And in fact, they did not spend that night at Johnny's parents' house.Emanuele was grateful for many of the wonderful things that were happening in her life, despite everything. One of them was the true friendship that she was slowly building with Gustavo, Andrew, Amanda and Amora. Even the twins were really excited to see her and Johnny as an official couple.After all, the two had agreed to give up the party house that the two had, the same house where the meeting took place, so that they could spend a quiet night. Emanuele sent a text message telling Joshua that she would not be returning to the apartment that night, and that he need not worry. Alexandra's brother replied with a basic "okay".Inside the car, Johnny held Emanuele's hand gently and firmly, as he had done a few hours ago when they were leaving the hospital. In his other hand was a small backpack with what he called provisions. The girl decided not to ask any questions.Seeing the number of buildings and lights dimin
Had the pain of the movement not been unbearable, Emanuele's chin would have fallen a couple of feet to the ground.Johnny's smile didn't waver at any moment. The girl had always found him attractive, but she had never correlated the boy's friendliness and affection with a spectacular body. In fact, the attraction she felt for him was more for his character than his physique.She was completely naked in the bathtub. Would he come in completely naked too?As if reading her thoughts, Johnny put both hands on her waist."Of course I'll need to get rid of these first," he argued, pointing to the boxer briefs.The honey-haired girl suddenly became breathless. Not from nervousness, as she thought she would be, but... Of anticipation. She felt very comfortable around him, and after all the genuine understanding and forgiveness coming from him, this seemed an understandable step to take on the relationship track.Joshua was an older man who needed understanding and support. Even if there was
Maybe it is the low light in the bathroom, or the effect of the painkillers, but Emanuele can swear that the gleam in the eyes of the man in front of her are tears. The boy is obviously disconcerted. He takes another sip of the wine and puts the glass down. His large arms are resting on either side of the tub. Emanuele watches as his expressions change dramatically: indecision, denial, acceptance. Johnny looks at her, tilting his head to the side before saying: "It was a... Accident of course. I didn't mean to." Scratching the bridge of his nose, he continues: "Initially, all I wanted was the chance to get closer to you. To talk to you, to get to know you. Then we got closer and closer, and the next thing I knew, I was longing for the days and hours when I could see you. Every time I look at you... I see you glowing, you know? Like a phoenix." Emanuele smiles involuntarily, her breathing quickening. Johnny sees this as an incentive to keep talking: "Our friends are always asking
Emanuele had always wondered what it would be like to lose her virginity. In movies and books, the young girl would always choose someone she was hopelessly in love with, and the couple would get tangled up in the sheets between kisses, caresses and gentle movements. After it was all over, they would cling to each other, swearing their love.Although she was indeed falling in love with Johnny, however, the girl with the honey-colored hair didn't want to go through with it yet. There was time for them to take that step, and there was no need to rush things. The pains in her joints and nose also got in the way.So mutually the couple decided that they would pleasure themselves together, lying down on the huge double bed. With their hands, Emanuele and Johnny learned how the other liked to be touched, what made the other moan more, sigh and close their eyes. The girl came three times that night thanks to the skill of the beautiful boy who was there with her.Trembling, Emanuele was surpr
Emanuele stops eating at the same instant. She stares at him silently, pondering whether she should expose her thoughts at that instant, or wait a while and filter her words better.Johnny doesn't seem shaken by her reaction. On the contrary, the man raises one of his eyebrows and opens an inviting smile.She responds slowly:"Well... Maybe. Relationships can have very good moments... But they also have very bad moments.""You're right." He takes a sip of his juice and continues eating his omelets. "Do you think, in our case, we would have more good moments than bad?"Emanuele's cheeks are so hot she could fry eggs on them. She wriggles in her chair, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, and looks at the kitchen walls."It's hard to tell.""Really? I don't think so. I think we'd be fine almost a hundred percent of the time."She finally looks into his eyes as she asks:"Why did this typical one come up so suddenly?"Johnny ponders the question, scratches his chin and then contemplates Emanu
When Johnny goes upstairs, he sees Emanuele sitting with her cell phone in her hands, still without the courage to move, do or say anything. He notices her frightened physiognomy and is immediately concerned:"Hey. Is something wrong?"Her eyes are genuinely frightened and alarmed when she says in a thread of voice:"Alexandra is coming back from her trip."The boy crosses his arms:"I thought she was never coming back. Carlos and I were even betting on when she would break the news that she would be sticking around, wherever she is.""You guys don't know where she went?""No, no one. But you said she went to see a distant relative, a family member, right?"Emanuele nods and looks once more at the cell phone screen, still not having the courage to read those two sentences so short and precise, but still so shocking."I'll be there tomorrow morning. I have to get my brother ready for the funeral."The man who haunted Joshua's dreams, who made him go to juvie, rise from nothing, and car
Johnny's car stopped in front of Emanuele's building. Pained, the girl leaned on her broken nose, still bandaged with the special dressing. She looked at the boy behind the wheel, frowning in tension."Do you want me to get in with you?"The girl nods her head in the negative."Better not."He kisses her gently and holds her face, protectively and securely."Anything, Emanuele. Any screams, any threats or arguments, call me immediately.""I will, yes. I will."She makes mention of opening the car door, but he stops her by placing his hand on her shoulder."I'm very serious. Don't hesitate to call me.""I know. It's okay."After one last kiss, she finally puts her feet out of the automobile. Still, Johnny only starts it after the girl climbs the small steps up to the huge double doors of the building.Inside the elevator, Emanuele felt her heart racing, her skin sweaty, and her breathing difficult. So the girl began to do breathing exercises, trying to concentrate as much as possible o
Alexandra is very similar to what Emanuele saw in the photos, but different at the same time. In the perfectly calculated and angled images on social media, she is just a pretty woman with a serious air. But there, standing in front of the two, the former bride perceives a tremendous air of authority.It was explained why she simply rushed out of the apartment for a long trip, caring little for the feelings of others in the process. She did what she wanted, and probably did not accept being contradicted. She was wearing jeans, a long-sleeved blouse, and short boots. A small bag was in her left hand, and in the other, her key."Good morning," she greets them, absolutely surprised that they were both up so early.The dark-skinned woman with long, curly black hair caught in a bun and sparkling eyes takes a closer look at Emanuele's appearance and almost drops the bag."Good heavens! What happened to you?"She stares at Joshua, who holds his hands up in a defensive gesture:"Hey, come on
. . . . . . . . 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