Memories In Italy

Chapter 20

When the 'christmas party' was over, I was left alone. Alone! So I was aware Chiara could visit me every moment. We all knew it was possible so the next step from our plan was asking her phone number. Then we would have at least one thing from her. I was not sure I really wanted to do it, because to receive that, I needed to act a bit. But of course that was all she ever did, so why couldn't I be mean for once? The others went home to sleep, but I couldn't sleep of course. I was waiting in suspence.

I almost closed my eyes from tiredness when there walked someone towards me. I didn't even hear her knock on the door. "Chiara," I said, "nice to see you!" Awful, even that little sentence was hard to tell her. How could I be friendly to someone who was a liar without a doubt! "Ciao, my sweetheart!" Ieuw, she called me her sweetheart. Disgusting. I didn't even find her a beautiful woman anymore. She was ugly as hell. Since I knew she was probably really a bad person, I only could see the bad things about her. That friendly face she had, was actually a mean facial expression to act like she was friendly. Like "you don't even know half what I have in store for you!" and that made me shiver. She was a mean witch. How could I have been so naive before to think she was just friendly?

"How's your arm!" she said laying her hand on the shoulder from my broken arm. I kept wishing in my head that she would end that. I didn't want her hand on my body at all. "Eh thanks for asking! It's going better and better!" I forced a smile after that, trying to look into her eyes as well. But I could only see evilness in there so I couldn't hold on for a long time. I hoped so this little plan was going to work, then the others could see her if we called her to come. Maybe, because I still didn't think she would do that. I told the others already that she only visited me when I was completely alone for a long time, on moments there was no chance someone else would come. But it was of course still better than no plan at all. So I held on and told her things I didn't wanted to tell her, not in a million years. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you at first! But now I see..." She waited for my further explanation with her fake smile on her face, trying to be patient but I saw she wasn't at all. "Go on!" she said unpatient. But it was difficult, that's why I couldn't say it immediately. "Now, I see that it always has been you! I mean, you're the only one! I need to leave Aline and I want to be with you for the rest of my life!" Okay now I was exaggerating. This was not needed to get a phone number! But I was patient and hoped I was as good in acting as she thought she was in acting. "Oh, you're such a sweety!" she said, touching my chin, and next rubbing over my little stubbly beard. "No, please no!" I thought. She was so coming into my personal area! Only Aline was allowed to do that. I only didn't remember if she ever did. I had enough. I couldn't wait for the right moment anymore and just asked it. "I was wondering..."
"what were you wondering sweetheart?" she interrupted me. Oh god, who wants a girlfriend like that? "I was wondering...perhaps...you can give me your phone number?" I tried my puppy eyes and thought it was working. But then she said just "no!" If she tried to be friendly, than she actually couldn't act at all, because how she said that, was quite rude. "Eh...why not?"
She smiled again, possibly aware she had to be fake friendly. "Because the others are not allowed to know about us!" I immediately responded with a short list of why I should have her number. "But I want to call you when I am all alone! I want to text you and sent sweet little messages. Don't you want that?" She seemed to agree with it but then her brains (I wasn't sure yet if she had brains) took over again. "No! I just don't want that anyone knows about us now. Not yet! It's the best for you! You never know how Aline will react. It's for your own good!" What? She really was mean actually. "I know what will happen to you!" I mumbled angry. "What?"
"No, nothing!"

She ignored it. "So no phone number," she said with her fake little smile on her face. And then I had to get rid of her since I didn't need her anymore. I took my own phone and called to Piero. "What are you doing?" she asked a bit anxious. "Calling to Piero!" I said. That was all that was needed to scare her away. Of course she didn't want anyone else to know about her excistance. "I"ll leave you then!" she said quickly and then she went away, faster than she arrived.

"Hi Piero...listen..."

Aline's POV

I sat in my old bedroom, watching the walls around me one by one. What a strange life this is. Suddenly you live in a country thousands of miles away and your life is completely different than it used to be. More different than I had ever hoped. I took the medallion that was hanging around my neck and opened it. The picture inside was old, but nevertheless still gorgeous. Gianluca was on it, how could it ever become ugly? He gave me the medallion when we just met! In Rome, at the beginning of July. The beginning of my new life. But what remains of it now? I rubbed a tear out of my eyecorner. I took the medallion again in my hands. Engraved in a very beautiful way, there stood 'per sempre' on it. I remembered he gave it to me. One of the most beautiful moments of my life, even though I had to go back to Belgium.

"Sei sempre nel mio cuore, forever in my heart!" he added while touching his heart with his fist.

Three and a half years ago already! But I still remember. And I always will. Per sempre. But something was not right. Per sempre! Did I make the right decision to go to Belgium for a while? When I asked myself that question, Liene knocked on the door.
"Yes!"

She jumped on my bed. "Aline, why exactly are you here?" she asked all of a sudden. "Oh...eh, I was asking myself exactly the same thing!" She sat calm on the bed now, with a very serious face. "Are you sure that this is what you need to do?"
I lifted my shoulders but of course I knew the answer. I started crying. "Why can't my life be simple?" I asked. "If your life was as simple as the life of a normal girl, you never would have met Gianluca Ginoble from Il Volo, a beauuuutiful Italian superstar!" she said. And she had a point. "Come here." She took me in her arms and we hugged each other a minute before I stood up and said "I'm going back!"

Liene laughed. "Well, very kind from your short visit! I appreciate that!" she said. It was of course wasted money and time. But if I hadn't done this little thing, I never would have realized how important it was to be next to Gianluca in those difficult days instead of here, far away from him. Far away from my future husband! "I'll bring you to the airport again," Liene said. "Okay, thanks," I said wiping the last tears out of my eyes. "I just need to do another thing first!" I said, taking my phone from the nightstand.