PRESENT CHAPTER 4: HE LIKES ME, HE LIKES ME NOT DIANA I awoke the next morning in a panic. Beads of sweat were dripping down my face and my heart was beating a mile per minute. I knew that I had a horrible dream, but I couldn’t remember exactly what it was about. It’s strange how that happens sometimes. You can have a very intense dream but forget about it immediately after you wake. The only thing that lingers are the emotions that it instilled and the physical reactions that accompany it. I looked over at my phone, sitting on the bedside table, atop the old journal I found among my parents’ things. Maybe the thing is haunted and giving me nightmares, I thought to myself jokingly as I grabbed the phone to check the time. Although I didn’t receive any new messages while I was asleep, my fingers couldn’t help gravitating to my text messages to view the one Gualtiero had sent me last night. Gualtiero is leaving this message for Diana. I laughed reading it over again. I had never imagined I’d meet someone more awkward at text messaging than I am, but here we are. While what I said to him on the phone the previous night was true (I really am not a text message kind of girl!) I found myself wishing that I was texting with him right now. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued by this mysterious cat savior with the gorgeous face and fancy vocabulary. He hung up the phone very abruptly last night, but we did agree to meet up today, which means he will be contacting me at some point. The thought brought a smile to my face, and I got out of bed and started getting ready for class, suddenly in a better mood than I had been in months. *** I couldn’t help but periodically check my phone throughout class, something I usually never do and something I usually judge other students for doing (we come to school to learn, don’t we?) and felt a bit disappointed each time I looked. Gualtiero still hadn’t messaged me. You’re being crazy, Diana, I thought to myself. His life doesn’t revolve around you. He’s probably just busy with school or work. Maybe you read him wrong. Maybe he was only being nice asking about Lucky and never really cared about meeting up again. A guy like him probably has a girlfriend anyway, maybe he’s busy with her. That last thought made my heart drop harder than I cared to admit to myself. The thoughts kept pestering me all day and by lunchtime, I couldn’t take it anymore. Whatever his reason for not messaging me yet, we did agree to meet up and I have a right to know whether that is happening or not. I grabbed my phone and typed out a message, my heart pounding in my chest. Hey, just wondering if we are still on for today. LMK! I debated whether or not to add a smiley face emoji, adding one, then deleting it several times, not knowing if it was too much or not. I sighed, annoyed at myself and sent the message sans emoji. I can’t believe I had really just spent an entire minute or so overthinking a simple text message. Really, Diana? You don’t even use emojis! Get a grip! He’s just a guy, I thought to myself as a headed off to my next class, not being able to shake the feeling that Gualtiero is so much more than that. *** Ghosted, I thought as I pulled a carton of ice cream out of the freezer. It was already 7PM and still no response from Gualtiero, which means he must be ignoring me. I mean, even someone who is very busy can find one minute to reply to a simple yes/no question, right? I thought up every excuse I could probably think of as to why he wouldn’t get back to me by now and eventually had to settle on the most realistic one: he just doesn’t want to meet up and it’s easier to ignore me than to explain why. It makes sense now, why he had ended our phone call before we could actually make plans. He had only agreed to be nice but never intended on following through. I grabbed a spoon from a drawer and took a big scoop of ice cream. It was halfway to my mouth when Anastasia walked in looking like a runway model in her favorite party dress, compared to me in my sweats and messy hair. I may as well have been a bum who broke into the house to steal some ice cream. “What are you doing?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. “Eating dinner,” I replied, taking a taste. She walked over and pried the ice cream away from my hands. “You only have ice cream for dinner when you’re in deep in your feelings,” she said, putting the lid on the pint and popping it back into the freezer. “What’s up? You’ve been kind of mopey all day. Are you having a hard time sorting through your parents’ things?” I could hear the genuine sound of concern in her voice, which made it difficult for me to keep the truth from her. I didn’t exactly want to admit that I was being so emo over a guy I barely knew, but I owed her the truth. Besides, it might be a good idea to get someone else’s advice or opinions on the matter. “No, it’s nothing like that,” I replied. “It’s just… have you ever been ghosted?” Anastasia stared at me in surprise, the slightest hint of a smile playing