Gio (5th Street) (25 page)

She held her phone after sending her message, staring at it obsessively, willing it to beep. After an excruciating few minutes, he responded and she read it anxiously.

You and me both. We’ll think of something. We have to. Insane? Don’t get me started. You have no idea! But I gotta go for now. We’re about to go for a run. I’ll text you later. MISS YOU!

G.

Her only response to that was a very excited set of x’s and o’s. She stood up, her lips outstretched to capacity. Now she could start her day and just like she’d felt that morning when she woke, the butterflies swarmed around her belly in anticipation of when she’d see him again. She wasn’t exaggerating when she said it to him. This was pure insanity. Insanity that now seemed to fuel her heart and run through her veins but the craziest thing about it was that she welcomed it.

~*~

Gio’s magic pill had come through again. Just reading those three little words had been enough to calm him from the torment he’d been feeling ever since he’d seen Bianca with Felix earlier. Then reading her follow up text confirming that she was feeling just as anxious as he was about being forced to be apart was enough to convince him that staying here was the right thing to do. Even a moment alone with her would make it all worth while. Though he still worried about how he would handle seeing them have their moments together. He didn’t even want to think about that right now. For now, he’d concentrate on the positive news that she was feeling just as tortured by all of this as he was. That had to be good thing somehow.

Since Gio started training with Felix, between the other trainers and Bianca always being around, he hadn’t had a moment alone with him. Because Felix showed up unexpectedly early Gio finally had time alone with him. The other trainers wouldn’t be back until later that afternoon.

From the moment Felix had met him at the gym, Gio had picked up a strange vibe from him. He wondered if by any chance Felix had noticed anything between him and Bianca. But he couldn’t have. Gio had been in the same room with them for just seconds before he’d bolted out of there. The real test would be later tonight and every evening from here on that Gio would have to spend time around them.

After his taste of what that might be like Gio wasn’t beyond feigning sudden illness to leave the room abruptly if he had to. Judging by his reaction this morning it wouldn’t be hard to fake feeling sick to his stomach.

They wrapped up their run and were enjoying a water break in the gym. Felix sat on the edge of the boxing ring and Gio sat across from him on a bench. After downing his water, Gio decided to just go for it. “I saw you on TV the other night. So what’s up with you and that chick they keep talking about? Any truth to that?”

Unlike most of the times when Gio or any of the guys inquired about gossip they’d heard on TV about Felix he didn’t smirk and give his generic response of “You know me.”

Slam dunking his crushed water bottle into a box next to the ring Felix frowned shaking his head. “Not anymore. But now that the word is out about Bianca the media is having a fucking field day with old photos trying to generate a story when there isn’t one. I hate having to explain this shit to her over and over.”

Gio thought about the photos of him and the girl the day he got stranded in Chicago. “So all that is old stuff? What about the stuff in Chicago the day you got stuck out there?”

“That’s the only recent one. And that was just dinner and a few drinks. Sort of a farewell thing.” Felix stood up and shook his arms in the air loosening them up. “I explained to Bianca about that. It’s all this other shit they’re bringing up that sucks. What girl wants to hear about her boyfriend’s exes right? I sure as hell don’t wanna hear about hers.”

Or about who she’s currently messing around with on the side.
Lost in thought Gio pondered what Noah had said. She was the only one in the equation getting everything she wanted. He was the guy on the side. This wouldn’t be his first time but in the past he actually liked it that way—no need to even talk about committing—he was just the guy on the side having his fun and then waving goodbye. No hard feelings. Only now, he didn’t want to be that guy. He didn’t even want to be the main guy. He wanted to be the
only
guy.

Gio had no idea how they’d gone from talking about Bianca’s exes to the meadow but the thought of the meadow, especially the one this morning in his sleep made him smile. “It was cool. I liked it.” Understatement of the decade.

“Really?”

Gio stood up when he saw Felix walk over to the cabinet and pull out the hand wrap. His mind was still enjoying the memory of his dream as he walked toward Felix ready to help him wrap his hands. Felix turned around to face him making a face. “I thought it was kind of boring. I guess I’m not the hiking type.” A smirk replaced the face he was making and he chuckled. “Although rolling around in the grass, having my way with my girl was fun.”

Gio was sure even Felix heard it—the visual of his dream shattering violently like a glass frame into a million pieces. He couldn’t even respond to that. Not even with a chuckle like he normally would’ve. “Give me that,” he said holding out his hand and Felix handed him the wrap.

If Felix noticed the hasty change of subject when Gio started talking about sparring techniques, he didn’t say anything. This would’ve been the best chance to find out what Felix’s thoughts were on his and Bianca’s relationship—how serious he was about her. But Gio decided he’d rather not know. This was worse than he thought. Gio’s heart had already begun to claim Bianca as his. He wouldn’t even be able to stomach hearing Felix speak in terms of
his
girl. It was happening already and he hadn’t even slept with her.

The three days following Felix’s early return Bianca managed to keep him at arm’s length. She spent the days working and at school. Then in the evenings, Felix was understanding of the fact that she was still hurt about his betrayal to even cuddle much less do anything else. The guilt would start to become too much to bear. Then she and Gio would have one of their silent moments where she was caught in his eyes again or he’d send her a text that would have her walking on air and she’d be back to square one feeling ready to do or say whatever it took just to be near him.

