Perfectly Wrong

Chapter Three

A snippet of Chapter Two from Edoardo's POV

Edoardo did a double take when he glanced over at the girl lying on the blanket in the middle of the park. He stopped in his tracks, watching her for a long moment as she tossed her book away from her and threw one arm up to cover her face.

She'd been ignoring him.

He'd messaged her god knows how many times, and he didn't want to think about how truly pathetic he'd felt each time he didn't get a reply. Sometimes he felt like maybe she just wasn't that into him. He'd decided yesterday that he should give her space. He'd been persistent enough. If she wanted him, she could find him.

And then, of course, suddenly he ran into her. And he didn't have the willpower or strength to walk away.

He walked over to her, taking in the vision of her spread out of the blanket. He tried not to let his mind wander, but he was a red-blooded teenage boy and she was in a pair of tailored shorts that showed more skin than he'd ever seen from her.

"Eleonora?" He used her full name, remembering how she'd yelled at him the other day. She'd been so angry.

God he hoped she wouldn't yell at him again.

She opened her eyes and met his gaze, sitting upright. God she had the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen. He felt like they saw right through him. He'd never felt more exposed than when he was around her. Strangely, he liked it.

"Hi" she said, and he wasn't sure if she was happy to see him or not.

His hand went to the back of his neck as he greeted her back. He shouldn't have come over here. He looked like an idiot.

She asked him if he wanted to sit, and his body responded on autopilot. He nodded, saying "sure".

"You can call me Ele, Edo" she said, and just like that he felt his body fill with warmth. She shouldn't be able to affect him like this, so easily. He was a pile of mush for her; it was pathetic.

He joined her on the blanket, leaning back on his hands.

They sat in silence for a moment, and he watched Eleonora's fingers twist a lock of hair around her finger.

He wanted to hold her hand. The other day when he'd held her, been that close to her, it had been intoxicating. He'd never wanted somebody like this before.

But he knew he'd stepped over a line. She'd run away from him and ignored him for almost a week, and it had been absolute shit. He'd rather agree not to act on his feelings then not be able to hang out with her like they had that day. He just wanted to spend time with her. It was pathetic, but he'd never enjoyed spending time with someone like that before. He knew they could do absolutely anything and he'd have a good time.

"I'm sorry about the other day" he said, his heart beating too fast. Please don't yell at me, he thought.

Eleonora's hand stilled, and she slowly looked over at him. "Are you really though?"

His stomach flipped. She didn't believe him. She thought he was a complete stronzo.

He locked eyes with her, desperate to communicate how truly sorry he was. "I am. You have reservations about us as a couple, and I should respect that."

They stared at each other for a long moment, and he knew his feelings for her weren't going away anytime soon. He just wanted to hold her. But he also knew exactly why she was wary of him. He'd really fucked things up with Silvia, and he wished that fucking wall had never been made.

"I know why you think that you'd just be a mark on a wall to me, and I'm happy to prove you're not."

He took a breath, eyes scanning her face.