Secrets (Lords of the City)

by Alice Ward

  “Hello?” I asked into the intercom.

  “It’s Cristiano.”

  Just the sound of his voice made me smile.

  “Be right down,” I said, trying to make myself sound as elegant as possible.

  Cristiano, Cristiano! His name played over and over in my head, the syllables twisting along with a beautiful melody as I grabbed my purse and light green army jacket. The evening air was likely still close to perfect, but there was still the chance of the temperature dropping as the night progressed.

  Cristiano stood on the front stoop wearing tight dark jeans and a blue button-up that eerily matched my own.

  “Wow,” I said as I pushed the building’s door open. “So you do dress down. I was really starting to think you worked out in dress shirts.”

  I tried not to grin at my clever remark. Boo-yah, I was flirting!

  He grinned. “And I match apparently.”

  I looked down at my own top, which was a couple shades darker than his. “We must be on the same wavelength.”

  I regretted the words instantly. They weren’t simply flirtatious. They seemed too personal, so eager.

  Cristiano didn’t appear to feel the same way. “Ready to go?” He extended his arm to me, like we were about to walk into a ballroom rather than across the sidewalk.

  Unsure exactly what I was supposed to do, I settled with wrapping my hand loosely around his forearm. “Thanks.”

  “I’m right over here.”

  He pulled his keys from his pocket and unlocked a sleek black car waiting a few spots down. Instead of going to the driver’s side right away, he opened my door and waited for me to get in. Once I was settled, he closed the door and got in on his side.

  My mind raced for things to talk about. Small talk. Small talk. Small talk.

  I didn’t want small talk. I wanted to know why he was allowed to be so hot. I wanted to ask him what he thought of me going out on a date with him when only days before I had a boyfriend.

  Cristiano settled into his own seat and started the engine. The left side of my body buzzed with him in such close proximity. In an effort to ignore it, I directed my energy back to coming up with things to talk about.

  “Do you watch meteor showers a lot?” I asked.

  Stupid question. How often did meteor showers even occur?

  “When they’re happening.” He pulled out into traffic, his driving smooth and fast. “You have to be in the right spot, unfortunately, and I’m not always. But this place we’re going — it’s at a farm, by the way — is just great. I discovered it last year. There’s this giant field with hardly any trees, and there’s so much open sky. The place is owned by a couple of my friends. It’s a dairy farm, and they don’t mind people coming out there.”

  “Oh. Wow. It sounds nice.” I sighed lightly. “I need to get out of the city. Six months here and I feel way too cooped up.”

  He glanced at me. “Seriously?”

  “Yeah, and I mean not just to the suburbs. Those don’t really count. I was just out in one today.” I bit my lip, deciding to not say anymore.

  “So you mean out into nature?”

  “Totally. I keep meaning to go camping, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. It’s been kind of hard to find anyone to go with me. I kept asking my boyfriend — um, ex-boyfriend — but he wasn’t really into the idea.”

  I flushed, embarrassed beyond belief to have let the word ‘boyfriend’ slip.

  “I was wondering about that.”

  Camping? I thought about asking, though I knew pitching tents wasn’t what he was referring to.

  “We broke up,” I explained as if the ‘ex’ part wasn’t explanation enough. And then, “It had been coming for a while.”

  I don’t want you to think I ended it just for you, was what I was trying to say. That would make me appear way too desperate. Though, of course, it was partly true. Derek and me ending had been inevitable, but I couldn’t deny that it had been sped up by Cristiano’s arrival… though I tried desperately to deny it at first.

  “I’m… sorry to hear that.”

  Of course he wasn’t. And though he said the words, his tone was anything but true to the statement.

  “It’s fine,” I said, trying to keep my voice bland. “I feel really good about it.”

  “Good. You don’t seem upset at all. How long were you two together?”

  I waved my hand. “Just a few months… like four months. He’s a cool guy, we just don’t have a lot in common. My friend Evie kept telling me I needed to end it. So, anyway, it was already kind of happening.”