on her face. She clearly wasn’t expecting me to have guy troubles and I could tell she was a bit relieved about it. After all, if a guy is my problem right now then it means I’ve started moving on with my life after my parents’ death. She always sees the light in the darkest situations, and I am grateful to her for that. “Who is ghosting you?” she asked, then answered her own question. “Is it that guy who rescued the cat? I knew you liked him!” “I don’t know if I like him,” I said defensively. “I barely know him. But yeah, we were supposed to meet up today so he could ‘check on Lucky and help change his bandage’ you know, kind of like an excuse to see each other. Or so I thought, but maybe I just read too much into it, I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Anyway, I messaged him hours ago to confirm and he never responded so I guess I’ve been ghosted.” “I’m sorry, Di,” she said, rubbing my arm. “It’s no big deal, like I said I barely know him. I guess I’m just wondering if there’s something wrong with me or I’m like, gross or something?” “What?” she said. “Stop being ridiculous. The only thing gross here is how this guy who can’t even give you a minute of his time is making you feel. Girl, you’re so much better than that. Go on upstairs and get dressed. You’re coming to Oliver’s party with me.” “Oh, no, I don’t think—” I started to protest. “I’m not taking no for an answer,” she said, with a devilish grin on her face, knowing that she always gets her way when she says this. “Come on, Di, you haven’t gone to a party with me in forever. It will do you good to get out! We can dance, have a drink, see what craziness the night brings,” she added with a wink. “If you’re miserable we can leave, but at least try and have a good time, please? I don’t want to leave you here alone when you’re feeling so down.” I sighed. She had a point. There was no use sitting at home stuffing my face with ice cream over a guy I just met. “Okay,” I replied. “I’ll go and get ready.” *** Buzz. I was putting the finishing touches on my makeup when I heard the sound of my phone vibrating on top of my dresser. I swallowed hard as I walked over to it, willing myself not to get my hopes up. It’s probably someone else, I thought to myself. I felt a rush of warmth to my cheeks as I saw that it was not from someone else. It was from him. From Gualtiero. Yes. When and where shall we meet? I couldn’t believe it. He hadn’t ghosted me after all. I flushed with embarrassment at my own overthinking and quickly sent him a message back. Right now, if you’re free! I sent a second message with my address and headed downstairs, feeling every limb in my body shake with nervous excitement. As I stepped onto the downstairs landing, I immediately heard Anastasia whistle and catcall at me in an exaggerated manner. “Girl, you look hot!” she exclaimed excitedly. I don’t know if “hot” is a word I would use to describe myself, but I had to admit I felt good being all dressed up. It was the first time since my parents died that I really put effort into my looks, and I thanked my lucky stars for that now. God knows I wouldn’t want Gualtiero to show up while I’m still in my old sweats. “The guys are going to lose their minds when we walk into that party,” she added, grinning. “Yeah, about that…” I said holding up my phone. “It turns out he wasn’t ghosting me and he’s actually on his way over here right now…” Anastasia’s jaw dropped. “So, I don’t think I’ll be coming to that party after all,” I continued. “No way, you are not backing out on me, girl. I told you I wasn’t taking no for an answer.” She smiled playfully but was totally serious. That’s the thing about Anastasia. When she sets her mind on something, there is no changing it. “Well, I already told him to come over,” I said. “It’s kind of pointless if I won’t even be here.” At this, she rolled her eyes, “So invite him to come too, duh.” “I can’t do that!” I protested. “Of course, you can! Just say you were headed out and ask if he wants to come along,” said Anastasia, grabbing her purse. “He likes you, he’s not going to say no.” She gave me a wink and headed for the door. “I expect to see you there within an hour or I’m coming back to get you,” she added with an evil, but playful grin. Once again playful on the outside, but totally serious on the inside. “Fine,” I replied bitterly, then added, “how do you know, by the way? That he likes me, I mean.” She laughed hard at this question as she opened the door to leave and threw a glance back at me, “Honey, he’s coming all the way over here to look at that stinky cat. A man would only ever do that for love.” She grinned waving goodbye at me and headed out the door. I felt so elated at the idea that Gualtiero could really like me that I let the stinky cat comment slide. My giddiness turned to nerves as the doorbell rang just seconds after I heard Anastasia pull away. I checked my watch. Could it really be him already? That was so fast. I could hear the sound of my own heart pounding in my ears as I went to the door