When In Rome #ONC 2020 [COMPLETED]

11. Timendi Causa Est Nescire - Ignorance is the cause of fear

Her ankle nearly buckled as she tried to speedwalk across the cobblestone road in her pumps. Rachel cursed under her breath as she tried her best to catch up to the navy suit in front of her.

The last week felt like she was trying to catch up to everything, and somehow she never got a break. Liv had been stubbornly silent after the banquet, becoming straight-up irritated if Rachel asked about Zach. He, on the other hand, had just refused to see Rachel altogether. He was even going so far as to have his boss cover for him with some flimsy excuse.
But Amar pretending not to hear her call out to him as he made his way to the Domus with that blasted fruit basket was the limit, and as soon as she caught up, she got right to the point. "Has Zach told you anything about his problems? Anything at all."

"Last time I checked, I was merely tasked with driving Mr. Perez to work. You are the psychologist here." Amar responded, glancing condescendingly at her briefcase, before speeding up again. Rachel barely managed to keep up without breaking an ankle. "Well, Zach doesn't talk to me, and neither does Liv. Could you try talking to him?"

Amar stopped dead in his tracks. "And why would I do that?"

"Never mind! I mistook you for a person when in reality, you are just Mr. Moretti's puppet!" Rachel fumed, realizing she had to use her last resort. "Than can you at least give me Lorenzo's -"

"What? Phone number, address? Do you want to climb into his bedroom?"

The response came so unexpected Rachel could only stare for a moment before Amar's implications sank in. "No! What kind of woman do you take me for?"

"The kind who sleeps around," he answered flatly. She never wanted to punch someone so badly, but that wasn't her style. She blocked his path, letting her words fall with an air of finality. "The fact that I sleep with whomever I want does not mean I sleep with everyone!"

Amar straightened up, rolling back into his usual politeness. "So, what do you want from Lorenzo?"

"I want him to stay away from Liv. There's just something about him I don't trust."

A small laugh escaped his lips, "Oh, now you start worrying about your 'friends'. It's a little late for that, don't you think."

Rachel clenched her teeth, feeling her patience slip again. "Can you not insult me for one minute!"

Politeness made way for rage that by now was bouncing off the sandstone walls. "Not insult you? You were to one who threw your 'friends' under the bus, offering them up to Mr. Moretti for this experiment in exchange for your job."

"I tried to help them!"

"By throwing them into this lion's den?"

"They can handle this; I know they can. As long as that player keeps his filthy paws off, Livy." Rachel argued, more to herself than to Amar. She hadn't made a mistake, right? She would never put her friend in danger. Mr. Moretti promised they wouldn't be in danger.

"It's a little late for that," Amar mumbled, his gaze focused on something down the road. Rachel followed his line of sight only to spot Lorenzo holding open the door to the Domus for Liv, a way too charming smile on his face. It made her stomach turn as that which she had feared to be a possibility, now seemed like reality; Liv was cheating on Zach.

Her face mottled crimson. Her blue eyes popped, she wouldn't let this happen. Not if she could do anything about it.

"Wait!" In an instance, Amar janked Rachel back by her wrist. Letting it go, as if her skin burned him, he cast his eyes to the heavens releasing a sigh. "Take this. You'll catch more flies with honey."

Rachel stared at the basket of fruit in disbelieve, "I can't take that. It's yours."

Scratching the back of his neck, Amar tried to look anywhere but at her. "Listen, I don't have many friends. But I believe they are supposed to be there for each other when in need."

"I don't have many friends either. But the ones I do have mean the world to me." Rachel admitted as she took the fruit basket with a grateful smile. Liv had been with her through thick and thin. She always stood by Rachel. Now, it was time to return the favor and perhaps write the wrongs. "And for the record, I would be honored to have you as a friend. Even if you think I'm a slut."

Amar finally looked at her, his eyes wide with surprise. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay. I called you Mr. Moretti's puppet, guess we were both wrong."

Total word count: 14.383

A/N: Two chapters, two fights. Well, things are certainly heating up. Do you guys think Liv is cheating? Or is it all just in Rachel's mind?