When good meets really, really, really bad.
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Daniel Harper is down on his luck as he struggles to pay for his sophomore year at NYU. Desperate times lead him to sell drugs for some time. When that proves to not be enough, his only option is to...
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DANIEL HARPER
Lucien kept hyping up the gelato. I at first thought that maybe he was over exaggerating. Lucien is a hard to please type person. Meaning that this gelato must be gold. But when I tried, he was right. He was so fucking right.
“Enjoying it?” Lucien asked me.
“It’s so fucking good!” I moaned. I devoured my gelato entirely. When I looked up, I noticed everyone was looking at me. “Uh, sorry.” I muttered.
“We all did the same thing when we first tried this place.” Slyvester replied.
“Uh, Danny?” Lucien said next to me. I turned and saw him handing me a napkin. “You’ve got cream on your lips.” He pointed to the corner of my mouth. I stuttered and Lucien handed me a napkin.
“Is it gone?” I asked as I wiped it away.
“It’s gone. But you’ll have some more later…” He teased me. Lucien handed me his gelato. “You can have mine.” He said. I stared at it.
“You sure? I know how much you’ve wanted to come here. You’ve been dying to come here.” I said.
“I insist. Anything to see you smile like that again.” He said.
“That’s so fucking adorable!” Aria gushed.
I took his cup of gelato. “I’ll owe you back.” I said.
“You already have.” He replied. I ate my gelato and occasionally offered a spoon to Lucien. It was similar to feeding a baby.
“What’s next?” I asked Lucien as I threw away my cup.
“Ever been to a vineyard?” He asked.
“Kinda. Not sure if the one near your home in the Hamptons counts.” I replied.
“This one will blow your mind.” Lucien said. We walked back into the parking lot and hopped on the Vespa once again.
The ride was similar to the Vittori’s villa in the country, only this time we drove in the opposite direction. The scenery changed. Instead of flat lands, the landscape was more mountainous. Large hills and peaks overlooking the sea.
We went uphill for a long time. I kept panicking that we would fall off the mountain. But I trust Lucien to keep me safe. He drove until a dirt path led us to a winery atop the hill. Everyone was already here.
“Ever drank authentic Italian wine?” Lucien asked.
“No. Remember, I don’t drink.” I told him.
“Just a sip. You’ll like it.” Lucien said.
“Maybe.” I replied. We were escorted into a private room. It was a VIP room with a large table and cushioned seats around.
