Alberto rowed me back to Portorosso just in time. Uncle came home to find both of us waiting there for him. He was ecstatic to see Alberto again, or as elated as Uncle was willing to visibly show. So was so happy in fact that he made Alberto's favourite paste dish for dinner. When Uncle asked where he'd been these past few days and a flustered Alberto looked my way for help, I said that he'd been feeling unwell for a little while. He was all better now though, of course. We both breathed a sigh of relief and grinned at each other when Uncle bought it without question.
We ate a hearty dinner, full of laughter and fun. Then Uncle went out to secure everything in the yard and the dock while Alberto and I laid in the garden on the grass. The sky was a deep shade of blue now with stars twinkling about. I never really saw many stars living in Florence due to all the lights in the city, but out here the sky was full of them. We kept laughing and joking amongst ourselves. Alberto commented that the night sky was full of fish of all things.
"Anchovies- they go there to sleep." "Uhhhhhhh…? Really?" "Yeah, and the big fish protects them," he motioned up to the moon. "There're not fish, dear. They're stars," I kindly corrected. "Are you sure? They sure look like little fish being herded to me. They even move, see?" He then pointed upward at no star in particular. I didn't look up but simply rolled on my side and smiled his way. "I'm really happy you're here, Alberto." "Yeah, me too," he returned my contented expression.
"We're going to have to do everything we can to keep your secret. It's the only way to keep you safe above land." "I've done ok this far, haven't I?" He asked me like this was really what he thought. My grin began to fade somewhat. "You crashed our bike into the ocean," my tone was matter-of-factly. He shrugged. "That was one time; I won't crash again. And hey! I only rode down that fast because I was mad at Erco-lame. No one treats you like that and gets away with it." My soft smile came back, shining down at him. He's so kind in that funny, masculine way of his. I simply adored it.
Alberto's gaze drifted over in my direction too. He'd been picking at his teeth but the moment our eyes met his hand began to lower from his lips. "So has he…. bothered you again since…..?" "Since we were last on the beach?" I completed his question for him. His eyes narrowed regretfully somewhat. "Yeah," was his short answer. While he looked pensive, my stare filled with gentleness. This was a sore topic for both of us and I didn't want to make him feel any more uncomfortable or unhappy.
"Not in-person, no. I haven't seen Ercole since… since well "that" day." "Oh," Alberto's voice sounded pleased to hear this; he didn't even try to hide his grin. Too bad I had to ruin the mood. I waited a second before going on. My lips parted a tad. "But…. he did leave flowers on my doorstep…. again." "Again?! What do you mean "again"?!" He suddenly sat up with force. I sighed, able to see this from a mile away. "That's what men do when they court, or are trying to court, young ladies. They shower them with gifts and favours. I threw them out, of course." "Ok, good. Maybe that'll help him get the message- finally." "Heh, somehow I doubt that. Ercole can twist anything I do into some sort of compliment meant for him," I rolled my eyes. Seriously, I could tell him to go jump off a bridge and he'd probably see that as me praising his athletic ability.
Alberto frowned. "I want to kick the stuffing out of him." "I know, but please don't. There're better ways to handle this. He may not listen to me, but the men in my family might be able to convince him that we're not engaged. Engaged- honestly. That boy wouldn't know how to get engaged if his life depended on it. In the eyes of the law and the well-to-do of Italy, we are not engaged." "Good, cause you're not," he reaffirmed with a pointing finger. I smiled and nodded, then letting out another contented sigh. "But frankly, I'd rather not get my uncle and definitely not Papa involved. He'd have a minor freak out if he knew that some no-count village boy was going around saying we're engaged. If only there was some way to stop Ercole from making a public announcement….."
"Hold on. He's going to announce it…. in public? When?!" "Oh, sorry; I thought I told you. He said he's going to announce his intent to marry me after he wins the Portorosso Cup. I suppose it makes sense, considering everyone from the town will already be there…." My gaze wandered out into nowhere as I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly. It sounded a lot worse when I said it out loud like that, like Ercole was really trying to manipulate me- even if he wasn't smart enough to realize that's what he's doing. I didn't want to give him that much credit.
