"Dad, you’ll fall asleep the very second that everyone leaves." Vi rolls her eyes, and I look at the girls again. "You won't even notice we're not here."
"That's rude, Violet. You're hinting that I'm old," Philipp says, pretending to be offended.
"Darling, she doesn't hint," Alberta says with a smile. "I think she just confirms you're old, as a fact."
We all start laughing.
The table is still full of food, but I ate only half of my main course and no cake at all. I guess I'm just too nervous to eat, but I keep holding cutlery in my hands so as not to give Ricardo a chance to take my wrist in his palm again, because when he touches me, I can't think clearly.
We have to have a proper conversation first, and maybe then I'll relax a little. It's just…
I don't know what to tell him. How to explain what I feel. I don't even know myself. What do I want him to do? To sell his company to be able to move back to Tuscany with me? He would never do that. And I really don't want him to sacrifice that much for me. Do I need him to give me some guarantees that if I move to London, he won't work that much and will spend more time with me? But we both know he won't be able to cut back on work when he's in London. And that's the main problem—I don't want to move away from Florence.
Violet and Francesca stand up and thank everyone for coming. Alberta and Philipp ask my dad and others not to leave yet, although they want to. Philipp says he's not old enough to finish a party at ten in the evening.
"Are you coming?" Fran asks, looking at Ricardo.
"No, I think we'll pass," he says and stands up from his chair. I guess he’s decided to leave as well, but he doesn't want to go to the club. He wants to finish what we started in the bathroom. And he uses “we” as if I can't go without him.
But I'm not ready for that conversation—or for sex with him.
"Of course I'm coming," I say, looking at the girls with a smile. I feel Ricardo's disapproving gaze on my skin, but I get up and follow the sisters, avoiding his look.
* * *
Ricardo doesn't speak to me while we're in his car. He's obviously pissed off, but also he probably doesn't want to talk because the twins are in the car with us. They said they didn't want to drive by themselves because they already decided to get drunk at the party and then take a cab and continue the celebration in the Four Seasons hotel after.
I don't want to go to this party. I hate nightclubs, loud music and everything in between. Also, I'm not really dressed for dancing: I'm wearing high heels and a silk dress. If I knew I'd have to go to the club, I'd wear jeans and sneakers.
The truth is that I agreed to go only because I didn't want to stay with Ricardo alone. I'm not ready for that yet. I'm afraid of what he's going to say, and even more, I'm scared of all the things I could tell him impulsively.
As we arrive, I quickly walk out of the car and rush to the entrance, not waiting for him to give me a hand. Each time he touches me, I start to melt, and I don't need that right now.
Too bad the club is located two minutes by car from Ricardo's apartment. That means we're only a couple of miles away from being together and alone.
When I enter the club, I find out that it's not as loud as I imagined; it looks more like a lounge bar at a hotel, not a club. Security checked our names at the entrance, and, as it turned out, the girls rented the whole club for their party tonight.
I expect to see a couple of the girls' college friends, but as I walk inside, I see that this place is full of people. Some of them are already dancing, others are drinking at the bar or eating at their tables. Do the girls really know all of these people? Or did they invite everyone they know and have ever met?
There's a DJ stand in the center and a vast fountain next to it, which pours champagne instead of water. Some people are already wasted.
When they see Vi and Fran, the crowd starts screaming and applauding. Some people come to say hi to us. I stand next to the girls with Ricardo behind me and don't know where to hide.
"I want you to meet Anna," says Vi, turning to me. "She dreams of becoming a designer, and she wanted to meet you the second I told her what you do."
A tiny brunette with short hair, wearing a black top, a military jumpsuit, and big black army boots comes toward us. I like her already: she definitely has a sense of style.
"I'm Anna." She extends a hand to me with a smile, and I notice a small ring in her nose.
"Angie," I say with a smile. If this girl wants to work with me, I'm ready. I love creative minds more than those glamorous chicks who wish to become designers just because it's cool.
"Ricardo!" I hear someone exclaim so loudly that even the music seems muted in comparison.
A tall, thin blonde rushes to Ricardo, smiling widely, and wraps her arms around his neck. Her tight silver dress is so short it hides almost nothing, and it's obvious she's not wearing a bra, while her incredibly high heels emphasize long, skinny legs.
"I missed you so much!" she says, trying to kiss him on the lips, but he pulls away.
I already want to kill her.
"Did you invite her?" asks Fran, displeased, looking at Vi.
"Of course not! I don't even know how she got through security," Vi defends.
They both turn to look at me.
They know what I'm thinking about. It's probably written on my face: I want to kill that woman.
Even after Ricardo pulled away, she continues touching him, stroking the buttons on his shirt. This moment he looks at me, and for a second, we just stare at each other, but then he says, "Laura, let me introduce my girlfriend."
Blondie's eyes get bigger, and her face changes from pleased to shocked in a second. She wants to say something and opens her mouth but closes it right away.
Ricardo comes to me and hugs me by the shoulders, pulling me closer to him. I just stand, watching how Blondie desperately tries to figure out what to say.
"It's so nice to meet you," she finally simpers with the fakest smile I've ever seen.
I should feel satisfied that he rejected her and came to me right away. I should enjoy that he chose me even though I'm shorter, curvier, and my messy curly hair doesn't shine as bright as Laura's, but I still feel pissed off, though I don't know why.
"I'm Angie," I say without a smile and turn to Ricardo. "I'm gonna go talk to Anna while you're enjoying your old friends' reunion."
Ricardo wants to say something, but I turn to Anna, the girl I met just a couple of minutes ago, and take her by the hand. Fran and Vi both look at me guiltily, but I don’t pay attention to them. It's not their fault this bitch is here. I'm angry at Ricardo: why wasn't he surprised that she acted that way? That can mean only one thing: this has happened before.
I'm sure they fucked.
I walk as fast as I can to find the farthest table to talk with Anna, simply to avoid looking at them. I want to get rid of this terrible feeling inside me. Something I've never felt before: jealousy.
Chapter Seven
Angie
"She's such a bitch," says Anna as we get a seat at the table in the corner where the music isn’t as loud.