My Italian BFF

Chapter Five

I planned to spend my day off from the restaurant lounging around and binge-watching box sets until my appointment for my new piercing that afternoon. It would be my fifth piercing, but all my others were in my ears, so the dermal piercing I had booked was a big step for me. The doorbell rang and I could see Luca on the camera and buzzed him in, then leapt across the room to grab my phone as it rang.

“Hello.” I hadn’t even had the chance to check the caller ID.

“Ah, Rylie. Have you seen Luca? Mamma is trying to call him, but he is avoiding her as usual.” Before I could utter a word to Luca’s sister, Aurora, Luca let himself in and started swinging his arms from side to side and mouthing the word no at me.

“No, sorry Aurora, I haven’t seen him today because I’m not at work.” I flipped Luca the bird for making me lie to his sister for him. He knew I didn’t like to get into the middle of family stuff. I hated talking to her on the phone. Luca’s accent was much more subtle because he had lived in England so long, but Aurora’s was thick Italian and she spoke at the speed of light.

“Can you tell him; I know he is avoiding her, and he can stop it because I am sick of getting moaned at about it by Mamma.”

“I will, bye, give my love to everyone.” She muttered something angrily in Italian, but it was nothing I could comprehend. As soon as I put the phone down, I playfully slapped at Luca’s arms. As I went to slap at him a second time, he pulled me into his arms, wrapping them around me and containing my arms by my side. With me disarmed, he kissed me, a short caring kiss not the usually hot and heavy ones I was used to.

“You want to fill me in on why I’ve just lied to your sister?”

“Mamma is driving me crazy; she thinks I need to get married and is trying to set me up with some girl from the local village who has just moved to town.” He was laughing as if it was some massive joke, but the idea made me shudder. I knew he would move on at some point. He had made me no promises after all, but our new and odd relationship, had me feeling rather comfortable with the status quo.

“What’s she like?” I pulled away from his grip, wanting to distance myself in more ways than one. I moved to the kitchen worktop and switched the kettle on, wanting something to occupy my hands.

“How would I know? I’ve never spoken to her. I have no interest in having a girlfriend, let alone a wife.” He walked to me as he spoke and placed his hand on my lower back. Of course, I knew he didn’t want a girlfriend. That was the reason for our arrangement. I couldn’t quite believe how I was feeling. Wanting to lash out, to shout and scream. I didn’t, of course, because the whole idea was ridiculous. I had no right to be jealous or to scold him for something he hadn’t even done.

“So why don’t you tell your mum that?”

“I have, but you know what she’s like. She doesn’t listen unless it fits her agenda.” He was right, and I knew it, but I still felt really annoyed with him. I took my brew over to the sofa, leaving his cup on the side and knowing I was being petty, but I couldn’t stop myself. He completely ignored my irritation, or he didn’t notice it, retrieving his cup and sitting about as close to me as he could get. He casually threw his arm around the back of my neck and, just like that, I melted into him. I couldn’t stay mad at him, it was impossible.

I sat there on the sofa in his arms and actually missed him, not the Luca in my arms but the Luca he was before. I didn’t have many friends and most of the ones I had were the guys from work who I couldn’t discuss Luca with. Whenever I needed to talk about men in the past, I went to Luca, but I could hardly discuss my issues with Luca when he was the cause. I spoke to Aurora a lot, and we were close, in an ‘only understanding half of what she said’ kind of way, but I couldn’t discuss her brother with her either. I knew I was being stupid anyway, so what was there to discuss? I didn’t need someone else to tell me how crazy I was being.

I snuggled further into him, instinctively trying to guard against the horrible feelings I was having. He responded by scooping me up and pulling me onto his knee.

“What’s wrong? You’ve been weird since I got here.”

“I’m fine.” It was the first time I had ever lied to him, and it felt awful. This thing between us wasn’t supposed to have changed things, but it had. Somehow, he had turned into just another man. I could no longer trust him with my craziness. I couldn’t trust that it wouldn’t drive him away, so I had to keep it all bottled up. I didn’t like it. Feeling like I had lost my only real friend, my lifeline.

“You can tell me anything, you know that?” Except I didn’t feel like I could anymore.

“I’m fine, honest, just tired.” Maybe I should have told him what was bothering me. Maybe if I was honest, things would have been better.

Still sitting on his knee, I laid my arms around his neck and started kissing him. We sat making out on the sofa, paying absolutely no attention to whatever show was on the TV. It was really nice, just kissing and holding each other, having his hands rubbing my back. Laying my forehead against his and savouring the tingling on my lips from his kisses. I sighed with contentment. It was so confusing. How could I be content and yet full of jealousy? It made no sense. I had no control over my own emotions anymore.

