Close to Heaven
two.
It wasn’t until the third or fourth time Nick had seen Loretta that he learnt she had a boyfriend. Of course by that time, they’d already slept together and she’d made her intentions very clear: she’d be a sexual partner for when he was home, and that was all. At first Nick couldn’t believe his luck; he had the sex without the relationship, the sex without the feelings, he had sex when he got home and he got plenty of it. But the more time he spent with Loretta, the more he realised it wasn’t her having feelings for him he needed to worry about.
Nick stole a quick glance at her, sitting on his couch watching the Big Bang Theory. Her lips that he’d been kissing an hour ago were curved into a smile and her hands that had been clawing at his skin were wrapped around her knees as they sat close to her chest. She turned to him, “Stop staring at me, Santino.”
He tried not to focus on the way her two front teeth bit down on her lower lip. He tried not to get caught up in her blue eyes. He tried not to lean forward and kiss her. He failed, his hand settling on the back of her neck and he pulled her closer. His mouth caught hers just as his mother walked through the door, catching the young man in what would have seemed like the most perfectly intimate moment between a couple. “Nick! I hope you’ve- Oh Lord, I’m so sorry!” Angela Santino’s face was a pale pink, blushing at the sight of her only son kissing an unknown girl--and a pretty one at that.
“Mom, hey...you’re home early,” Nick didn’t meet his mother’s eye, embarrassed by the awkward situation. She’d never caught him with a girl before, and while he’d had girlfriends, she had never been home to catch him in the act when it occurred. She’d come close to busting him and Jessica Walsh in junior year, but that was the only time and Nick had thanked God profusely that day for Erin’s message telling him they were in the driveway and if they were doing anything to stop now and get downstairs. Loretta smiled shyly, unsure of whether to introduce herself or if Nick would do that for her. Did she act like his girlfriend, or did she keep her hands off (something she found incredibly hard to do with Nick Santino) until his mother had passed through the room?
“I know, there wasn’t much to do. So, who is this? I’m Angela, Nick’s mother as you may have figured out.”
Nick knew his mother was getting the wrong idea. Of course, there was no way he could blame her, she’d walked in on what looked like an innocent moment between a new couple, the kind that were exploring each other in the first few weeks. She wouldn’t let this rest after Loretta left, Nick was dreading the game of 20 Questions that was to follow with his mother. “This is Loretta,” he opted for a simple introduction, no mention of her last name and no follow on sentence of (however badly he wanted to add it) “my girlfriend”.
“It’s lovely to meet you,” Loretta stood up, smoothing her silk top and small waistcoat. She reached forward, kissing Angela’s cheek. It was a custom she’d learnt from an early age, men shook hands, women kissed cheeks. Etiquette had been drilled into her from an age where she had just begun to walk, and even that she had been taught correctly before she turned five. She’d had expensive dresses since before he could talk and her first piece of jewellery had been given to her before she’d been born. She was the closest thing to a princess Nick would ever know.
“Right back at you,” Angela smiled. An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment before conversation stated again. “Would you like to stay for dinner?”
“Oh, the offer is appreciated very much, but my parents wouldn’t like it if I didn’t return home. My sister’s home from Connecticut, and she’s got her children and husband here so it’s a family thing,” Loretta smiled at Angela, her teeth biting down on her lip again. Nick could feel his pants tighten, that was how she’d look at him when they were on his couch, her hands yearning for anything to grip to in the midst of pleasure.
“Well, hopefully there will be another time?”
Loretta glanced back at Nick, “You’d probably be best to ask your son here about that.” All he could do was nod weakly, unsure of whether this meeting was a good or bad thing. His mother would expect her to be around often, when she didn’t really understand the concept of just what Loretta and Nick were. “I should go, I’ll be late otherwise. Umm, call me later?”
Nick nodded as she picked up her large Prada bag, searching through it for her keys. “Okay, I will. I’ll walk you out.”
“Goodbye, Angela. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon!” she smiled, letting herself be lead by Nick, his hands on her waist as he guided her to the door. Angela waved in response, smiling at the small girl and the look upon her son’s face as she grinned up at him. Once they were out the door however, Loretta’s hands flew to her face. “Oh God, Nick. She thinks we’re together, doesn’t she?”
Nick knew his mother did, and would continue to think this until he told her otherwise. “Yeah, I’d say so. I’ll tell her once I go inside, she’d going to bombard me with questions,” he said, placing his arms around her waist as she unlocked her parents’ Audi. He kissed her, softly, sweetly. Loretta could almost feel herself melt away; she’d never been kissed by Alec like that. “Still want me to call you?” he asked once they parted.
Her reply was simple, so straightforward it panged hurt within Nick’s chest. “I’ll call you,” was all she said before climbing into the car.
