CHAPTER 5: ELLIPSIS

Three suspension points.

So, I closed the laptop and went to open the door for Kelly. She came with her boyfriend, so I was embarrassed to walk with those looks. Raising an eyebrow in the direction of my friend, I was reproaching her for warning before bringing her fiancé.

Not for anything bad, but to get ready and not show up in my pajamas. From her I received a smile that translated to: I'm sorry, Marianne, I'll let you know next time.

I wish it did.

"Come in, how are you, Sean?" Excuse me, my outfit, I whispered with a half-smile.

"You're still looking, Bella" he crooned in his quaint European accent, greeting me with a kiss on each cheek.

I looked over her beefy shoulder at Kelly, she shrugged. The Italians were so cute, chivalrous, a perfect combination hard to find and in him, hard to elude. Sean was all of that, plus he brought me closer to my roots, which made me see him in a special way, a friend. She couldn't have done better than him. They coupled up, I was an eyewitness to the waste of love, so I admired them.

The perfect couple.

He came in a tailored suit, polished shoes, and combed hair, and he smelled good. She tucked into a pastel dress, high heels the same color as her clothes. The look was completed by a spectacular up-do of her brown hair and light makeup on her eyes, except for her full lips painted in matte red.

I thought they had come from dinner, yet I wanted to offer them at least a sandwich.

“I haven't prepared anything, I just finished doing a few things on the laptop, but I can prepare something for you, maybe…”

“No, do not worry, in fact, we have come up with the idea of inviting you to lunch, the three of us together, the chestnut came forward, anxious?”

Why would I be anxious?

“Yes, it's true, Marianne, I have a reservation at Le Cirque” explained the Italian, endorsing the information my friend gave.

I was speechless, under the expectant attention of both. I didn't want to be a killjoy, which I probably would end up being, but I just couldn't feel like leaving the house. Against all odds of my determination not to go, there was my son and Aaron, there was little left for me to bring him.

I started to let go of what was holding me back from going.

"I don't know… Aaron left with Isaac and they should be back in thirty minutes or so" I emitted taking a deep drag on the air.

“What is the problem?” He formulated, frowning. I see it perfect, my favorite nephew is giving Wahlberg a chance, leave them another while. If you want, you can call him letting him know that he can spend the rest of the day with your son.

“But I also have to do something with Magnani, I arranged to meet with her…”

“Tomorrow, don't forget that you told me yesterday, stop making so many excuses, Marianne” he scolded, rolling his eyes.

"Is it because of the location?" We can go anywhere you want. Sean spoke trying to persuade me.

My expression, not wanting to show rudeness, turned serious.

“What would be wrong with the restaurant?” I asked narrowing my eyes.

"It's just that I told him that you don't go to presumptuous places, you know" he interrupted, without going on much.

Yes, she told everything to her fiancé. I no longer had any vestige of doubt about it.

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes.

“I'm not going to deny it, but I'm not always going to put my preferences first, it would be rude. I defended myself, I wasn't one of those”

"Yet you're doing it now, let's do something, stay here Sean” She directed him to the sofa, he didn't say a peep, I already realized who was in control of that relationship.

“Regazza, it's okay if I cancel, we can eat something here. Pizza?”

"No, Sean" She rolled her eyes, Marianne will go to fix herself, period.

Wow, how grumpy.

And bossy.

Reluctantly I gave in to her. In the room he took over my closet. From the edge of my bed, I watched as she denied every time, she picked up a dress, hanging on the hanger, that didn't turn out to be the right one for her.

"Is there something wrong with my clothes?"

“How old are you? Thirty-five?”

“Don't make fun of me, I like to dress demure and simple”

"Don't tell me” He huffed.

“Hey! Don't make me retract it" I warned, tired of discarding each item of clothing.

"I think this one will be fine" Look, you had it well hidden, he accused showing the black dress.

At least it wasn't that suggestive. I approved giving a slight nod, anyway if I denied, she would insist. With Kelly you didn't get a win. A long hour later, receiving compliments and compliments from him, we boarded the Italian's sports car.

“If Aaron saw you, he would surely have a heart attack, -said mischievously, looking at me through the rearview mirror.

I made a face with my lips glazed a powerful scarlet. During the journey I received several messages from him, he told me that he was with Isaac at the MacDonald. Which surprised me a bit, Isaac wasn't a fan of junk food, in fact he would go into a picky mode when it came to what to put in his mouth. His drama at mealtimes was so similar to Ismail to some degree that he seemed to be sharing the table with his clone.

I touched the tinted glass, my eyes caught up in the city lights, the outside glowing like a star-studded sky. I was one of them, flickering, knowing that little by little my light was weakening. Sure, that thinking about it too much would make me a shooting star that would fall in any inhospitable part of the world, I pushed it away from my head.

I would do my part in the relationship with Aaron, I would let myself be taken to heaven by him, instead of giving declensions that nailed me to hell, to past acts that made no sense to long for or visualize being irretrievable. Inside the Audi, a song began to play, one of those that makes your skin crawl, despite never having heard it before. Apparently, it was Santorini's favourites, she kept humming it and my friend joined her. No wonder some music obsessives knew every piece of music.

I smiled to myself, remembering that first day, when I met Kelly, she sang terribly. Miraculously, it no longer sounded as creepy and out of tune. Otherwise, it would have broken the windows of the brand-new car, for sure. The humming stopped and they kissed on the lips, when we stopped at the red light.

They forgot I was here, or they didn't care to declare their love in front of me, the little lamp, back then.