As I removed myself from his knee, he watched me intently, following me with his gaze as I headed to the kitchen. I put the kettle on again and, on a whim, decided to get changed. I had been wearing my standard jeans and tee, but the jeans were a little on the tight side and not suitable for messing around on the sofa.

Leaving the tee in place, and swapped my jeans for a pair of PJ shorts. They were practically indecent, and I wouldn’t have worn them in front of anyone but Luca. Since Luca and I had been together, I had developed a confidence that I had never known before. I felt attractive, sexy and able to seduce Luca at any moment. There had been a few instances where he had lost his cool at work.

Once he had dragged me into the walk-in fridge. He had pushed me up against the metal racks and pawed at me desperately, kissing me as though he would die at any moment if he resisted the urge. Within minutes, his senses had returned to him, and he had composed himself before anyone knew anything had occurred, but the tension was running high between us whenever we were there. The more I chastised him for not keeping his hands to himself in the restaurant, the more he misbehaved.

I had started to get very paranoid that we would get caught out while we were there, but no one seemed to bat an eye or notice any change between the two of us. One of the new girls had even been quizzing me about if he was single or not. I told her he wasn’t into women as a way to resist the urge to stake my claim on him. It felt harmless, given that it was an opinion held by many at work already. I made the brews and carried them back over to him, leaving his cup on the coffee table, but suddenly he seemed less than interested in sustenance.

He took my cup from my hands and placed it beside his, pulling me hard downwards onto the sofa, making me squeal from shock. Before I had time to resist, his hand was on my torso, tickling me and making me giggle like a schoolgirl. I wriggled beneath his touch and tried to make my escape, but failed miserably as he pinned me again against the sofa.

He laid his mouth on my slightly chubby stomach and blew a raspberry just below my belly button. I arched my back purposely so that his face was in close contact with my PJ shorts. As I lowered back to the sofa, he laid kisses across my stomach, but it didn’t tickle, it just made me want him more. It should have made me feel conscious of my body, it usually did when men paid attention to my stomach. Not with Luca, with him it just felt right, different.

“These shorts really aren’t worth wearing, just a tiny amount of fabric, hiding nothing.” The words confused me in my lustful haze until he started to slide them down my thighs, brushing my skin as he did. He paused, taking in my nakedness and making me feel incredibly sexy. He traced the apex of my thighs with his finger first, then his tongue. As I bucked under the sensation, his tongue slipped between my thighs. I whined at my need for him to touch me, but he didn’t. He got off on withholding himself from me, at the effect he had on me. My desire for him fuelled his advances.

“Luca, please, don’t tease me.” He ignored my pleas and returned to removing my shorts slowly before throwing them over his shoulder. It was as though he needed to know how much I desired him as if he was insecure about himself. That wasn’t possible because he was the most confident man I knew. He always had women throwing themselves at him and fawning all over him. My thoughts were interrupted by him nipping at my stomach and working his way up under my bra. As his moistness connected with the bud of my breast, I was no longer capable of logical thought.

While my peak was still in his mouth, he slid two fingers inside me, taking me by surprise and making me cry out. Just then, the doorbell rang.

“Ignore it, don’t stop. Please.” He followed my command. Moving his fingers slowly inside me, before releasing my n****e, sliding his tongue into my mouth instead. The doorbell rang again. “I mean it Luca; don’t you dare stop.” Each word was barely audible as his mouth absorbed them. I groaned as he removed his fingers, shifting his attention to my clit. My own moistness provided a warming, wet sensation that made me moan. He increased his speed, then halted as the doorbell rang yet again.

“Whoever it is, isn’t going away.” I released a spew of profanity as I squeezed out from underneath him and reluctantly went to the door. The last person I expected to see stood on the doorstep on the camera. My mother.

“You need to get dressed now.”

“I am dressed, it's you that isn't.” The haze from our antics was still clouding my thoughts. Looking down at my naked bottom half and rushing to the bedroom to pull myself back into my jeans. I had no idea what she was doing there, but I didn’t want her to know about Luca.

“Who’s at the door?” I barged back into the living room, straightening up the cushions and snatching my bottoms off the floor, throwing them in the hamper. I quickly scanned around the room to check for anything that shouldn’t be there. As the doorbell sounded again, I decided that I was happy with its presentation. She held the buzzer down, creating a shrill, ear-abusing noise. I pressed the button to let her in before turning to Luca once again.

“It’s my mother, best behaviour, please.”