Counterpoints 2 (Counterpoints #2) Page 3

  Training was what he really needed to focus on, winning the championship was his goal.

  Music!

  He put his headphones on and breathed in deep.

  When the loud house music started to pound in his ears, he started walking fast on the treadmill, picking up speed as he went on. The tension started to unleash from him slowly, gradually, and his strong shoulders softened.

  She saw the pictures, the thought crossed his mind, as the image of Giselle kissing him came back.

  Fuck, he cursed at himself.

  Why in the hell had he let Giselle so close that night? Was it because she had openly laughed in his face, when he had told her about Isabella, about seeing someone exclusively?

  Deep down that laugh had triggered something inside of him.

  “Oh come on, since when do you see anyone exclusively?” Giselle had moved closer, slowly and sensually. The strap of her evening dress had slipped off her shoulder and she had looked at him with a certain fire in her eyes.

  “It’s going to be like old times” she had said and then closed the distance, her lips pressing hard on his, claiming they were hers.

  Christopher increased his pace- his stride fast, his face tense.

  He should have told Isabella about the kiss and then he should have told her that it had meant nothing. He had felt nothing.

  For an instant maybe, Giselle’s laugh had made Christopher doubt his relationship with Isabella.

  For a moment, he had thought that he would eventually mess things up, that a person like Isabella was doomed with a dickhead like him.

  He wasn’t her type of man, the long term relationship kind.

  But I backed away from Giselle, because that kiss had been worthless, because it had been embarrassingly empty, unreal. It had been not even close to what he had felt kissing Isabella.

  Christopher started panting, his body begging him to stop running but he kept up his pace.

  I need to get all of this out of my head, I need to stop thinking about Isabella. It’s done.

  His phone rang again twenty minutes later. This time though it was an incoming call.

  “Hello?” he said, once he had stepped off the treadmill and had wiped his face.

  “Hi, it’s me Chris” Alfred’s serious voice sounded on the other side. “I have news”

  “What news?” he asked absent mindedly.

  “She wants to speak to you in person”

  “I don’t want to speak to her” Christopher said immediately, giving nothing away in his voice. No anger, no sadness, no emotion. It wasn’t worth it.

  “Stop being so irrational all the time. We could talk our way out of this” Mr. Jenkins said cautiously.

  “I am not going to sit in front of her and beg her not to do it”

  “We are not going to beg…” Mr. Jenkins said but then didn’t finish his sentence. “Look, I know you despise her and I feel the same believe me, but we have to be smart here. She’s going to dump all she can on you”

  Christopher let out a laugh. It was dry and bitter.

  “I know her better than anybody, trust me she’ll do it if she wants to. There is nothing I can do or say to change her mind” Christopher said.

  He walked out of the gym and into the living room.

  Water, I need water.

  “Think of the consequences, think of the damage to your project if all that shit she has written on you comes out”

  “I have thought of that but I am not going to compromise” Christopher’s tone was determined.

  “She told me she wants something from you, but she wants to speak to you in person”

  “Tell her she can tell you about her ‘requests’”

  Mr. Jenkins sighed.

  “Are you sure you want me to say no to meeting her?” he then asked.

  Mr. Jenkins was well aware that the situation wasn’t going to end well, either way he thought Christopher should sit down and listen to her requests.

  Maybe there was still a way to fix things, to make everyone walk away from that mess with a smile on their face.

  “You know, this wouldn’t have happened if you had listened to me from the beginning…”

  “I know Alfred, I know. I told you how sorry I am already” Christopher paused.

  He had gotten himself into this mess and he was aware of it.

  Despite Alfred’s warning about her, of how cunning and two faced she was.

  “…which is why you should have gotten smarter and you should listen to me now. Meet up with her, see what she wants” Mr. Jenkins pressed on.

  “Tell her no, I don’t want to see her. See what the hell she wants” Christopher paused again, his voice cold as ice “And then tell her she won’t get it”

  Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, after all.

  Isabella sat outside the café, her eyes darting sideways every time they noticed a movement of a sort.

  Cat crossing the street.

  Random car going by.

  Her heart leaped.

  I hope it’s not his. Better not be hers. Isabella had thought, following the car with her stare until it disappeared down the street.

  She shut her eyes for a second, the hangover from the night before still hadn’t washed off properly.

  Getting on a plane with a hangover, I am never doing that again.

  Isabella checked her watch.

  What was keeping Maria, she had no idea. It wasn’t like her to be late. She was actually always on time for everything. Even for a coffee with a friend like now.

  I am actually the one who is always late, why am I on time today of all days?

  Today, Isabella thought, that she was trying hard not to bump into her ex-boyfriend, who was now dating her ex best friend.

  She rolled her eyes and was thankful of the fact that she was wearing sunglasses.

  The more she thought of her ex Salvo dating Angela, the more absurd it sounded. It kept getting better and better by the minute, Isabella’s love life.

  Not.

  It sounded like a soap opera, a bad, poorly rated one.

  Low budget one.

