Chapter 71: Boyfriend

Already drenched in rainwater, Dante and I run towards the nearest shelter: the pool bar. Giggles and laughter accompany us as we run towards the bar. At this moment, it feels as though we're the only ones in the world. Just the two of us having fun together without any worries.

"Hurry up! The rain's getting heavier," Dante says as he pulls me with him.

"I'm trying!" I say, giggling as I continue to run with Dante.

I'm pulled back into reality once we get to the bar. All wet from head to toe. The water makes our clothes turn see-through. The way Dante's shirt clings onto his body shows the outline of his muscles. I quickly stop staring at him and then burst into laughter when my gaze meets his.

"That was unexpected," Dante says.

"I know right? It was sunny and then everything turned dark," I say, staring at the dark, grey sky above us.

"Unfortunately, that's how the weather has been lately. We're sorry for the inconvenience," the bartender says.

"No need to apologise. This can't be avoided," I say, smiling at him.

These past few years, the weather has been so unpredictable. When it's supposed to be summer, it's still raining every day. And now that it's fall, it's still sunny but then the rain suddenly comes out of nowhere despite the weather forecast telling us it will be sunny for the whole day.

"Towels for you," the waitress says with two pool towels in her hands. I grab the towel, feeling my body starting to shiver from the cold and wet clothes that stick to my body.

"Thank you," I say as I start wiping the towel over my face and body. Dante does the same and immediately dries his body and hair with the dry towel. Gosh, even just drying his hair with a damn towel can make himself look so damn hot.

"So, how's everything here for you so far? Is it good?" the waitress asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Fuck. Everyone definitely saw me staring at Dante. That's so embarrassing. Why do I thirst over him in front of freaking people? Ugh. I need to keep my mind clear. I can't think of Dante like that in with other people around.

"We just arrived about half an hour ago, but everything's good so far. It's a shame the only way to get to the beach is by stairs," I say as I fold the wet towel I've finished using. The waitress grab the towels from Dante and me and throws it into the laundry basket.

"The owner and the shareholders have been planning for an elevator for the beach. Unfortunately, we're not sure when they'll make it a reality," the waitress says.

An elevator? That's a good idea. I've seen it done before at beaches in other countries. Making a beautiful beach, such as the one here, more accessible will definitely bring more visitors here. It'll be an absolute great investment for the resort. It's a shame I won't be able to experience it firsthand.

"That's too bad. Maybe we'll get back here once the elevator is built," I say.

"Please do. If you don't mind me asking, are you here on a vacation or other occasion?" The waitress asks.

Should I tell the truth or not? Oh, I definitely should. We're in Fabio's territory right now, so basically everyone here is his eyes and ears. So, I should definitely tell them we're here for Antonio's birthday.

"We're here to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday tomorrow," I say.

"Oh! Happy birthday in advance," the waitress says to Dante. His eyes widen, and he shakes his head and hands at the felicitation.

"Oh, no. That's not me. I'm just her bodyguard," Dante laughs. The waitress's face visibly turns red in embarrassment. She quickly looks away from us, and then looks at us again apologetically.

"I'm so sorry. I thought you're a couple," the waitress says.

"No worries," I say. Despite what I say, the waitress still seems embarrassed, but she hides it with a smile. I turn to the bartender, not wanting to make the waitress even more embarrassed. In reality, Dante and I could be a couple, but of course, we can't let them know the truth.

"Anyway, how much for our drinks?" I ask, pulling out my wallet from my bag.

"It's on the house. Don't worry," the bartender says with a smile.

"Please. Let me pay," I say.

"You don't have to. Take it as our apology for the unexpected weather," the bartender says.

"Alright then. Here's a tip for both of you," I say, putting some money right into the waitress's hand and right in front of the bartender. They try to return the money, but I ignore them and move away from them with a smile on my face.

"Thank you so much for everything. Ciao," I say. Dante and I quickly leave from the bar before the waitress and the bartender can return the money to me.

Dante and I are now back in our room. Our clothes and hair still wet from the downpour earlier. I stare out the window and scowl as I see the sky getting clear and sunny again as it was earlier.

Damn it. What the fuck? Ugh. I hate this. Why is this happening to us? I hate how the rain made my clothes and newly washed hair wet, but at the same time, I like that it made it possible for me to see Dante's abs and muscles. Gosh. He's so fucking hot and I hate that I can touch what I don't have.

"You should go get changed now and dry your hair," Dante says.

He's right. I should do it now or else I'll get sick again. As much as I miss the time when I get sick and have Dante to take care of me, I don't want that to happen now. If that happens, my plan for Antonio would be ruined.

"Okay," I say.

Once I have my suitcase unfolded, I grab a fresh and clean set of clothes and go straight into the bathroom. With the door closed, I quickly slip out of my wet clothes and jump into the shower for a quick rinse with warm water. After I finish, I dry myself and put on my dry clothes: a light blue t shirt and white shorts. Too lazy to dry my hair, I wrap it in the towel and walk out of the bathroom.

My feet stop in their place as my gaze falls on Dante. He's there sitting on the edge of the bed. Shirtless. Only one of his black trousers cover his lower body and legs. He looks up at me, smirking slyly. At this moment I feel like he might have mood swings problem or something because, what do you mean he was so unwilling to be with me earlier but now he's teasing me? Gosh. He'll absolutely be the death of me.

A knock on the door breaks our staring contest. Dante quickly puts on a black T-shirt and answers the door. My eyes widen when I see who's at the doorway. It's my father. Noticing we're in different clothes than we were earlier, he begins staring us down. His eyes go back and forth between Dante and me, silently scrutinising us. I can only hope he won't get the wrong idea because nothing did happen between Dante and me.

"Changing clothes already?" my father asks. I smile awkwardly at my father. Damn. He definitely thinks something happened between Dante and me.

"Yeah. We had too. We were outside when it was raining," I say. My father only nods, still staring at Dante and me with a glint of suspicion in his eyes.

"Right. How about your bed problem? Why didn't you switch rooms with Carlo?"

"I- We've figured something out. I'll sleep on the bed and Dante will sleep on the window seat there," I say, pointing right at the bed replacement. My father nods, looking satisfied with my answer.

Phew. That was close. I almost told him Dante will be sleeping next to me. If I did tell him that, we're so fucked, especially Dante. I won't let anything happen to him, though. If my father wants to punish Dante, then he should be punishing me as well.

"Good. Now get ready. It's lunch time. I'll wait for you at the restaurant by the pool," my father says.

"Okay. We'll be there in 10 minutes. I need to dry my hair first," I say.

"Alright," my father says.

When my father is finally out of our sight, Dante closes the door with a sigh. I guess he's as worried as I am. Thankfully, our problem has been diverted. Now I should go dry my hair or else my father will really think something is going on between Dante and me.

"Close save, Ale," Dante says.

"Yeah. That was close. I'm gonna dry my hair now," I say, going into the bathroom again as I slip off the towel from my head.

"I'll wait in the bedroom," Dante says, pointing in the bedroom's direction.

"Okay."

I grab the hairdryer and begin to dry my hair, ruffling my hair as I point the hot air toward my wet hair. My face scrunch as my hair flies all over my face. This is what I hate about drying my hair. It better dries up soon.

Lunch will be quick as always and nothing will happen right? Riiight? It better be so or I'll lose my damn mind. All I hope is for my father to not suspect anything between Dante and me because frankly, I don't know how much longer I can lie to him and keep my feelings only between Dante and myself.