The Salvatore Twins – Episode 4

The Salvatore Twins – Episode 4

 

© Happy William

 

—Emilio—

 

.

 

There was this…..tingling I felt once our jet touchdown in New York. I couldn’t explain it, if felt as if my inner self — call it hormones or intuition or whatever — was prepping me for something I’ve been anticipating for a long time, and there was nothing I’ve been wanting more than seeing Anne and my kid again.

 

Emilia might’ve noticed the tension because she placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder and smiled at me while I covered hers with mine and reciprocated it. I really missed her, and how close we were and are right now. She always seemed to sense my every mood and thought, forget that she usually teased the hell outta me with it because I did so too.

 

→→→

 

When we’d drove to Gunther America I couldn’t help but feel a little déjà vu from when I used to cruise around the city in my highschool times. I bluffed about this to Emilia, and she spanked my head from behind giving me a jealous glare. What can I say? She was busy being Nyta Guisema, niece to Portia Guisema. I didn’t want to think about the past now.

 

Then we arrived at the company, a tall storey building that was nothing compared to Salvatore VEW back at Italy.

 

I was busy looking at my phone until Emilia said, “Look Lio.”

 

I scowled and she giggled.

 

I hated being called Lio as much as she liked being called Lia.

 

“What’s it?”

 

“See the way the staff are lined up in salute. Isn’t my twin brother popular?”

 

On looking up, I saw three people, a two men and a woman. The fourth person was retreating back inside the building…. but her back view was so familiar, with the brown hair which was scooped up in a bun.

 

Anne never tied her hair up. Ponytail, yes, but not bun. She believed so much in freedom.

 

“What’s wrong?” Emilia asked as we alighted.

 

“Nothing, she looks so much like Anne.”

 

“The sweetheart?” she asked slyly.

 

Chuckling, I breathed out a “Yeah”

 

I shook hands with the Gunther guy who happened to be the CEO of Gunther America and he introduced his personnel to me, while leading me inside and talking about the breaching contract we were about to draft…. how strong the partnership could be….immense benefit and blabbers which I wasn’t so interested in as my mind was miles and miles away causing me to bump into an incoming person holding a tray of China wares. Our collision made me loose balance and stumble and little while the whole tea settings flew into the air and landed directly in front of the woman who was just struggling to stand up.

 

I met her eyes first.

 

Blue….. as blue as the sea near my Sicilian house. Blue eyes that I never had problem drowning in because that was just the place I was meant to be. Blue eyes that always looked into mine with love and emotions swimming in it’s watery depths, but was now looking into mine with shock.

 

“Anne?” I whispered just as she bowed her head down and began picking up the broken pieces.

 

“Oh my god sir, I am so sorry for being clumsy, I’ll get this cleaned up right away. Run along.”

 

She kept her head away. I noticed her fingers shaking while she worked.

 

Maybe I was being delusional, I thought as I got up.

 

“Emilio are you okay?” Emilia asked brushing a little dust from my suit.

 

I nodded, still watching the woman.

 

Not for anything was I gonna deny that pull I experienced when we stared into each other’s eyes.

 

“Anne are you okay?” the Gunther guy questioned and lunged towards her.

 

Anne? Emilia and I exchanged glances.

 

”Yes sir, I’ll just get this cleaned up. Excuse me.”

 

She hurried away, leaving a major part of the mess behind as if she was trying to run.

 

Isn’t that suspicious?

 

“Wait,” I said.

 

She froze, her back to me.

 

To Gunther, I said, “Is there always incompetency here?”

 

Emilia giggled and swallowed the rest of the laugh.

 

“Uh, no, Mr Salvatore. Anne’s my secretary and a very competent one at that. She’s just having trouble with home.”

 

“Ms Anne, can you kindly come over?” I asked.

 

By now most of the staff had their eyes here.

 

I had to know now.

 

My heart was beating a frantic tattoo in my chest, whether due to excitement or anticipation, I don’t know.

 

“I said I’m sorry,” the Ms Anne whispered without turning around.

 

“Then turn around and say it to me, not to the air. Else, you could turn around and hand in your resignation letter.”

 

“Emilio!” Emilia hissed with an amused look.

 

“Mr Salvatore I don’t think that’s necessary —” the Gunther guy was saying, but I cut him off with a raise of my wrist.

 

People were murmuring.

 

Slowly, as if time was screeching to a halt, the woman turned around…. and I gasped.

 

This was Anne!

 

The Anne that I love and have spent years looking for!

 

.

 

.

 

—Anne—

 

.

 

I turned around slowly, and watched as his eyes widened in surprise.

 

Emilio Salvatore.

 

Somehow he managed not to change in the last six years except for being more manly and handsomer, for being extra rude and proud, for smelling extra nice, for cutting his hair that used the stop below his neck to now reach just above his neck.

 

So yeah, he did change, a lot.

 

The woman that stood beside him had a striking resemblance to him.

 

Perhaps this was Emilia and they finally found her.

 

I cleared my throat to clear the awkwardly tensed environment between the both of us.

 

“Anne?” Emilio said, louder this time.

