“Like it? I can basically quote all the movies. ‘Together we fill gaps,’” he says, with a big toothy smile.
I’m ecstatic over the quote he chose. “You’re so cheesy!”
“Oh yeah? Come here. I’ll show you how cheesy I am.” He starts kissing me as if it’s the last time he’ll ever see me, and I respond in kind.
“You guys gonna stand outside and make out all day?” Luci asks, interrupting us. I look over at her, and she’s leaning against the doorjamb, still in her sweatpants and T-shirt.
“Hi, Luci. This is Massimo.” I gesture to him, and he’s already extending his hand and leaning in to give her a cheek-to-cheek kiss. I remove my glasses using my shirt to wipe them clean before putting them back on.
“Hi, Luci. It’s good to finally meet you.”
“You too, although I feel like I already know you, Lena talks about you all the time.”
I could kill her! I can’t believe she just said that to him. Of course, Massimo loves it because he’s grinning from ear to ear.
“That’s good to hear. Here I thought I was barely a thought in Lena’s mind.”
“You’re right, Lena. He’s cute.”
I shake my head and laugh. How embarrassing yet typical.
“Yeah, I think so too,” I respond.
“I’ll let you two get back to your make out session. It was nice to finally meet you, Massimo. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again.” She smirks before going back inside, closing the front door behind her. I can see her walking toward the kitchen through the door’s glass pane.
“She loves to do stuff like that to me.”
“You know you love her for it.”
“I do. She keeps it real. So, what time do you want to meet later?”
“Whenever. Just let me know, and I’ll come pick you up.”
“You don’t have to. I’ll drive to you.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind.” He steps closer to me, pushing back the curls falling over my eyes.
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
“Okay. Call me when you’re on your way.” He gives me one last peck, grabs the umbrella, and sprints to the car.
I watch him back out of the driveway and then go inside. As soon as I close the door, I hear Luci say, “Holy shit, Lena! You weren’t fucking lying when you said he was hot. Damn, that man is f-i-n-e FINE!”
“You have no idea! He’s so… I don’t even know how to explain him. He’s sexy and sweet and an incredible kisser!” My fingers trace my lips as I say the words, remembering the feeling. I sigh and head to the cabinet to pull down the coffee to make a pot of espresso in the Bialetti coffee maker.
“And?”
“And what?”
“How was he in bed?”
I stop what I’m doing to look at her, leaning into the kitchen counter. “So good. So. Fucking. Good! I don’t think I’ve ever had an orgasm like that.” I grab the coffee maker and twist it open to fill it with water, and place the coffee basket back in.
“Ugh!” she sighs. “I need to get laid so I can have that look on my face too.”
“You do, especially by a man like that. He must’ve given me at least five orgasms, between last night and this morning.”
“Damn, girl, look at you as you talk about him. You’re glowing.”
Turning back to finish making coffee, with a spoon, I scoop some coffee grounds into the coffee maker, twist it closed, and put it onto the stovetop. “I really like him, Luce—like a lot! I know it was just our first date, but it didn’t feel like it. He was funny, sweet, flirtatious, asked a lot of questions as if he’s genuinely interested in getting to know me. Most guys I dated in the past loved talking about themselves.”
“Before interrupting you, I was being creepy and watching you guys through the door and the way he stares at you. That man is in love!”
“No, he isn’t!” I open the cabinet door, grab two espresso cups, and place them onto the counter.
“Oh, he totally is. Mark my words.”
“Is it crazy of me to think I could see myself falling for him too?”
“Yes and no. I mean, yesterday was your first date, but you’ve known him for a while, so not really. When are you seeing him again?”
“Later tonight.”
“Already?”
“I know. I feel like I’m rushing, but I can’t help it. It was his idea, though. Said he couldn’t wait until my days off next week to see me.” I gnaw on my bottom lip as thoughts of Massimo swirl.
The aroma of the coffee brewing hits my nose. I turn the stove off, grab a spoon to stir it, and pour some in each of our cups, handing Luci hers before sitting.
“Follow your gut; it never steers you wrong. You’ll be fine. You already learned that mistake the hard way, so I know this time you won’t ignore it.”
“Seriously. Had I followed my gut instinct, I would’ve broken up with Stefano long before things ended the way they did.”
“Let’s not ruin a great morning, enough about that jerk. Are you still doing laundry today?” she asks.
“Ugh, yeah. If I don’t, I won’t have clothes for work this weekend. When I’m done drinking coffee, I’ll go change, and we can head out. After we get everything into the washer, we can have lunch next door while we wait.”
“Hi, beautiful.” Massimo answers my call on the second ring.
Luci and I did laundry and had lunch. After putting my clothes away, I showered and got dressed, then called my parents and one of my sisters to chitchat. I didn’t want to call him too early and sound eager, but it was torture waiting for time to pass.
“Hi. Whatcha doing?” I ask in a breathy voice.
“Just got in from visiting my parents. I haven’t seen them since Sunday, and my mother gets worried if she hasn’t seen one of us for more than two days. Old school, ya know?”
“You have a good relationship with her?”
“Very good. I either see her or talk to her every day. She gives great advice and always knows what I need. Usually before I do.”
“That’s awesome.”
“It is, especially since I don’t have one with my father.” His candidness surprises me, considering we’ve only been on one date.
“I’m sorry. It’s never easy when relationships with parents are strained.”
“It’s fine. Anyway, I don’t want to talk about my father. Are you still coming over?” Wow, that change of tone was like night and day.
“I am. What should I bring? A bottle of wine?”
“Just bring all your sexiness. I got everything else covered.”
“I think I can handle that. I’ll leave now.”
“When you get here, pull into the lot and give the guard my unit number. He’ll direct you to the visitors’ spots.”
When I exit the elevator and turn toward Massimo’s unit, he’s in the hall waiting for me. He’s barefoot, jeans hanging low and a T-shirt that’s too short for him, giving me a peek at the skin between the top of his jeans and the hem of his shirt. His hair is unruly and sticking up in all directions. As soon as I get close to him, he kisses me.