  It was bad enough to be back home for a day and a half, having everyone ask her thousands of questions - about the countries she had visited, the food, jet lag issues, London life style, if she had settled in or not, what was it like to work for a top First Category Racing team, what was the atmosphere like, what were the drivers like- now she had to worry about bumping into Salvo and Angela and risk having some more unwanted attention on her.

  Seriously, what was I thinking when I booked this flight home?

  As if people hadn’t been giving her that pity look already, from the second she had set foot into town yesterday.

  Rumors, I couldn’t care less.

  She had been informed by Maria of the town chit chatter.

  Salvo had probably started seeing Angela way before Isabella and him had broken up.

  Poor Isabella, such a nice girl – one side of the town whispered. Poor Salvo – the other side muttered- he was the one being dumped to begin with.

  She almost laughed, thinking of how funny it all sounded now, the town taking sides. Ridiculous.

  But it was a small town, things like this made people’s day. It was everybody’s business.

  Isabella recognized Maria’s voice instantly, before she rounded the corner. She smiled at her friend, so happy to see her after such a long time. It surely felt like ages.

  Maria was on the phone, but she immediately cut it short with whoever was on the other side. She waved and grinned at her friend, moving quickly through the wooden outdoor tables of the café.

  “You look amazing” Isabella said.

  The whole losing her job thing had had a great effect on Maria. Surprisingly enough, she looked happier.

  It was warm that day- a typical, late spring afternoon- so warm that summer felt unmistakably around the corner.

  Maria was wearing a pretty, skater dress with short sleeves an
d a romantic flower pattern all over it. The dress was form fitting around the waist and wide on the hips. Maybe she had also lost a few pounds, Isabella realized.

  “Me? Look at you? You cut your hair” she kissed Isabella and touched a strand of her now wavy, chestnut brown hair.

  Maria took a seat next to her friend, setting a couple of heavy looking leaflets on the table.

  I look like shit with the most annoying hangover ever, but you are such a wonderful friend, Isabella smiled.

  “Yes, I cut it the other day…” her voice trailed off.

  They quickly ordered their espresso’s and were soon deep into conversation.

  “I’m so happy to see you” Maria said and placed a hand on the thick leaflet on the top of the pile. “I can’t believe you are here for just twenty four hours, though. It’s not like you” she shook her head.

  “Well, I needed a break from work” Isabella muttered, doing her best to keep her face blank.

  “Are you stressed?”

  “A little. It just gets... busy…I needed some distance from London” Isabella cleared her throat. “Besides, I couldn’t wait after the races in Toronto and Germany to see you”

  “Awww” Maria smiled warmly at her. “Hey, your birthday is next Friday. Anything interesting planned?” Maria asked, excited for her friend.

  She probably thought Isabella would be in some extravagant gala somewhere in the city of Toronto, or maybe in an exclusive club in town.

  Truth was, Isabella hadn’t thought about it at all. She had had other things on her mind.

  Christopher.

  Usually, celebrating her birthday meant dinner with family and then night out with friends. But this year for the first time, Isabella was going to be far from home and on the other side of the ocean, in Canada with the entire MB team.

  And Christopher.

  Isabella shrugged “I don’t know, I haven’t thought about it. I’ll probably be working so…” she shook her head a little.

  “Well” Maria straightened her posture “When you come back here after the race in Berlin, we’ll have a proper night out and we’ll celebrate”

  Isabella smiled warmly at her friend. Maria was so sweet. Hopefully by then Isabella would be more in the mood to actually celebrate something. Right now she wasn’t up for it at all.

  Yeahy, I am turning thirty-three. Thirty-three and still naïve like I am not a day over twelve. Isabella frowned.

  The waitress came back with their orders and for a couple of minutes they were busy dosing the sugar and milk, Isabella’s eyes still looking suspiciously around, hoping not to meet any unwanted pair.

  “They are not here” Maria said, as if she could see right through her, right through those big, black sunglasses Isabella was wearing.

  “Oh?” Isabella said, without even trying to deny it.

  “He’s in Pisa this week, some meeting with a company based there. She joined him over the weekend” Maria took a sip of her coffee, a small one, just enough to assert it was still boiling hot. She placed it down again.

  “You think I would invite you for coffee in the town center and risk a cat fight? As you can see, I am very well informed”

  “Good” Isabella nodded “I just don’t feel like seeing them right now”

  “Understandable. Even I wouldn’t mind avoiding them” Maria made a disgusted face and then tilted her head to the side. “Are you okay?”

  What is it with me? Do I have ‘I am in hell, my heart has been ripped out of my chest’ written on my forehead?

  “I’m fine”

  “Okay” Maria looked down at her leaflets, then at Isabella again “Are you sure?”

  “Okay” Isabella sat up a little and lowered her voice, for no apparent reason.

  There was nobody there at that time of the afternoon anyway. Still, it had been proven by past events that walls did have ears in her hometown.

  Better not risk being on people’s mouths for other reasons, besides Salvo and Angela.

  “I met someone”

  “Uhhh, interesting”

  “It’s over already”

  “Oh” Maria’s face changed instantly.

  “It was great, so incredibly mind blowing”

  “Oh” a glimpse of hope seemed to spread on Maria’s face.

