Written in the Stars (22 page)

It took Erin all of three seconds after telling her she didn’t have to leave with me, for her to get out of her funk and to start helping me pack.

“Are you mad that I’m leaving early?” I asked her.

“Not really, but I don’t know why you want to.”

I looked at her as if she were crazy for not knowing something that seemed to be clear.

“I’m just ready for my life to go back to normal.”

“What’s normal?”

“Anything that has nothing to do with Geoff Mann.” I stuffed clothes into my bag.

“Talking about Geoff.”

“We’re not talking about Geoff.” I stopped her.

“But, you just said his name, so technically, we’re talking about him.”

“Just because I said his name doesn’t mean we’re talking about him.” She looked confused. “Okay, it does actually mean we’re talking about him, but me telling you that we’re not talking about him is my way of saying stop talking about him.”

“Got it.” She winked. “But, you’re going to wish we talked about him.”

“Erin!” I rolled my eyes.

“I’m just saying you’re really going to wish we did, but now I’m done saying anything about it.” 

“Thank you.”

Of course her last statement made me only think about Geoff even more than I already was, and even though I was dying to know what she wanted to talk about, I wasn’t going to give in. This time, the wall around my heart came down for no one, not even Geoff.

What took me twenty minutes to pack, took Erin two hours to correct. Perfection was hardly the word to describe her packing skills. More like extreme OCD, since everything had to not only be folded perfectly, but had to fit like a puzzle piece perfectly in my bag.

“Done.” She proudly smiled down at my bag.

“Good, because we were supposed to leave a half hour ago.”

“At least I gave you an extra half hour with your Nonna.” She glared at me.

“I guess that’s a positive way of looking at missing my flight.”

“The plane can’t fly without me, so stop worrying.” My dad walked into my room.

“I didn’t know you were piloting the flight,” I told him.

“I’m piloting a flight, just not the one we were scheduled on,” he said.

“Thank God, I’m not going home with you. I would be scared to death knowing you were the pilot,” Erin teased him.

“Thanks, Erin,” he said.

“No problem, Pops,” she replied and then walked out of the room. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”

“Are you ready to leave?” he asked me.

“I’m more than ready.” I grabbed my bags.

It took Nonna almost twenty minutes to stop crying long enough to say goodbye, and another twenty minutes for her to let go of me. After promising that I would be back next summer, we were on our way out of Italy. Or at least to the airport that would lead me out of Italy.

“I can’t believe how busy it is,” Mario said as he circled the parking garage, looking for a parking spot.

“You would think the royal family was here or something,” Erin said when she saw how many people were crowded in the airport, surrounded by security.

“Italy doesn’t have a royal family,” Mario told her.

“I know, but Italy wasn’t always Republican. I believe the last king to reign was Umberto II and he ruled a little over a month in 1946.” 

“Very good.” Mario kissed her.

I tried pretending I wasn’t paying attention to them as he held her tightly, not caring about being bumped into. My love life might be on the fritz, but that didn’t mean I was not happy seeing two people I cared about the most head over heels in love. Jealous, but it was a happy jealously.

“Wow, I’m impressed,” my dad whispered to me.

“She’s a closet genius. She doesn’t let anyone know because she’s afraid guys won’t like her,” I replied quietly. 

“I never knew.” He smiled.

There was barely room to move, let alone stand, and I could see Erin getting irritated, which only meant she was about to stop being polite, and let the people who kept bumping into her hear a few choice words. It was time for me to intervene.

“Why don’t you two get out of here before you can’t?” I told Mario.

“I want to wait until you get on the plane,” Erin said.

“That’s a couple hours away,” my dad informed her.

“Okay, well, then, you better call me every day.” She hugged me.

“And you better not have fun without me,” I replied.

“I’ll try not to.”

“You liar.” I smiled. “I’ll see you when you land.”

“I’ll be the prettiest one getting off the plane.”

“When will I see you next?” I asked Mario.

“You’ll see Nonna and me for the holidays,” He replied.

“Really?” I perked up.