  I gulped. Yep, there I went. Over explaining it all.

  “It’s been a while since I was in a serious relationship,” Cristiano offered.

  “I definitely wouldn’t have called Derek and me serious.” I looked at Cristiano with new curiosity. “When… can I ask when that was? I mean, when was the last time you had a girlfriend?”

  He inclined his head slightly. “About a year ago.”

  I wished that answer could tell me something more about his views on women and romance in general, but it really didn’t. He could be a serial dater for all I knew, seeing lots of women until he fell for one in particular. Or he could hardly be involved in the dating world at all.

  We were quiet for a few more moments, during which I inconspicuously studied his hands on the steering wheel. They were broad, the right one bearing a silver watch around the wrist. I couldn’t look at them without imagining their touch through the fabric of my jeans.

  “When did you leave the Army?” Cristiano asked, jarring me from my dirty little fantasy.

  “About six months ago. I was in the reserves then.”

  “You lived here in Chicago?”

  “No, I lived with my mom outside of the city.” I hesitated to tell the next part. “I moved back with her after my discharge, when I went into the reserves.”

  I waited for his reaction to that one.

  “That’s nice,” Cristiano replied. “I bet your mom really liked that.”

  “Yeah, she loved it.” I sighed lightly. “Actually, one of the reasons I moved into the city was that I thought she needed some, uh, space. She kind of depended on me a lot. You know, what with me being her only immediate family.”

  “So how’s it been the last six months?”

  I tucked some hair behind my ear and looked out the window. We were driving past a row of restaurants, some with outdoor patios. People in wicker and metal chairs drank glasses of wine and chatted gaily, their happiness and relaxed attitudes so apparent I could nearly hear their laughter.

  “It’s been better, I think. I visit her when I can, and she comes to see me maybe once a month. She also joined this class at the YMCA, so I think she’s making some more friends there. And she’s got the neighbors. It’s a pretty good community there.”

  I felt a little guilty talking about my own relationship with my mother when Cristiano’s wasn’t even existent. I wanted to know if he’d thought any more about his mom since our conversation in the coffee shop, specifically if he was feeling more forgiving.

  If you knew the exact circumstances of why she left you then you might feel better, I wanted to suggest.

  It was too soon, though. Cristiano and I didn’t know each other near enough to delve deeper into that topic. One day. Hopefully.

  “The YMCA.” Cristiano tapped his thumb on the steering wheel. “I haven’t been to one of those in a long time.”

  “Where do you work out?”

  The question of whether or not he even worked out didn’t need to be presented. The man was deliciously lean and buff. No way did that body come from sitting around and enjoying a plate of nachos in front of the weekend game.

  “In my home gym,” he answered.

  “Ah.” But of course. Oddly enough, I’d almost forgotten about those billions amassed in the stock market.

  “You like bell bottoms,” he commented.

  I squirmed, but then notic
ed the smile on his face. The passing street lights lit it up, alternating dark and light.

  “Yeah, I do. They’re hard to find. Real ones anyway, and not just boyfriend jeans that are trying too hard.”

  “They look great on you.”

  I worked to swallow. “Thanks.”

  He took a right, navigating northwards out of the city.

  “How long of a drive is this?” I asked.

  “I think we’re about twenty more minutes away.”

  “Cool. That’s really close.

  “Yeah. So what do you still think of the orphanage? Are you going to stick around?”

  I laughed. “There’s very little reason not to. It’s crazy there, but I love it. I mean, how could you not?”

  “The kids all like you.”

  I chuckled. “I bet no one likes me as much as Jenny likes you. You should have heard her when I got there the other day. She was talking about you, and she got all breathless. She couldn’t even spit your name out all the way.”

  Cristiano grinned wide. “She’s the best.”