 

“Emilio,” I replied with a curt nod and an impassive face.

 

At least I hoped that my expression was impassive because internally I was a jumble of mess. Seeing him again brought it all back: the lies.

 

“You know each other?” Jack asked in the background.

 

“No,” I said.

 

“Yes,” Emilio said.

 

We both said this at the same time that the confusion etched on Jack’s face shrunk deeper, while Emilia grinned widely.

 

“No, Emilio. I don’t know you anymore, OK?”

 

“Anne why?” he managed to blurt out, because he was too stunned to speak.

 

“Why! Goodness Emilio is that all you can utter?” I said calmly when the only thing I wanted to do now was yell and hit him repeatedly.

 

“You ran away. Pregnant and engaged! Anne do you know how long I searched for you? I went days without eating. I was scared for you, for our kid.”

 

“Kid!?” Jack blurted out again.

 

I could see some phone cameras clicking, and even the few reporters that were stationed outside to get a clipping of the partnership were eager to get hold of this hotter gist.

 

“You went days without eating huh? Well you look pretty good to me.”

 

There were some giggles.

 

“Anne now’s not the time to go on about how good I look, okay? This is serious.”

 

Whoa, I did not realize that I was unconsciously complimenting his looks.

 

“That was meant to be sarcastic,” I said.

 

He reached out and placed both hands on each of my shoulder.

 

The heat from the contact spread throughout my body and the tingle went all the way down south. Why! I can’t still feel something for him after all these years, that would be stupid of me.

 

“Don’t do this Anne.”

 

“Do what?” I retorted, taking his hands off as if his touch burned me, which it did.

 

“Can someone please explain to me what’s happening?” Jack cut in.

 

“Back off,” we both chorused with pointed glare at him.

 

“Okay, remind me never to meddle in couple squabble,” Jack muttered to himself. “Don’t worry, I’ll memo you,” Emilia said and grinned.

 

“Let’s go somewhere private to talk,” he said.

 

“No Emilio, I want nothing more to do with you! I asked you not to bother looking for me, didn’t that send the message across? You know what, I’m outta here!”

 

I ran off, squeezing and ducking under the cram of reporters and colleagues who threw questions about. I ignored them.

 

“Anne w8 up!” Emilio called, running behind me.

 

“Just leave me alone!”

 

I was acting all tough earlier in the office.

 

The truth was that it hurt.

 

Everything hurt so badly, and it shouldn’t have because I don’t love him anymore!

 

The tears were trickling down as I made my way through the garage of cars , past the cafeteria and towards the main road.

 

I have to get a cab, hurry home, take my babies and get out of NY.

 

I know Emilio, he’ll try to take them away with or without me. I couldn’t let that happen; they won’t get the bad childhood either of us had.

 

Frantically, I waved for a taxi like a matter of life and death, but it’s either the universe was against my running away, or the taximen were just plain stupid.

 

I’ll vote for the second.

 

Emilio caught up with me b4 I could run again, and he held my hand pulling me to himself.

 

“Emilio let me go, okay? Just leave me alone for crying out loud!” I screamed now, shaking and twisting. But he wasn’t letting go anytime soon.

 

I forgot what a strong hold he has.

 

“Anne where’s my child!?”

 

“Leave me be!” I yelled.

 

“Tell me where my child is, I ain’t leaving either of you behind.”

 

“You don’t have a child, Emilio!”

 

“What?”

 

“I miscarried,” I lied.

 

Bowing down my head, I sniffed repeatedly and tried to shake off the sobs which were shaking me from my head, shoulders, to my toes.

 

Why’d I’ve to break down?

 

I risked a peek into his face, and he was staring down at me with eyes whose emotions I couldn’t decipher even when I tried hard.

 

“You’re lying,” he said simply.

 

“Believe it or not, but leave me.”

 

“Anne I can’t suffer for six years to have everything go poof. I felt it down to my bones that you were alive and near, and I’m getting that same feeling right now. Tell me where they are, dammit!”

 

“No!”

 

I struggled with his hold again with no success and began hitting him now.

 

We were in the small garden at the far end of the roadside, more like a private plaza. So people weren’t around much especially with the sun out.

 

I hit him again and again and again, so that he’ll feel the pains I felt when he lied to me, how difficult it was for me to leave him and everything I’ve grown to love in Italy, how hard it was to survive being pregnant with twins and raising them up alone.

 

“Why why why!”

 

Emilio gathered a spasming me into his embraced and hugged me tight until I calmed down.

 

“I’m so sorry amora,” he whispered and kissed my forehead, and kept his chin on my head.

 

I missed the way he called me that, the way I’ll blush and the way he’ll keep calling me such name to see my face turn a bright red.

 

I missed him.

 

But I can’t.

 

I don’t want to get hurt again, or my babies.

 

Still, as if acting on instructions from the heart, I wrapped my hands around him and leaned wholly into his embrace, the place I was always meant to be.

 

When he pulled away only slightly to angle my head with his hand and place the lightest kiss on my lips, I didn’t hesitate or flinch.

 

He took the kiss deeper, and I responded equally, telling how much I’ve missed him.

 

To be continued

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