I take a step forward. And she takes one back.
“I had a feeling this was a mistake, but I stupidly ignored my instincts. You lied to me, and that is unforgivable,” she yells at me.
I don’t try to plead my case because whether it was a lie or something I should have told her before our night at the club, the result is the same. I fucked up. “I’m sorry, Tori. I—”
“No, Gio. We’re done,” she pleads in a soft voice, then turns to walk away. At the top of the stairs, she stops. “And please, do me a favor and lose my number.”
Her expression is an impenetrable wall of pain.
***
Florence, Italy
True to her word, Tori is refusing my calls, and my messages go unanswered.
My cell is buzzing on my desk, and not bothering to answer the call from my father, I turn it off and pop it in the pocket of my suit jacket.
Instead, I click on the scheduled Zoom call with Ryan and Hunter on my laptop. The faces of my friends and partners pop up on the split screen, and already, my crap day is looking better.
“How are you doing, Gio?” They both ask almost at the same time, and we all laugh.
My friends have been reaching out and offering me support ever since social media started lighting up with stories of my engagement. Hunter, even more so than Ryan, understands the pressure of being in the public spotlight, the media vultures always searching for the next scandal. And when it’s a slow news week, making one up.
Ryan is trying to be supportive, but it’s hard when his new girlfriend is Tori’s twin sister.
“I’m fine, guys. Keeping busy and trying to ignore what’s happening in the world of trash media. But that’s what you’re here for, to talk to me about the club and take my mind off all that.”
“Let’s get to it.”
Ryan starts to update us on the monthly financial reports. The gym is still losing money, and the manager just handed in his resignation. The gym has never made the club much money, and while it’s filled with state-of-the-art equipment, we’ve seen it more as a loss leader than a profit maker.
Ryan clears his throat, looking unusually uncomfortable. Given his former Navy SEAL training, I never thought I’d see the day that Ryan was worried to say anything.
“Cough it up, dude,” Hunter jokes, and I know it’s not my imagination.
“Well, about the club. Charli and Tori have put forward a proposal to make the gym more profitable.”
My eyes narrow. “Charli and Tori? Or just Tori?” I ask, and it’s clear now the reason for his hesitancy.
“Tori. And it’s a good proposal with the introduction of yoga and Pilates classes …”
He continues to list the basic principles behind the proposal, but I switch off, remembering that she told me about her experience in one of our text message chats back when we were still on speaking terms.
“Offer Tori the gym manager role,” I say, interrupting Ryan midsentence.
Both Ryan and Hunter are silent, and I wonder if the batteries in my AirPods have died.
But then Ryan says, “Are you sure, Gio? Because I do think she’s the right person for the job. She’s got the qualifications and experience.”
“I know, and I don’t want to be the one to stand in her way because I fucked up.”
He nods. “Chances are, you’ll run into each other.”
Ryan has probably heard all the details from Charli, and I hate the thought that he’s been caught in the middle in any way.
“Ryan, I don’t plan on being back in New York for the next few months, so there’s no chance of that happening in the immediate future. And when I am finally back, enough time will have passed.”
That last part is total bullshit, of course, because there will never be enough time for me to forget Tori. She’s been imprinted on my heart. But I have to hope that when she hears of Ant marrying Lucia instead of me, she’ll give me another chance.
