It wasn't supposed to last. "Only a month," He said. "It'll just be a month, got it?" One hand on the steering wheel, the other desperately reaching up to grab his cap as the wind threatened to blow it off.
One bump, the car went midair for a split second, sending my hands gripping at the stitches of the leather seat, knuckles turning white.
"Toni! Watch where you're driving, idiot!" I sat up slightly, turning around to take a quick look at the dirt road behind me. The few trees that grew close to the road were leafy and abundant, casting spacious shadows down onto the ground. Stretching far past the line of sight, the vast blue sky carried a few smaller, puffier clouds along with it; nothing that could threaten the weather. The tall, green grass and fields of wheat sped past us in a blur as we continued to bump our way down the wavy, dusty road.
"Oh, Lovi. You need to loosen up a bit. We're going to be in Rhode Island, you hear that? It'll be wonderful!" The driver kept his eyes on the road, swerving around a large clump of roots that spilled onto the roadway. I turned back around, letting myself fall into my seat. Running my hand through my chestnut hair, I took note of our surroundings just in case Antonio were to get lost. We were nearing the ocean, coming to a three-way intersection, where we made a left-hand turn and continued down a smoother, wider path shaded by seemingly larger trees. To our right was the ocean, however, we were above it, the waves lightly rolling against the craggy rocks beneath us.
As we continued along that path, the trees began to slowly creep out of the picture, opening up to a beautiful field of red tulips to our left.
"Lovino, look! You'll have to paint those, you'll just have to!" Antonio smiled, gazing out across the meadows. I glanced down at the art supplies situated between my feet, all contained within a flat, lengthy, wooden case. Nodding, I used my hand to keep the sun out of my eyes as I looked straight ahead. Suddenly I gasped.
"Toni! To the right, to the right!" I shouted and pointed towards the small path veering off towards a green field of grass up against the coast. The car jerked as it made a sharp turn onto the other road, Antonio struggling to regain balance of the vehicle, but eventually continuing to drive in a straight line. Ahead, at the end of the path, were a variety of houses, some big and some small, separated by vegetation and small flowerbeds.
Once we had gotten close enough, Antonio turned to the left, pulling into the driveway of a decent sized home made of wood painted a shade of sky blue. Outside, a few chairs were positioned on a white porch, along with a few hanging plants from the hangover above the porch. A petite, blonde woman was tending to some roses, turning around and gasping when she heard our vehicle pulling in and parking.
"Antonio! Hello!" Her short hair swished around as she put down her watering can, dashing towards us. Putting the car into a parked position, Antonio hopped over the side door, brushing off his shorts as he outstretched his arms in greeting, smiling widely from what I could tell. As the woman tightly hugged Antonio, I got out of the vehicle myself, stretching out my limbs. The foliage was casting brilliant shadows onto the dirt driveway, creating small spots of light on my skin. I walked around the car to greet the lady he was speaking with.
"Oh, Emma, this is Lovino. I suppose one could say that he's my accomplice," Antonio stepped aside a bit to make room for me. I scowled at him, however, shook the lady's hand nonetheless and worked up a small smile.
"Lovino Vargas. Pleasure to meet you." Her hand was warm, yet soft; silky smooth to the touch. She gasped again, slipping her hand out of my grip and taking my hand in hers, feeling my palm.
"Incredible! Your hands are so smooth; how do you do it?" I opened my mouth to speak when the front door was opened and closed in one swift motion, the sound echoing throughout the area. Snapping my head up, my gaze was met with that of a tall, lanky man. He was blond, like Emma, but his hair was spiked up, shooting above a stern gaze. Smoke trailed from between his lips, coming out in small puffs of white.
"Lars," A voice called out form beside me. Emma was frantically waving her hand towards us. "They've finally arrived! Come say hello!" The tall man, apparently named Lars, began to walk across the porch and down the small steps, the wood creaking beneath his footsteps. It was only once he began to near us that I realized just how big this man really was. He towered above Antonio, casting a shadow over Emma and me.
