Lost Lombardi

Chapter 48

Dino and May were sitting in May's room, eating as much ice cream as possible. It was a little hot that day and close to lunchtime. The ice cream tasted really good and creamy. Dino loved chocolate ice cream. It was the best chocolate ice cream he had tasted so far.

After eating a lot of ice cream, they decided it was enough.
"We ate ice cream before lunch," May said, smiling.
"I don't think I can eat lunch now," Dino said, touching his tummy. May laughed.
"You can have lunch from here," May said.

"Why are you so different today?" Dino asked, looking at May as she lay on her bed. May was sitting on her bed, looking at Dino. Dino totally forgot there was someone called Kacper. At the same time, Kacper also forgot there was someone called Dino. Meanwhile, Kacper and Natisha were going around the town happily, except for the library because they had no library books to return.

"Like how?" May asked, pretending not to know.
"You know. You're not angry today," Dino said, checking his clean nails.
"Do you like it when I'm angry or this way?" May asked.

Dino turned on the bed. "Well, I don't mind either way," Dino said.
"What if you had to choose one?" May asked.
"Not being angry is good. So I can talk with you," Dino said.

There was silence for a few seconds.

"Are you coming to see our school concert?" May asked Dino, who was still lying on her bed.
"Are you in it?" Dino asked.
"I have one item," May said.
"Just you?" Dino asked, surprised.
"No, I have a partner. I'm doing a swing dance," May said.
"You do a swing dance?" Dino asked with an impressed smile, and then his face changed. "With a boy?"
"Yeah, if you can dance, you can be my dance partner," May said.

"I can dance like this," Dino jumped off the bed, smiling, and did a normal dance that people do at parties. May laughed and joined him.
"It's a couple dance, not a solo party dance," May said.
"I'll teach you some slow dance moves, you know, in case you ever need them." Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and Dino couldn't resist her offer. He took her hand and let her guide him to an open space.

May placed one of his hands on her waist and held the other in her own. She started moving slowly, showing him the rhythm. Dino followed, feeling his pulse quicken—not from the dance, but from the closeness. May's scent filled his senses, and the soft warmth of her hand on his made him want to stay like this forever.

As they moved in sync, Dino's gaze kept drifting to May's lips. His heart raced faster. Every step brought him closer to her, the soft sway of their bodies pulling him in. Without thinking, Dino gently guided her back toward the wall, his hands lightly grazing her waist as their faces inched closer. May's breath hitched, but she didn't pull away.

He leaned in and kissed her softly, the touch of her lips sending a thrill through his body. But then, just as the kiss deepened, something felt off. A prickling sensation began to spread across Dino's lips, quickly followed by an itching in his throat.

He pulled back from the kiss abruptly, gasping for air. "M-May," he rasped, clutching his throat as his face turned pale. "I... I'm allergic..."

May's smile vanished as she saw his face swelling before her eyes, his lips turning red and then bluish. "Oh my God, Dino!" Her voice shook. "What are you allergic to?"

"L-Lobster," he choked out, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "EpiPen... my... pocket..." He could barely speak now, his throat closing rapidly. His vision blurred, and his legs buckled beneath him. His body sagged further, almost collapsing entirely.

May quickly checked Dino's pockets with shaking hands and found the EpiPen. She had no time to think—his face was swelling dangerously, and his lips were turning bluish. With a swift motion, she uncapped the EpiPen and injected it into his thigh. Fortunately, she had learned how to use an EpiPen at school when they taught them about first aid.

"Hold on, Dino," May whispered, her voice trembling as tears welled in her eyes. "Stay with me."

For a terrifying moment, nothing happened. Dino's gasps for air echoed in the room, his body weak in her arms. But then, slowly, his breathing began to ease. The swelling in his face started to recede, and his muscles relaxed slightly as the epinephrine worked its way through his system.

May let out a shaky breath of relief, still holding Dino close. "Thank God," she whispered, stroking his hair as his eyes fluttered open, exhaustion heavy in his gaze.

"I'm sorry," Dino croaked, his voice rough but steady. "I... forgot to tell you..."

Tears spilled down May's cheeks as she hugged him tightly. "Don't ever scare me like that again," she said softly. "You should have told me. You could have—"

"I wasn't planning on kissing you," Dino interrupted with a weak smile, still breathless but alive.

But just as relief washed over them, May remembered the urgency of the situation. "We need to get you to the hospital," she insisted, her voice firm despite her trembling hands. "You might need more treatment. The EpiPen only lasts so long."

Dino nodded, still feeling weak but knowing she was right. "Okay," he whispered. "Just... help me up."

With her support, May helped him to his feet, but he leaned heavily against her. "I'll call my dad. He can drive us," she said, already reaching for her phone.

"May, I..." he began, but she pressed her finger to her lips.

"Shh, just focus on breathing, okay? We'll get you to the hospital, and then we can talk."

As her father arrived and helped him into the car, May squeezed his hand tightly.

"How did this happen? You didn't know there was lobster in the ice cream?" her father asked on the way to the hospital. Dino and May looked at each other.

"He didn't eat lobster ice cream. I only did," May said.

"Then how did he..." May's dad stopped himself, guessing what might have happened. "May, be careful next time," he said, thinking it was May who kissed Dino. May's dad never imagined that someone who was deadly allergic to seafood might be foolish enough to kiss someone who just ate seafood.

Dino wanted to tell him that it wasn't her fault, but he wasn't in a condition for a long conversation. Instead, he looked at May, and she mimicked, "It's okay."