That's when I noticed Alberto's hands clench into fists. He was angry again- really angry. He had this tint of rage in the corner of his eyes. "What an arrogant, self-obsessed prick. I really hate him! He's sooooooo sure he's going to win that stupid cup for like the millionth year in a row, and he's going to use the opportunity to embarrass both you and himself. Well… I don't care if he embarrasses himself, but still! He can't just get away with that! Someone needs to show him that he's not the hot stuff he thinks he is. Heh, I'd give anything to see the look on his face if he didn't win the race." The moment Alberto said this, the wheels in my head began to turn. I looked out into space, thinking to myself for a minute, before flashing him a brilliant grin.
"I have an idea! Why don't you and I enter the Portorosso Cup this year?" Alberto blinked back at me dumbfounded. "Us….? Enter the race…?" "Sure! It's a swimming, eating, and cycling competition. We can do it if we enter together, as a team!" "But….. you can't swim," his tone said it all; I had to stifle a laugh. "You can teach me! No one's a better swimmer in Portorosso- or anywhere- than you. You can teach me to swim in the water."
He gave me one of those looks. "I don't want you anywhere near the water." "I-I know I don't have the best track record when it comes to not-drowning, but it's the only way we can enter the race. I swim, you eat, and we'll bike the hill together. We've already been practicing that, and you love pasta. You and me- we have a real shot at beating Ercole." Understandably Alberto was still hesitant, shifting his gaze between me and out to nowhere. I could tell he was considering it as well, though less enthusiastically than me.
"I don't know, Ilaria. What if something goes wrong? I won't be able to dive in and save you," he seemed genuinely concerned for my welfare. I sent him a reassuring face. "I'm sure they have lifeboats on standby during the race. It will be fine if you teach me to swim and there's supervision on the water. Come on, Alberto; who can make a better team than you and me?" "Mmmmmm, well you're right there," he was starting to relent. My grin widened.
"We can split the winnings. I'll use mine to purchase Papa a train ticket out here. Then you two can finally meet! It's perfect! And if Ercole still doesn't believe that we're not engaged afterwards, then Papa can have a firm word with him. Oh, please Alberto. We can do it- we can do it if we're together," was a one last plea.
My dearest friend paused to look at me. Simply look at me. Soon enough this grin appeared across his lips- nervous but also excited. "You'll have to do exactly what I say when we're in the sea." "Don't I always?" I responded with a cheeky grin. He rolled his eyes and twisted his body in such a way so it was facing mine straight on. "Are you sure about this, Ilaria? Couldn't I just beat that jerk up instead? It'd be a lot faster." "Are you telling me you don't want to crush him in the race? To see the horror on his face when we cross the finishing line first?" He thought for a moment before he smiled- he really smiled. "I do…. So badly. I want to leave him in the dust and laugh in his face when we win." "So, we'll do it then? We'll enter the Portorosso Cup?"
He watched me again, not saying anything for a second. Then his gorgeous lips cracked another big smirk. "Let's do it." "Good! At least this'll take away any steam Ercole might have over the engagement announcement," my hands clapped together. His smirk disappeared, his expression growing serious for a minute. "Hey, don't worry about what the clown said too much. I know he's an idiot who thinks he's going to marry you, but we both know that's not going to happen. Just remember, you're not alone with this. You got me here- I'm right here beside you, Ilaria. I'm going to help you, however I can," his hand reached over to rest of my shoulder. My cheeks reddened a little as I gazed from it back to his now soft face. My eyes lowered onto his intimately. "I need you, Alberto. I'm going to need your help here." He smiled, almost as if he liked being told that he's needed and can help me.
His hand gave my shoulder a little, gentle shake. "Don't worry- we got this. We'll beat Erco-lame at his own game." "He's not going to be happy that we're on the same team," I felt I should warn Alberto. He scoffed unimpressed. "Pfft, he can cry about it all he wants. It's not up to him who's on which team." "True," I nodded in agreement. Then I thought for a moment, the first semblance of doubt bubbling up in my mind. My eyes blinked at him a tiny bit dubious. "Do you really think we have a chance at winning?" His stare glued onto mine, confidently so. His hand squeezed me shoulder. "You and me? We can do anything."