Lessons Learned, Healing Hearts

Survive or Salvage (Chapter 39)

"Hop in," Piero requested.

"Why should I?"

"Because I'm begging you to."

Sitting in the front seat, as Piero drove off, the silence between them was unbearable. Unable to stand it, Marlow spoke up.

"Piero, I am not going to go back to Milan with you tomorrow," she said, in a cold, matter-of-fact voice. "I think it is best that I do not stay with you any longer."

"What are you talking about?"

"I need some space and time to figure this all out. I will get my boss to wire me an advance on my pay to cover my expenses so that you don't have to pay anything."

"No! Look, I'm sorry, Marlow..."

Trying to keep her tone emotion-free, Marlow flatly spoke. "Piero, I don't want to hear you say that you're sorry. I really don't want to talk right now."

"You don't have to talk. I just need you to listen and let me explain."

Turning down a side road that continued to snake its way up the mountain, Marlow wasn't sure where exactly they were going. Maybe getting in the car hadn't been a good idea, as it was going to be a long walk back to the marina if things got too heated. Pulling into a viewpoint parking lot, her saving grace was that she could still see the town far below.

"Marlow, I am sorry you saw what you did," Piero said, turning in his seat to face her, "But it's not what you think."

"Why did you invite me to come here?" she asked, point-blank. "Why would you say you loved me when you still had a girlfriend? Did you want to make her jealous? Or perhaps, you just needed a distraction from being heartbroken. Well, I'm telling you now, I refuse to be anybody's rebound relationship."

"She is not my girlfriend," Piero protested.

"Well, the way she gushed about you, she..."

"Wait, you talked to Giulia? When?"

"At the beach, the first night we were here."

"What did she say?"

"She said that the two of you were going to get back together again."

Gritting his teeth together, Piero emphasized his point by hitting the steering wheel with his fist.

"We are not getting back together."

"Well, guess what? She sure thinks she is," Marlow shot back, her eyes glaring straight at him. "And the way you two were kissing just now, it looks to me like you feel the same." Unable to stop, she rampaged on. "She asked if I trusted you. I said I did, but maybe instead of defending you, I should have listened to her. Maybe she was right. Flirting with women is just a game for Italian men. Why on earth would you want to be in a relationship with someone like me? I should have kept my feelings for you at a friendship level, but I didn't. I let myself get caught up in the allure of Italy and being with you. So, don't worry, I take full responsibility for making a complete idiot out of myself."

"What makes you think I wouldn't want to be in a relationship with a girl like you?"

"You meet beautiful girls all the time, and if Giulia is any indication of the type of girl you are attracted to, well, I am nothing like that. And, if me not having a lot makes you feel more like a big man because you can "take care of me," well, I don't need to be taken care of. I've been taking care of myself for a very long time."

"Stop it! Just stop it!" Piero exclaimed, grabbing her forearm so tightly it made her look down. "I will not let you put yourself down."

"I am not putting myself down," she snapped back. Forcibly removing her forearm from his grasp, she pointed at him and said, "I am only stating the facts!"