and opened it. There he was, more handsome than I remembered him the night before. “Gualtiero,” I breathed, dreamily, then gathered my wits. “Hi!” Be cool, Diana. “Wow, you got here really fast.” “Well, you said to come over ‘right now’…” he replied, staring at me intently. I could feel my cheeks redden at his gaze. “Have I interrupted something?” he continued. “You are dressed quite handsomely.” Handsomely? Well, that was a first. I’d never been referred to as handsome by anyone. I gave him a polite, timid smile. “Actually, when you messaged, I was—” I was interrupted by the sound of hissing. I turned to see Lucky standing behind me, baring his teeth at Gualtiero. Gualtiero flashed him a smile. “Hello again,” he said to Lucky. Lucky hissed angrily once more and then ran away, out of sight. “Lucky!” I scolded, “That wasn’t very nice. This is the man who saved you, remember?” I turned back to Gualtiero. “I’m sorry about that, I don’t know what has gotten into him. He usually takes kindly to strangers, from what I can tell in the 24 hours that I’ve known him,” I said lightly. Gualtiero just stood there on the porch, and I suddenly felt rude, realizing I hadn’t invited him in. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I haven’t invited you in. Would you like to come inside?” He smiled a charming, beautiful smile and replied, “Yes, I would like that very much, thank you.” I moved to the side to make room for him, and he stepped in through the threshold, taking a look around the room. “You have a lovely home,” he said. “Thank you,” I replied. “Although I can’t take credit for it. It really belongs to my best friend Anastasia. I claim no ownership over this home, I am just living in it for now.” I paused, feeling embarrassed. “I also talk way too much, sorry.” “Diana,” he said. The sound of my name on his lips made me freeze. It made me feel something I’d never felt before, something I couldn’t name. Whatever it was, I knew that I liked it very much. “You do not have to apologize for speaking. I quite like the sound of your voice, if I may be so bold in saying so.” I felt like I was going to pass out. Did he really just say that? Is it possible that he is feeling the same things I am right now? I swallowed hard. “That’s flattering, albeit a first. No one’s ever told me they liked my voice before,” I said. “Ah, well, I do have an exemplary sense of hearing. Perhaps no one has heard your voice quite like I have,” he said. I felt like that was a joke, although there was nothing playful in his expression to indicate that he was kidding. I got the feeling that his sense of humor was not like anyone else I’d ever known though, so I decided to play along. “Exemplary sense of hearing, huh? I wonder what other things you can hear that others can’t.” Gualtiero tilted his head to the side for a moment, not unlike a dog who is hearing a strange noise, “Your heartbeat, for one. It’s beating remarkably fast,” he said. Now that was bold, I thought. He’s good. Very smooth. “Have you been exercising before I arrived?” he added. “Very funny,” I said. “You’re cute. Actually, I was getting ready to go to a party when you messaged. That’s why I am dressed so…handsomely,” I smirked. “I see, I apologize for interrupting your plans.” “Actually, my plans were with you. I only agreed to go to a party because I thought that you’d ghosted me.” His eyes widened. “You thought that I….” he trailed off, then shook his head. “Diana, I am not a phantom, although I quite understand why you may have thought that having appeared in your life so suddenly and then not contacting you all day. I am sorry about that. I assure you that I am no ‘ghost’ I was simply busy with my schoolwork and could not attend to my cellular phone for quite some time.” “Oh, you don’t need to explain! It’s totally cool,” I said, smiling, still embarrassed about how clingy I had acted earlier. “I just wanted you to know why I agreed to go to a party when I also had plans with you.” “I appreciate you letting me know, although it is really my fault for not specifying to you what time I would be available to meet,” he said. “I will leave you to your plans.” “Do you want to come with me?” I blurted out as he headed for the door. He stopped and turned to look at me. “You are inviting me to your party?” I shrugged. “You came all this way to treat Lucky, who has decided to be shy all of a sudden. It would be a shame for you to have wasted your time over nothing,” I paused, then added “Besides, I quite like spending time with you…if I may be so bold in saying so.” I smiled at him. He regarded me for a moment then nodded. “Very well then. I’d be honored to accompany you.” Could this be real? Was I really about to go to a party with Gualtiero? When Anastasia said that we should see what craziness the night would bring, I imagined our drunk classmates pulling stupid stunts. I never imagined something so much better. I never imagined this. *** “So, do you live nearby?” I asked as we headed to Oliver’s house on foot. Not the best idea when wearing