Amalfi Coast of Italy
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Isaac couldn't forget, no matter the strength of his efforts. He couldn't forget the man from the bathroom. His course voice, the smell of cigarette smoke on his skin mixed with the odor of vomit. His slimy grip. Even when Josiah went to tell security he remained overwhelmed. In order to calm his nerves, he thought it best to drink a nice, expensive glass of matrimonial champagne. That one glass quickly turned into a second. Then a third.
Before he could say ciao bello! Isaac found himself with a hazy mind and whispering sweet nothings into the ear of an attractive brunette on the dance floor, her smaller hips moving to the beat against his. Those 'nothings' consisted of "I can't wait any longer" and "let's get out of here", to which she nodded eagerly. Just as he took her hand to lead her off the floor and out, he was stopped by a certain prefect.
"Where the hell are you going?"
"I don't know? Maybe to fuck," he sneered. He felt warmth from the blushing girl on his arm.
Josiah nodded towards the girl, shooing her away silently and effortlessly. "Just how much did you drink?"
"Hey! You can't do that."
"How much?"
"Only one glass," he pouted, "...times five."
"I think we should get you home," the prefect muttered, "before you do something crazy like seduce the bride as well." There was a slight edge to his voice, almost a hint of something bitter. It was faint. "Or groom for that matter."
Held by the wrist once again, Isaac said his farewell and goodnight to Dahlia before was dragged against his will to their car. It was the same wrist the drunk man held, but Isaac couldn't help noticing how Josiah's grip felt so different. Rather than feeling trapped, he felt oddly at ease in the firm hold. Like it was reassurance someone was with him in the dark of night, guiding him ever so carefully. He wondered if Josiah could feel his pulse.
"Why so soon, kid?" their chauffeur asked when they entered the lush car. "It's not even midnight."
"This boy is an absolute mess," said Josiah.
"No I'm not! At least, not yet," Isaac giggled, lips grazing the other boy's ear. "But I lost the girl so I guess now it's your job."
"My job is to make sure you get home and go to bed," he said sternly.
"Then do it. Fuck me so hard I pass out." Isaac placed hands on Josiah's body. One went on his chest and the other between his legs. "I want you inside me."
Josiah shut his eyes, struggling to let out a whisper of a "stop". His voice was uneven, like he was barely holding back.
The villa wasn't far from the wedding so the ride wasn't long—something they could all be grateful for, especially their poor driver. Entering the living room, Isaac continued to persist against Josiah's rejections.
"Why not?"
"Maybe because you can't even walk straight? Because you're so drunk out of your fucking mind that you don't even realize what you're doing!" Josiah turned mid-walk, motioning to the paneled wall Isaac used to keep his balance. Out of the car, he was free to raise his voice in accordance with his emotions, though there was hurt concealed by his mask of wrath. "Speaking of which, care to explain?"
"It's none of your business."
There was no point. Isaac wouldn't have been able to explain his actions even if he wanted to, for he didn't understand himself.Was it the drunk man's utter hatred of him for his sexual preferences? Or the fact that that pathetic man was no different from anyone else—that the life he chose to live will forever be ridden with people like him. Or the man's violent grip, one that suffocated his arm and left dark bruises, that was all too familiar...
"You want to."
"Don't assume everyone is like you." Josiah's jaw clenched. "Not all of us solve every one of our problems through sex like...like some whore off the streets Isaac!"
"I do not..."
"Go to sleep!" he shouted. "Because I sure as hell am."
He watched as Josiah disappeared into the dark hall and, with a loud thud, he lost sense of his limbs and collapsed to his knees. When drops of water fell onto the hardwood floor, he realized the source was himself. He was crying.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
One tear fell after another, slowly, before his soft crying evolved into an uncontrollable sob—an endless flow of white-hot rain. A storm.
Pathetic.
He stared with flooded eyes at the black hole that had engulfed Josiah only moments ago. He couldn't breathe.
No. . .this isn't what I wanted.
Please. . .I can't do this. . .I don't want. . .please. . .
I don't want to be alone.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✦ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
The morning after for all three travelers was uncomfortable to say the least. Two of the three were hungover. Two of the three had recently fought. While Josiah and Dahlia each fit into their respective category, Isaac was unfortunate enough to fit both. As they sat around the mahogany dining table, neither of the two that had fought didn't go out of their way to say anything, leaving one of the hungover to do so.