He watched as she drove away, the luxury car so quiet that if Nick didn’t see it coming in the street, he’d be hit by it surely. His feet felt like lead as he walked back to his front door, his heart in his throat. Nick knew his mother would be asking questions, he knew he would have to lie in order to answer them. Feigning a relationship was something he had never had to do. How did he answer and sound plausible? Just as he had expected, Angela was quick on the questions as he walked through to the kitchen. “So... how’d you meet her?”
This was an easy question to answer. She’d been at a tattoo shop, looking for another way to rebel against her social class boundaries. He’d been at the tattoo shop, booking in another appointment for his twelfth piece of body art. As she flicked through the portfolios, he noticed her stop on a small bird. “You don’t want that,” he told her. “The line work is dodgy and the shading’s inaccurate.”
Her eyes, her big blue eyes had almost left holes in him. “But it’s pretty.”
Nick agreed, it was a pretty tattoo, one that would fit on her elegant frame nicely. It suited her, how she looked at least. A pretty tattoo for a pretty girl. “It is, so get that one, but don’t get that artist to do it,” he said in a hushed tone. “Get Tony, he’s great.” She had nodded at him, just as Tony himself had appeared at the counter.
“Nick, my man! Back for another? E.T wasn’t enough?” the large man grinned at the younger one, poking fun. His eyes fell on the girl next to him, “And what about you, how can I help you?”
“I’m interested in this one, and I’ve been recommended by this man here to talk to Tony, I’m assuming that’s you?” Nick was surprised at how direct her tone was. Tony nodded. “Okay, you can do this? On my hip? Because if so, I’d like it done next week on Monday between midday and four p.m.”
The appointment was set up in less than thirty seconds. As Tony wrote down her name (Loretta, as Nick found out) and her phone number, she turned to him. “Get my number from that, call me sometime.” With that, she left the shop and Nick was left dumbfounded.
As he answered his mother’s question in a mumble, she scolded him. “Speak up, Nick. For God’s sake, 21 years old and you’d think you never learnt to talk.”
Nick barely paid any attention to his mother’s latest snap. He answered her questions throughout dinner and he stayed in his room for the most part of the night. He knew Loretta would call, and he knew that they would meet again but he couldn’t shake the feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew she would say yes to Alec eventually, there would be an October wedding and he wouldn’t be invited. All he was to her was a big secret. Nick was Loretta’s biggest secret, one that would never come to the surface. He was tied to her in the most unbreakable of bonds, but she would never let him tell her that. It was a pain Nick thought he’d never feel.
Nick stole a quick glance at her, sitting on his couch watching the Big Bang Theory. Her lips that he’d been kissing an hour ago were curved into a smile and her hands that had been clawing at his skin were wrapped around her knees as they sat close to her chest. She turned to him, “Stop staring at me, Santino.”
He tried not to focus on the way her two front teeth bit down on her lower lip. He tried not to get caught up in her blue eyes. He tried not to lean forward and kiss her. He failed, his hand settling on the back of her neck and he pulled her closer. His mouth caught hers just as his mother walked through the door, catching the young man in what would have seemed like the most perfectly intimate moment between a couple. “Nick! I hope you’ve- Oh Lord, I’m so sorry!” Angela Santino’s face was a pale pink, blushing at the sight of her only son kissing an unknown girl--and a pretty one at that.
“Mom, hey...you’re home early,” Nick didn’t meet his mother’s eye, embarrassed by the awkward situation. She’d never caught him with a girl before, and while he’d had girlfriends, she had never been home to catch him in the act when it occurred. She’d come close to busting him and Jessica Walsh in junior year, but that was the only time and Nick had thanked God profusely that day for Erin’s message telling him they were in the driveway and if they were doing anything to stop now and get downstairs. Loretta smiled shyly, unsure of whether to introduce herself or if Nick would do that for her. Did she act like his girlfriend, or did she keep her hands off (something she found incredibly hard to do with Nick Santino) until his mother had passed through the room?
“I know, there wasn’t much to do. So, who is this? I’m Angela, Nick’s mother as you may have figured out.”
Nick knew his mother was getting the wrong idea. Of course, there was no way he could blame her, she’d walked in on what looked like an innocent moment between a new couple, the kind that were exploring each other in the first few weeks. She wouldn’t let this rest after Loretta left, Nick was dreading the game of 20 Questions that was to follow with his mother. “This is Loretta,” he opted for a simple introduction, no mention of her last name and no follow on sentence of (however badly he wanted to add it) “my girlfriend”.