"Hello, Lars. Good to see you haven't grown," Antonio laughed, sticking out his hand and wincing when Lars returned the favour.
"Good to see you haven't grown, either," Lars commented, ruffling Antonio's hair and barely batting an eye when Antonio picked up on his snide remark. "And who's your little friend?" He gestured to me with a nod of his head.
"This is Lovino Vargas! He was the friend I said that I was bringing," Antonio grinned, stepping aside yet again so I could greet him. The tall man stepped forward, sticking out his hand.
I could've sworn up and down that something had shifted in him. I wasn't quite sure as to what it was, but his gaze seemed to have softened. I grasped his hand, surprised by how lightly he was returning the handshake. However, his mouth remained in a straight line, neither smile nor frown showing. A moment passed where a warm feeling hung still in the summer air, enveloping me in a strange sense of both comfort and discomfort. Emma laughed, breaking the air and dispersing it across the driveway.
"Well, how about you all come in? I made some fresh lemonade for everyone!" She quickly walked to the front door, waving her arm for us to follow. "Oh, and Lars? Would you mind bringing in their luggage?" Lars shook his head, striding towards the trunk of the car and flipping it up.
That was the last that I saw of him before stepping into the wooden house, focusing my attention on my surroundings. The foyer was painted a beautiful jade green, adorned with the white lining along the windows and floor. The furniture was also elegant, and it was evident that more work had been put towards the interior of the house than the exterior.
"Wow, Emma! It looks fantastic!" Antonio sighed, taking his hat off and gesturing towards the coat hanger to the left of the door. "Do you mind?"
The blonde shook her head and Antonio threw his cap at the nearest peg, walking past the stairway that was in front of us and heading into the sitting room. Every step that he took was another creak in the floorboards. While he was busy checking out all of the furniture, Emma took my hand, smiling when her eyes met my own.
"Come on, Lovino. I'll show you to your room." She began to drag me up the staircase, pulling me to the left and down a small corridor.
There were three bedrooms; one to the left, one straight ahead, and one to the right. Mine was situated on the left-hand side. Emma reached up above the doorframe, feeling around until she caught hold of the key.
"Now, the bedroom across the hall is mine and Lars's. If you need anything past midnight and we're home, we'll be in there. Antonio will be sleeping in the room at the end of the hall, understood?" I nodded, gulping as I heard the inevitable click of the lock. The door swung open as Emma pushed through, stepping aside so I could get a full view of the room.
The ceiling slanted downwards, a window beside a twin bed. On the wall to the left there were many bookshelves, making the wall practically invisible. It probably wasn't even painted. A lantern was mounted between the window and the bed, making for easy access, and a small box of matches was scattered across the ground beneath it. Emma gasped when she noticed it, quickly dashing to the bed and bending down to pick them up.
"I'm so sorry, that must've been left over from our previous guests. Feel free to use them for the lantern, but if you want to have a smoke, please step outside." She stood up after cleaning up the mess, placing the small box on the nightstand. I just nodded, admiring the room. It was cozy and comfortable, perfect for a night in. I turned around, smiling lightly.
"Thanks." I let the word sneak out from between my lips. Emma smiled, small crinkles forming by her eyes. She then stepped out of the room, beginning to walk down the hall, but turning around so that her head was peeking around the wall.
"I'll be out front if you need me. If you want some lemonade, it's in the kitchen on the countertop." She then turned away, and I could hear her footsteps pattering down the hallway and then the stairs. I turned back to my new living space, taking note of the bookshelf. The shelves were lined with books on gardening and Van Gogh. I assumed they were Emma's and lost interest in them. I walked back to the center of the room and looked out the window, just to spot a number of mansions lined against the coast in the distance, far away from the small driveway just beneath my window. A knock on the wall behind me startled me out of my daze.
"So, do you like your room?" I turned around to find Antonio leaned up against the door frame, smirking.