  We chatted about the orphanage for a while, comparing stories about the kids. Cristiano, of course, had many more than I — his best one being the time Elliot got stuck in the old dog door. Teresa was two seconds away from calling the fire department when Cristiano came up with the idea of greasing the kid out.

  “You used butter?” I asked through laughter.

  “It worked. We just put a couple sticks in the microwave for a few seconds and voila! I read about it in a news article once, about this kid getting stuck in a bike rack in front of a restaurant. The chef came to the rescue with some melted butter.”

  I laughed out loud. “And then he still served that butter with the lobster, right?”

  “I hope not!” he exclaimed, joining in my laughter.

  Once out of the city, Cristiano’s car picked up the pace, revving as we took I-90. The stars sparkled delightfully above us, the light pollution of the city at our backs.

  Cristiano took an exit, and then more turns than I could count, making me marvel at his ability to find his way through the countryside. The place we were headed for had to be special to him, since he’d obviously visited it enough times to commit the route to memory, which is saying something, since most people depend on GPS these days.

  I cracked my window then rolled it down halfway, taking in the deliciousness of semi-fresh air. To a city and suburb bound dweller, it tasted like heaven. The fact that we’d managed to get ourselves into a pocket of countryside so close to the city was amazing.

  Though some people probably wouldn’t refer to it as countryside. Houses still passed, close enough that you could see one from the front porch of the other, but in contrast to Chicago, it definitely was the country. When the open spaces began to really widen up, Cristiano turned onto a dirt road. The car bumped along until he pulled it off to the side into the grass. I squinted into the darkness, peering through the windshield to try and make out our surroundings.

  Next to the car was a cluster of bushes, but beyond them, I couldn’t make out much other than some lights from a house not too far away.

  “Wow,” I breathed. “It’s really dark out here. We’re not about to get murdered are we?”

  “Don’t worry, I’d do my gentlemanly duty and take the ax for you.”

  “Aw, chivalry isn’t dead! I’m kidding, though, this looks awesome.”

  “It’s amazing,” Cristiano said, the pleasure evident in his voice. “Don’t worry. I brought a flashlight.”

  “Really. I’m not worried.”

  Not with you here, the giddy fangirl in me cooed.

  “I know,” he said, his voice serious again. “You’ve probably seen things I know nothing about.”

  I cocked my head but didn’t say anything, glad that he couldn’t see my face in the darkness.

  “Yeah,” I finally admitted, forcing all those images away. “Maybe I have.”

  The dark was the last thing I had to be afraid of. The dark could hide you, keep you safe. It took your secrets and tucked them away for you, putting them in deep places no one else dared to go.

  Cristiano reached into the back seat and pulled out a woven picnic basket. I bit back a smile. The whole thing was starting to be a little cliché, but damn, I loved it. If he pulled a rose out of that basket, or a lyre, I would probably laugh out loud… but then fall right into his arms.

  I followed his lead, clambering out of the car and into the grass. The ground softly gave under my feet but wasn’t damp enough to be a real threat. Cristiano turned on his flashlight, and the beam shone ahead, leading us through a gap in the bushes and then up a hill. Putting my arms out for balance, I followed the soft glow of light. I kept a few feet behind him, listening to the sounds of our breathing and the far away night noises. An owl. Crickets. Something that sounded like a coyote or a dog, far away but just loud enough to pick up. The sounds of the insects and animals grounded me, brought me back to the moment. I’d missed nature so much and hadn’t really realized the full extent of my longing until then.

  We trekked a short distance and then stopped halfway towards the sparkling lights that now revealed themselves as a farmhouse. It was easier to see once out of the brush and away from the saplings, thanks to the moonlight glowing down. We were on the side of what seemed to be a fairly large hill, mostly surrounded by wide open spaces. Far off in the distance were lights from a few more houses, but their luminescence was nothing compared to that of the stars. Those glittered gloriously above us, taking my breath away in a manner they hadn’t done in years.

