“Yes, I’m sorry to ask this,” I say, a little embarrassed, feeling my cheeks heat up. Henry points to the chair in front of his desk, and I settle down.
I draw a long dresswith a deep V neckline and straps, loose and flowing at the bottom; I look at the crayons and smile at the variety of colors; I paint its emerald green and imagine it with a metallic sheen; I lift the drawing and smile at the result.
“It looks amazing!” I hear Henry’s voice, and I’m slightly startled; I forgot he was there. I look at him, and he seems to be concentrating on my sketch.
“Do you really think so, or has your drunken side taken over?” I ask with a playful grin, knowing that I’m probably drunker than he is.
“Drunk or not, I can say with certainty that you have talent!”
Henry approaches me, and all I can think is, “This is it,” I’m about to have my first kiss. I feel what I think are nervous butterflies in my stomach, and I close my eyes. Before our lips can touch, my phone ringing takes over the room; I open my eyes quickly and pick it up, reading Paolo on display. I know that if I ignore it, he will insist, or worse, go door to door looking for me.
I give Henry an apologetic look, and he walks away to sit down at his desk.
He doesn’t even let me speak. “Where are you, Chiara? Don’t tell me you’ve left the house.” His voice is a little muffled by the loud music from the speakers, and I can’t tell if he’s annoyed.
I look around, feeling Henry’s confused gaze on me. “I’m… in the bathroom; I’ll be right down!” I don’t know why I lie to him, but I just do it, hanging up the call immediately afterward. I have to go downstairs; my friends are looking for me.
Henry leans over the table, writing something on a piece of paper. “Here’s my number; I’d really like to get to know you better!” I grab the paper without really knowing what to say,smile at him, a little embarrassed, and head for the door. “Don’t forget your drawing.”
Henry comes toward me, handing me my sketch and planting a kiss on my cheek before stepping aside and letting me out of his room. As the door closes behind me, I let out a big smile and maybe a low squeal of excitement. Maybe I’m not so uninteresting after all.
I lie on my bed with a big smile on my face, probably looking like a fool in love.
“What’s with that smile?” Aurora sits on my bed, signaling me to lay my head on her legs, and on my other side, Leticia looks at us, smiling.
“I almost kissed Henry!” I mutter quietly and too quickly to understand.
“You what? Say that again?” says Leticia, smirking, which makes me think that maybe she understood.
“I almost kissed Henry!” I say with my eyes closed and feeling my cheeks burn.
When I open my eyes, I see the blatant smile on Leticia’s face, while Aurora has an indignant look on her face. “What do you mean, almost? Give me a good reason why you didn’t do it… I’m waiting!”
I close my eyes again, a little embarrassed by my sudden artistic inspiration. “The first time I had an idea for the sketch I have to hand in tomorrow, the second time Paolo called me, and I had to leave.” I cover my eyes with my hands, listening to Aurora’s ironic laughter.
“Two times, two chances, and not even a kiss, for God’s sake, Chiara.” I laugh at her outrage, still not looking at her; a pillow is thrown right in my face, making me open my eyes immediately. I look at her, irritated. “You didn’t even have to stay long; you just had to stick your lips to his and then leave, but no…”
“I wasn’t going to kiss Henry and then run away!”
“Why not?” I look at Aurora, really wondering if she’s serious. “Don’t tell me you didn’t kiss him because of Luca.”
I lift my head from her legs and sit down on the bed. Why on earth would Luca have anything to do with this?
“We’ve known you for years, Chiara; we know you were hurt that Luca never called you again after he left. I look at Leticia, and she looks seriouson her face. Tell me the truth, are you in love with him?”
I feel their stares on me, and I don’t know what to say. I’m not in love with Luca, but something about himcaught my attention from day one. “I’m not in love, I just… I don’t know. I thought we could make it work, you know, the engagement and later the wedding.”
“It’s not enough for you to want to put someone first in your life; it only works when you’reon the same level as that person. And you tried, he didn’t open up or given you the chance, it’s not your fault.”
I smile and nod, knowing that Leticia is right. I feel Aurora’s hands on my shoulders, she pulls me toward her and makes me look into her face. If you like someone, if you fall in love, that’s fine; you’re entitled to it. Neither Luca nor anyone else has the right to stop you. Don’t let this agreement stop you from anything; it can be canceled if you want, and what better reason could there be than love? Just allow yourself and live!
“Besides, Henry is not only very handsome, but he’s also a great person, so enjoy!”
“He gave me his number!” I show the small piece of paper in my hand. Leticia smiles and takes it, as does my phone.
“What are you doing?” She smiles and hands me the phone.
“Now he’s got your number!”
