When in Rome...Break His Heart

by Lena Mae Hill

  “Hello, sexy,” he said, his grinning head appearing around the end of the shower curtain.

  “I said I didn’t want company.”

  “I’ve never seen you naked before,” he said, his eyes moving over her body in a way that made her shiver with anticipation. “You should never wear clothes again.” She turned her back to him so he wouldn’t see her smile.

  “What are you mad at me for now?”

  “I’m sure you can figure it out yourself.”

  After a minute, he stepped into the shower behind her and his arms circled her body. “That’s okay, I don’t mind if you’re mad,” he said. “I like the makeup sex.”

  “It’s not makeup sex if we haven’t made up,” she said. “I’m still mad.”

  “That’s good, too,” he said, his hand sliding down her stomach. “I like angry sex.”

  “You like all sex,” she pointed out as he pushed against her. “But you have to wear a condom.”

  “We’re in the shower, for God’s sake,” he said. “It’s clean. Stop being paranoid and enjoy the beautiful moments.”

  “Well, you won’t tell me anything about yourself. How many girls you’ve been with, or if you’re seeing other girls…I don’t even know what you like to do.”

  “I like to do you,” he said. “We’ve already done it once. What’s the difference?”

  “I don’t know, I just wish you’d tell me.”

  “I tell you every day,” he said, nuzzling her wet shoulder as his hands slid over her wet skin. “I tell you how much I want you, how much I think of you. There are no other girls, Maggie. I told you this already. You are my world.”

  She tried to keep her mind clear, but his fingers were relentless and his breath was hot against her skin, and before she knew it, she was leaning her head back on his shoulder, all her reservations forgotten. She didn’t want him to think she was always going to say yes, but…she was always going to say yes. Her traitorous body was begging for him, overriding all her better judgements.

  Besides, like he said, they’d already done it. She could always teach him the finer points of boyfriendom later. That didn’t mean she couldn’t have a good time, too. While she was pondering, he took her hands in his and braced them against the wall, and then he was inside her again. She was getting sore from all the sex, though, and by the time she’d relaxed enough to enjoy it, he was done.

  “Sorry,” he said, pulling away. “I can’t help myself with you. It feels so good.”

  “It’s okay,” she said, though she was getting a little tired of that excuse. It had been four times now, and she hadn’t gotten to come once.

  Enzo squeezed in front of her, rinsing off while she stood back and waited for the water. It was the first time she’d seen him naked, too, and she wasn’t exactly turned on. He was pale and hairy, with red hair on his back and black on his chest, and his shoulders were narrow, while a little round beer gut pooched out from his otherwise skinny body.

  You’re being a biotch, she reminded herself again. She was small, but she had some fat rolls on her own stomach if she sat the wrong way. In fact, she sometimes worried that when they grew older, Weston would still be as fit as he was now, and she’d be fat little dumpling like Grandma Chen. With Enzo, she’d never have to worry about that.

  Not that you’re going to grow old with Enzo…

  When he’d rinsed off, he jumped out and left her to wash herself. She finished up and stepped out of the shower, only to find her clothes missing.

  Seriously?! What is he, like, twelve?

  “Enzo,” she yelled. “Stop being childish and give me my clothes back. This isn’t funny.”

  “I told you to never wear clothes again,” he called from the other room.

  “Your roommates will see me.”

  “They won’t mind.”

  She grabbed the only towel in the bathroom—a used hand towel. Ignoring thoughts of how many germs might be on it, she held it in front of herself and raced to Enzo’s room.

  “You pig,” she yelled, whipping him with the towel.

  Grabbing the towel, he used it to pull her to him. “You look sexy when you’re angry.”

  “Don’t touch me,” she said, shoving him away. She yanked open his drawer and pulled on one of his t-shirts.

  “That’s sexy, too.”

  “Don’t even talk to me.”

  “Can I fuck you?”

  She threw a pair of socks at him and growled in frustration. “Where are my clothes?”

