Kate Montgomery has no other choice, but to travel abroad to forget about a special someone that left her broken and alone. After several months of trying to move on and forget about her painful experiences, she flies away to Italy with her best fri...
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"Get up! C'mon, this is it!" someone screeched making me groan and envelope myself more in the duvet. I groaned when the covers were ripped away from me, exposing me to the bright room. Angrily, I turned my head away from the windows and came face-to-face with my best friend, Brooke. Our friendship it truly one of a kind. I am everything she truly hates, but it is impossible for us to live without each other.
"Why are you so loud? It's so early!" I said in an angry voice when I looked at the time on my phone. 7:54a.m. Begrudgingly, I got up from the bed and widened my eyes in surprise when I noticed the amount of clothes and all the empty containers of food scattered all around the floor. The room was a total mess and we only had a few hours to get ready, clean, and pack everything up. Brooke's chubby round face came into view and I only managed to hear what she said at the end.
"...a complete asshole. Anyway, are you excited? Because I am and I couldn't sleep for one-bit yesterday, all I could think about was the food and the gorgeous men," she said excitedly while throwing herself on the bed. A smile crept to my face.
"Yeah...you think it's going to be fun?" I asked while heading to the bathroom and kicking some clothes out of the way. I really needed to clean, I thought to myself.
"Of course! Who wouldn't? After everything that has happened-", she stopped quickly and sighed heavily with sad eyes. My heart dropped when Brooke was about to mention his name. It has been several months since the incident, but to get over the pain and trauma someone you deeply have loved has put you through...it might take a lifetime. I loudly cleared my throat and turned to look at Brooke with a forced smile, silently telling her that it was okay.
"Kate, I-", she started but I cut her off quickly, not wanting her to trigger anymore memories.
"No, it's ok. I just...I just want to start this day happily, ok? I don't want to hear his name anymore and I-I just want my mind free of any memories of him," I quietly told her while looking down. My heart was now pounding faster than ever and I quietly cursed my friend for that.
"Anyway, let's start getting the luggage ready!" she said with a chirpy tone, unaware of my mood.
I turned away and slumped my shoulders. My eyes got heavy when I remembered about what happened with me and him. Just thinking about his name gave me a heart ache. Literally. After the amount of tragedies and shitty things life kept throwing our way, Brooke and I decided to have our first trip in Europe. We had a YOLO moment exactly two weeks ago while drunkenly sobbing our eyes out to cheesy, romantic telenovelas. Brooke's boyfriend was away during that weekend and we had nothing to do, except waste time.
I offered Brooke a smile and closed the bathroom door slowly. I pressed myself against the door and heard Brooke sigh when she noticed I wasn't listening to her. She already knows how I am.
I was hoping the trip to Italy would help.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Oh honey, I'm going to miss you so much", my mom said for the hundredth time while sobbing and hiding her face in the crook of my neck. Silently, my dad and I rolled our eyes. My mom could be such a drama queen sometimes, even more since I was the favorite child. I was just going away for two weeks and she made it look like I was going to leave forever.
"I'll miss you too, mami," I murmured, trying to peel her away from me.
"Cariño, come and give your daughter a hug! How could you be so calm about this? She's going away for three months!" my mom hissed angrily at him. My dad just laughed and gave me an awkward hug. He and I weren't much affectionate; either it was just a simple hug or a kiss on the cheek. But with my mom they were painful and deadly hugs, and when she finished giving you kisses, your face would be all sticky.
"I got it, Caroline", my dad said shuffling my hair and I slapped his hand away immediately. When you have curly hair, you get very defensive when people touch it. It's a very dangerous zone.
I looked over my shoulder and saw Brooke with her family. My dad and I laughed silently as her grandma gave her the "bendicion de dios" and brought out a bible from her purse. Brooke kept trying to pull away and say goodbye, but grandma was intent on finishing her verse. I was distracted when Brooke's mom, Diane, tapped me on my shoulder and motioned for me to hug her. She grabbed me by the shoulders and smiled up at me. She was so tiny!
"Please take care of each other, Kate," Diane said while wiping away her tears and forcing a smile.
"We will," I said while smiling at her. Ever since Brooke's dad was deported, the family has been scared of leaving each other's sight. It was pretty understandable, but I made sure to let them know Brooke and I were going to be completely safe. After saying our goodbyes, we quickly left to check in to have several hours before the plane could take off.
"Final call for boarding, final call for boarding for the remaining passengers," the woman in the intercom announced for the nth time and Brooke was still nowhere in sight. Of course, she had to go to the restroom minutes before the plane started accepting passengers. I kept looking around frantically trying to spot her, but her short frame was nowhere in sight. After several seconds after, she emerged from the crowd with blushing cheeks. She looked at me apologetically and hurried to get her luggage to board the plane.
...........
"So, are you ready for-," Brooke was abruptly interrupted suddenly when another male's voice spoke. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, trying to pinpoint where I've heard that voice.
"This is 12G right? Yep, it is!". My chest felt suddenly heavy and I tried to blink away the tears that were threatening to escape. That voice. The one that caused me many sleepless nights and traumas. This cannot be happening right now.
Carlo. He is here. This is not f*cking happening, not right now. I always knew the universe had something against me by the amount of failed relationships it sent me, but this was a new low.
I heard him sigh and place his luggage on top. His cologne hit me hard when he sat down next to me. As in instinct, all of the memories came rushing back to me. The way he smelled, the way he kissed me, how tight he held me, how much he hurt me... I snapped my eyes open when I noticed Brooke sitting stiffly next to me with her fists clenched.
"So...", Carlo said unknowingly of who I was. He was bobbing his right leg up down, as if he were nervous. Brooke slowly turned her head towards him and glared at him, or at least that's what I could guess from how tense Brooke's body was.
Carlo's eyes widened when he noticed the girl sitting next to her. It was almost comical how he tried to say something, but was failing at it. He looked like a fish gasping for water. My heart beat faster and I drew my hands into fists, trying to keep my emotions balanced. When his eyes met my stare, everything around me became silent. I noticed his mouth moving, but I could not hear a single thing. It was like everything was in slow motion. It's funny how a person can cause so much unbalance.
Carlo opened his mouth again as if to say something, but all I could hear was my heart pounding. I followed Brooke's moving mouth, trying to understand what she was saying. Turning my head away from the both them, I gulped loudly and tightly grabbed the arm rest.
I coughed hard and gasped for air when I couldn't breathe. Brooke cursed and quickly took a water bottle from her bag. How did she manage to pass it? I don't know. She quickly opened the bottle and put it in my mouth, literally shoving it inside. I took gulps from it, trying to calm myself down. My heart was beating too fast and I felt like I was about to pass out.
Happy thoughts. Italy. Pizza. Clubs. Happy thoughts. Food. I repeatedly said to myself in my mind. I coughed loudly several times and managed to calm myself down. Brooke held my shaking body tightly and whispered soothing words in my ear. I made the mistake of turning my head to Carlo's direction and, without the control of my body, several tears managed to escape. After wiping away my tears, I turned to look at him. He had a look of pity, making me feel vulnerable and unworthy once again. I faintly heard him say "I'm sorry," but my mind was racing with so many thoughts that I went numb after.