Felix was doing everything he could to try and remedy things. Now that Bianca didn’t really care and since he supposedly confessed to the real truth behind the stories, she’d begun to watch more of the tabloid shows. It helped ease her guilt. At the same time whenever she came across any of the stories while he was in the room with her, it helped support why she wouldn’t be engaging in any intimate activity with him any time soon. She just couldn’t—not anymore. She had to take full advantage of the tabloid stories now.

Tonight they were all going to Winterfest, a rail jam event in town. The festival was part of the ongoing events surrounding the Snowboarding championships. It was a nice break from the last two awkward nights and she was looking forward to the possibility of getting a moment alone with Gio. So far, since Felix had gotten back they’d had a few but in the cabin it was impossible to do much more than exchange knowing and longing gazes.

They reached the downtown area of Big Bear where the event was taking place. They hadn’t been there very long when Felix was recognized and the fans requesting pictures with him started up. Felix’s bodyguards allowed a few and then they started again through the crowd. Though they tried to remain inconspicuous it was impossible to do so with two burly bodyguards in front of them and two behind them. The one time she wished his busybody publicist Andy were here to distract Felix and pull him away like he usually did at public events, he wasn’t here.

Gio had been quiet ever since they’d gotten out of the car and for the first time in days she’d allowed Felix to hold her hand. It was out of habit. They were walking through a crowd and it was more of a protective measure on his part so as not to get separated in the crowd.

Now that they’d stopped and a breeze blew, making Bianca cringe, he wrapped his arms around her from behind in an effort to warm her. Bianca knew holding his hand was probably what Felix was waiting for to work his way back to the way things were before and she now regretted it. She’d hoped to hold onto the no touching rule for a while longer. If she did anything with Felix the guilt would eat her alive because these last few days Gio’s texts had become more and more heartfelt. He was feeling exactly what she was and if she had to see him with someone else, it’d be worse than anything she ever felt when hearing about Felix with other girls.

As if on cue, Felix reached over and tapped Gio on the shoulder. He’d turned his back on them the moment Felix had wrapped his arms around Bianca. “Check out who’s here.”

Bianca turned at the same time as Gio in the direction where Felix was pointing. Over by the beer booth, Evelyn stood posing with two guys holding beer cups. She wore a white ski suit that appeared to be painted on, with the word Budweiser written down the front of it. The matching white high-heeled boots that went up to her thighs, were in no way made for the snow. Her long dark hair looked perfect even in this God forsaken weather. Even with all the men standing around waiting for their chance to be photographed with her, Bianca knew the moment she saw Gio he’d have her full attention.

“You should go ask her what time she’s off,” Felix said. “Maybe she could join us after for drinks somewhere or come back to the cabin for some and hang out.”

Bianca had to bite her tongue to keep the word
NO!
from flying out. She stared at Evelyn for a moment then turned back to Gio who smirked then shrugged. “Maybe later. She looks busy right now.”

Normally her ears, like the rest of her extremities in this weather were freezing cold but right now, they were on fire. If Evelyn rode back with them or worse, Gio left with her in her own car, Bianca didn’t know how she would deal with it.

Feeling her throat already swelling she suddenly knew what Gio must be feeling watching her with Felix and she pulled out of Felix’s embrace. She knew it was abrupt and she’d surprised him but she didn’t care. “I need to find a ladies’ room.”

“Yeah, I might as well go too.” Felix said, squashing any hope of sneaking a moment alone with Gio. “I had a couple of beers before we left and it’s just a matter of time before the urge to go kicks in.”

They all walked slowly through the crowd of bundled up spectators. Bianca knew of closer restrooms in the vicinity where they’d been standing but it meant walking past Evelyn’s Budweiser stand so she led them to the ones in the opposite direction. The image of Gio and Evelyn making out on the dance floor flashed through her mind. Bianca dropped Felix’s hand. She’d make every effort tonight and from here on to not give Gio any reason to even consider bringing Evelyn back to the cabin. That would be the only thing that would have Bianca running far from that cabin for good.

Felix was stopped by some fans asking to take a photo with him and Bianca gestured to him that the restrooms were just a few feet away and kept walking. The mere thought of Gio bringing a girl back to the cabin had her in near tears. Feeling like a complete hypocrite, she wiped at the corners of her eyes as she entered the restroom before she could shed even one stupid tear.

Because the restrooms were further from the main crowd they were less crowded like she knew they’d be. She was in and out quickly.

Feeling a bit more composed, she glanced around for Felix and was completely startled when someone suddenly pulled her hand. She turned to see Gio and followed him quickly behind the small building that housed the restrooms. Once behind it Gio backed her up into the wall and kissed her frantically.

Breathlessly and oh-so-happy, Bianca kissed him back just as madly, savoring the familiar taste of his mouth. Her heart pounded now as both the excitement and the reality of the enormous risk this was set in. Even as desperately as he kissed her, the boy obviously knew what he was doing because his kisses were anything but sloppy. They were just as perfect as she remembered; his tongue maneuvered magically in perfect rhythm with hers.

Taking a step away from her, he glanced around. “We gotta go. Felix was just caught up for a few minutes with one of the skaters. Go this way.” He pointed to the quickest route back to where Felix was, then pointed in the opposite direction. “I’ll go that way.” He started to walk away then rushed back and took her face in his hands kissing her deeply one last time before letting go and sped around the small building.