"Where did you even come from, idiot?" I grumbled, putting my weight on my right leg. Antonio just raised an eyebrow, walking through the door to stand in front of me.
"You didn't answer my question, Lovi," He sighed, ruffling my hair. I quickly smoothed it down, looking up at him and pouting. Of all the people to have become friends with me, it had to be him. It was confusing, the way he was able to see right through my words and pick out their meaning. It wasn't fair.
"Fine. It's good; comfortable. Happy?" He grinned widely at my response, bending down and pinching my cheek.
"As a clam." Antonio straightened up, walking out of the room. "Come on, Lovino, let's go downstairs. It would be rude of us to stay upstairs the whole day." I followed him out of my bedroom and into the hallway. It often felt silly, as if I were a duckling trailing behind its mother. By the time we were on the first floor again, the sun had already began to reposition itself, casting longer shadows on the furniture and turning the walls a delightful shade of yellow-green.
Emma and Lars were sitting on a sofa in the living room, chatting over lemonade. Our luggage was also placed neatly beside the staircase. Emma looked up when she heard the creak of the floorboards, smiling widely.
"Come in, come in! You can sit in here if you want to, and I'll go grab you some drinks." And with that she was gone, nodding at Lars and heading straight for the kitchen. Lars stood up, glancing at me before grabbing our luggage and ascending up the stairwell. I turned to Antonio, furrowing my eyebrows. He just shrugged, fanning at himself with his hand. It was damn hot out. After a quick moment of silence, Emma called out from the kitchen.
"So, how long of a drive was it for you two? I know you had a bit of a ways to go," She raised her voice a little so we could hear her from the other room.
"About seven hours." Antonio shouted back, yawning and stretching. "But it was fun, though. Right, Lovinito?" He chirped, looking over at me. I glared back at him.
"Whatever you say, bastard," I mumbled, turning away from him as soon as Emma walked into the room. She placed two glasses on the coffee table in front of us, the lemonade threatening to spill over. Then she sat in the armchair to our right, leaning back in her seat.
"I couldn't bear a car ride that long. I admire you two," She chuckled, taking a sip of her own glass. I picked up my drink, taking a long sip. The liquid felt dry on my throat at first, but soon quenched my thirst. It was sour, with a sugary aftertaste. Antonio took a sip, swallowing and staring at Emma with wide eyes.
"Wow, Em! This is absolutely amazing!" He exclaimed, gesturing to the glass in his hand. She just smiled and nodded smugly, crossing her legs in content.
"Thanks. It a homemade recipe." There was a glimmer in her eyes, and I could tell that she knew how good her lemonade was; in fact, she prided in it. It was then that Lars came back downstairs, wiping the sweat off his forehead and plopping down in the sofa across from me and Antonio. He shot me another glare with hard, green eyes. I glared back, confused. The chatter continued between Antonio and Emma, and soon enough, Lars was dragged into it as well. It continued into the idle hours of the night, and eventually the lemonade was replaced with wine.
By the time I went up to go to sleep, Antonio was becoming a little woozy. His green eyes were droopy and he was giddy as ever, giggling about something that had happened months ago. Once we had finally gotten upstairs after what seemed like hours of him stopping on the staircase to tell me another joke, I headed to my bedroom.
"Goodnight, bastard." I stood in my doorway, crossing my arms and leaning up against the wooden frame of the door. I had to at least make sure that Antonio got into his room properly. He opened the door to his bedroom, wobbling in and leaning up against the doorknob on the other side, swinging the door open and closed. I could just make out a sliver of the moonlit ground on the other side.
"Goodnight, Lovinito," He giggled, grinning widely with his face peeking through the opening of the door. "Buenas noches, y que sueñes con los angelitos." The second part was whispered softly, and the words seemed to flow sweetly from his mouth into the air. The door closed soon after, clicking shut behind him. I felt lightheaded, no doubt from the alcohol, and found that I couldn't detest. It was getting late.