  “I put them in the laundry,” he said. “You can’t leave until they are done. Maybe a few hours.”

  “Oh.” That gave her pause. She hadn’t expected that. She’d thought he was being a jerk, but actually, it was kind of sweet that he’d washed her clothes.

  “See, I’m not so childish,” he said. “Now put on some of my clothes, and let’s go have a beer with my roommates. They want to know you.”

  “Oh,” she said again. She hadn’t expected that, either. They always seemed to be laughing at her. But if they wanted to get to know her, didn’t that mean that Enzo was serious about her? That he really liked her? Otherwise, his friends wouldn’t care about getting to know her, because they’d assume she wouldn’t be around long. Which she wouldn’t. But it was still nice that his friends wanted to hang out with her.

  She pulled on a pair of his shorts, which were ridiculously large on her, belted them, and joined him outside with the guys. They didn’t seem to do much except sit around talking and drinking beer, so she did the same, though it was kind of boring. Plus, beer was gross, and she had homework waiting. Finally she got an excuse to leave when Cynthia texted saying she needed some advice.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Maggie took the bus to the café where Cynthia wanted to meet, which was the one near the university where they usually ate after class.

  “Is that what you were wearing last night?” Cynthia asked with a sly grin.

  Maggie’s face warmed, but she just shrugged. “Yeah.”

  “Somebody had fun,” Cynthia teased. Maggie marveled at how resilient Cynthia was. First her dad had died, and she’d seemed fine after the first couple days. Now she was having a falling out with Nick, but she still managed a lighthearted comment.

  “She never came home,” Kristina said. “He must be good.”

  Maggie almost told her everything right then, about how strange it was to be so attracted to someone on a purely physical level and then not have good sex. If she’d fallen for him because of his brilliant mind or quick wit, and then the sex had been bad, it would have made sense. She didn’t know how she could be so attracted to someone and then not enjoy the consummation of that.

  But Cynthia was the one who needed advice right then, so Maggie didn’t say anything. She could tell Kristina later.

  While Cynthia spilled the story of her fight with Nick, Maggie listened and made encouraging comments. But instead of helping, Kristina ended up defending Nick. Maggie had been through enough of Kristina’s breakups to know that you were always supposed to side with your friend, even when she was in the wrong. It didn’t matter if she’d run over his dog, or cheated, or called his mother a cow. You didn’t play devil’s advocate at that moment, when your friend was crying and needing reassurance. That came later.

  But maybe Kristina didn’t realize that, since she’d never had to be there for Maggie through a breakup. Cynthia ended up storming out, and Kristina wasn’t too happy, either. She’d gotten all riled up from arguing with Cynthia, and she declared that if Cynthia didn’t want Nick, she was going to date him.

  “What about Armani?” Maggie asked after Cynthia was gone.

  Kristina turned big, wounded eyes to Maggie. “I think he’s cheating on me.”

  “What? I thought you were in love and he was more perfect than Weston. That’s what you’ve been saying.”

  “Yeah, well, he’s not that perfect after all,” Kristina said, twirling her wine glass on the bar where they wer
e sitting.

  “What happened? Was he jealous that you were all over Enzo?”

  Kristina rocked back and looked at Maggie. “All over Enzo? What are you talking about? We were dancing.”

  “Okay.”

  “Oh my God, are you mad at me? Is that why you didn’t come home today?”

  “No,” Maggie said. “But you were kind of all over Enzo. I know you didn’t mean anything by it, but he doesn’t.”

  “What did he say?”

  Maggie shrugged. “Nothing. He thinks you’re hot, though. I’m sure you already know that. And it was kind of shady of you to hijack my date because yours was late.”

  “I can’t believe you’d say that,” Kristina said. “We were just dancing and having fun. Just like you and Armani.”

  That didn’t make Maggie feel any better, since she remembered the way Armani had made her feel so swoony. “You’re right,” she said. “It wasn’t a big deal. I guess it seemed like a bigger deal than it was after he didn’t call me all week. But it all worked out. Sorry I said anything.”

