NOT GIVING UP ON FOREVER

Chapter 44

Anna went out on the porch and, exhaling, walked to the car. Having seen the girl, Teo beamed and invited her inside. Ricardo stood beside the car, slowly smoking a cigarette. Anna smiled and hugged him.

"How are you, beautiful?" the lad muttered as he responded to the embrace. "Slept well... with Teo?"

Oh, I can't stand being addressed like that now, she thought.

Anna pinched his nose.

"Ay, nothing happened... with Teo!" she answered boldly and laughed. "But I slept well."

"Well, of course!" Ricardo winked.

"Listen, Ricardo..." Anna began.

"Ri," he corrected.

"Ri. I left my phone at home, and I wanted to ask for yours. I need to reach a friend of mine. Is this possible?"

"Of course! No problem." Ricardo handed her the phone. "Will you call? You want me to show you how?"

"No, no. I'll text him on social media."

"Oh, I see. Here's the browser; here's the app. Enjoy yourself."

"Thank you, Ricard... Ri!"

They climbed into the car and, turning on the volume of their favorite local tracks, and Teo and Ricardo started singing out loud. With trepidation, Anna logged into her account of social network and began scrolling through the messages. She was only looking for one person who sent... forty-five messages...

Forty-five messages, Randall! What is this nonsense? she thought and swallowed.

Eighty percent of the messages were generous, described in detail where-she-should-go-to-messages. A lot of exclamations and anger, threats to kill her if she continued to ignore the messages.

... And Randall was online.

Her hands trembled. She wrote a "Hello" and fell silent.

"Hello? Are you kidding me, Anna???"

The beginning was not very promising. Anna felt a sudden urge to send this person as far as possible, but something inside of her was even glad to see such a reaction. He did care.

"Hello, Randall," she added and smiled sarcastically, sending the message.

"I went crazily worried here! Where are you!"

"I wrote about where I was."

"What are you doing in Italy! You didn't mean it when you said you would sleep around. You said that out of anger, right?"

"What do you want, Randall? Leave me alone. I don't want us to talk anymore."

"Anna, this is a kindergarten. You're infantile and illogical. Where are you now? Please tell me."

"You wouldn't believe it."

"WHERE. ARE. YOU"

"I'm at the residence of Teo Reez! What a coincidence. Small world."

"????????"

"I gotta go, Randall." And she signed out of the account.

Teo watched her. Feeling his eyes on her, she asked if everything was okay.

"Yeah, it's all right. You're magnificent. I look at you, and I feel like I can fall in love with you."

"Nonsense, Teo," Anna tried to joke, but she didn't like his tone. He looked serious.

"Watch the road, lover boy!" Ricardo snapped, helping to change the awkward situation.

"Well. Here we are," said Teo, reaching the delightful cafe with a summer terrace, with people walking to and fro. "Now, you'll be fed and distracted from all that busy mind of yours. I promise."

He kissed her hand, and they went to the place.