Chapter 16

I woke a few hours later when a dog started barking in the distance. It was dark outside, and I raised my head sleepily from Piero's shoulder to peer around in the dark and peek at the clock. It was past two in the morning, which meant that Ray would be asleep and I could return home without getting hurt. It was very late in the night, but not too late to leave Piero's house. I felt as if I shouldn't stay the whole night, but Piero's arms were so comfortable and safe…How could I leave this embrace and return to the house where Ray was?

Piero's arms were crossed and resting lightly on my lower back, and my arms were resting around his neck. He was asleep, breathing softly, and I could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest against mine. His head was turned toward me, and fell slowly more toward his shoulder now that I had raised my head from the crook of his neck. He still wore his glasses, which were tilted to the side, and his lips were slightly parted, letting me hear his soft breaths. I lightly touched my lips to his cheek and his hand moved a little on my back, but he remained asleep.

"I'm sorry," I whispered very softly and cautiously. "I have to go. I can't spend the night here."

I couldn't stay overnight at Piero's. It wasn't right for me to stay. As much as I hated to return to my house, I felt as if I must. I couldn't live here with Piero. Ray would be asleep by now, anyway.

I slowly untangled myself from Piero, moving off of the couch and out of his arms. He stirred but didn't wake. His hands now lay open and empty on his thighs, and I watched him sleeping for a moment before tiptoeing away and slipping out of the front door. I rubbed my eyes and cheeks to wake myself up as I went quietly down the steps, and I climbed sleepily into my car. On the drive home, I could still feel where Piero's arms had been around me. I longed to have them around me again, feeling the softness of his shirt, the tenderness of his lips, the strength of his arms.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow I will be with him again, and we will look for an apartment for me after I finish work. But for now, there would only be a few more nights in my house. The final countdown before I escaped the danger had begun. If only the same could be for my mother.

I sighed mournfully, and reminded myself that staying wouldn't change anything. There would always be a threat to my mother as long as she allowed Ray to stay. I was afraid that if I left Ray would turn on her, but I had to hope that she'd then have the confidence to make him leave. She held the power to free herself, but as long as I stayed in the house, I didn't.

But then why was I pulling into the driveway? Because I couldn't stay at Piero's. Ray should be asleep now. Everything would be okay. He shouldn't bother me tonight.

I climbed out of the car and stopped as I looked into the darkened traitor that was the forest. I imaged the ashes of the tent within, and I shuddered and turned quickly away, moving through the darkness to the house.

I snuck through the bedroom window and climbed into my own bed, falling into an exhausted sleep filled with dreams of Piero.

In the morning I snuck out of the house and went to work as usual, and at midday Piero showed up to surprise me with lunch, takeout from the café I liked!

When I discovered him in the lounge, I smiled and ran into his embrace.

"Good morning, mi amor!" he greeted me before kissing me and handing me the container of food.

"Great, thank you, Piero!"

We sat on the couch together and Piero caught my eye and didn't smile.

"I need to ask you something," he said seriously, and I nodded encouragingly.

"Anything, Piero. I'm not hiding from you anymore."

He smiled, but shook his head.

"No, not about that. I've been at the recording studio with Gianluca and Ignazio this morning, and the producer wants to finish recording many of the songs for our album today. That means I must stay at the studio as long as they need me. So…is it okay if we don't go apartment-searching today?"

I nodded at him.

"Sure Piero. What's one more day? Tomorrow's Friday and we can search over the weekend."

My number of nights to be spent in my house was limited significantly. Surely one more day added to those remaining nights was manageable. It'll just be like the days before I lived in the tent…

"Mi amor."

Piero reached out and touched my face, and I looked into those sweet brown eyes.

"You look afraid. You can go to my house after work, remember?"

"Oh, yeah."

I smiled in relief.

I could stay at Piero's until Ray was surely asleep. I didn't have to find a way to pass the time out on the town, and I didn't have to sleep in the woods.

Piero smiled too and leaned forward to kiss my cheek.

"I understand. It'll take some time to adjust to being safe, huh?"

His eyes looked sad when he said that, and I slipped my hand into his.

"I'll be okay, Piero. It's only a few more days until I'm in my own apartment! We can go looking tomorrow, right?"

"Absolutely. I promise."

He slipped a card from his pocket and handed it to me.

"If you need me, this is the address of the studio where I'll be until this evening. It's pretty laid back in there. No one will mind if you come to visit. Also…"

He pressed something cold and metallic into my palm.

I looked down and then quickly back at Piero in surprise.

"A key to your house!?"

"Yes. If I want it to be your safe haven, then you need a way to get in and out without me being there."

"Okay! Goodness, thank you so much, Piero! For lunch, for the address, for the kisses, for comforting me, for opening your house to me…"

He grinned and reached out to hug me tightly, silencing my gushing.

"Thank you, too, Julia. For letting me help you, and for making me so happy."

I looked up at him and he kissed me, then released me and stood from the couch.

"Have a good rest of the day, mi amor. I'll see you later."

"I love you, Piero."

"I love you, too."

He waved and walked backwards, blowing kisses dramatically and making me laugh.

