NOT GIVING UP ON FOREVER

Chapter 41

They were passing familiar places, and each time memories cut Anna's heart. She just recently strolled all these streets hand in hand with Randall. Here was a cafe where they had a snack, and here was the promenade, and here was the church, and here was...

"Anna?"

The girl turned around.

"Huh? What?" she asked, blinking.

"I asked if you'd been to Milan before," Teo smiled. "You have a nostalgic look."

"Oh, um... yes, very long time ago," blurted out the girl. "But I didn't have time to see anything, so I came back to..."

"Fix it?" Teo finished.

Anna glanced at him, but her eyes suddenly filled with tears, and she abruptly turned the face away before Teo saw her despair.

"To... fix it," she squeezed out a confirmation, trying to keep the words as casual as possible.

"Perfect," said Teo, putting his hand on her shoulder and adding, "and you will make it."

Anna looked into his eyes. For a moment, it seemed to her that he knew everything, that he understood her without words, that he seemed to read all the expressions without having to explain anything.

She smiled meekly and looked out the window. Teo was turning into an enormous villa, surrounded by neatly trimmed trees. Security opened the gate, and Anna realized without a hint that Teo was not a poor man if such a high-class apartment belonged to him. She shivered and grinned:

"What did you say your job was?"

Teo looked at her slyly and spoke in a conspiratorial tone:

"Don't tell anyone. It's something trade-related."

Anna and Ricardo, who had heard the top-secret, laughed out loud. They lazily fell out of the car, and Anna looked around.

The yard was immaculate. A high carved fence enclosed the two-story villa with several terraces and a balcony. They decorated each corner with flowerbeds with small neat flowers of different colors.

Anna recognized only forget-me-nots and daisies, but all the flowers' splendor was beyond her knowledge, which she immediately regretted. She wanted to know the name of each flower. Amazed, she was gently touching them, inhaling aromas new to her and so unusual. The dog barked.

"It's been a long time, Signor Reez," said the guard who approached Teo, shaking his hand.

"Lost at the studio. What's up? How did the tourists behave? Crazily, I imagine?" Teo asked politely.

"Nah, they're great lads. Good afternoon, signora."

"Good afternoon," Anna replied to the greeting.

The man turned to Ricardo. "Good to see you, vecchio."

Ricardo shook his hand, and they continued the conversation in Italian. Teo took Anna's hand to lead her into the house.

They entered the grand hall, and Teo invited Anna to sit down on the couch while he would take the bags to her room.

Waiting for him, Anna looked around. Everything was clearly decorated with a pro hand of a designer. Various works of art hung on the walls. Elegant designer accents were everywhere—vases, statues, flowers. In the center of the room stood a glass table with an ashtray. A wide sofa was set up for relaxing and watching a huge plasma TV. There was another table in another corner, but a wooden and smaller one, with numerous discs, cassette headphones, and some musical odds and ends on it.

Teo left the room and asked:

"What do you think?"

Anna beamed.

"It's amazing. Your house is gorgeous. Thank you for accommodating me."

He hugged her slightly.

"Shall I show you the rest of the rooms?"

"Of course!" the girl exclaimed.

They went into the dark room Teo had set up for Anna. Its bathroom and dressing room made it an ideal option for a lady.

"You can raise the blinds," Teo explained. "But this room is always so dark because it's on the north side. However, I'm sure you'll like it. It's the best room in the house. Go upstairs."

They went up the stairs, and on the second floor, Anna saw several more luxurious bedrooms and a shared bathroom.

"Now, what do you think?" Teo asked again.

"That room below is the best one," said Anna, smiling.

"Nice. Then make yourself at home. I'm ready to leave in a few minutes. I'll just grab a guitar and a couple of clothes."

"Teo. Don't leave, please. You live here?"

Teo looked at her.

"Em... I've got another house. My mother, sister, and brother live there now. I'll go there."

"Stay, can you? You and Ricardo. Such a huge house, with so many bedrooms. I know little about the city. I'm not having the best time of my life, and I'd like some company. Is this possible? Are you very busy?"

Teo looked into her eyes as if trying to read the meaning of her words and finally spoke:

"I'm going down to tell Ricardo. I think it's a great idea to spend a week with a princess like you."

"Thank you," Anna smiled.

In a few minutes, having heard voices on the first floor, Anna herself went down. Ricardo and Teo were standing by the stairs, talking animatedly in Italian.

"What's the verdict?" she asked, looking at Ricardo.

He smiled widely and held out his arms for a hug.

"Of course, Si! The idea is just fantastic. What could be better than a sudden vacation with your best friend and his future wife?"

They burst out laughing.

"Thanks, Ri," hugging the guy, told Anna.

She hadn't even noticed that she had been hugging him for several minutes, staring intently at Teo, who was holding her other hand. Both guys seemed to feel her pain and understand her every action. And they wholeheartedly wanted to be there. But most likely, all this was only in her head, and she seemed to behave strangely to them.