice that I’m on the verge of tears again because Mason starts talking in a gentle voice. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. Take your time.” He rubs my back in small circles as if knowing exactly how to comfort me,

Eventually my hiccupping stops. I don’t even care about the fact that these guys are seeing me with bright red eyes and snot dripping from my nose. “I kinda don’t have a place to stay tonight. I’m kind of... I’m a little stranded. I need to go to the US Embassy, get some help, so I can get home.” I shake my head, not really knowing what else to say.

But these two seem to have all the answers.

“Oh, bellissimo,” Enzo says. “Don’t worry. Don’t worry. The embassy will be waiting for you in the morning. We can get you right there. Why don’t you come stay with us tonight?”

Mason raises his eyes in alarm. “Dude,” he tells his buddy. “This woman isn’t going to want to come home with two guys she doesn’t know.” He shakes his head as if his friend is an idiot. Looking back at me, he says, “He’s not thinking, but we’ll get you in a cab, and make sure you get set up in a hotel tonight.”

Enzo clears his throat. “Mason, look, I know you’re trying to do the right thing here by getting her to a hotel, but she doesn’t look like she should be alone right now. We have plenty of room at the house, and bella,” he addresses me, “our place is just down the beach. You can come take a look and check it out.”

I bite my bottom lip. After all, trusting Jordan is what got me into this mess.

“I don’t know, I’m a little...”

“Hurt?” Mason says. “I’m sorry someone did this to you, whatever they did, that has you so upset. But maybe if you had a cup of tea, some warm food, it would help you feel a little bit better. We can help you make a plan, and if you have family you want to call, we can help you with that too.”

Enzo points down the beach to a massive mansion overlooking the ocean. “That’s our place, why don’t you just come down there and look around? If you don’t like what you see, we’ll give you money for a cab and you can go somewhere else. But there’s no way we’re letting you stay here on the beach tonight. We’ve been here a few weeks, and we know how raucous this place can be in the early morning hours. It’s no place for a belladonna like you.”

They help me up, not even waiting for me to answer, and maybe it’s because the answer is obvious. Of course, I’ll go with them to their mansion while I make a plan.

And they seem so sincere.

But so did Jordan.

And he didn’t end up being safe at all.

I stand between the two men and they both offer me their hands. Not wanting to choose, I offer one my left and one my right. They walk me away from the palm tree and lead me on the path toward their place.

Between these two men, I can honestly say I’ve never felt so safe in my life.

Maybe wishes do come true.Chapter ThreeChloeInside the mansion, there’s an immediate sense of warmth. And it’s not just that their heat is on. Inside it’s a relaxed and inviting environment.

There are two more guys sitting on the couch playing video games when I walk in with Enzo and Mason. They both immediately drop the controllers from their hands and look over at us in surprise. It makes sense. Before I walked to the house, Enzo explained that there was a no-girl policy on the premises. Apparently there have been issues in the past with fighting over girls.

“How many guys are living here?”

“There are four of us,” Mason explained. “We do adventure sports. We have a contract with the video camera company, MovePro. We’re sponsored by them and the energy drink, Black Bull. We’re here in Jamaica shooting footage for our MeTube channel.”