"Joshua," murmurs Emanuele, trying to intervene before something serious happens."I'll talk to you later." He doesn't even look at the girl as he says this. His dark eyes are fixed on Jhonny, who remains beside the redhead.For a few seconds the three of them are silent, assessing each other. Then Jhonny steps forward and puts his hands in his pockets."You want to talk, then talk."Joshua tilts his head to the side."I prefer to listen before I say anything. What happened?"Emanuele looks down, uncomfortable. Jhonny says loudly:"Your girlfriend is jealous of Emanuele."To the redhead's utter surprise, the older man neither tries to deny it nor gives any sign of being inclined to disagree with Jhonny's sure sentence. He continues:"She told everyone who was listening that you saved her from a near-rape, and that Emanuele used that as a pretext to try to seduce you."Joshua says nothing. Emanuele can't face either of them. She simply wants to run away, but she was afraid of bumping
Emanuele almost drops the cup. She looks incredulously at Johnny, who continues to stare at his hands.The girl opens her mouth, but realizes that they cannot make any sound. He obviously hated her, and made no effort to disguise it. I wonder."Does Joshua know?" she finally manages to verbalize something."I don't see why he wouldn't know. It was never a secret."Johnny sighs and continues:"They started dating about five months after we broke up.""But... When... How?""Yeah, she deceives people pretty well. It's just that I could never completely believe what she said, you know? And that was way before she met the guys.""Why did you guys break up?"He looks up at the bright stars above. "She manipulated me into cutting off a long-standing friendship. She made me blind and stupid as a mule. I didn't even give that person a chance, I just cut her out of my life."Emanuele says nothing immediately, waiting for him to conclude his thoughts."When I realized what exactly she was, what
A soft breeze makes the ruddy waves of Emanuele's hair flutter, and she tucks a strand behind her ear as she nervously ponders seriously the invitation from the boy in front of her.Spend the night with him...He is not ill-intentioned. Despite the more daring kisses and touches a few thousand years ago, Johnny really just wants to spend more time with the redhead, convey security to her, and do what he can to lessen her stress.The girl blinks twice before politely refusing:"Johnny, that's very kind of you.... But I'm really going to need to get back to the apartment."The boy understands. Then he approaches Emanuele and kisses her forehead before asking:"I will see you more often, won't I?""Of course you will. You don't have to worry about that. We'll just have to iron out a few details in our schedule."They talk some more, trying in vain to forget the negative events of that night. Johnny says that he lives in the neighborhood next to Emanuele's, and that he works as a waiter i
Emanuele didn't know why her face was buried in Joshua's body, nor why she was hugging him so tightly. She just felt, deep in her soul, that he desperately needed a hug.How would it be for him, a man of integrity who took his duties and relationships seriously, to hear from more than one person that his girlfriend was not exactly a good person? And what about after three years of being with this person?Joshua didn't say much about him. All she knew so far was that he had a problematic girlfriend, that he was the older brother of the real owner of the apartment, and that he was a physical education teacher. Oh, and supposedly the sick relative that Alexandra went to visit was of no concern to him, which in itself was kind of strange.Well, Emanuele said almost nothing about himself either. It was only fair that they both chose to withhold information, after all trust is something that is earned little by little.But... There she was.At that moment, the girl didn't reflect on being i
Emanuele knows that she can't be kissing Joshua. She knows that even though Thabata was a complete idiot who deserves everything bad, she was still the girlfriend of the wonderful man standing there. She knows, but simply can't care.The strong, shapely muscles made the redhead's body levitate. And the desire... The desire flowed freely through her veins.The heat that emanated from his skin was otherworldly. There was delivery in every movement of his tongue, an urgency that Emanuele didn't quite understand, but that she liked very much. This was really happening. It was not imagination!Then Joshua stops the kiss. He is panting, looking at the redhead, who also seems to be having some difficulty breathing. His eyes are shining like starlight."I'm sorry."Joshua pulls his hands away from Emanuele like someone who accidentally touches a hot pan. She can't even say anything before the headstrong man locks himself inside his own room, leaving her alone.What a jerk.The girl growls i
Johnny arrived quickly. Much faster than Emanuele could have even imagined.The girl was still in her pajamas and her eyes were swollen from crying when the doorbell rang. She had told the floor and apartment number in the call, but completely forgot to mention that the culprit was not the current owner of the apartment.When she opened the door, the first thing Jhonny did was to evaluate her from top to bottom. He was wearing jeans, a black shirt and a matching jacket. Then the boy held up both her hands and said:"Thank you for calling me. Did he do something to you? Or was it Thabata?"Before she could thank him for his kindness and the speed with which Johnny came to answer her, Joshua's bedroom door made a small click. The knob moved and the door opened, revealing the figure of the big man in shorts and still shirtless."What's going on here?" he asks."Excellent question." The newcomer's voice is deep and slightly louder than is acceptable."Please, Jhonny, calm down. He has not
