“Open the door, Luci!” I say, walking away from the window toward the front.
Luci is opening the door and I push my way in, passing her by and walking into the house. “What the fuck, Massimo? Hello to you too.”
Luci is petite, well, petite to me. She’s five-foot-six and has a short pixie cut that’s always colored some shade of red. But don’t let her small stature fool you. Luci’s personality is fierce, and she has a mouth on her. She has no filter and doesn’t sugarcoat. She’ll cut you with her words without hesitation. She and Lena are the same age, twenty-five. Luci moved here from Italy with her family when she was eight, which is when she met Lena. They’ve been thick as thieves ever since.
“Where is she?” I demand as I’m pacing through the house, searching each room before moving to the next, with Luci following behind me.
“Where’s who?” she asks.
I halt in the middle of the living room and get inches from her face. “Luci, don’t fucking lie to me! Where’s Lena?” I yell.
“You need to back up and chill out, dude. I have no idea what you’re talking about. What do you mean, where’s Lena? Why would I know where she is if you don’t?”
“The last time I talked to her was Thursday night. She didn’t answer her phone all day yesterday, so I left Mohegan early and came home because I was pretty worried about her. Turns out she ghosted. Packed up her stuff, left me some bullshit farewell note with her phone and ring, and disappeared into thin air,” I tell her, exasperated.
“What?! That makes no sense, Massimo. Are you sure?”
“Am I sure? Yeah, I’m fucking sure. Why else would I be here knocking on your door like some crazy person?” I yell, leaning into her.
Luci jumps at my words and takes a step back from me, extending her arms out to put space between us. “Massimo, calm down. You’re scaring me.”
“Sorry, Luci, but I am freaking the fuck out, and I don’t know what’s happening here,” I confess, softening my voice as I let the reality of Lena’s disappearance sink in. I stride across the room to the sofa and sit, letting my head fall forward in resignation.
“Did you call her mom?”
“First person I called. She told me Lena called her but didn’t give her any details. I’m gonna go see her when I leave here.”
“Massimo, I don’t know what to tell you. I haven’t talked to Lena since Thursday after work, and she sounded fine. We were supposed to hang out, but I canceled because I picked up a shift. She seemed normal, I swear. She didn’t tell me anything about her plans to leave,” she explains, worry spreading across her features.
“Now what?” I ask, tilting my head up to her. My eyes are burning from anger, hurt, betrayal, and the tears I’m fighting back.
Luci tries appeasing me and says, “I mean, she has to contact one of us sooner or later. When that happens, we’ll get answers. In the meantime, I’ll make some calls.”
“What am I gonna do?” breaks free from my lips, and I can’t fight back the tears anymore, as they start falling from my eyes. I hide my face from Luci, embarrassed by the emotions overtaking me.
“We’ll figure it out.” She’s attempting to be optimistic, but her words are wrapped in pity as she watches me come undone. Luci places her hands on my shaking shoulders, trying to console me.
A few hours later, I’m home, and it’s the last place I want to be. I had hoped that either Luci or Lena’s mother would know something, but I’m no closer to having answers now than I was this morning when I got home to find her gone.
After a hot shower, I sit in the bay window seat that Lena loved. She would sit here and read her books for hours on end. Our apartment is on the top floor of a brownstone, and this window has a fantastic view. It was Lena’s favorite spot.
Two Years Ago
Lena’s eyes light up the moment we enter the front door, and I tell the real estate agent, “We’ll take it.” We hadn’t even seen the whole place yet, but seeing Lena happy, there was no question. She has a smile that stops me in my tracks, makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. I’d do whatever it takes—give her anything, just to elicit that look of happiness, to feel my heart swell the way it does when I’m with her.
I ask the agent if he’ll give us a few minutes alone to explore the apartment because I want some privacy with my girl, want to fucking kiss her senseless. When the agent walks out into the hall, I grab Lena by her left hand, crushing her into me, and start kissing her soft lips. Her glasses get all dirty from our steamy make out session. She hates when that happens and tries to wiggle away from me, but I hold her tight while I continue kissing her lipstick-covered lips. If she’d let me, I’d fuck her right now while the agent waits in the hall, but my girl won’t have it. She’s all prim and proper when other people are around, but behind closed doors, she’s an insatiable sex fiend that’s all mine.
My phone rings, cutting my memory short. I shove my hand in my pocket, my hopes high that Lena is calling me, but when I see “Ma” lighting up the screen, my heart falls.
“Hi, Ma,” I say, trying not to sound too disappointed.
“Massimo, Rocco called to tell me what happened. Figlio, mi dispiace. What can I do for you? You want me to come to the house?”
“No, Ma, I’m good. I just need some time alone.”
“You want to talk about it?” she asks, her words blanketed in worry.
“Not now, Ma.”
“Figlio, I’m worried for you.”
“I know you are, but don’t be. I’ll be fine. I just need some time to clear my head.”
“Va bene figlio. Ti amo. Call me if you need me.”
“Thanks, Ma, love you too.” I flip the phone closed and toss it on the couch.
When I look up, I notice that Lena left behind her beloved books, her bookshelf untouched, including the framed picture of us that sits on the top right. We went to a wedding last year, and she said this was her favorite photo from that night because we weren’t looking at the camera, but instead, we were laughing and looking at each other. I stand and grab the frame. I thought we were happy. “WHY?” I scream at no one and hurl it against the wall, watching the glass shatter into a million pieces the same way my heart has.
CHAPTER 9
1,301 Miles
MARIALENA
THE KNOCK AT THE door jolts me awake. “Housekeeping,” the voice says before knocking again.
The brightness of the sunlight peeking through the curtains causes me to squint until I can adjust to the morning light. My hand extends to pick up my glasses from the night table, and I put them on. When I glance at the clock next to the TV, it reads 9:07 a.m. After driving a little over ten hours yesterday, I had to stop for the night and ended up crashing at this hotel outside of Cleveland. What a long day it was.
It started with me packing the last remaining items and loading up my car. Before leaving the apartment, I called my mother to tell her part of my plan. She’s the only person I told about leaving. I contemplated not telling her anything, just like everyone else, but in the end, I didn’t think that was the best idea. I opted to tell her I was leaving Massimo and Boston but not the reason or where I was going. She started with the usual guilt trip she’s so good at giving. I’m used to her methods though, and know that I have to let her lay it on thick. Once she finishes, I can do the talking.