BREATHE FOR ME

Chapter 18: No Going Back

As we say goodbye to the boys, shortly after, Lorrie calls up his Dad and explains what's happening in fluent Italian. Meanwhile, I root through my bag, checking that I've got everything. Caesar offered to fetch the Chevy around for us, given that Lorrie had to call his Dad, which means that we could sit and wait in the dingy end of the bar. Yey. Luckily, before I went to May's yesterday, I packed all three tubes of my pills in case I had to sleep over at hers. This means that I'm all good to go, even though I don't have a spare set of clothes or a toothbrush, or even a phone charger. It's funny that I'm prioritising pills over clothes. What normal teenager does that?

"Okay we're all good to go. Papa is going to kit-out the couch for me so that you can take my room." Lorrie explains, cutting my thoughts short. A weight that I didn't even know was resting on my shoulders, lifts off, making me feel slightly relieved. Not that I wouldn't mind sharing a bed with Lorrie, but it is still very early days and I've never been intimate like that with a boy before. The ominous land of a boy's bedroom remains a mystery to me. 

"We like to do things traditionally, us Italians." Esidore says proudly, from the table beside us. "No birds and bees nonsense until you put a ring on it." He clarifies, giving us a wink. I like that, I think to myself. They're gentlemen.

Lorrie gives Esidore a stern look at the same time as I reach for his hand, locking his fingers with mine.

"I like that. It's respectable and proper, showing the world that love isn't about 'the birds and the bees'." I quote Esidore, using my fingers. "The way things should be in a relationship."

From beside me, I feel Lorrie exhale, indicating that he's also relieved. At least we're on the same page. 

By the time that Caesar returns with the car, we have all said our goodbyes and it's almost half twelve. Lorrie gives Caesar a quick brotherly hug to express his thanks, and we watch together as the five of them wander off down the street, looking like a group of intimidating thugs. Little does the outside world know that they're actually a group of loving brothers.

......

It's one o'clock by the time that Lorrie pulls his car into a very large garage, connected to a pretty stone-faced house. The downstairs lights in the house are on, the only sign of life on Rose Street. Given that this is my first time on the notorious Rose Street, I am quite disappointed. It's too dark to fully see the whole street, the dimly-lit street lights don't offer much assistance. However, as we drove past all of the different-sized stone-faced houses with pretty, colourful gardens and long driveways, I instantly got the impression that this is an expensive part of the city. No doubt because of the family business.

"Are you ready?" Lorrie asks, his expression filled with a mixture of anticipation and affection. "I've already told him about you. I know we said we'd take it slowly but I couldn't help it after the night at the botanical garden. I had to tell him. He's really looking forwards to meeting you."

My heart warms with this information, making me feel fuzzy inside.

"Of course I'm ready." I say, smiling. "Let's do this."

With that, we both get out of the car and I find myself stood in the middle of a huge garage. It is completely grey, with metal and grey paint coating every surface of the workshop. Numerous cars and a handful of half-constructed motorbikes are scattered around the place, waiting to be fixed up. It all looks very expensive compared to my Dad's old garage. Everything shines. The whole garage is filled with a new rubbery tyre smell and the faint smell of petrol. It all looks so costly, from the shiny-new tools everywhere to the Pirelli tyres lining the right-hand wall, even all of the car ramps look brand new and glossy. On the back wall, a huge red sign with MARCHESI CAR PARTS AND DEALERSHIP printed on is exhibited.