She is not Emanuele's mother.But the grumpy, slightly hunchbacked, brown-eyed blonde lady with the smell of mothballs is practically identical. The redhead's wide eyes relax immediately after realizing that the Devil is not in front of her. Then she and Johnny finally enter the elevator.As they walk down to the first floor, Johnny kisses Emanuele on the forehead."I'm sorry if I woke you up," she says, leaning on the boy's body."Hey, I told you you could call me if you needed me. And you did. Don't blame yourself.""But it's eight in the morning.""Hey, it's Sunday. I'm not working today. And I told you, I'm keeping you out all day."She hugged him tightly. Johnny was a perfect gentleman, and it was very easy to feel comfortable with him. What she didn't understand, really, was why he was so gentle with her from the beginning. According to himself, Jhonny said that she looked like someone he had met.But was that a strong enough reason?The two of them crossed the street. A shy su
After the old lady left, both Johnny and Emanuele agreed to go away and take a short walk. They needed some fresh air. The little card was still in the small town girl's hand, her fingers trembling.As soon as she got to the cramped quarters, although she didn't know when, since Thabata would probably be there "talking" to her boyfriend, she would hand it over. And probably ask questions, if her sense of sense was particularly unregulated.Walking at a leisurely pace along a long, quiet sidewalk that led into one of the neighborhood parks, Emanuele was eagerly debating who that woman was and who she was talking about."Something horrible has happened. Not just with Joshua, but with Alexandra too." "And apparently Alexandra has forgiven the person who did that horrible thing.""Which turns out to be a member of their family.""That."They both get lost in their own thoughts for a few seconds, trying to put together pieces of a confusing and seemingly incomplete puzzle. The girl asks:
. . . . . . . . FIVE MONTHS LATER . . . . . .Emanuele looked at herself in the huge full-length mirror. The girl hardly knew where to look, which detail to care about first.She didn't know whether to look at the beautiful hairstyle in her now dark brown hair; her natural color.She didn't know whether to look at the impeccable makeup on her face, which made her even more beautiful and radiant than she was feeling.And I also didn't know whether to look at the beautiful white dress, simply cut, adorned with small mother-of-pearl beads. Despite the simplicity of the outfit, it was undeniable to say that the bride looked divine that day.Smiling, she turned around in front of her own reflection. Her heart was pounding with happiness, and she felt the stars in the night sky outside wishing her good luck. The curtain behind the door opened. A short, pudgy girl smiled sympathetically as she entered the room, openly admiring her."Miss Parker, you look beautiful!"Emanuele smiled."Thank
The old man falls to his knees at the same instant. Emanuele runs to him and hugs him tight, but Joseph does not respond. Instead, he seems to be doing his best not to scream as loud as he can."Dad!" The girl says."Adriele died? I had two daughters, and one of them died? Is that it?! Is that what you are telling me?!'Emanuele tries to hold back her sobs, but she can't. Instead, she says:"Yes, Dad. I'm really, really sorry. It all happened so fast! I lost my mother, my sister, and now... Now you are all I have left. You are literally all I have as family!"Joseph can't say anything for a while, only cry. The two of them are shaking very hard. Sarah, when alive, said that Morgan couldn't get the proper reaction, that he was too broken inside. But now he seemed quite emotional. I wonder what had happened.The smell of her father, enveloping Emanuele's nostrils, is soothing and familiar. In a snap, she remembers that the same scent enveloped her when she was in the arms of death, tra
Convincing Crimson to enter the police database to find her father's address was not that difficult.In fact, Emanuele was quite surprised when she had to use only one of the six rehearsed arguments. The old man shrugged and said that at that point it was no longer worth trying to pretend not to act unofficially from time to time.What really took a lot of lip from the redhead was convincing Joshua not to go with her. The girl knew that he only wanted to protect her, but Emanuele was very assertive in her arguments. She needed to do this alone, face that part of her past, and see if there was any possibility of fixing it in her future.Sarah had said that he was in a depressive spiral, and that when he saw her he could not react properly, and that it hurt her.Emanuele then prepared herself emotionally. She would not be disappointed or resentful if, by some chance, the man who at one time taught her a beautiful lullaby did not remember her... or was not touched by the moment.The youn
