Mia

Family

The plane was landing when I removed the earbuds and began to put my things back into the carry on. The ride had been stuffy, over five hours and I had dreaded every second. My parents thought they were rewarding me, sending me to Italy for the summer. They knew I'd planned to go cross country with my friends, McKenna, Tim, Fiona, And Zach but it felt like they knew what else i had planned, with Adam.

Adam had been my boyfriend all four years of high school, he was tall and had wispy blond hair that fell around his face when he laughed. His lips were soft and always warm, the brilliant white teeth behind them had always caught my attention. His eyes were a deep green, the kind you could get lost in for hours. Being with him made my heart skip, made me feel complete. We planned to finally have sex this summer, we'd been trying but it never felt right, or it got interrupted by one of our many mutual friends.

The shock of going to another country had devastated our relationship, he promised to call every night. The nine hour time difference hadn't phased him.

I turned my phone back on once I was out of the terminal, I could see my brother waving frantically next to the thin woman. She was gorgeous, her small frame was full of life in a floral sun dress. She had her hair pinned up but small curls hung around her round face. Her skin was olive tanned and her bright face lit up as I approached

"Welcome, we're so glad you made it," she spoke in a heavy Italian accent. My brother wrapped him heavy arms around me for longer than comfortable.

"Glad to see you too," I squeaked before he let go. He was always a tower compared to me, a hovering six foot seven inches and built like a truck. My father said it came from his side of the family but seeing him next to my mother's brother was a clear comparison.

"I can't wait for you to see the house, it's fantastic. It's near the shop district and the beach," he said and took my luggage in his oversized hands.

"I bet it's amazing," I smile, he turns to take in my appearance. He'd last seen me before I filled out, the curse of curves hit the beginning of my junior year. I couldn't find pants that fit in all areas and blouses either came off slutty or churchy. My mother had prepared me for the fill, she was a model of perfection. Her curves were just big enough to be sexy but not enough to be uncomfortable. Like mine. Now I was wearing a pair of black leggings and a long orange blouse that hung loose around my body. It was what my mother called 'body hiding' that I enjoyed most often. Loose fitting clothes that I was comfortable in and didn't hug any part too tight.

"You're going to love the beaches here," his fiancé said as he loaded the luggage into the airport transfer vehicle.

"I prefer to read," I said, hoping she'd understand I hated the beach, but she just smiled and slid in next to me. The drive was bumpy, winding up large hills of gravel roads, but the view was amazing. The setting sun coming into view as we rounded another slope.

The vehicle halted in the narrow street, buildings rose on either side of us as I looked around. Each building was made of multiple houses, a small patio area at the front of each one and a front door with gold numbers painted on. We walked up to a light brown section, the gold numbers read 3824. Inside it seemed to grow in every direction. A living room as we entered turned into an expansive kitchen to the left and an overly decorated living room to the right. The stairwell was decorated with photos of Tom and Marie, their adventures and their love. At the top of the stairs was a hall way with one branch. My room was at the end, the branch leading to my brothers office. They showed me the room they'd set up, the bed made in a deep red fabric with white and black accent pillows. The walls were a beige color with a scene painted on the wall opposite the bed. The scene depicted a girl reading in a field of magnificent flowers. I smiled as my brother waited for me to react.