At First Glance- A Marina Love Story

Chapter 10

No matter how much caffeine Carina had consumed, nothing gave her a rush quite like a kiss from Maya. She was still in desperate need of a nap, but decided to get a few chores done around the house before collapsing in her bed.

She checked her phone to see that it was 11:00am. Living with her brother was anything but ideal, but she was glad that he offered his spare bedroom while she looked for her own place. Carina had viewed a few apartments in the city, but didn't want to settle. She was willing to wait, even if it meant living with a man.

The Italian went to the living room and scanned through Andrea's stack of vinyl records. She decided on an album from her favorite Italian artist, Claudio Baglioni. As the music began to play throughout the home, Carina felt at ease. She decided she would tackle the mess in the kitchen and tidy up the living room. The Italian grabbed the broom and began sweeping up the crumbs below the stools. As the music got more upbeat she paused and used the broom as a microphone. There was definitely more dancing and singing going on than cleaning. In the middle of her favorite song, Carina heard someone chuckle. She looked up to see her baby brother staring at her.

"Andrea, you scared me! I didn't even hear you come in."

"How could you over this loud music?" Andrea asked as he hung up his leather jacket and placed his bag in the hallway.

"Do you remember this song from when we were little, Andrea? Mama used to play it when papa got angry and loud."

"Si, Carina, of course I remember. Why do you think I have all of his albums? When mama separated us, I really struggled. When I was sad and missing you, I would play his songs and it helped me feel like you were with me," Andrea looked at his sister and softly smiled.

Carina felt teary eyed. "Andrea," she started, but couldn't finish before getting too choked up.

"I know," he said. She didn't even need to finish her sentence for Andrea to know how she felt.

"Two halves," Carina said.

"One whole," Andrea finished.

--

The headache Maya woke up with was officially gone, so she decided to jog back home from Carina's house. It was only a mile so it wouldn't be too rough on her. Running always helped clear Maya's head. She didn't want to think about the Andy and Jack situation. Instead she wanted to focus on her upcoming date with a certain enticing brunette.

Maya ran at a leisurely speed and approached the street of her apartment complex. She didn't feel like stopping, so she took a turn and headed towards the park. She stopped in the center of the park to catch her breath and do some stretches. Her blue eyes started to wander throughout. She noticed a group of young mothers in a circle with their babies. The mothers were holding their babies in their laps and singing along to nursery rhymes. Maya had never been interested in having children. Her childhood was anything but ideal. She didn't want to raise a family and risk that her child would experience the same pain and heartbreak that she had growing up.

As she continued to look around the park she noticed a small cart selling flowers. She decided to walk over there and grab a bouquet to give to Carina on their date tonight. As she paid the man, she turned around and bumped into Jack.

"Bishop? Who the hell are you buying flowers for?" Jack laughed.

"I should be asking you the same thing. Also, why is it so hard to believe that I have someone I want to treat well?" Maya snapped back.

"Oh, I am sorry," he said sarcastically. "I just remember your whole spiel about 'monogamy is for the weak.' Remember when you said that three weeks ago when you broke up with me?"

"Jack, you don't want to go there right now," Maya said angrily as she started to walk away.

"Yup, typical Maya, walk away and don't talk it out."

Maya refused to give Jack any more of her energy. She gripped the bouquet so tightly that the thorns from the stems cut into her fingers. The blonde didn't run home, but if it was a race-walk competition she probably would have won. She placed the flowers on her kitchen counter and headed straight for the couch. The blonde fell face first into the light brown leather and let out a muffled yell. After her short breakdown, Maya grabbed her phone and set an alarm. She hoped that a nap would fix her attitude before her special night with Carina.