“Yes, no more of this growing up without us thing.” He smiled.

“I can’t wait.” I hugged him again. “Okay, now go before I start crying.” I pushed him away.

“
Arrivederci. Ti amo.”
Mario kissed my cheek.

“I love you too.”

I watched them walk away until I could no longer see them, and then turned my attention back to my dad, who was nowhere to be found.

“Great, lost in a sea of people.” I sighed.

Just as I started to pry my way through the crowd, my dad resurfaced and grabbed my hand.

“This way.” He guided me to a door that read
all’ingresso.

“It says ‘no entrance,’” I told him.

“I know what it says, Sophie; it’s an employee’s door.” He slid his badge through the security box.

“Where are we going?”

“We have a few hours, so I thought we’d hang out in the Pilots’ Lounge to escape this crowd,” he replied.

“Sounds like a plan.” I happily followed along.

It felt like we were mice trapped in a maze as we walked through halls that reminded me of being in a hospital since they were a blinding white. So far, everything about of this airport felt very uninviting, until we reached the Pilots’ Lounge. It was more than inviting with numerous big screen TVs, plush leather furniture, and a chef to go along with the kitchen that was accented by a formal dining room table.

“Wow, this is nicer than our house.” I looked around.

“Are you hungry?” he asked me.

“Not really.” I plopped down on the oversized leather couch. “I think I’m going to catch some z
’s.” I pulled out my IPod. “Wake me when it’s time to leave.” I turned up the volume and curled up on the couch with my back to the room.

I tried keeping myself from falling into a deep sleep since I was worried that I wouldn’t wake up, and didn’t realize how asleep I was until I heard a very annoying high pitched, fake mouse-like laugh, making me aware that my music was no longer playing.

I sighed when I saw that my battery on my IPod was dead. I pulled out the headphones before sitting up to stretch.

“You are breathtaking gorgeous.” I rolled my eyes when I heard a woman’s voice from behind me. I was trying not to let it bother me that some flight attendant was flirting with my dad and that she thought he was gorgeous. Okay, yes, maybe my dad was a good-looking man, but to hear someone other than my mom acknowledge that really irritated me.

“Thank you.” My heart sank when I heard Geoff reply.

“You have got to be kidding me,” I mumbled. Too afraid to turn around, I kept my attention on the back of the couch as I tried to figure out how to get out of the room without seeing him or the girl talking to him.

I looked down just enough to find my bag. Thinking if I moved slowly that maybe he wouldn’t notice I was awake, I slid my IPod in my bag and carefully picked it up. With my back still to him, I managed to stand up and make my way to the door, all the while keeping my eyes focused on the floor.

“Where are you going?” My dad stopped me.

“Why is he here?” I muttered and nodded towards Geoff.

“Let’s talk in the hall.” He opened the door for me.

“Yes, let’s.” I gladly left the room. “Please tell me that you didn’t have anything to do with this.”

“It’s his plane I’m flying home.”

“Then I guess I’ll see you at home.” I started walking down the hall.

“Your flight already left.” He blocked my path.

“I’ll get a new one.”

“Sophie, just give him a chance. If, by the time we land, you still don’t want to be with him, then fine; we’ll call it over and go on with our lives,” he said.

“It’s already over, and I’m trying to go on with my life, but you won’t seem to let me.” I glared at him.

“That’s because I know true love when I see it.”

“Then you’re blind.” I pushed past him.

“Sophie, please,” he hollered at me.

Afraid that the anger inside would take over, I kept walking towards the exit before I could say something I would regret later.

“I can’t believe him,” I mumbled.

By pure luck, I noticed that I had left my purse in the lounge before I walked out the secured door. However, I wasn’t as lucky when I arrived back at the lounge, only to find Geoff waiting in the hall with my purse.

“You forgot this.” He handed it to me.

“Thank you.” I grabbed it and turned to walk away.

“I was hoping that you would fly home with us so we can talk.” He grabbed my wrist before I could get too far.

“My ticket is a non-refundable ticket,” I said.

