Gianluca Ginoble and I

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

          The next morning I went out right when I woke up, even before sunrise, ecstatic to go out and explore. I was out and about for almost three hours, just riding around on Gianluca’s bike and seeing where I ended up.

          About the time when I thought Gianluca would be up, I took some pictures of the places I rode by and sent them to him.

          I returned to the house and spent the rest of the morning dutifully reading my next classic, Pride and Prejudice, and listening to Il Volo’s “We Are Love” album while cuddling up with Gianluca on the sofa. After lunch I went shopping with my mom, where she insisted on buying me a gorgeous royal blue gown. I didn’t know why she wanted me to have it, but she insisted that I needed it.

          I didn’t mind having it, though. It was an incredibly gorgeous, silky gown that trailed the ground when I wore it. It was very flattering, and seemed to flow gently down my body.

          When we got back to the Ginoble house, I looked for Gianluca to show him the gown, but he was nowhere to be found.

          I asked Mrs. Ginoble if she knew where he was, and she just smiled and said, “Oh, he has some stuff to do.”

          I went over to Piero and Ignazio’s houses, but he wasn’t there either.

          So I went back to the Ginoble house and texted him, but he didn’t respond.

          Everyone was being weird, and I went to take a shower, and then to the guestroom to read. 

At about seven, someone knocked on the door.

          “Come in,” I called, lying on my stomach on the bed, reading.

          The door opened, and Piero and Ignazio stood in the doorway.

          “Evening, Naomi,” Ignazio said cheerfully.

          “Evening,” I said, sitting up.

          “We have somewhere we need to take you,” Piero said.

          “You-what?”

          “Put on the dress your mother bought you today, and do your makeup or whatever you girls like to do, then meet us downstairs,” Ignazio instructed.

          They turned to leave, and I stood indignantly.

          “Hang on, guys! What’s going on!?”

          Ignazio looked over at Piero as if asking what to tell me, and Piero said, “Just do as we say.”

          I eyed them suspiciously, and Piero reached out and closed the guestroom door.

          What in the world…?

          I stood and obediently changed into the gorgeous blue gown, stopping to twirl in front of the mirror. I put on black flats because I didn’t know where I was going.  I twisted my hair up into a bun, which I rarely did, and I put on some mascara, lipstick, and earrings, and then went carefully downstairs. I felt like I was going to Prom or something, but I was really confused.

          I went downstairs, and my mother met me at the bottom.

          “Oh, darling, you look beautiful!”