"I knew it."Thabata's voice, surprisingly, is not high and squeaky. On the contrary: it is low and cold, like a growl.Joshua stands up. Emanuele does not move from his seat, but speaks:"Thabata, it was just a hug.""Shut your mouth, you fucking bumpkin. How dare you still try to say anything?""Thabata, there's nothing to worry about. It's not what you're thinking," Joshua tries to explain."Of course it isn't! Because I'm not thinking anything, Joshua. I saw it.""We were just talking.""And what was that conversation, if I have a right to know?"The two don't answer immediately. The details were very intimate, and it went straight over both of their pasts. Emanuele looks discreetly at Joshua. Did Thabata know about his relationship with that family member? After all, they had been together for almost three years.Due to her hesitation, Thabata sneers:"And you said you wanted to clarify the situation... Everything is crystal clear to me. I knew I couldn't trust you!"Emanuele tri
Emanuele feels her heart racing, her fingers turning to butter. Did she hear right? Was she imagining or daydreaming again?Joshua raises one of his eyebrows. He is waiting for her answer. It was not imagination.He had really asked if her feelings for Johnny were stronger than her feelings for him.But... What did Emanuele feel for Joshua?"I...," Emanuele begins, feeling her cheeks heat up from embarrassment."Relax. If you don't want to answer, don't answer.""But-""It's not like it's going to interfere with anything.""I... What?"Joshua sits down on the couch, looking at Emanuele. The girl remains standing leaning against the wall."Even if you feel something for me, and I'm not saying you do, you and I couldn't be together.""Why not?" The indignation in her tone of voice catches the attention of the current owner of the apartment.He seems nervous as he answers, though he disguises it as best he can."I don't know. Maybe because I just ended a three-year relationship and becau
Three weeks had passed.Joshua and Emanuele did not touch any more delicate subjects. The redhead decided to look harder for places where she could work in person, although she could not find any.Thabata had also disappeared from the map, despite her threats to destroy the social life of both Emanuele and Joshua. Johnny respected the space of his inspirational muse, and although everyone thought they were in some sort of relationship, he made it clear to everyone that there was no pressure on them to take anything public.A routine was fixed: Joshua went out to work some days of the week, Emanuele went out to look for a new job and/or to go out with Johnny, the two of them lived together in peace and there was no longer any awkwardness between them.Although Emanuele sometimes thought that her roommate was jealous, she couldn't stop thinking that he had already made it clear that they would never work out. And also, how to relate to someone so complicated, who changed his moods all t
Johnny takes a deep breath. It was never easy to remember this person, much less talk about him. It took him three months before he could leave his room and eat and talk like a human being. His parents had tried everything by then: psychological counseling, self-help books, and even spiritual help from the pastor of a nearby church.But what really impelled Johnny to try to recover the flame of his life was none of these things.Sitting in the park, the young man didn't try to disguise his tears or the look of weeping and pain he felt when remembering that very special person. Looking up, he began to speak."She was my best friend."Emanuele almost has a jump. Yes, he had a best friend, and their friendship was shattered because of Thabata's manipulation! He had told her that at the meeting a few weeks ago.He continued:"We met when I was ten and she was eleven. At first, both my parents and her parents thought we would have some kind of romance when we got older. But that never happ
Upon hearing Johnny's response, the girl simply stops breathing. Her eyes widen.The people outside, passing back and forth, seem completely distant. The sound of cars, birds, children playing on the swings and seesaws... All that becomes irrelevant. The boy sniffles again as he explains, in a mixture of despair and amazement:"That day we met, when Joshua and you were walking back to the building.... I just laid my eyes on you and... I felt something extraordinary. A kind of calling, of connection. I don't want you to think that I'm making an excuse for this what we have, whatever it is. But I simply knew that I needed to stay by your side. Anyway."Johnny takes a breath and continues:"When I heard your name, then, I felt everything around me spin like I was on a merry-go-round. It was like... It was as if the universe was telling me..."His tears won't stop flowing. Emanuele also gave up trying to hold back the tears. She had no idea how impactful her existence was to him."When I
Emanuele was in the living room of Johnny's house. It was the first time she had been there. The girl was feeling strange, but she couldn't exactly say why. Maybe it was because she had never been welcomed anywhere, always having to deal with insults and nasty comments from others. Deep down, maybe she was expecting more attacks.After hearing the story of Johnny's friend, Emanuele couldn't simply refuse the request to meet his parents. It was obvious that the redhead meant a great deal to him. That feeling was so strange. Usually she had to make an effort to seem useful or have her opinion validated, but he listened to her and respected her unconditionally.The girl heard the sound of footsteps. It was Johnny's sister, the teenager with the blue hair. She smiled at Emanuele:"Hi!""Hi," Emanuele smiled back."I'm glad you're here. My brother won't stop talking about you for a minute, I was beginning to doubt that you were real."The two exchange giggles. Then Johnny's youngest says,
Joshua didn't even blink as he heard the simple, yet practically deadly words in his ears.Emanuele continued, still not having the courage to face him immediately."She didn't go into details. She didn't tell me what disease it was, or why this so-called miraculous recovery was possible. But... But that's it, she wants to stay by this man's side and-"Joshua stands up quickly. The girl notices that he has his cell phone in hand, probably dialing Alexandra's number.Emanuele feels she should stop talking, but she simply can't."Do you think ... That this is possible? I mean, that someone who is practically dying can have a chance of continuing to live?"The man looks at her. There is hatred shining in his eyes."Maybe. But I won't allow that to happen."He puts his cell phone to his ear and is silent for a few seconds. Then he practically roars in frustration and throws the device on the couch."I can't believe this. I just can't!" he shouts, outraged.The girl says nothing. Joshua pa
Joshua's intoxicating, sensational touch was exactly as she remembered it.He was strong, domineering, and very sure of himself. He knew exactly what he was doing, the sensations he was provoking, and he seemed to be an expert at it. Emanuele could barely hear the voice of her own conscience amidst this mess of wonderful sensations, which made her murmur and moan.One of his hands landed on her thigh. She had never, ever been touched like that. She usually burst out in nervous giggles and was embarrassed all the same. But there, at that moment, she was completely surrendered.Joshua took Emanuele on his lap, still kissing her.She didn't know where they were going, although from her guess and the smell of wood and cinnamon, they were in his room. The girl with dyed hair, or almost, since the dye was slightly faded, felt her body resting on a soft mattress. She still didn't have the courage to say anything, and her neck was being nibbled by Joshua, who also couldn't say a single word.