  Kristina sighed. “It’s fine. I’m glad it worked out for one of us.”

  “But we’re supposed to go out together and have fun,” Maggie said. “That’s half the reason I ever went out with Enzo.”

  “Oh come on,” Kristina said. “You went out with Enzo because you like him. It had nothing to do with me.”

  “Sure it did.”

  “You always do whatever you want,” Kristina said. “Don’t tell me you’d have gone out with him if you weren’t into him. I know you better than that.”

  “Well, it would be a lot more fun if we could all do stuff together,” Maggie said. “What happened with Armani?”

  “He’s been acting shady for a while,” Kristina admitted. “This wasn’t the first time. He’ll show up late, or suddenly have to leave. And last night, he showed up late, and then you went home, and I asked if he wanted to come over, but he said no. What kind of guy turns down a chance to get laid?”

  “I don’t know,” Maggie said. “Maybe he had something else going on.”

  “You mean someone else?” Kristina asked. “He never even gives me a reason. And you said yourself that maybe the real reason he never takes me home is because he has a wife and kids living there. Tell me the truth. Do you think that’s it?”

  “I’m sorry,” Maggie said. “I don’t know.” She refrained from saying “I told you so.” She’d warned Kristina not to date an Italian, especially not one who looked like that. Of course he’d have someone else at home. Every time Kristina got cheated on, she had the same dismayed reaction, as if it had never crossed her mind that someone might betray her that way. She somehow never lost the naïve optimism that it could never happen to her, even after it had happened a number of times.

  “I’m such an idiot,” she said, smacking herself in the forehead. “I can’t believe I believed him all those times he suddenly had to go ‘take care of something.’ I mean, he didn’t even come up with a good excuse. Take care of something? Like his kid?”

  “You don’t know anything for sure,” Maggie reminded her.

  “Whatever,” Kristina said. “I’m in Rome. I’m going to have fun. And there’s nothing that ass-hat can do about it. I’m going to go out with Nick, and then he’ll see just how little I care.”

  “You can’t go out with Nick,” Maggie said. “Be serious. You know he’s totally smitten with Cynthia.”

  “So? You heard her. She doesn’t like him. She can’t stick him in the friend zone forever and then keep him from dating other people. One day, he’s going to fall in love with someone else, and she’s going to be too late. Better to realize it now rather than later.”

  “Her dad just died. Cut her some slack.”

  “She’ll thank me for this later,” Kristina said. “And you can thank me for setting you up with Enzo by inviting him out with us so that he can tell Armani that I moved on without missing a beat.”

  “Let’s go back to Mary’s,” Maggie said, standing. Kristina was a little wobbly from all the wine she’d drunk, but she followed Maggie to the tram stop, ranting about Armani the whole way.

  “I’m glad we’re hanging out,” Maggie said as they climbed onto the tram. “I feel like this whole trip, you’ve been so busy with Armani that we hardly talk.”

  “We talk every day,” Kristina said with a laugh. It was true. They always talked about Armani, though. They were still talking about him, though Kristina swore she was dumping him the next day. Instead, she ended up spending the next day with Nick, while Maggie tried to stay out of it and do homework.

  Finally, in the afternoon, Maggie texted Enzo and asked if she could come over for a while. Her phone rang a minute later. “Can’t stay away for even one night,” he said in lieu of answering.

  “My roommate is being super annoying,” she said, then remembered that she was supposed to pass on the news to make Armani jealous. “She been talking on the phone to some guy, flirting nonstop since ten o’clock this morning. It’s nauseating. But I really do have to study while I’m there. I hope that’s okay.” Kristina gave her a big thumbs-up and an infectious grin that made her feel a little better about lying.

  “Of course,” he said. “Come over. I’ll try not to distract you too much.”