“I’ll pay you back for it.”

“Geoff, I really think we should just say goodbye and go our separate ways,” I tried saying without him hearing my voice crack. The hopelessness in his eyes was hard to look at, but I still couldn’t do it. I couldn’t trust him with my heart again. 

I turned and walked away before he could see my eyes fill with tears, only to once again be stopped by him.

“I don’t.” I felt him grab my wrist again. However, this time, he didn’t stop me to talk. Instead, he grasped the back of my neck with one hand, and my lower back with the other before securing me tightly to him. I barely had time to blink, let alone resist, before I felt his lips caressing mine.

The intensity of the moment, and the desperation behind his kiss told me that he knew this was probably the last time he would ever be able to kiss me and, for that reason among others, I didn’t fight him.

“I love you.” His voice faltered when he whispered into my ear.

I took a deep breath before pulling away from him. “Goodbye, Geoff,” I said before giving him one last small kiss
on his cheek.

I picked up my bag, and then turned to walk away. I could feel his eyes glued to me as I made my way down the hall, and waited until I was alone in a bathroom stall before I allowed my tears to fall.

“Sophie!” I heard my dad yell when I walked out of the bathroom.

“Did your guilt finally kick in?” I asked him.

“No, I’m just making sure you get on a flight.”

“I can’t believe you did that to me.” I hit his arm.

“A father has to try.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

After getting me a new ticket and saying goodbye, I found myself on a plane with a dead IPod, and a lot of time to think about what happened.

“I’m in my own personal hell.” I closed my eyes, hoping that sleep would find me.

It’s amazing how much soul searching a person can do when you’re stuck on a plane for nine hours with only your thoughts to keep you company. It can make you realize how stupid you are for walking away from something so magical, and that maybe therapy wasn’t such a bad idea, since apparently, I still have a huge problem with trusting love. I was, however, very happy to see my dad waiting for me when I walked off the plane.

“Hi, baby girl.” He hugged me. “How was your flight?”

“Long. How was yours?”

“Amazing,” he said with a huge smile on his face. “Geoff’s plane not only flies like a dream, but it’s even better than his yachts for passengers. I seriously never knew what money could buy until I met that boy.”

“That’s great,” I replied, trying to hide the stinging pain his words were causing.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” He caught on when he looked at me. “What I meant to say was my flight was acceptable, nothing out of the ordinary.”

“It’s okay. I’m fine. You don’t have to lie.”

“Let’s just not talk about it at all.” He wrapped one arm around my shoulder. “I bet you’re excited to get home.”

“Overly.” I flashed him a halfhearted smile.

For some reason, home seemed to be the last place I wanted to be at the moment.

The house wasn’t as dark as I remembered it, but it did feel just as lonely when I walked in. With a heavy heart, I walked up the stairs to a room that was filled with memories of pain that I hoped I would no longer have. I had to admit there was at least one good thing that came out of my tragic summer experience, and it was that I was finally able to finally say goodbye to my mom and realized that she would always be with me no matter where she was.

“I was going to pack your room for you, but then
I remembered that I told you to do it, so I didn’t bother.” My dad placed my luggage in my room.

“It didn’t feel right to put mom in a box.” I sighed as I looked around my room.

“Your mom lives in our hearts, not on our walls.”

“I know that now. I’ll have it packed before the remodeling starts,” I replied.

“Do you want something to eat?”

“I’m just going a long hot shower, and then head to bed,” I told him.

“Okay, then I’ll see you in the morning.” He hugged me. “It’s good to have you home, baby girl.”

“It’s good to be home.”

The next morning I found myself once again starring at the disaster I had left behind and what should have only taken me a few hours took me all day to pack, thanks to getting carried away with the scrapbooks my mom made before she died. She literally documented every year of my life with a book of endless pictures.

Other than my early years, I can actually remember every moment of each picture taped into the books, except for one in my year six. The best I could tell, it was a family picture most likely documenting the last day of our summer in Italy, but for some reason I didn’t recognize everyone, especially the boy who seemed to be more interested in smiling at me instead of the camera.

