The Loose Ends List(57)



“We’re eating, Mum. Do you want to join us?” he says in a polite tone.

“No, darling, you two enjoy each other, but not too much. Astrid will murder me if you get her granddaughter pregnant,” says Astrid Junior.

“Mum, please. You never cease to humiliate me.”

“Maddie, Enzo says you love fashion,” Claudia says.

He talks about me.

“Yes. I’ve been interested in fashion since before I could dress myself.” I want to impress her.

“I have, as well. I’m in merchandising for Gucci. It’s a really nice job.” Of course she has the best job ever. She’s perfect. Maybe I should get pregnant, just to permanently attach myself to these people and their genes.

“I’m going to take Maddie back to the hotel.” He moves closer and puts his arm around my waist.

Double cheek kisses and hugs good-bye, and I wonder if they can smell Enzo on me.



I’ve never needed my friends so desperately. Do it. Do it. That’s what they would say. Or maybe Do him. The stakes are so high. I can’t think.

I tell Enzo to come back for me in the morning, and I’ll be all his, at least for our last day in Rome. Part of me worries that I’ll lose him, that some outrageous Shakespearean comedic tragedy will befall our situation and separate us before I can see him again. But if this trip has taught me anything, it’s that the only thing guaranteed is this very moment. And in this very moment, I give Enzo a kiss he will most certainly want to repeat.



Enzo’s text wakes me only a few hours after I fall asleep. I have a seven-thirty football match. I’ll pick you up after. Or you could come watch. I reply: I want to watch…

“Get up.” I tackle Janie. “We’re going to watch hot Italians play soccer.” That’s all she needs to hear. I make her check my tattoo before we leave.

“You should pay me for these services. You’re the grossest person I’ve ever met, other than Jeb. Who gets crust on their tattoo?” Janie got a tramp stamp of the New York skyline inside a snow globe before she left for college in Vermont.

Janie and I hate sports. We hate it when Dad and Jeb talk about scores and boring stats. I spent countless hockey, football, and lacrosse games making plans with the E’s while pretending to give a crap about the games. Sometimes I even put on sunglasses and dozed off.

But this is different.

Janie and I take a cab to a spectacular Roman park where hot shirtless European men are doing sprints in shorts and cleats. They’re all running back and forth wearing sweatbands and cute little ponytails. This is our kryptonite, and I have gotten my hands on a hunk of it.

Enzo gives us a wave as he runs down the field, but he’s dead focused when the game starts. He’s sweaty, fast, and so very skilled with the ball.

“This is almost too much to handle,” I tell Janie. I can see it’s too much for her, too, and she needs to sit. I’m afraid she’s going to implode and dissolve into a pile of pheromone-laced ash.

We sit on the grass and, for the first time in our lives, pay attention to what’s going on.

The game ends, and Enzo runs over and kisses me on the lips in front of the other guys. He says something to them in Italian as everyone gathers their stuff. A bunch of them say, “hi” and “bella something bella.” Enzo is speaking Italian. There are no words.

One of the guys fixates on Janie. He whispers something to Enzo and gives Janie a “ciao, bella,” before slowly strutting away.

“Janie, my friend Pietro wants a piece of you. I think that’s the direct translation,” Enzo jokes.

“That would be a deep and meaningful relationship,” I say.

“Tell him I’m taken.” Janie is resisting the kryptonite. She’s blowing my mind right now.

“Well, that was fun. Now if you guys will excuse me, I have a date with my uncles.” Janie puts her earbuds in and jogs away.

“Does she even know where she’s going?” Enzo asks.

“She’ll be fine,” I say.

And here we are again. He puts his arms around me and kisses me.

“Sorry I’m sweaty,” he says.

“I like it.” He raises his eyebrows and smiles.

“Thank you for coming.”

“Thank you for having me. I think you wanted to show off your stellar soccer skills.”

“Actually, I wanted to show off my beautiful American girlfriend. Come on. Let’s walk.”

The park’s vistas overlook all of Rome. It reminds me of the view above Corcovado Mountain.

When a girl is about to lose her virginity, she needs her friends around her for support. That is a universal truth, except maybe for people like Rachel. I can’t picture Rachel having sex, but I’m sure it will happen during a Comic-Con. I am also pretty sure she’ll be wearing pigtails and some sort of anime costume.

It seems terribly lonely to be enjoying this dream without sharing every detail with the E’s. But I can’t worry about that. Today is my day.

Enzo and I sit by a lake and share a water bottle. I love the intimacy of sipping from the place he just sipped.

He tells me about the internship he landed in Egypt, where he’ll be working with world-famous anthropologists, and how he’s learning Arabic online.

I tell him about the Blue Lagoon and the Jules Verne volcano and rainbows and elves. I tell him about Venice and Bled and the forever tree.

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