When work ended, I strolled out of the hospital with my head held high. I had somewhere safe to go, and I didn't have to look for places to wait until it was safe to go home.

I longed to see Piero, and I decided to bring him something sweet and visit him at the studio. I settled on coffee, thinking that perhaps he'd be tired from working all day.

I got myself a smoothie and drove to the address on the card Piero had given me. When I reached the small recording studio where the boys were working, I peered in through the window on the door and surveyed the room. It was very small, containing a huge switchboard covered in buttons and lights, and a small couch in the corner, where Gianluca and Ignazio were sitting, looking toward the recording booth. I followed Gianluca's gaze toward Piero, who was standing in front of the microphone in the booth, pressing his headphones to his ears as he studied the lyrics on a stand in front of him. A short, dark-haired man stood beside him, pointing out the lyrics and talking with Piero. There was a white-haired man sitting in a chair before the board with all the buttons, watching the conversation intently.

I timidly raised my fist and knocked lightly on the door. Piero didn't glance up, but the white haired man turned around in his swivel chair and smiled in confusion at me. Ignazio turned toward the door and smiled brilliantly at me, immediately settling my nerves with his eager gaze. He stood up and came to the door, opening it and smiling down at me.

"Hi, Julia!" he said, then dramatically waved his hand toward the recording booth, "Welcome to the studio!"

"Thanks, Ignazio!" I said, laughing. "I brought Piero coffee. No cream. I know he's lactose-intolerant."

"How thoughtful," he said, reaching out to hug me and ushering me into the room. He closed the door softly behind me, just as Piero began to sing. I froze in place, watching and listening in awe.

Ignazio looked over my expression and smiled.

"What do you think?"

"Wow…" I breathed.

The white-haired man was now gesturing wildly at Piero as he sang. Piero glanced up from the lyrics on the stand and spotted me, and immediately his eyes lit up and he smiled as he sang. His voice increased in power as he watched me, only looking away to refer to the lyrics. I smiled back at him, and watched him in fascination until Ignazio gently put a hand around my waist and guided me to the sofa. I sat down beside Gianluca, who smiled crookedly at me and reached out to hug me.

Ignazio sat on the other side of me, and I sat cocooned between the boys, watching Piero and listening to his beautifully strong voice, until he finished singing and looked toward the white-haired man for approval. After receiving it, he took off the headphones and left the booth. I handed the drinks to Gianluca and jumped up when he came into the little room.

"Julia!" he said eagerly, reaching out for me. I put my arms around his neck and he hugged me tightly around the waist and kissed my cheek. When I turned my head he pressed his lips to mine, and for a moment his grip loosened and time paused.

Then he pulled back and took my hand, taking me to the white-haired man to introduce me. He turned out to be one of Il Volo's producers, and he was very jolly and lighthearted. He hugged me and kissed my forehead, and told me I was welcome to stay and watch the recording session.

"Gianluca, you're up!" he called to Gianluca, who nodded and went into the booth, handing me the drinks as he went. I handed Piero the coffee.

"I thought you might be tired, so I brought you this."

"Wonderful! Thank you, mi amor!" He took it and carefully sipped it, and smiled. He took my hand and we went to the couch, but instead of cocooning me between him and Ignazio, he pulled me sideways onto his lap, setting his coffee carefully on the stand beside the couch and tucking my hair behind my ears as I sipped my smoothie.

"How was work today?"

"Had any more kids like Abrielle?" Ignazio joked, and I smiled and shook my head.

"Nah, no more Abrielles. It's the ususal, I guess. We sent some kids home this week, which makes me happy. We got a little girl named Maria, and every time I say her name I think of-"

"Mariaaaaaa…" Piero suddenly began to sing, "I once met a girl named Maria…"

I nodded eagerly.

"Yes, that!"

"And suddenly that name, will never be the same to me…!" Ignazio joined in, and suddenly a crumpled piece of paper bounced off the side of his head.

"Hey!" he said, turning toward the switchboard.

"Hush, we're recording!" the producer said, and Piero laughed and took the paper from Ignazio and threw it back. Ignazio struck a threatening pose and I laughed and heard Gianluca laughing in the booth. Gosh, I love these guys! Piero shook his head and hugged me tightly.

"I sang her the song. She liked it," I said, and Piero kissed my temple as he took his coffee back from the stand and sipped it.

"Did you know that that's the name of my little sister?"

"Really?"

"Yep. Did you know that I had a sister?"

"Yes, from all the pictures inside your house."

"Oh, right. She's all the way back in Naro, though."

"Speaking of the house," I said, and paused for a moment to listen as Gianluca began to sing, "I think I'm going to go there now, instead of hanging around here and disturbing the peace."

"Right, because it's always peaceful with Piero around," Ignazio teased, and avoided Piero's hand as he pretended to flick him.

"You're not disturbing anything," Piero said, bouncing me affectionately on his knee, "But you don't have to stay if you don't want to."

I nodded and leaned toward him to kiss him.

"I'll you later, then."

"Yes, mi amor. Thanks for the coffee. I'll be home later."

I hugged Ignazio good-bye and waved to Gianluca, who released the headphones for a moment to quickly wave back.