"Jesus, I thought I was a mess," said Dahlia. "The hell happened to you two?"
No response.
"...didn't sleep well," Josiah finally answered.
As if on instinct, Isaac sneered. "Thought you went to bed early."
"Doesn't mean I can't have a lot on my mind," was all he mumbled in return.
Like what? Grades?
Dahlia glared back and forth between the two, smothering silence returning. She started fidgeting with her utensils like she was nervous. "I guess now would be a terrible time to tell you—"
Knock.
Josiah frowned. "Who the hell is that?"
Dahlia flushed. "I'm so sorry! When I told Mum that I wanted to take you on this trip she told me to invite the Fitzgeralds. When I asked her 'why?' all she told me was that this was a way to repair our relations with them so I thought 'alright!' because they're rich and good connections to have. It wasn't until after I spoke with you and you told me about how much you really wanted to invite Isaac that I realized the Fitzgerald daughter was actually your suitor—"
Suitor?
"—and then I panicked and didn't know how to tell you so I waited until the very last minute. Surprise!"
Josiah gaped. "You're telling me she's standing outside that door right now?"
"I mean, unless it's her parents who accepted the invite, I would think so."
"Fantastic."
"I'll get the door," she sheepishly said while scrambling out of her seat.
Isaac heard an exchange of greetings in the other room. The visitor had a warm voice, soft and feminine. He recognized it right away.
"Charlotte?" was the first thing he said when she entered the dining room.
"Isaac?"
"I guess your intuition was right all along." He laughed. "We did meet again."
"I'm glad," she beamed.
He started heading towards her, arms wide for an embrace.
"You two know each other?" asked the forgotten boy seated at the opposite end of the table.
Charlotte turned red. "Oh...hello Josiah."
Isaac watched as she tugged on her dress. He caught on immediately. Josiah was the boy who rejected her. The boy who broke her heart, the boy who had her questioning her worth. Desperately, he wanted to tell her that it wasn't her fault. That the prefect could simply never love a girl, because he remembered how damaged she was that night at the lake. She didn't deserve to suffer any longer, but would it really make her feel better to hear the truth?
"I was just about to invite you guys go out for breakfast after I dropped off my stuff, but I see that's already been taken care of. I guess I'll go on my own," she shrugged.
Isaac perked up at the opportunity to escape. "I'll go with you! If you don't mind of course."
The girl grinned. "Of course not. That would be lovely."
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✦ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Charlotte chose a small corner cafe that specialized in exotic and expensive teas. What made the cafe unique, other than the drinks of course, was the fact that it wasn't overcrowded with broke university students who searched their bags for loose change and stressed office workers late for work. Instead, the target patrons were the filthy rich with too much leisure time who probably didn't even recognize that their tea was ridiculously overpriced, resulting in Isaac feeling very out of place whereas Charlotte did not. Still, anything beat staying in the Beckett villa.
Charlotte seemed very informed about the menu, asking Isaac questions about what she should get. He only shrugged and told her that he was ordering the daily special.
"So I assume you're in love with Josiah," said Isaac once they got their tea.
She nearly spit at his choice of icebreaker.
"Was. Remember? I'm moving on."
His lips curled into a half smile. "Then why'd you come?"
"Free trip to Italy," she shrugged. It was Isaac's turn to nearly choke. He knew she could afford any trip she wanted.
"Whatever you say."
She rolled her eyes. "I speak truth!"
"Yeah, and I know exactly what drink I ordered."
Another eye roll.
"What about you then, hmm? When I walked through that door, the last thing I was expecting was to see some random boy from the lake. You two seem like an unlikely duo."
"What about me?" He set his cup down to speak clearly. "We're friends. Kind of. I think. But not at the moment," he quickly added.
"No way," she scoffed. "I've felt his icy gaze before. In fact, I would say I'm quite familiar with it, not that I'm proud. It's freezing, but even that can't compare to the chill that ran down my back when you said you wanted to join me for breakfast." She grimaced as she remembered. "And just when I thought he couldn't hate me anymore."
"He doesn't hate—"
"Oh yes he does. But it's obvious it pains him to see you with me even more," she chuckled, "and I fucking love it."
Isaac only stared in disbelief.
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