Mysterious

Chapter 28

Arissa followed behind him as people started to file out of the venue.

"I have to go back to Nahvia..." she told him. She started to feel people looking at them wondering who she was and why she was with him. He looked at her with sad eyes as she wandered back to the back of the groups leaving the show. As she was walking she bumped into a girl with long brown hair in a long maxi dress wearing a brown blazer. Damn, how does that happen? Running into the girl whose seat I stole? "I'm so sorry I took your seat, Leighton.." she said to her.

"I can't say I was happy I had to sit 12th row..." Leighton responded.

"No, really. I was going to get up. He wouldn't let me.." Arissa explained pointing to where she was supposed to sit.

"So, you weren't crashing?" she asked.

"No, no. I went to say hello.." Arissa used her hands to motion to where she was supposed to be. "I was seated way back there..." a flash hit her ring as her hand moved back down to her side. Leighton grabbed her hand.

"Oh...okay. You're fine. It was one show...."

"Thank you! I felt so horrible. So horrible. I would never have done that to anyone.."

"Don't worry, hun. It's okay. Just don't take my seat again..." Leighton answered walking away.

**

"How do you know him?" Nahvia asked as the girls walked past the media line of paparazzi snapping photos of celebs at the show.

"We're engaged." Arissa said quietly.

"Oh my god!" Nahvia screamed. A few people turned around to see what she was screaming at.

"Yeah...that's it." Nahvia picked up Arissa's hand to see the ring.

"Is that the classic?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's so perfect. He did a good job..." Arissa answered.

"Oh! That is pretty!" another PR girl behind them said.

"What's pretty?!" another girl asked.

"Her ring. It's gorgeous." the girl replied.

Suddenly there was a group of international fashion PR girls standing by Arissa's ring.

"When did it happen? When are you getting married? How long are you going to wait to get married?" All the girls gathered around her.

"Oh my gosh...ummm...." Arissa was overwhelmed. "We can all talk about it over lunch!" Arissa answered.

**

Arissa wandered into her hotel room after the days shows. Sitting on her side table was a note.

"These stupid thank you notes are so dumb." she said to herself picking up the card.

She opened it to see a note from Bruno...

I love you.

That's all. I'll see you tonight.

She put on one of the borrowed dresses she brought for the trip. She had already planned exactly what she was going to wear that night. His actually birthday, though, she wasn't sure. She put on a red wine colored one shouldered dress, sprayed on her Bath and Body Works Mango summer body spray and grabbed her classic black Christian Loubotin heels. Damn, those are hot shoes. They're so expensive.Arissa met Nahvia downstairs.

"You look hot, chica! No wonder you two are getting married!" Nahiva welcomed her co-worker.

"Well, yeah. I guess that's part of it..." Arissa was still somewhat embarrassed by the relationship. She didn't understand why everyone thought so highly of him. She'd come to forgive his flaws, but so many people didn't know about them. The smoking, gross. He had stopped texting her "You're beautiful" everyday. He had stopped kissing her neck. He still gave her chills, but they were definitely beyond the "we just met" phase of the relationship. Even if they were getting comfortable with that life, she wasn't. She wanted to make sure she never lost what they had that summer. "God, all these models are out of control...." Arissa mused as the girls wandered down a Milan street to get to the restaurant they were meeting Bruno at for dinner.

As they made their way a few blocks down the ancient city she caught paparazzi where they were eating. "I guess it's fashion week. They gotta get their shot..." Nahvia said.

"I'm not worried..." Arissa told her new found confidant.

They pushed through the throws on photographers. One, in English, mumbled under his breath "I think that's her...." Suddenly the flashes turned onto Arissa. Oh shit. I thought I could handle this. I thought I could do it...this is kind of weird...

":Siamo qui con il gruppo Elektra ..." Arissa told the waiter as they walked in.

"A destra in questo modo ...." the sleek Italian waiter ushered them to the back of the room where they heard loud music.

"Grazie.." Nahvia smiled as they walked toward the back. Arissa was welcomed by several of Bruno's friends. She introduced her co-worker and took an empty seat.

"Ciao bella..." Bruno came up behind her kissing her shoulder and squeezed her.

"Ciao bello..." she smiled at him.

"I missed you..." he said getting closer to her.

"I missed you too. Too much." she responded.

They ate expensive Italian food getting louder by the minute. How does he make me laugh so easily? It's like everything goes away when I sit next to him. I don't understand it.She heard his phone buzz next to her while she was chatting with some models that Jay had found. She glanced over to him to see his response. Everyone he knows is here. Who is texting him? He grabbed the phone thinking no one heard it. "Who is that?" Arissa asked him.

"It's nothing. It's nothing." he said kissing her.

"Umm, okay." she accepted his answer, even though it was still a bit weird. She held on to him while they finished up the evening. His phone buzzed again next to him. I'm not jealous. I'm not that girl...but everyone he knows is here...I don't understand it. He reached over to grab it, she put her hand over his. She pulled the phone out of his hand seeing what the texts were.

-Not tonight. She's here. She surprised me.

–You know I'd do it better than she does.

—You'll have to show me another night.

—-London?

—–London town!

Arissa threw the phone on the ground running out of the restaurant.

A few of the models saw the events unfold and gasped. Their gasped caused everyone to direct their attention to the now broken cell phone.

"Arissa, wait! Please wait!" he yelled at her as she ran outside. There were still a few cameramen outside who caught him running after her. She had turned down a dark alley to get away from everything. "Did you see where that girl went?" he asked one of the photographers. He pointed to where she had run.

"Risa!" he yelled as he turned down to where she was hiding.

"Just tell me you slept with her. Just tell me now. And I'll go back to my hotel and finish my trip. And don't even expect me to be there when you get back in November." she yelled standing up walking away. She smelled his minty breath and cologne as she walked past him. He grabbed the bottom of her dress to get her to stop walking.

"Nothing happened, Arissa. Nothing happened. I swear...it's you. It's you I want."

"I want you too, but not if you're going to do this. I told you...I told you from the start..." her words started to break up as she caught her breath. "that I don't need anyone. I can be the person I want to be without you. And you changed my mind. I needed you. I need you to be a better person. I have to have you in my life. I believed it. It's all bullshit, Bruno. No wonder you lost her...you've lost me too." she moved his hand from her dress. "Don't touch me." He followed her from the alley. "Stop! Don't follow me. " she yelled.

He watched her walk away near a classic Italian fountain. She stopped by the edge unhooking her necklace, slipping off the engagement ring throwing them both to the bottom of the fountain. "Arrivederci bello." she said to herself walking back to the hotel.