"Have you watched Venom yet?"

I shake my head, watching Nina. She's sitting at the edge of the couch with her legs crossed, going through every TV channel possible. I should be used to her sitting so close to me by now, but I'm not.

"Did you?" she asks again, this time looking at me.

"No. But with that name, I don't know if I want to," I mutter.

She chuckles. "Okay. What do you want to watch?"

I shrug. "You pick."

"I'm always picking." She leans back on the couch, and suddenly her shoulder is right against mine. I cower away, and she notices it but comments nothing. "Do you have any genre in mind?"

"Not horror."

"Oh, yeah, that narrows it down." She rolls her eyes. "I can't be making all the decisions."

"Of course you can. I'm giving you full permission."

She shakes her head. "No, you're avoiding having to make any yourself. If you hate the movie, then it's my fault, not yours."

If things go wrong, it's her fault, not mine. I don't want to admit it, but that's what I'm doing to a lot more than just the movie.

"Nina...?"

"Mhm?"

"Do you want to go outside?"

She straightens up. "Outside?"

"We can. Right? That's what they were saying. And Matteo came here. We could go... for a stroll."

She made a face. "I was hoping you'd say ice cream."

"Well? Do you want to?"

She is hesitant, which I assume has something to do with the comfort of her blanket. I'm surprised the sofa doesn't have a permanent Nina shape now. If I hadn't come knocking on her door all that time ago, she would probably only get off of it to eat and go to the bathroom. The thought made me uneasy.

"There are not many stores open..." she says. "Most places must still be closed."

"I'm not inviting you to go shopping, though. Don't you want to go outside?"

"I don't think there are ice cream parlours open."

I roll my eyes. "Is that the only thing that matters to you?"

She shrugs. "Top three." I frown, and she laughs, nudging me with her elbow. "Sure, let's go. Where do you want to go?"

"Central Park," I say too quickly. It's the first thing that comes to mind.

She blinks. "That better be a joke. I'm not walking that far."

"It'd be good for your body. Move a little," I say with a smile.

"I won't cross the fucking island by foot. It's an hour to get there. Are you crazy?"

I shrug. "Lazy."

"You're joking, aren't you? Tell me you're joking. There's a park right outside and you want to cross the fucking island by foot?"

"Fine." I sigh dramatically. "If you really are that lazy, I guess we can go to Square Park."

"Thank you. I didn't move closer to college for this."

"Go get dressed," I tell her. "I'm going to get my jacket. I'll be back in a second."

"Still no ice cream parlour," she mutters as I leave.

I chuckle to myself, but the smile falls from my face as soon as I turn to my door. It's not possible that I have left the door open when I left, and yet it is. My heart sinks immediately and I grip my arms tightly.

It takes everything in me not to turn around and go back inside. The doors locked as soon as I closed it, or else I wouldn't be standing in front of my own right now, contemplating the thought of going in. Since it wasn't forced, I quickly figured out who is inside.

Against my instincts, I walk in to find a man in my living room. He is on the phone with someone I assume it's my father, telling him about the empty apartment.

"Giuseppe," I interrupt, making him look at me.

"Sir, she is here," he says in Italian, making eye contact with me. He has never bothered learning English. He pauses and then hands me the phone. "Your father wants to speak to you."

I nod and take the phone in shaking hands. He hasn't even given me a reason to cry yet, and I already can't breathe.

"Giada," he starts before I can say anything. "You can't leave the apartment. You can't be so careless. Where were you?"

"I-I was going to the park. Catch some fresh air. They said we could on the news. But I forgot my jacket and had to come back." I decide to leave Nina out of the conversation, afraid of what he could do.

"Giuseppe didn't see you when coming in," he says, the accusation obvious.

"I must've left before he came in. I was out for a long time before getting cold." I'm surprised at how easily I'm lying. Perhaps it's because I can't see him. If he were standing in front of me, I would be crying by now.

I'm not sure he believes me, but he moves on. "You can't leave the apartment."

"Yes, father."

"Giuseppe will handle the rest." He hangs up and I stare at the phone, not knowing what he wanted.

"What is it?" I ask, handing him the phone. "My grades? I have one exam left."

"Are you okay?" he asks, and I am startled by the question. Did he suddenly grow a heart?

"Fine. I'm alive, aren't I?"

