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Andries laughs at this, leaning over to kiss his fiancée on the temple. “My love, you are many things but never humble.”
“Okay, fine,” she sniffs, tilting her chin up. “But still, that’s what I think we should do. Invite her, Dan.”
I toss back the rest of my limoncello, puckering my lips at the taste before relenting. “I’ll think about it.”
Once I’m sure the rain is done, I take the top down in the Mercedes and proceed to take the long way home. I need a long, lonesome drive to parse through my thoughts, and the cool, humid night air is absolutely perfect for some deep contemplation.
The roads wind back and forth, back and forth, around the canals and finally a small cliff side. It’s a maze, just like my mind. Should I invite Elise, and make her happy, or should I ignore her, and end this thing between us once and for all? One thing is for certain: if I leave her out of the Capri trip, she will never forgive me.
Andries had her on speakerphone over dinner when he confronted her about Karl and the escort situation. I tried to motion to him not to mention our trip, but he wasn’t paying me any mind and spilled the secret about Capri wide open to Elise. The heartbreak in her voice when she responded was so tangible that I could feel it stabbing into my heart. I had purposely not invited her, but I’ve never felt more like an asshole in my entire life than I did right then.
I think I made her cry. Fuck.Fuck. I hate myself.
My best friend played it cool when we spoke about inviting her, but I know deep down, he’d be over the moon to have her along. Both he and Elise crave the chance to fix their once-unbreakable bond, and Capri would be the perfect time for that. Sure, at first it was supposed to be a boys’ trip, but with Roxanne already coming along, what does it even matter if we add Elise too?
Reconnecting in beautiful Capri will be a memory Andries and Elise will cherish forever. How can I think of denying them that?
The answer is simple. I want Elise with every atom of my being, and having her there, in one of the most stunning places on the planet, nearly alone, will be too much for me to handle. My desire for her burns inside me like an eternal flame, and if I can’t keep my distance from her, it will never go out, haunting me forever.
A twisted part of me wants that, though. If I can’t have Elise herself, at least I can cling to this feeling I have for her, so strongly that I can feel it like a physical thing in my chest.
Elise being in Capri means trouble for me. Even if she’s turned a new leaf and is ready to fix things between her, Roxanne, and Andries, she’s still the type of girl that loves games, and she seems to have a special fondness for those that involve me. Elise knows her power over me, and even if it makes me a coward, I have to admit that I’m scared of what she can do.
My tires hydroplane, skidding across the road and dangerously close to the guardrail. I get the car back under control, breathing out a shaky sigh of relief. I had been going much too fast, maybe trying to outrun these thoughts about my best friend's sister, but even now, with my adrenaline coursing through my veins, she’s right there at the back of my mind, waiting to pounce.
I’m well and truly fucked.
As I awake the next morning, I have finally made up my mind. Or at least sort of. For better or worse, I’ll have to talk to Elise face to face. And eventually invite her on the trip. I know if I dothat it will make Andries happy and given the fact I don’t want her to cut me out of her life forever, I’m left with no other choice. I text Elise asking where she is, but she doesn’t answer me, so I call Tatiana and she tells me where her friend is without a fuss. Heading to one of the cafeterias on campus, I pass the entrance door and notice Tatiana walking in my direction, leaving her friend alone at the table.
Tatiana stands next to me, looking me up and down, her eyes catching on the bouquet of fresh sunflowers in my hand. “You brought her flowers, huh?”
I brush my hair back with my hand, unnaturally stressed. “Yeah. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. There was this vendor outside the campus, and—”
“You don’t have to explain yourself.” Tatiana giggles. “Just go talk to her. You two have a lot to figure out, I think.”
I look at Elise, eating her salad and scrolling through something on her phone, completely oblivious to my presence in the doorway of the cafeteria. “Yeah, we sure do.”
It’s Tuesday––the last week of classes for all the college kids––and we’re leaving for Capri on Saturday. I’ve been agonizing over what to do about Elise, finally deciding just to come see her, figuring once I’ll be face to face with her the answer will come to me. Now that I’m here, though, there is still a thread of uncertainty in me. Although, when it comes to her, it’s almost impossible to deny her.
There is hardly anyone else here, so I bid Tatiana farewell and make my approach. It doesn’t take long for her to notice me, and when she does, her eyes go wide as saucers and her fork goes limp in her hand. Elise’s eyes travel from my face to the sunflowers and back again.
I sit beside her, plopping the bouquet right in front of her face on the table. “Here. A little sun to melt all that ice.”
She ignores me, taking another bite of her salad and keeping her eyes fixed on her phone.
“So you’re pissed because I didn’t invite you to Capri, huh?”
Elise continues to eat, not giving me the time of day. I sigh dramatically. “Very well, then. Guess you aren’t interested in coming along after all.”
I stand, but she stops me, not looking up but simply asking in a small, hurt voice, “Why didn’t you invite me?”
I fall back into the seat, my eyes meeting hers. “You know why. Because I’m trying to keep my distance from you. If you come to Capri, that isn’t going to help our situation.”
A small smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. “Am I too irresistible for you to handle?”
A wave of annoyance whips through me, which is apparently evident on my face, because her smile blooms into full-blown laughter. For the first time in my adult life, I feel my face going red from embarrassment, having just basically admitted that Elise was too hot for me to handle.
“Fine!” I snap, throwing my hands in the air. I’ve completely lost control of this situation. “Fine, you know what? We fly this Saturday at one pm. Now I’m warning you–” I point at her to emphasize my point, and she just laughs harder. “Listen to me, dammit! You will be invisible to me. Do you understand? Not irresistible, in-vi-si-ble! You can strip naked in front of me, and I won’t give two fucks about it.”
