Damn the Day I Met You

The weekend came just in time for me. Zach kept trying to ‘talk things out’ and wanted to be friends. I knew that I couldn’t do that right now but with him as a neighbor it was hard to ignore him all the time. A short vacation was much needed right now.

“I’m positive you’re going to want to bring this,” Toby says, holding up a lacy pair of undergarments.

“It’s not like that Toby, we’ve talked about this.”

“Sure, you’re just running off to god knows where to do god knows what with a guy that’s done everything god knows of.” I look at him strangely, what was up with the god crap? “What? My religions class is getting stuck in my mind.”

“I’m sure that’s it. And still, it’s a no to the lace. Nothing’s going to happen this weekend.”

Before I could catch onto what I said Toby was already across the room and sitting on the bed waiting for an explanation, “’this weekend’ does that mean something’s going to happen sometime?”

I glare at him, “No. Now will you get out of here? Tristan will be here in minute to pick me up and I don’t want to have to drag your lazy ass out along with my luggage.”

“I’m sure you’re little boy toy will take care of the luggage.”

Suddenly a new voice entered the conversation, “ooh, Katie’s got a new boy toy? It’s about time.” Tristan smirks as I look over at him in the doorway, “oh and that lace would definitely be nice.”

I look between the two of them who were somehow communicating with their eyes, “you guys! Stop ogling each other.”

“Ha-ha, very funny Katie.”

“Yeah, seriously girl, you know he’s not hot enough for me.” Toby jokes, trying to set off Tristan which totally worked.

“Not hot enough? Boy, you wish you got a piece of this.”

“Is that an offer?”

“YOU GUYS!” They both fell silent trying to look innocent. “Toby, get out of my room or you’re going to be locked in here for the weekend.”

“Fine,” he gives me a hug and looks to Tristan, “you’re a dead man if anything happens to her.”

“Yes sir.”

With that toby left the room. I pick up my duffle bag and turn off my electronics. “Ready?” Tristan asks, glancing around the room as if to help with any last minute items that I would forget. He nods over to my nightstand. “It never hurts to bring your sunglasses.”

I grab them and head out the door. “So where are we going?” I ask Tristan for the millionth time this week.

“It’s as much as a surprise now as it was on Monday.” I slide into the passenger seat of his car and get comfortable. “Okay, a few car rules. First off, you’re in charge of music. I’ve got cassettes, cd’s, and then the radio. Do whatever you like with the choices at hand. Second, you can eat in the car but ALWAYS clean up after yourself or I will revoke that privilege. Lastly, have fun.”

“Will do.” I pick out some Bob Dylan for the beginning of the trip and Tristan seemed to be quite content with that. We drove for a couple hours, talking, laughing, and just having a great time. The scenery felt familiar, but then again I had been all over Italy and pretty much everywhere felt familiar.

We pull up to a small stone cottage, one that I knew I had seen before. The question was when and in what context. Behind it was a field of grapes; a vineyard.

I smile, having an idea on where Tristan had taken me. The instant we stepped out of the car the own approached us. “Nicole!” I run up and pull her into a tight hug. It’d been a couple years since I’d seen her. Probably not since her grandmother’s funeral a few years back.

Tristan had taken me to Rosie’s Vineyard, the place that my parents loved the most in Italy. They say that Rosie forced them to talk things out, or at least locked them in the room together. She’s a big part in why they’re married now and not separated like before.

“Katie DiGerlando? What in the world are you doing here?” Nicole pulls back from the hug and glances at the guy behind me, “Tristan?” It’s coming clear to me that, like myself, Tristan knows just about everyone in the area. But while I get that from my family, he gets it from working all the events.

He finishes getting our bags out of the car and walks over to us, “Hey Nic.”

“Don’t just ‘hey’ me! How in the world do you two know each other?”

“School.” We reply in unison.

“Right, of course, because Tristan is totally going to NYU.”

I laugh and explain the whole study abroad deal. “We ended up in some classes together, and ta-da! Here we are!”

It was obvious that Nicole didn’t quite buy it, “but, what about your boyfriend? Zach or something.”

“We broke up,” I tell her, leaning back into Tristan’s arms. I hate to admit it but the whole thing is still a touchy subject, and his name just pisses me off.

I could tell that Nicole was about to go into the whole ‘I’m sorry’ spiel, and Tristan seemed to notice this too, “but we’re here to get away from all of that.”

Though Nicole seemed to be thinking of something else, like there was something important to tell us. Instead she just nods and leads us into the cottage, showing us to our room. “When Tristan called he didn’t tell me to book two beds, so I’m sorry to say you’ll be stuck in one room.”

“That’s okay,” Tristan says, grinning like a fool. I shove him to the side.

“Don’t be getting any ideas, Tristan.” I warn, walking ahead of him and into the room. He instantly plops down on the bed and grabs the remote while I start to unpack. “I forgot my purse in the car.”

“Good job.”

“Can I have the keys to go get it?” He tosses the keys at me, his eyes locked onto the show that was on. “I’ll be right back.” Tristan nods and I shake my head. Was this what the weekend was going to be filled with? Just watching TV?

I didn’t even make it down the hall before I was stopped by two voices. Voices I really did not want to hear right now. Voices that were the reason this trip existed. It was too late to turn back so I just kept walking; I knew they’d be around the corner any minute now.