“It’s lovely to meet you,” Loretta stood up, smoothing her silk top and small waistcoat. She reached forward, kissing Angela’s cheek. It was a custom she’d learnt from an early age, men shook hands, women kissed cheeks. Etiquette had been drilled into her from an age where she had just begun to walk, and even that she had been taught correctly before she turned five. She’d had expensive dresses since before he could talk and her first piece of jewellery had been given to her before she’d been born. She was the closest thing to a princess Nick would ever know.
“Right back at you,” Angela smiled. An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment before conversation stated again. “Would you like to stay for dinner?”
“Oh, the offer is appreciated very much, but my parents wouldn’t like it if I didn’t return home. My sister’s home from Connecticut, and she’s got her children and husband here so it’s a family thing,” Loretta smiled at Angela, her teeth biting down on her lip again. Nick could feel his pants tighten, that was how she’d look at him when they were on his couch, her hands yearning for anything to grip to in the midst of pleasure.
“Well, hopefully there will be another time?”
Loretta glanced back at Nick, “You’d probably be best to ask your son here about that.” All he could do was nod weakly, unsure of whether this meeting was a good or bad thing. His mother would expect her to be around often, when she didn’t really understand the concept of just what Loretta and Nick were. “I should go, I’ll be late otherwise. Umm, call me later?”
Nick nodded as she picked up her large Prada bag, searching through it for her keys. “Okay, I will. I’ll walk you out.”
“Goodbye, Angela. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon!” she smiled, letting herself be lead by Nick, his hands on her waist as he guided her to the door. Angela waved in response, smiling at the small girl and the look upon her son’s face as she grinned up at him. Once they were out the door however, Loretta’s hands flew to her face. “Oh God, Nick. She thinks we’re together, doesn’t she?”
Nick knew his mother did, and would continue to think this until he told her otherwise. “Yeah, I’d say so. I’ll tell her once I go inside, she’d going to bombard me with questions,” he said, placing his arms around her waist as she unlocked her parents’ Audi. He kissed her, softly, sweetly. Loretta could almost feel herself melt away; she’d never been kissed by Alec like that. “Still want me to call you?” he asked once they parted.
Her reply was simple, so straightforward it panged hurt within Nick’s chest. “I’ll call you,” was all she said before climbing into the car.
He watched as she drove away, the luxury car so quiet that if Nick didn’t see it coming in the street, he’d be hit by it surely. His feet felt like lead as he walked back to his front door, his heart in his throat. Nick knew his mother would be asking questions, he knew he would have to lie in order to answer them. Feigning a relationship was something he had never had to do. How did he answer and sound plausible? Just as he had expected, Angela was quick on the questions as he walked through to the kitchen. “So... how’d you meet her?”
This was an easy question to answer. She’d been at a tattoo shop, looking for another way to rebel against her social class boundaries. He’d been at the tattoo shop, booking in another appointment for his twelfth piece of body art. As she flicked through the portfolios, he noticed her stop on a small bird. “You don’t want that,” he told her. “The line work is dodgy and the shading’s inaccurate.”
Her eyes, her big blue eyes had almost left holes in him. “But it’s pretty.”
Nick agreed, it was a pretty tattoo, one that would fit on her elegant frame nicely. It suited her, how she looked at least. A pretty tattoo for a pretty girl. “It is, so get that one, but don’t get that artist to do it,” he said in a hushed tone. “Get Tony, he’s great.” She had nodded at him, just as Tony himself had appeared at the counter.
“Nick, my man! Back for another? E.T wasn’t enough?” the large man grinned at the younger one, poking fun. His eyes fell on the girl next to him, “And what about you, how can I help you?”
“I’m interested in this one, and I’ve been recommended by this man here to talk to Tony, I’m assuming that’s you?” Nick was surprised at how direct her tone was. Tony nodded. “Okay, you can do this? On my hip? Because if so, I’d like it done next week on Monday between midday and four p.m.”
The appointment was set up in less than thirty seconds. As Tony wrote down her name (Loretta, as Nick found out) and her phone number, she turned to him. “Get my number from that, call me sometime.” With that, she left the shop and Nick was left dumbfounded.
As he answered his mother’s question in a mumble, she scolded him. “Speak up, Nick. For God’s sake, 21 years old and you’d think you never learnt to talk.”
Nick barely paid any attention to his mother’s latest snap. He answered her questions throughout dinner and he stayed in his room for the most part of the night. He knew Loretta would call, and he knew that they would meet again but he couldn’t shake the feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew she would say yes to Alec eventually, there would be an October wedding and he wouldn’t be invited. All he was to her was a big secret. Nick was Loretta’s biggest secret, one that would never come to the surface. He was tied to her in the most unbreakable of bonds, but she would never let him tell her that. It was a pain Nick thought he’d never feel.