𝐄𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐨

EIGHT

After Elio left me to get ready, I quickly rush into the bathroom and check myself in the mirror. Since being here I haven't had any of my makeup, making my face feel plain.

I run my fingers through my hair and shake it out a bit while straightening out my dress. Afterward, I throw on some sandals.

Making my way to the door, I hold my breath. When the door glides open, I breathe out. I walk down the halls of the huge home, stumbling to find my way.

Giana pokes her head out of a doorway, "Hey! I was wondering when that asshole would let you out."

I laugh at her words, "Hopefully he lets me go." Giana drops her gaze, a serious look settling over her face.

"He won't, Lina. You're too much of a risk... I'm sorry." Her voice cracks a bit, genuine sadness filling her words.

"Well, at least you're honest." It wasn't her fault, I couldn't be mad at her. "Come, I'll take you to him." She says, slipping her arm through mine.

"So, what kind of stuff do you like to do?" I ask Giana as we walk down the long hallways. "I love to paint. Especially portraits. You should let me paint you."

I smile and nod my head yes. "Any boyfriend?" I ask, causing her to blush. I hadn't had a friend in a while, I missed boy talk.

"Well... There's this one boy in my art class but Elio is crazy." She says with a roll of her eyes.

We giggle and continue gossiping, finally walking into the foyer. Elio stood tall with his hands in the pockets of his slacks and a serious look on his face.

"Are you ready, Lina? You're late again." He says sternly. Before I could offer a response, Giana steps forward.

"Smettila di comportari come un bambino. Sii un uomom e darle passare la buonanotte." (Stop acting like a child. Be a man and show her a good night.)

With that, she turns on her heel and leaves us. "Yeah, what she said!" I add on with a small laugh. For the first time, Elio's features lighten into a smile.

I savor the moment, it wasn't often that I made the man smile and it was beautiful. He had perfect white teeth and full, luscious lips.

I feel my eyes grow heavy with desire. "Wow, a smile all for me?" I say. He steps closer to me, only this time I don't step back.

I allow him to close the distance between us. He doesn't touch me, leaving a small space between our chests. I can feel the lust radiating off his body.

This could work. If I play along, I may be able to escape. "Let's go." He says, then turns away from me, opening up the front door. This may not be as easy as I thought.

I clear my throat and follow him to his car. Much to my surprise, he opens up the door for me. With a small thank you, I slide in and click on my seat belt.

The ride to the gelato shop was excruciatingly quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Elio seemed deep in thought with a vice grip on the steering wheel.

After a long twenty minutes, the car slows to a stop. I hop out quickly, admiring my surroundings. The floor was filled with cobblestone, and the town built with ancient structures.

I embraced everything, my eyes darting around every inch. Elio watched me with an unreadable look as he guides us towards the shop. I bounced on the balls of my feet as we waited patiently.

Lina sat across from me, licking at her cone of gelato. I can't help but watch, mesmerized as she rakes her tongue all around the ice cream.

I feel a cold, sticky substance trail down the side of my hand. Letting out a few curse words, I wipe away the melted gelato.

Lina freezes in place, her innocent eyes glancing up at me. I suck in a sharp breath. A woman has never affected me before, I had this effect on woman. Though Lina, she doesn't take my shit.

"What do you think of Italy so far?" I ask her, genuinely curious. "It's beautiful." She breathes out, "I just haven't seen much of it." She finishes. I nod my head understandingly. "We'll have to change that. We'll be here a while."

Her face fills with curiosity. "Elio, why am I here?" I drop my eyes, not knowing how to respond. "My boss asked me to bring you. Enough questions, finish your gelato." I snap. My voice came out louder than I intended to, causing patrons to look our way.

She nods her head meekly. I let out a frustrated sigh, not liking that I upset her. This was supposed to be a nice night out, now here I was ruining it. "I'm sorry for yelling. Let's just enjoy tonight, si?" I ask, my voice coming out softer.

Looking up at me with a smile, we continue eating our gelato. Walking back towards the car, Lina is extra quiet. Just as she reaches for the door handle, I decide to walk her through the town and show her the night scene.

Grabbing onto her hand, I pull her away from the car and closer to my side. I hear her let out a gasp, "What are you doing?" She stutters out. "I'm going to show you Italy," I say, keeping hold of her hand.

It was small, soft. I had never held a woman's hand like this, nor had I offered her a romantic midnight stroll around Italy. But with Lina, it just felt right.

Her eyes dart between our hands and my face, a blush settling over her features. I raise my hand to brush my fingers against her cheek. She flinches away from me, shutting her eyes tight.

Anger burns through my chest. She thought I was going to hit her? "Who the fuck made you this way?" Her eyes fly open as she realizes I wasn't going to strike her.

"W-w-what?" Her voice comes out in a whisper, her eyes pooling with tears. "I may be a lot of things, Lina. But I do not hit women." I wipe away a few tears that fall from her cheek.

I step away, pulling her towards the town. I hear her sniffle and take a deep breath, composing herself. As much as I wanted to pry further into her life, she wasn't ready to share the details. I stop by a small bridge aligned with lights.

Her eyes widen as she admires the view in front of us. A small lake with flowing lanterns sat below us. "They say, estranged lovers release a lantern into the water in hopes of it finding them." I glance down at her, watching her reaction.

"How beautiful." She whispers out, love filling her eyes. There's a tug at my heartstrings as we lock eyes. I shake the feeling off as I nod and continue our walk. I point out certain buildings and explain the meanings behind them as she listens intently.

A slight breeze settles over us the longer we walk. I watch as Lina shivers, wrapping her arms against her chest. Sliding off my coat jacket, I place it gently around her shoulders.

She looks up at me, a small smile on her lips. "Thank you for tonight, Elio. I loved it." Pride swells in my chest as I hear her words. We walk and talk for a while, Lina telling me more about herself.

How she left her small hometown after graduation to start a life for herself in New York. Guilt creeps up my stomach. She didn't deserve this kind of life, I didn't deserve her.