“Katie?” damn. Keeping my head down didn’t help one bit. He sounded as if he knew why I was there, and wasn’t too surprised to see me. Which actually kind of creeped me out. “What are you doing here?”

“That would be none of your business.” I reply. I know it was rude but at the same time, Zach and Ana weren’t exactly the people I wanted to talk to right now.

“Is he here with you?” Zach asks, not daring to say Tristan’s name.

“And if he is?”

Ana looked worried for me. I don’t know why though, it’s not like I was the one dating a cheater. That was her. A door opens behind us and before turning around, I knew it was Tristan. “Hey, though I heard you out-” He stops mid-sentence, realizing who was in front of us. Though we were barely touching, I could feel him tense behind me which was not a good sign. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“We’re just on a trip,” Zach answers, glaring at Tristan. The both of them looked beyond angry, ready to kill if they had to.

“Don’t lie Zachary.” Tristan says, stepping forward so that the two of them were inches apart, “Why. Are. You. Here?”

Zach glances towards me, as if I was supposed to stop Tristan. What he didn’t know is that at this point, I wanted to beat him up too. “I don’t trust you alone with her.” He finally answers.

“I told you to leave her alone! Not fucking stalk her!”

“And I told you to stay away!” The only thing going through my mind was how and when this conversation took place. It’s not like these two talked on a daily basis. “You know why you’re not good enough for her Tristan.

Something flashed in Tristan’s eyes, as if he knew Zach was right. “Like your cheating ass is any better.”

“She wanted to break up.”

Tears were threatening to spill over. I knew I couldn’t last much longer watching all of this happen, and being the cause of it. “That doesn’t give you the right to cheat!” Tristan yells. They were still very close to each other; too close.

Zach rolls his eyes. Did he even care about his actions? It didn’t seem like it. “Hey man, she wouldn’t give in after years. I had to do something.”

I swear time froze then. Ana gasped. I gasped. And Tristan pushes Zach up against the wall, ready to beat the shit out of him. It’s not that Tristan isn’t strong, but Zach is stronger. So Zach easily could have fought back if he wanted to. “I don’t care who you fucking are but you do not, under any circumstances, talk like that about a woman. And that’s for both of them. You got it?” Zach nods, looking like he was in pain.

I step forward and place my hand carefully on Tristan’s arm. “Tristan, let go.”

He glances over at me, “don’t worry, I beat him once I can do it again.” I raise my eyebrows and he quickly caught on to what he was saying, cursing in Italian.

“Don’t Tristan, just don’t.” With that I walk back into the room, forgetting about my bag and just focusing on the million questions running through my mind.

Tristan entered right after me and sat down on the opposite side of the bed. “Katie, I’m sorry.” I wasn’t crying, at least not yet, but I kept my eyes down on the floor. I knew that once I looked at him I’d give in.

“You promised, Tristan.”

“I did, but he-”

“I don’t care what he did! You said you wouldn’t.”

“I said I wouldn’t beat him up for breaking up with you.”

I take a deep breath and lay back on the bed, Tristan following. Because of the height difference our heads were in about the same place, making us closer than I thought. “Then why”

“Because he called me a gold-digger and said some shit about me being unfit to raise Lucy. That, on top of how he’s been treating you, just did it for me.”

I stare up at the ceiling, trying to gather my thoughts. Just because it wasn’t 100% for me, didn’t mean I wasn’t still mad at him. There were other reasons in why I didn’t want him fighting Zach. “I didn’t want you to get hurt.” I whisper, still not looking his way.

“What?”

“I-I’ve seen Zach fight. He’s even sent a couple kids to the hospital. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you. And also, you could lose Lucy; I know you wouldn’t want that.”

Tristan leans over and kisses my forehead, “I swear I’ll stay out of trouble. For my sister and for you.”

I smile, “me, huh? Must be pretty special if I’m right up next to Lucy.”

“That’s because you are.”

“Tristan-” I start but he stops me, probably not wanting to get rejected once again.”

“I know and I get it.”

“That’s just it though, you don’t know.”

“So tell me. Tell me what you want me to know.”

It was the first time in a long time that someone wasn’t asking to know something specific. He didn’t want every detail, didn’t need all the facts. Just what I wanted to tell him. “I only have a few months left.”

“I know.”

“My parents had a short relationship in Italy, before breaking it off. It was just by coincidence that they met later.”

“Katie, all of Italy knows that.”

I kept forgetting that my family was more popular over here than in the states. “Fine, well that’s why.”

Tristan stayed silent, maneuvering around so that he was on the same side as me. “You’re forgetting a key point, Katie.”

For the first time I look over at him, our eyes locking. “What is that?”

He grabs my hand, rubbing his thumb across the back of it in a soothing manner. For some reason, I let him. It was a small gesture, yet intimate. Something Zach never would have done. “Your parents are the prime example of ‘if it’s meant to be, it’ll find its way.’ And I’m sure they don’t regret getting together that summer.”

“No,” I agree, “but they regret separating.”

“Because it was time wasted apart.” Tristan tucks a stray hair behind my ear, letting his hand graze my cheek before setting it back in his lap. “I don’t want to get in a relationship with you right now, not because I don’t like you, but because you haven’t healed yet.” The words coming out of his mouth seemed so unlike him. The player being sensitive and caring. It was a foreign idea to me, and seemed like it was to him too. “But please don’t give up on us before we are an us just because of your parent. ‘Cause personally, I would kill for a love like theirs. Especially if it’s with you.