  So long… it had been so long since I’d just gone outside and gazed at the sky. So long since I’d allowed myself to get lost in the eternalness of the night. In high school, I’d sat outside with my friend Erin almost every weekend, staring up at the stars and talking about anything and everything. We’d probably seen more shooting stars in one summer than most people see in their whole lifetimes.

  Why had I ever given star gazing up? Looking back, it was so clear that nothing compared to it. Staring up at the night sky, you could get lost, untether yourself in space, forget you even existed in the expansiveness of it all.

  Cristiano got busy next to me, pulling a blanket out of the picnic basket and spreading it on the ground. I stood watching, my eyes adjusting to the night and picking up more details with each moment. When four LED tea lights came out of the basket, I laughed out loud.

  “You really plan well,” I commented. “This is awesome. And innovative.”

  “Thank you,” he answered, the smile evident in his voice.

  He set the candles in a diamond in the middle of the blanket then brought out plastic containers of food, glasses, and a bottle of red wine.

  “Madam?” Down on his knees, he gestured at the blanket with a flourish. “Oh, excuse me… I mean miss. I hope I didn’t offend you there.”

  I laughed and joined him on the opposite end of the blanket. “You can call me whatever you want.”

  Hey, maybe I am good at flirting.

  Cristiano poured some, and we clinked our glasses together, enjoying the first sip of the earthy juice before he spread out napkins and silverware and served our dinner. The dark made it hard to see what I was eating, but I bit into some kind of pasta salad and something else that was maybe artichoke based.

  “You cook,” I slyly commented, hoping it was true.

  “Yes, I love to cook.”

  Aaaannnd… the perfect man, ladies and gentlemen! Cristiano Leventis is the perfect man. Now if only I could reproduce and bottle him. I’d make even more moolah than he already has.

  I took another drink of wine. A wave of relaxation floated through me, making me feel chill enough to settle down cross-legged. “Do you know when the meteor shower starts?”

  He brought his wrist up to his face so that he could peer at his watch. “It’s been going on the last couple nights, but only a few falling every hour. They say the number is increasin
g, so we should see something anytime now. If we just keep watching, we should see a bit of it. Nasa’s report said it will get into full swing in about an hour or so.”

  With a fluid move, he tossed his palm to the blanket and leaned back onto it. I quickly dropped my eyes to my lap. A small amount of food, as good as it was, had filled me up. Plus, being so close to Cristiano had a way of jump starting my nerves. With him there, it was hard to feel much of anything, including hungry, other than goofy.

  “It’s so quiet out here,” I whispered. “You said this was a dairy farm?”

  “Yes, but don’t worry. The cows aren’t kept over here.”

  I chuckled. “That’s good.”

  “However, if you wanted to go cow tipping later, I would oblige.”

  “Why thank you.”

  “It would only be my gentlemanly duty.”

  “And your… friends own it?”

  “Yes, my friend Daniel and his partner own a few different farms around here.”

  I nodded my head in the general direction over my shoulder. “Do they live in that house?”

  “They actually rent that out. Nightly, I think. It’s kind of a popular weekend getaway. Daniel and Jack mostly stay in the city.”

  A bit of light flashed in the sky above his head, and I gasped. “I think I saw one! A shooting star.”

  He turned to look behind him. A few seconds went by and then another meteor traced its white line through the darkness.

  “Wow,” I breathed. “I almost forgot how beautiful they are.”

  “Yeah. Just wait till it gets going.”

  Something about the heaviness in his voice made my body temperature go up a couple degrees. I swallowed hard and focused on the sky, raking my gaze across it in the hunt for more shooting stars. I stared until my eyes began to hurt, but I couldn’t look away. The horizon grew, becoming more and more expansive. With my head tilted back, all I could see was space. Was there still earth beneath me? Had there ever been? I was floating through the cosmos, sailing on a sudden euphoria. It was that sensation I always chased after while star gazing. And I’d finally grabbed hold of it.