NOT GIVING UP ON FOREVER

Chapter 66

Anna got out of Teo's car and headed for the platform. She was almost physically ill. She wanted to turn and walk away before Randall saw her.

What was she even doing here? Why see him? What would she gain by it? Did she expect Randall to say he was sorry? What was Teo thinking now, driving to work, leaving her with her ex? Did she want Randall back, wanted to be with him no matter what? Or maybe she should throw it all away, and the events of her life should be all about Teo, and she needed not come to the platform to get something out of Randall...

All these thoughts were drowned out by the unmistakable recognition of Randall, leaning against the gigantic palm tree that decorated the station hall. He was talking to someone on the phone, gesturing widely and smiling with all his charm.

He looked as stunning as ever. Other words just don't match, and this opinion was not only of infatuated Anna but of a clear majority of those present at the station of the fair sex, who Ah-ed and Oh-ed when he accidentally fell into their field of vision.

He wore bright blue jeans, a cotton shirt with an oriental pattern, and a stylish man's handkerchief, intricately tied around his neck. He was using the phone with one hand, and the other one was... in a cast.

"Randall!" Anna called timidly, and he turned, interrupting his phone conversation.

A genuine smile lit his face, and Anna's heart sank. All her efforts to forget him, to hurt him, to love another man, shattered at the same moment when Randall, recognizing Anna at once, hung up and walked over to her, giving her a warm hug.

"Beautiful!" he whispered. "Hello, my beautiful."

Automatically, she returned his embrace, her common sense forgotten. She wanted to strangle him in that embrace, to cover his pretty face with kisses, to cry out how she loved him, how she missed him, and how hard it was for her to live without him.

"What happened to your arm, Randall?" she asked instead.

"Oh, that? It's nothing special. Broke a wall chatting with you." He laughed. "And smashed the phone. Look, I have a new one!"

He proudly showed Anna the latest model of an iPhone.

"Impressive," the girl smirked.

"Walk?" he suggested, holding out his sane hand.

"Sure."

They left the station, and Anna asked why he decided to meet here.

"You'll see."

Having crossed the road, they turned the corner of a high-rise building and found themselves in the same charming landscape park called Sempione—the attraction, which began their adventures together.

"I can't believe it!" Anna gasped, tears welling in her eyes. "We..."

"Yes!" Randall smiled, wiping away her tears. "Yes!"

Again they walked the familiar paths. Randall again came up with historical dates and humorous memories of Milan's famous places, forcing Anna to continuously laugh and be distracted from the only feeling that hunted her, which was the pain.

They went to the same cafe with the surly Arab proprietor, where they were on the first day of her arrival, strolled through Milan's quiet and main streets, talked about Italy, local customs, Randall's favorite politics topics, and other life's moments. She found out that Randall took the time to see his family in Austria and returned to university. Asking about Bernardo, she learned that he was also studying and that in a couple of months, they planned to go to China to travel.

Dusked. They walked for a long time, and the girl just had no strength anymore to gaze at all these painfully familiar places.

"Shall we sit down?" she suggested, seeing a vacant bench in a deserted playground.

Randall, glancing at her, saw that the time came to change the subject. He reluctantly sat down on the bench, inviting Anna to sit on his lap, assuring her that the bench was freezing and that was the only reason she should be in his arms.

"Randall," she began, "we need to talk."

"Yes, Anna, I know, we do. But I don't know how to talk about anything exactly or what the right phrases are."

"Neither do I," Anna admitted. "But I didn't come to fight. I came to ask you."

"What do you want to ask?" his face dropped, and he began to draw intricate patterns in the sand with the toe of his sneaker to hide his nerves.

"How could you?"

"Uff. I wish you wouldn't put it that way. But what can I say? I thought we were friends, Anna. I didn't think we were a couple. I understand that you're asking me specifically about having sex with that girl, but I didn't feel like I was doing anything bad."

"Bad?"

"Something that could hurt you. I never meant to hurt you, Anna. You're a wonderful girl, smart, beautiful, honest, sophisticated, and an amazing friend."

Anna cringed at the last sentence but said nothing. Her eyes glistened with tears, and he stroked her hair, trying to calm her.

"How was it?" Anna asked suddenly.

"How was what?"

"That sex. Did you enjoy it? Was she pretty? Better than me? What's wrong with me, Randall?"

"Shhh, beautiful. Calm down now, and don't talk nonsense. You're gorgeous. In everything. It was just sex. I just slept with some girl at a party, that's all."

"How was it?" Anna insisted.

Randall shivered but answered:

"There was a random party. We danced, she started kissing my neck, harassing me. We found a room, and we had sex. That's all, Anna. End of history. No, I don't love her, anticipating your silly thoughts. Yes, she was beautiful, but not as perfectly beautiful as you."

"Then, why? I don't understand, Randall. You're a hypocrite. You knew I loved you, and I told you that! Why did you do that? We weren't friends, Randall! Friends don't sleep with each other!"

Traitorous tears flowed a stream, and pride left her. She clung to Randall and cried on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, beautiful. Please forgive me," he whispered, trying in vain to calm her.

He managed with difficulty to soothe her sobs. To lighten the mood, he suggested going to the pastry shop to buy some nice vegetarian dessert to smile finally.

Sniffling, Anna went into the tiny pastry shop near the playground where they had been all this time. Randall bought two freshly squeezed orange juices and two veggie cakes.

They perched on high chairs and sat close together, so they could talk over the unbearable noise the other visitors made with their animated conversations and discussions in Italian.

"So, you're with Teo now," Randall stated, chewing on his cake.

Anna glanced at him, trying to read his mood. He looked calm. She'd imagined this moment so many times. When she'd thrown Randall to the face that she was now with Teo, the one he hated, that she was sleeping with him and would always be with him.

But in reality, all her emotions were turned upside down. She wished she'd never met Teo, wished she'd never slept with him, so she could say she'd just been alone all along and never wanted to hurt him. All her plans for retaliation had vanished the moment she saw Randall. Now she didn't want to rewrite the story with him. She wanted to delete the story with Teo.

"I suppose so," she answered.

"Mm."

"He's a good guy. He's very kind to me, and..."

"Did you sleep with him?"

"What?"

"Did you sleep with him?"

Anna gulped. Randall looked into her eyes and grasped the answer.