  “He was very intense, passionate, exciting. I had shivers every time he came near me” Isabella talked quickly, like the words hurt her mouth, like the words had set her lips on fire or something.

  “Never had such a strong connection with someone. It was the best sex I ever had, too”

  “I don’t see a problem so far” Maria shook her head.

  “The whole thing had an expiration date on it. It was there. I knew it was there, the expiration date. I was silly enough to ignore it” Isabella sighed “It was too good to be true. It’s over”

  “If you say so” Maria said.

  “Enough about me” Isabella paused, taking a moment to control her voice “Let’s hear the news of the grand opening. Do we have a date yet?” her lips opened in a soft smile.

  She listened very carefully to everything Maria had to say about the nursery she was going to open in a month or so- her first big step, her first big step with her boyfriend soon to be partner in work and in crime.

  “Giacomo is doing all the drilling, the plumbing, that stuff I don’t even know what it’s called” she laughed.

  “Who cares, boring stuff for us” Isabella giggled. Then she went serious, a soft smile still on her lips. “Giacomo is a great guy”

  “He is” Maria nodded. “But he’s terrible when it comes to choosing things like the colors of the walls, the furniture of the nursery…”

  “Is that where I come in?” Isabella placed an elbow on the table and opened her hand, gesturing to the leaflets. “Give them to me”

  “Yeahy” without wasting another minute, Maria handed her friend one of the brochures and showed her the options she had been considering for the colors, the floors, the tiles and -last but not least- the furniture.

  It was going to be a Montessori style nursery, with children custom made furniture, a big garden just in front of the beach with space for the kids to plant their own fruit and vegetables. It was going to cost Maria, but she was going for the ‘it’s either everything or nothing at all’ approach. She was going to make use of special funds the province was giving to young entrepreneurs.

  Entrepreneurs. Isabella looked at her proud, at her young, entrepreneur friend.

  It seemed only yesterday Isabella and Maria had been picking their noses and dangling off monkey bars, upside down, in the park.

  The thought made her laugh, while Maria explained to her every little idea she had about her business.

  When they had gone through every detail, after Isabella had given her own advice on the type of style to go for the place, it was almost four o’clock and Isabella had to go home and pack again, before visiting her grandmother.

  She was leaving again, her flight was at night.

  “Are you sure you are okay?” Maria asked, as they stood up from their chairs.

  “No” Isabella admitted.

  Maria placed a hand on her shoulder. It felt thinner, she didn’t remember it being so hard and linear.

  “But you know me, I’ll be okay” Isabella winked and managed a smile.

  I have to be.

  “Do you think the syrup is enough?” Isabella wondered out loud at some point, holding up the wooden spoon. The syrup dangled from it and then dropped into the plastic bowl, in small twirls.

  “Yes, I think it’s enough” her grandmother said and patted her back approvingly.

  She then let out a sigh “My God, you are so thin” she complained and looked up at the ceiling, as if praying. Live, right there in front of her.

  “Oh please, I will never be thin. And look who’s talking” Isabella poked her grandmother’s shoulder.

  They smiled at each other and Isabella was relieved to feel a litt
le like her old self again.

  She had made the right decision to visit her family. Distance from Christopher was what she had truly needed.

  “Isabella” her grandmother began to say, once the elements of the cake had been completed.

  “Uh?” Isabella mumbled, as she poured the syrup into the baking pan.

  The sticky liquid slowly began to cover the slices of pineapple at the base of it. It was time to put the cake mix inside, the one her grandmother had prepared.

  “You know I love having you here with me, dear, but what is this really about?”

  “Uh?” Isabella stopped moving, her voice a little high pitched.

  Bam, she caught me.

  “I missed you. I was homesick” she tried to keep it real.

  And she wasn’t lying. Isabella had really wanted to see her grandmother.

  “Oh, I know darling. I missed you too” then her grandmother finished making the cake and placed the tin in the oven.

  Once she had set the timer, she signaled for Isabella to follow her into the living room.

  Her grandmother’s house hadn’t changed at all since Isabella was ten.

  It seemed as if time hadn’t actually gone by. The couch was the same one she and her cousins had rolled over millions of times. Her grandmother still had the same big, brown kitchen- the innocent, silent witness of many baking experiments.

  More like baking disasters, Isabella thought and recalled that time she and her sister had gotten into trouble for crashing an entire basket of fresh eggs on the floor.

  Isabella looked at the wall behind the couch and smiled, thinking of what her sister Emilia and herself liked to call it.

  The family hall of fame.

  It was a celebration of all the members of the family. Her grandmother had pictures of Isabella and her siblings, her cousins, her mother and her uncle Franco.

  Climbing an apple tree, on a seesaw, at first communion parties, birthday celebrations. Over the years the pictures had inevitably turned yellow, but they hadn’t lost their beauty.

  “I love this picture” Isabella said, holding a silver portrait in her hands.

  It was a black and white photograph of her grandmother and her grandfather on their wedding day. Her nan’s dress was white and simple, her grandfather was dressed in his best clothes and they were celebrating outside, a plain table with a few things to nibble.