For a few seconds, all Emanuele can do is stare at Joshua. The two of them are still naked, and the distance between their bodies is as minimal as possible. "What?" she asks, softly. I wonder if she had heard right. Had her emotions stunned her enough for her to hear such a request?He gives a quiet laugh, then opens a confident, sentimental smile."Will you marry me?"The girl immediately sits up, leaning against the headboard of the bed. She covers her own nakedness with the blanket, still looking at the man, who also sits down."I..."Several things go through her head.The first was that no, she could not get married. Not in that life and not ever. All the misfortunes that had happened to her, all the horrible and unfortunately scarring traumas that were etched into her skin; all that made marriage itself a terrible idea.According to the books that the young woman read, especially during her teenage years, marriage was the union of two people. Total commitment to each other, com
As soon as he closes the door, Joshua gives warm, soft kisses on the sensitive skin of Emanuele's neck. The man sighs, almost intoxicated with passion, and murmurs:"I love the way you smell."With all the delicacy and romance in the world, Joshua props the redhead's torso on the bed, leaving her legs and feet touching the floor. He caresses her over her clothes. Emanuele moans."The last time we were together like this, I gave only a demonstration of what might come next. Remember?"He stimulates her further with the tip of his thumb, in subtle, gentle circular motions. "Those were the words of a man overcome with desire, and even lust, if I am willing to admit it. Today I may again have those feelings in my body, but... there is a difference. Now I am sure that I love you."Still with his thumb on Emanuele's clit, Joshua kisses her eagerly; the movement of his tongue is smooth and warm. Murmurs come out of her throat, as if the teacher is delighting in that moment.Emanuele's hands
The winter dawn is cold.A month has passed since Emanuele saw her sister die. One month, and even then, the memory was still latent and terrible.The girl had already been to therapy, but the nightmares continued to torment her. Joshua didn't know what to do anymore, since every night at two o'clock in the morning the girl's terrified screams woke him up.The teacher got out of his own bed in the dim light. The clock on his cell phone said it was one hour and fifty minutes, that is, ten minutes before the nightmares began.Standing up, taking care not to make any excessive noise, Joshua opened the door to his room, going towards Emanuele's door.But the door was open.Frowning, the man approaches the room. Her bed is empty.Still not making hasty decisions, Joshua goes to the living room, equally empty. His heart only slows down when he sees the girl sitting at the table, drinking a glass of water. She watches him without saying anything, then goes back to sipping the liquid.Slowly
Joshua immediately embraces Emanuele as soon as she, still very tearful and emotional, leaves the room where Sarah is being held. She clings to the man's clothes, sobbing terribly. Her eyes are swollen and red. "I am here," he murmurs. "I'm right here, my love." The girl can barely respond or say anything. A man wearing religious robes appears. He is middle-aged and wears thick-rimmed glasses. In his hand is a Bible. The man's voice is patient and docile, and he uses all his politeness as he approaches Emanuele. "May God's infinite mercy soothe your heart, child. I am so sorry for your loss." Apparently, the priest was already very well informed of the situation. The girl does not respond, only sinks even deeper into the chest of Joshua, who makes no mention of letting go. The policeman in charge of Sarah's surveillance accompanies the religious man. That was the protocol. Before being formally executed, Sarah would have the right to console herself and at least try to ensure a se
The next day dawned gray, cold and absolutely silent.Of course, cars were still passing by, people were leaving their homes to go to work, and children were going to school. But the noise present, that typical sound that Emanuele's ears were used to, could not penetrate the enormous bubble of silence that surrounded her.The call from the delegate the day before was an answer she had been begging to receive, but now that she knew that her sister's last wish was to see her, an unbearable weight had taken over her heart. Sarah was going to die. And all they had together were brief, monitored, timed conversations.Emanuele looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a black overcoat and pants of the same color, as well as dark boots. Her dyed red hair was tied up in a tight bun, and no matter how hard she tried to disguise her swollen face, red from crying with makeup, it was still obvious to anyone paying a little more attention. Joshua appeared in the doorway, wearing dark soci
Emanuele could neither sleep nor eat properly in the days that followed.All the girl could do, and at the massive insistence of Joshua who took care of her whenever he could, was to take a few naps and, very begrudgingly, put food in her stomach. He always tried to be as close as possible, even though he needed to work.With the insurance money, Joshua was able to recover almost nothing from the old apartment, so he opted to buy new furniture and decorate Alexandra's apartment, or rather his apartment. Doing this, however, seemed pointless and even disrespectful, since the present moment was one of mourning, not of celebration.When the man apologized for his attitude, Emanuele just shrugged and continued to stare at some fixed point on the wall.They did not sleep together. Each stayed in his own room most of the time. Joshua tried to get close to her physically, but he was content to give her a respectful cuddle and caress to comfort her. It was not the time for them to get close l