heels for the first time in months, but thankfully he lives within walking distance. “You got to my place remarkably fast after I messaged. I was surprised you didn’t drive.” “I did not,” he said. “I was, however, with a friend from school and we happened to be nearby. He drove me to your home in his motor vehicle.” Motor vehicle? I hoped it was dark enough outside that he wouldn’t see my smirk. Gualtiero was certainly the most formal man I’d ever met, and I found it endlessly amusing. “I see,” I replied. “To answer your previous question though, I do live somewhat nearby,” he said. “Really?” I asked, surprised. “I’ve never seen you around. I thought I knew all the kids around here.” At this, he laughed. It was the first time I’d heard the sound escape his lips and it sounded sweet, like honey. “I’d hardly consider myself a kid,” he said. “However, it does not surprise me that you’ve not seen me around. I’m actually a transfer student from Europe. I’ve only been here since the start of the semester.” “Really? That’s so cool! Europe is so beautiful, so rich with history,” I sighed dreamily. “I wish I could go back sometime, see more of it. I went to Romania one summer with my parents. They had Romanian ancestry and wanted to teach me about my roots…” I trailed off; afraid I was talking too much again. Gualtiero regarded me curiously for a moment, “Had?” he asked. “They passed away a few months ago,” I said. “It was very unexpected and difficult for me. I’ve had a hard time moving on from it, in all honesty.” He didn’t say anything, and I instantly regretted opening up about something so serious so early in getting to know each other. I must have made him feel awkward. Change the subject, Diana. “Anyway, I feel like I’m starting to get better. At least I’m going to this party tonight, which is a first since they died. Do you go to parties often?” I asked. He took a moment before responding and in that pause, I saw a troubled look cross his face. It was subtle, but certainly there. “No,” he responded. “I don’t.” I wondered if I’d said something wrong by asking that question, but he didn’t seem upset, just quiet. Then again, he’d never come across as a big talker generally. Maybe he’s just the type that needs to warm up to people a lot before letting down their walls. We arrived at the party, and I immediately remembered why parties were never really my thing, even before my parents died. On the front lawn, I saw about a dozen of my schoolmates gathered around a keg. Two guys from the football team were holding Oliver’s girlfriend Zari by the legs as she indulged in a keg stand. Oliver was kneeling by the keg, feeding the tube into Zari’s mouth and chanting “Chug! Chug! Chug!” with the rest of the people watching. He didn’t seem at all bothered by the fact that Zari’s skirt was hanging around her midsection and that her very skimpy underwear was on full display to everyone at the party. I looked over at Gualtiero and noticed him looking at her. I wondered for a split second if he was checking her out, like the rest of the guys there no doubt were, but there was no lust in his expression, only disgust. I suddenly felt self-conscious of the fact that I brought him there of all places. I didn’t want him to think I was that kind of girl. A girl like Zari. “Yeah, I’m not really a party person either,” I said with a timid chuckle. Gualtiero tore his gaze away from the keg stand spectacle and looked at me, but before he could say anything, he was interrupted by someone calling my name. “Diana!” I groaned internally. It was Roman Hall, a self-obsessed “dudebro” who has been asking me out since the tenth grade. Unfortunately for him, I have never shown the slightest bit of interest in him. Unfortunately for me, he has never been able to take the hint. He walked over to us, a plastic cup full of beer in his hand. “I can’t believe you’re here! I just saw Anastasia a few minutes ago and I wondered if you’d be showing up too. What’s up!” he asked, flashing his pearly white teeth at me before turning to Gualtiero as if he just noticed him standing there. “Who is your friend?” Roman asked, looking him up and down. “His name is Gualtiero,” I said. Roman laughed. “Gualtiero? What kind of name is that, bro?” Gualtiero just looked at him, not saying anything. There was an odd look on his face that I couldn’t quite place but I could tell that he was feeling offended by Roman’s presence. “It’s European,” I answered for him. “Anyway Roman, where was it that you saw Anastasia? She’s been waiting for me.” “I’ve been waiting for you too, girl,” he replied with a wink. God, he’s gross. I rolled my eyes. “Never mind, come on Gualtiero, let’s go check inside,” I said, walking towards the front door and leaving Roman behind. I could feel his eyes on Gualtiero and I as we headed into the party together, but his weren’t the only ones. It seemed like everyone was staring and whispering about us. The girl with dead parents and her handsome mysterious companion. We were definitely in for an interesting night.