  Maggie told Kristina and Mary where she was going and left. She couldn’t help smiling as she walked to the tram stop. This time, she had brought a change of clothes and her toothbrush. She was staying the night with a guy—a guy who was happy to have her come over any time, who invited her up and wanted her to hang out with him and his roommates. A guy who never said no to getting laid. That was how a guy acted if he was really into you and only you. He didn’t have to schedule his time with her around anything more important, because she came first.

  As soon as she walked through the door, Enzo grabbed her around the waist and kissed her hard. “I’ve been waiting for you,” he said, pulling her into the bedroom and tossing her bag in the corner.

  “Hey, that’s my books,” she protested.

  “Later,” he said, pushing her onto the bed. “I am happy you called. Do you want to see how happy?”

  She laughed and kissed him back as he pushed up her skirt. When he’d finished, about three minutes later, she tried to get up but he pulled her back down. “Stay here,” he said. “I want to lie with you a while.”

  She lay back, trying to relax, trying to appreciate the moment and not dwell on the way his sweat made her stomach turn or the fact that she still hadn’t had an orgasm with him. He wanted to hold her, and that was sweet. Guys who just wanted to get laid didn’t cuddle afterwards. And it was still early. She had time to study later.

  But later, Enzo told her his cousin was coming into town. “He wants to go and play the billiards,” he said. “What you Americans call pool, though I don’t know why.”

  “I should stay here and study,” she said. “I have a paper due tomorrow and I’m not done. I have to email it before class in the morning.”

  “You can get up early and do it,” Enzo said. “Come on, I want you to meet him. It means a lot to me.” If it had been any other friend, she would have said no. But this was his family, maybe the initial step. If she impressed the cousin, she would get to meet the sister. If she impressed the sister, she would get to meet the mother.

  What are you thinking? You’re leaving in a few weeks. You don’t need to meet his mother.

  But she wanted to. Some part of her wanted to be the best at even that, impressing mothers. She had to get the approval of his family, because that would mean this was real, not a fluke. If it was real, then it was worth what she’d given up for him. It was worth getting up early to work on her paper and missing a few hours of sleep, though she was religious about getting her eight hours a day. This would just be a good excuse for a nap the next day.

  They ended up staying out until two in the morning, and Maggie ended up drinking a few shots because Enzo’s cousin ke
pt insisting it was unpardonably rude not to take them. When they finally made it back to his apartment, she was ready to collapse with both tiredness and drunkenness. But of course Enzo wanted to mess around and have sex. He literally never got tired of her. She supposed that was nice, even though she was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. Luckily, Enzo didn’t require anything at all from her, and it only lasted a couple minutes longer than when he wasn’t drunk.

  By the time she woke up the next morning, it was already eight. Not only hadn’t she gotten up early, she’d missed class. Even if she ran out the door right then, she would have to walk to the tram, ride it to the university stop, then walk to class. She’d be late, and she didn’t have her paper to turn in. Fuming at Enzo, she threw on her clothes and ran out the door. She never missed class, not even when she had the flu. Not even when they had to dissect things in her biology lab. Weston had done that part for her, knowing she couldn’t stand the thought of that little baby pig dying so she could learn about organs.

  Chapter Nineteen

  After class, Maggie turned off her phone and spent the rest of the day finishing her paper and going over every detail of her notes. She’d wanted to have fun, to do something different in Rome. But she hadn’t wanted it to interfere with her studying or grades. The person who blew off class for a guy—that wasn’t her. The person who could be convinced to go out until two o’clock in the morning to hang out with a bunch of guys she didn’t know or care about—that wasn’t her. The girl who wanted to impress Enzo’s roommates, so she laughed at their dumb jokes and pretended it didn’t bother her when those jokes were at her expense—that wasn’t her, either.

  She had wanted to figure out who she really was, without Weston. Without anyone telling her to be. She’d never wanted to become someone else.

  When she got back to Mary’s house, Kristina was out with Armani. Apparently she wasn’t quite ready to write him off. Knowing Kristina, she was loving the torture and drama of it all, going back and forth on whether or not to dump him, justifying his excuses.