One Step to You (The Rome Novels #1)(45)
Step stood up and tried to put his arms around her. “What, are you kidding?”
“Then how on earth did Pallina know? She must have heard it from Pollo, so you must have told him the whole story.”
“I swear to you that I never said a word about it. Maybe I could have talked in my sleep—”
“Talked in your sleep? Give me a break! And anyway, like I told you before, I don’t believe it when you swear to something.”
“Actually, I really do talk in my sleep sometimes, as you’ll soon find out for yourself.” Step went toward the motorcycle, looking back at her with a smile in his eyes.
“Wait, I’ll soon find out for myself?” she asked. “You’re kidding, right?” Babi hurried over to him, worried now.
Step laughed. The barb he’d launched had had the desired effect. “Why, aren’t we sleeping together tonight? After all, it’s just a few hours till dawn.”
Babi looked at her watch, concerned now. “It’s two thirty. Oh heck, if my folks get there before I do, I’m done for. Hurry up, I’ve got to get home.”
“So you’re not sleeping at my place?”
“What are you, crazy? Maybe you don’t understand who you’re dealing with here! Plus, have you ever seen a little fish sleeping with someone?”
Step started the motorcycle and then kept the brake on as he revved the engine. The motorcycle, obedient between his legs, swerved around in a circle and then stopped right in front of her, ready for her slightest command.
Babi climbed on, and Step put it in first. Gently, they rode away, then faster and faster, leaving behind them a precise strip of broad tire marks. Farther on was a patch of sand churned up by innocent kisses and a tiny heart. She’d drawn it without letting him know, with the tiny forefinger that he liked so well. A treacherous and solitary wave erased the borders of that heart. But with an effort of the imagination, you could still read the S and the B.
Far away, a dog barked at the moon. Babi, leaning on Step’s shoulders, braced her feet on the pedals and stood up. And so, standing straight against the sky, she breathed deep. A Nordic wind brushed back her hair, caressing her face. Then Babi leaned forward and hugged him, kissing him.
Step felt those soft lips on his neck. A strange heat surged up inside him. He felt strangely happy. He accelerated. His wheels cut quickly through a salt wave, shattering it, wounding it fatally. Tiny silvery sprays shot off in all directions, surrounding them on all sides. The water fell far away, cutting tiny round holes into the cold sand. A vengeful wave erased that tire track while the motorcycle continued along its way, in love, vanishing into the distance of the night. There was no longer even the slightest trace of that heart carved into the sand. Still, that night would live on forever in their memories.
Chapter 17
In front of Vetrine, standing parked in the deserted lot, Babi’s Vespa was the only vehicle that remained. She got off the motorcycle, undid the front wheel lock, and started her scooter. She climbed on and rocked it down off the kickstand. Then it seemed as if she just remembered Step was there.
“Ciao.” She smiled at him tenderly.
Step moved closer. “I’ll ride with you. I’ll escort you home.”
When they reached Corso Francia, Step maneuvered his motorcycle around behind her Vespa and placed his foot on the taillight. He revved his engine and gave her a push. The Vespa sped up.
Babi turned around, stunned, and looked at him. “This is scary!”
“Just keep a firm grip on the handlebars…”
Babi stared straight ahead again, holding tight and determined to the handlebars. Pallina’s Vespa could go faster than hers, but hers would never be able to reach these speeds.
They covered the length of Corso Francia and then climbed the hill of Via Jacini, all the way to the piazza. Step gave her one last shove, right in front of her apartment building. Then he let her go. Slowly, the Vespa lost speed.
Babi braked and turned to look at Step. He was stopped now, sitting upright on the motorcycle, just a short distance from her. He sat there, looking at her for a second. Then he smiled at her, put it into first gear, and pulled away.
She followed him with her gaze until he vanished around the curve. She heard him accelerating, faster and faster, a rapid shift of gears, tailpipes roaring as he sailed away at top speed into the distance.
Babi waited for a sleepy Fiore to raise the gate arm. Then she rode up the ramp to the apartment building. When she turned in to the curve, she had a grim surprise. Her whole apartment was lit up brightly, and her mother was standing there, looking out her bedroom window.
“Claudio, there she is!”
Babi gave her a desperate smile. It didn’t do a bit of good. Her mother slammed the window shut.
Babi put the Vespa away in the garage, barely managing to fit it between the wall and the Mercedes. As she was pulling down the rolling door, she thought about that morning’s slap in the face. Unconsciously, she lifted her hand to her cheek. She tried to remember how badly it had hurt. She wasn’t all that worried. She figured that she’d know exactly how badly before long.
She climbed the steps slowly, doing her best to put off as long as possible that discovery, by now inevitable. The apartment door stood open. She walked resignedly onto that gallows. Condemned to be guillotined, by no means hopeful of a reprieve, this latter-day Robespierre in overalls was going to lose her head.