I took one last proud look around my room and then headed down to ask my dad about the picture.

“My room is all packed.” I fell next to him on the couch.

“Good, now I can schedule the movers.”

“Why are you all of sudden so interested in remodeling?” I asked.

“Your mom wanted it, I finally have time, so why not?” he replied without looking up from his book.

“A vague, but acceptable answer.” I smiled at him. “I have one more question.”

“Yes, Geoff is madly in love with you.” He smirked.

“And I feel sorry for him, but not my question.”

“Well, it should be.”

“Do you remember this picture?” I handed it to him.

“Wow, this was a long time ago.” He smiled.

“So you do remember it.”

“Of course.” He handed it back to me.

“Good, then who’s the boy with the stalker smile on his face?”

“You don’t recognize him?”

“I wouldn’t be asking you if I did.”

“The boy looking at you like he just got hit in the face by Cupid would be Giovanni,” he answered.

“Giovanni? As in Geoff Mann, Giovanni?” My heart dropped.

“Giovanni, as in your Geoff Mann, Giovanni, who by the way, still looks at you with the same love struck look in his eyes.”

“So we did play with each other?” I stared at the picture.

“Only for that summer.”

“I don’t remember him at all.”

“Well, I guess you were the one who left the bigger impression that summer.” He smiled.

“What kind of impression does a six-year-old leave on someone?”

“Let me call him for you, and you can ask him.”

“Go ahead, because I would love to ask him why he looks like a psycho.”

“He was smitten with you.”

“Or because he was a crazy stalker,” I replied and got up to answer the phone.

“He was smitten.”

“Stalker.”

“Smitten,” he kept saying.

“Stalker!” I growled before answering the phone. “Hello?”

“Hey, you really are home,” the voice on the other line said.

“Hey, yes, I am. Who is this?”

“It’s Chris.” He sounded offended.

“Oh, hi, Chris.” 

My dad quickly walked towards me and tried to grab the phone from me.

“Give it to me,” he mouthed.

“No!” I mouthed back.

“I know this is short notice and all, but I was wondering if you would like to go to a party tonight?” Chris asked.

“A party, tonight?” I repeated just for my dad, who was getting more irritated that I wouldn’t hand him the phone.

“No,” my dad mumbled.

“It’s actually my little sister Allison’s thirteenth birthday party, and since my parents are out of town, I was assigned to babysitting duty, and I’m going to need protection from her little friends, so I was hoping you wanted the job.”

“Sophie, just say no,” my dad said.

“You know what, Chris?” I smiled at my dad. “I would love to go.”

“Really?” Chris sounded shocked. “Great, I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“Okay, I’ll see you then.” I hung up. “What is wrong with you?” I asked my dad.

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe the fact that you should
n’t be dating other guys, especially ones who can’t take no for an answer,” he replied.

“You mean like Geoff?”

“You and Geoff belong together and you know it.”

“No, we don’t.” I turned to walk away.

“Just answer one question.”

“What?”

“Do you still love him?”

“I will love him for what he did for us, but that doesn’t mean I’m in love with him.”

“You can’t hide from love.” He smiled.

“Maybe not, but I can run from it.”

It was a race to the door when Chris arrived, and thankfully I won, and was able to dart out of the house before my dad could intervene.

“Hi.” I smiled at Chris while struggling to hold the door shut behind me.

“Is everything okay?” He looked worried.

“It’s great. Let’s go.” In one quick move, I let go of the door, grabbed Chris’s hand, and then bolted to his car with him in tow.

“Sophia!” my dad shouted from the porch.

“No time to talk; see you later, Dad.” I opened the passenger side door to Chris’s car. “Get in the car,” I mumbled to Chris.

“Are you sure everything is okay?” Chris looked at me as he started the car.

“It will be.” I smiled. “So, is Allison’s party going to be a major rage like we’re used to?”

“More like a chick flick slumber party.” He smiled.

“Slumber party?”

“Yes, and I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you wanted to spend the night. She always talks about how much fun she had when you babysat her.” He winked at me.

