Easing Heimweh (Heim, #1) ✓

27: Pancakes

"Come on, Eva, just one lap!"

"No."

"I'll give you a dozen wines for your birthday."

I shifted so I no longer faced the insistent woman. "Tempting, but no."

"Fine." Cali huffed, grabbing the basket beside me, I heard the lid open and the sweet aroma of blueberry pancakes brushed past with the breeze. "I'll give you a winery."

Raising a brow, I turned back to her. "From Napa Valley?"

She nodded. "Of course, your highness. Now get up and join the race," she urged. "Achilles is betting his car."

I scoffed, already up and taking stray sand off my shorts. "So if I win, the winery's mine and his car's yours?"

"Yep," she replied, popping the p.

I went to Nero and turned it on. "And if I lose?"

"He gets the winery."

"Like hell he would." I drove to where Achilles was. Bianca was sailing off in avant garde fashion, receiving hollers from Lucius. "Hey!" I called.

"Signorina!" Achilles shouted back, a playful smile tugging at his lips. "Ready?"

"The prize is mine," were my last words before Cali screamed 'go'. I sped past them and out in the deep, keeping my lane straight. When I reached the floating border, I took a sharp u-turn and accelerated. Achilles was but a few meters away, following my trail and hiding where he assumed my blind spot was.

Sucks for him, I'd been driving heavier engines since I was 14. My blind spot might as well be nonexistent at this point. Every attempt he had of swerving to my side and speeding up, I immediately shot down by blocking him without whipping my head back to look at where he was.

"What are you doing?!" I heard him shout from afar when I accelerated once more and turned so we now faced each other. Achilles instinctively leaned back when I approached, closing the distance.

"Winning," I said before running in front of him. The force of the water and my well-built momentum had him shielding his face from the impact. He'd realized what I was meant to do, but by then, it was too late. Achilles was thrown to the water, and Bianca automatically stopped. I drove back to the shore flaunting a triumphant smile.

With a promise of a good winery back in the U.S. and Cali getting a new car from her lovely and generous boyfriend, our late lunch sure had started off with such interesting topics.

"Can I still drive it, though?" Achilles asked as he munched on a pancake. I'd refused to eat a few minutes prior to this conversation as I had already pigged out while they played without me earlier.

Cali shrugged. "Do whatever you want, babe. It's coming home with me anyway."

"Right." He cleared his throat. "It is."

"You were pretty awesome back there," Lucius commented in Italian, eyes twinkling as they landed on me. I paid him a smile.

"Thank you. You're not so bad yourself."

"You see—I mean, saw me drive Bianca, Signorina? I thought you were sleeping," he replied, switching languages when he stammered.

"I saw you playing before I took a nap."

"Oh, you speak Italian?"

I bit back a chuckle. "Sì."

Lucius and I never really had the chance to talk before. In fact, this was the first time we'd shared a conversation. I was glad to have been able to talk to him without feeling uncomfortable. Truth be told, I had no idea if Aelius ever told him about us.

And if he knew about my past relationship with Aelius, would he want to spend the next few days with me around?

"I am a little lost." We all paused, and all small chatters died down when Emilia spoke. "'Babe'? Are you Achilles' lover?" she asked Cali who sat beside her.

Albeit confused, the latter nodded. "You didn't know?"

"I thought..." Her eyes darted to me. "Nevermind."

"No, please continue what you were gonna say," I joined in, staring Emilia down with a passive smile. "I'm curious."

"I was about to tell Miss Cali to guard her boyfriend," she let out, playing with the pancakes on her plate. "With a face like that, many ladies are probably pining on him behind your back."

It didn't take Cali a second to put two and two together. She gave me a look that screamed what the actual hell, and I held my breath as I waited for said hell to break loose in total Campbell fashion.

"By ladies, you mean yourself, right?" she casually responded. "'Cause trust me, I've known Captain for years, and she'd rather commit a felony than break the girl code."

"Really?" Emilia's brows contorted to a frown. "Why won't she stop flirting with Achi—"

"If you have a problem with me, just say so, will you?" I cut her off, and it must've surprised her so much that her pancake dropped to her plate. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm just saying," she argued, and I rolled my eyes at the stupidity of it all.

Cali gasped, though it sounded more of an insult than it was of surprise. "Gosh, don't tell me you're one of those people who think that men and women can't be friends."

Emilia's eyes shot daggers in my direction. "Well, am I wrong?"

I wasn't even in the right headspace to answer that dumb question. Thankfully, Cali spoke again, and she clearly was over the woman's bullshit. "Seems to me like you're projecting, babe. Are you a homewrecker or something?" Her eyes turned to Aelius who was silently watching the argument, eyes calm and steady, but his hands were fidgeting his plate.

"Excuse me? Are you suggesting that I stole Aelius?"

"Well, it's not like you can't simply be friends with him, right?" Cali shot back.

"I did no such thing! I—"

"This is pointless." Everybody tensed up at my low voice. I didn't even realize I used a tone of authority to make them shut up, but I could care less. My focus shifted to Aelius, and the rest faded away as our eyes met. "Do me a favor and teach your girlfriend some manners."

"Alon..."

"Don't call me that."

I stood and grabbed my things. I was well aware that walking out was excessively petty and perhaps immature, but I'd rather die than spend another waking minute of the day with him. "Oh, and happy anniversary," I spat, and I heard him call my name once more, but I was already walking away.

Suddenly, this damn chain around my neck and its golden anchor weighed heavily, like the burden of bearing it had finally come to torment my aching heart.