Page 62 of Unrestricted
"Then I disagree entirely. Lukas is just as nice to look at as I am."
Adriano scowls and mutters something about shooting Lukas in the face.
Paolo finishes his bowl and pushes it aside and looks at me.
"Do you cook, Eliza?"
"I do and very well, but Adriano has decided that I'm forbidden from strenuous activities like pouring things into pots and stirring them until I'm fully recovered. I expect he'llbe satisfied I'm in good health any time now. The year 2062 perhaps."
Adriano shakes his head. "You were injured, Eliza. You can't be running around…."
"What? Boiling pasta? It's not an extreme sport, Adriano."
Paolo laughs and nudges Adriano. "I like her."
"I didn't ask," Adriano says.
"No," Paolo agrees pleasantly. "But I'm telling you anyway."
Adriano looks at me across the table for a moment. I look back at him and smile. His friend approves of me. I like that.
Paolo looks at his phone as he receives a message. "I've got to go. I'll check in later."
Adriano nods. As Paolo leaves he clears the bowls and wipes down the counter. I stay where I am because god forbid I try to put a plate in the dishwasher.
"The ribollita was incredible," I tell Adriano.
"I know."
I almost laugh. "You're supposed to say thank you."
"Why? It's true." He looks at me. "How are you feeling? Was Paolo's visit too much?"
"I'm not an invalid, Adriano."
He comes back to the table and crouches in front of me. He brushes the hair back from my face. There’s something about his gentleness that catches me by surprise every time he shows it. Those hands are trained to maim and torture men, not to comfort women.
"I know you're not,cara, but I've never worried about someone like this before. Indulge me, please."
I look at him for a moment then nod. When he says things like that what else can I do?
TWENTY-ONE
Adriano
Leaving before Eliza wakes isn't a conscious decision so much as a consequence of being awake at five in the morning with no realistic prospect of going back to sleep.
After twenty minutes of lying in the dark listening to her breathe and thinking about what I'm going to say to Gabriele I give up. I get dressed, go downstairs, make coffee and stand at the kitchen window watching the sun rise over the garden.
The house is quiet. Rosa won't be here until nine. The kitchen still smells faintly of last night's ribollita. I think about what I'm going to say to Gabriele.
Then, when I finally decide I've stalled enough, I head to the garage and take the keys for my Mercedes from the steel cabinet on the wall.
The drive takes forty minutes. Paolo offered but I declined. As much as I appreciated the offer, I need to face Gabriele alone. This is a conversation I owe him and it’s up to me to pay in full.
When I get to Gabriele's house Lukas meets me at the door and accompanies me to the study. Gabriele is at his desk. Helooks up when I walk in. I take a seat opposite him. I can’t help studying his scars more closely today as I think about how he got them.
They look less vivid these days. I wonder if he’s been having further treatment. I don’t ask.