“As tempting as that sounds, I’ll have to pass.”

“Well, it was worth a shot.” He smiled.

Before Chris turned stalker
on me, I used to love hanging out at his house. It was what I like to call a mini-mansion that sat up on cliffs that overlooked the ocean. A lot of houses in Jamestown have the ocean for a backyard. I was just lucky that I could see the ocean from mine.

Teenage girls were running wild when we arrived, and his living room was covered in slumber bags, pillows, and enough food to feed a small country. 

“Sophie!”  Allison shouted. “I’m so happy you’re here.” She hugged me.

“Where else would I be?” I handed her present to her. “Happy birthday.”

“Wow, I love it.” She pulled out a purse I picked up in Italy.

“It’s from Italy.” I smiled.

“Did you know that Geoff Mann is from Italy?” she asked. Just hearing his name still crippled me.

“Are you joking?” Chris laughed. “Sophie is a huge Geoff Mann fan. He’s the reason she will never give me a chance in hell.”

“Funny.” I glared at him.

“You’re a Geoff Mann fan?” She ran to her IPod station. “Did you know he’s singing again, and he just released the first single off his new CD, which isn’t going to be out until Christmas?” She turned up the volume as loud as it would go.

“I’m not much of a fan anymore,” I tried yelling over Geoff’s voice blaring throughout the house. “Surround sound, of course.”

“Do you want to get out of here?” Chris yelled into my ear.

“Yes, very much so.” I shook my head as I watched all the girls fall into Geoff’s spell.

“I thought you loved Geoff Mann,” he asked once we were outside.

“That was a long time ago.”

“Well, my night just got better.” He smiled.

“Do you still fish off the rocks?” I changed the subject.

“Every chance I get.”

“Any chance I can talk you into letting me fish?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” He smiled.

Behind Chris’s house was a small patch of water that was calm enough to catch small fish and shrimp. I would never admit this to him, but this was the main reason I loved hanging out at his house.  I waited impatiently as he baited my fishing pole, and tried not to look overly excited when I casted.

“If you love fishing so much, why did you stop coming over?” Chris sat next to me.

“Really, you have to ask?” I eyed him.

“No,” he sighed.

“Did you have a good summer?” I asked him.

“Considering you weren’t here, it was horrible.”

“Chris.”

“Sorry, yes, I had a great summer. I did a lot of nothing, and a little of something.” He smiled.

“You have an amazing way with words.” I laughed.

“What about you; how was Italy?”

“It had its moments.”

“Why did you come home early?”

“I still have a lot to do before school starts,” I lied, a
nd because Geoff Mann broke my heart.

“
When is Erin coming back?”

“In a few days,” I replied.

“Good.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means I have you all to myself for a few more days.” He smiled.  “I’m talking as a friend, of course.”

“But of course.” I glared at him.

“I got a bite.” He stood up and jerked his pole upwards.

“Already?”

“Yeah, and its putting up a pretty good fight, so it must be something big.” He started reeling in.  “Wow, it’s strong.”

“Maybe you’re snagged.”

“No, it’s moving. Man, this sucker is huge.” He kept fighting.

It took him almost five minutes to pull his catch to the surface of the water enough for us to see that it was some kind of fish, and another fifteen seconds for us to see that it was smaller than a guppy. In fact, I’d seen shrimp bigger than this fish.

“Wow, that is huge.” I started laughing at his bait-sized catch.

“It was stronger than it looks.”

“I’m sure it was.” I kept laughing.

“It probably got stuck under a
rock or something making it felt bigger than it was.” He started turning red.

“Or, maybe you need to hit the gym more often,” I teased him.

“I’ll have you know that I work out five days a week.” He flexed his bicep for me.

“Then you have no excuse for getting your butt kicked by a guppy.” I smirked.

“A guppy on steroids.” He threw his tiny catch back into the water.

“At least you caught something.” I tossed my line back into the water.

“I don’t know what happened in Italy, but it’s good to see you smile again.”