red rain (victoria de angelis)

chapter fiveteen

Impatiently, she ran one hand through her hair and rolled her cigarette with the other.
She couldn't deny her nervousness, nor did she want to, because one of her deepest dreams was finally coming true.
She also had a little surprise for her friends and was excited to show it to them.
The soft velvet nestled against her skin and warmed under the burning Italian sun so much that Francesca had already parted with her jacket five minutes ago.
Damiano,Victoria,Thomas and Ethan had gone home once again to change clothes and pick up some documents for the contract.
One of the Massouri's chauffeurs was supposed to pick them up ,but it had been a considerable time already.
Francesca began to worry and rummaged in her pocket for her cell phone.
Just as she pressed the green receiver and the first ring tone sounded, a dark Range Rover drove up and her four darlings got out.
With open mouths they waddled up to her and stared at her in disbelief.
,,How fucking rich is your family?" Thomas snapped as his hand ran along the matte black trim of the private jet.
"Granted, my father went a little overboard with this one," Francesca muttered sheepishly, glancing sideways at the gold family name on the side of the jet.
,,Something," Ethan said sarcastically, swinging up the stairs behind Damiano, followed by Thomas.
,,Lady's first," Francesca smirked, giving way to Victoria.
Grinning cheekily, she pinched Victoria's buttocks, who then jumped into the air and shook her head with a grin.
Shortly before entering, Francesca gave the chauffeur a sign, which Victoria did not understand, but also did not ask.
She threw herself into an armchair in front of Thomas and let the stewardess pour her some champagne.
Slowly she got used to all this luxury, but she didn't know if she should be happy or unsettled.
Lost in thought, she stroked her slightly shimmering vest, under which she wore nothing else, but this disturbed neither her nor her friends.
Francesca came out of the cockpit, where she had had a short talk with the pilot, and dropped down on the long leatherette couch. 
,,So France, tell us where we're going!" demanded Damiano, who had already gotten used to the nickname Victoria had given him.
,,Well, you curious people, my lawyer is in the middle of Venice. Accordingly, we will be taken there now, have a little free time, then our appointment and then free time again.
Unfortunately, our flight home is not until eleven, because my father needs the jet before then.
,,Well, that sounds good!" Damiano said and leaned back in his chair while he toasted with Ethan.
Smiling, Francesca leaned back and closed her eyes.
The familiar voices seemed to move farther and farther away and eventually they were gone.

Blue eyes rested on the peacefully sleeping young woman, seeming to absorb every little detail.
Another pair of eyes watched her as she did so, and the owner's lips curled into a grin.
Damiano saw the affection with which his bandmate looked at her friend.
He saw Victoria biting her lower lip and looking dreamily down at the long figure.
The last time he talked to her about Francesca, she said it was just a little hanky-panky, just for fun, but he can tell from that look alone that this something between the two women is not just fun.
The way they touched each other, looked at each other and talked to each other showed that these two felt more and Damiano was very happy about that.
He was happy that Vic had finally found someone who would make her happier than she would ever be in her life, but deep inside him was the thought that Francesca could pull her into the darkest depths as well.

The sun beat down heavily on them as they stepped off the plane.
Francesca had woken up shortly before and was now tousling her curls.
An all-too-familiar presence stood next to her and smiled as she looked down.
Victoria's hair shone in the sun and her sunglasses rested on the bridge of her nose.
,,The sun won't stay this strong much longer. My mother used to say that this would be the last power the sun would give us before it went into hibernation," the blonde told the taller girl.
,,That sounds very nice. Your mother seems to be a good woman." Francesca smiled down at her, but faltered a bit when she saw the sad smile on Victoria's lips, who was still looking at the sun.
She merely grumbled in agreement and then turned away to go after her friends.
Confused, the curly-haired girl looked after her, but quickly caught up to put her arm around Victoria's shoulders, who immediately snuggled closer to her.
No matter what it is, Francesca was sure Victoria would tell her eventually and until then she just gives her every comfort Francesca can muster.

The chauffeur drove her to a boat dock where a man was waiting for her in a long ornate gondola.
His dark hair fell over his eyes as he greeted them with a friendly smile.
The slightly older Italian took them to the heart of the city and explained that he would be waiting for them here.
Just as Francesca was about to explain that he didn't have to, he sat down on a blanket on the dock in front of his gondola and unpacked the lunch he had brought with him.
Smiling, she turned around and led her friends to her lawyer's house.
It was an old house built of dark red brick, with a balcony that had white trim and on which the most magnificent creepers seemed to thrive.
The door, made of dark mahogany, opened after two knocks from Ethan, revealing a young dark-haired woman, on whose nose sat a pair of bright glasses.
Her outfit didn't match the ambience of the colorful city at all ,more like she was leaving for a long day on Wall Street.
Yet there was a gentle smile on her lips with which she welcomed the five and invited them inside.
The interior of the house looked as expensive as Francesca's house, but while in her house one had felt immediately at home, here one first had to pass through a dark tiled corridor, through which one then stepped into some bright large rooms, all of which had large windows through which the sun let its, already very strong, rays fall.
At a large desk, which was made of the same wood as the door, sat an already somewhat older gentleman.
His gray hair was pulled back and under his face showed clear signs of age, but his lips wore a shallow smile and around his lips flattered a few laugh lines.
His eyes brightened as the young people entered and with arms outstretched he approached them.
,,Ciao my friends!" his strong voice exclaimed and his rough hands greeted his clients with a strong handshake.
Francesca received a kiss on the left and one on the right, due to the fact that Lorenzo was an old friend of the family and already a lawyer for her, she didn't even know the meaning of the word "lawyer".
He wrapped them up in a long relaxed conversation ,had an espresso with them ,explained the legalities ,had them sign the contracts and congratulated them on a new chapter in their lives.
The man in his fifties took them to their gondola and bid them a festive farewell.

Leaning against Victoria, Francesca let the sun shine on her skin.
"Well, I must say that Lorenzo was a little strange to me at first, but he seems very nice," said Thomas, who was sitting at the head of the gondola.
,,With his broad and tall stature, he can be quite intimidating, I must admit. Especially when he wears his dark suits and puts on a serious expression, but this man has seven children and a wife who is as sweet to everyone as Molly Weasley is to Harry Potter. When you see him with his family, it will probably change your whole view of him. He taught me to ride when I was about five years old and he taught me to love books," Francesca explained with a shallow smile on her lips, making everyone laugh a little when she told them that he once sat on her first pony and got up with his feet as if he were on a wheel.

~1429 words~