He nods. "Your mother is planning a social event with your fiance next month. Your presence is required. And yes, your grades."

"I'll send you an email when I have them," I tell him. "This could've been a phone call."

"I volunteered to come see you. These past months haven't been easy and you could've needed a reminder of your duties."

I raise a brow. "So you needed to get out of that house? Got it."

Before he can reply, there's a knock on my door. I freeze at the sound and at the thought of both of them inside my apartment at the same time.

"Are you ready?" Nina asks.

I don't turn. My eyes are on Giuseppe's surprised look. He regains his composure, staring at her with a hard look. Perhaps this would be a good time to throw myself on the floor and pretend to faint. My acting was never good, though.

"Miss Giada, you cannot have visits. Who is this woman?"

"Is he complaining?" Nina asks, getting close to me. I assume she isn't understanding anything. "Sounds like he is complaining."

"Nina, please, go home."

She frowns. "Weren't we going out?"

"Miss Giada," he repeats, waiting for me to justify myself.

"It sounds better when he says your name," Nina says. "Do I butcher it a lot?"

I ignore her. "Giuseppe, this is the neighbour. We were going outside...We both went at the same time by accident. I had never seen her before today."

"It's sexy when you speak Italian," Nina whispers in my ear and I elbow her. She laughs, but I can't breathe. The way Giuseppe is watching me is enough to tell me he doesn't believe me.

"You seem to know each other," he points out. "You are not supposed to have visits. College is the only thing that matters."

"You're right. We know each other. We have study dates sometimes. But that's it."

"So you lied," he pointed out. "And you have had company. Your father will not be pleased."

"Please, don't tell him. Giuseppe, please. I swear she hasn't distracted me."

He hesitates for a moment. His eyes are on Nina, possibly not out of interest, but out of annoyance by the way she gawks at him. She's not making herself look better.

"Would you stop that?" I tell her. "You're not helping."

"Can't you tell him to go away so we can go out? Wait, does he speak English?"

"No, to both questions. Now, shut up."

She lifts her hands in defeat.

"You will cut ties with her," Giuseppe finally spoke. "And I will not tell your father about this."

I feel dizzy. "What? No..."

"If you don't, I will have no choice but to notify him."

"I... Okay," I mutter. The world spins around me but I am no longer in command. With a deep breath, I turn to Nina. "He is saying I can't have any more contact with you. I have to do as he says."

She frowns in confusion. "Are you joking?"

I shake my head, tears prickling in my eyes. "Thank you, Nina. You were a great friend and I'm going to miss you. I wish I had a choice."

"Why are you crying? You're going to let Richelieu over there boss you around? Wait, no, that's French..." She frowns. "Oh my god, I have zero Italian culture knowledge."

I ignore her blasphemous mistake. "If I don't, he will tell my father, and that won't go well for either of us. I don't have a choice. If I did, I would choose you."

"I watched Masters of Florence but I think it's American made, so I don't think it counts."

"Nina, focus," I say, grabbing her arms. "I'm not joking. Please, take this seriously."

"Tell Cosimo over there you'll do it and then don't. Didn't you say he doesn't understand? It's not like he will ever know. I'll go home. Then you knock when you get rid of him and we go out to the park. Easy."

"Cosimo?"

"It was Richard Madden's character. Rosie had a crush on him."

"Okay." I want to believe her plan. I can't believe I'm about to disobey again. "Let's do that. Go home."

She hugs me tightly and leaves. I wipe all my tears and face Giuseppe again.

"Happy?"

"I am not stupid," he says in English and a strong accent. My heart sinks. He switches to Italian again, "You've become a liar. I will call your father."

I swallow. "Please, Giuseppe. I won't see her again. I promise!"

He shakes his head. "Forgive me if I don't believe you. You are no longer trustworthy."

Hot tears run down my face. I beg him to stop, but he calls him anyway. Everything is fuzzy. I hear him explain the situation through the sound of my heart pounding on my ribcage. I don't register most of what is happening. Nina is waiting for me and I won't come. I don't think I'll knock on her door ever again.

"Miss Giada," he says. "You're going home."

But I am home...

Heyy!

Sorry for the delay. It's been a while but school started and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with the ridiculous amount of homework and tests piled up.

Hope you enjoyed!