Chapter 28 Bridging the Distance
••Roman••
When I entered the room that evening, I found Luciana sprawled out on the bed, looking as if she had given up on the world. Her head was deeply embedded in the pillow, while a half-empty cup of chocolate milk rested on her table, accompanied by an empty carton lying nearby.
She didn’t acknowledge my presence—not even a flutter of her eyelids. I might as well have walked in as a ghost.
I noticed the windows were locked, the air inside thick and stifling. I approached and opened them wide, letting the cool night air flow in.
“Everything okay?” I inquired.
“Just perfect,” she snapped back, her tone sharp enough to slice through silence.
Right. Message received. That tone belonged in a museum under a plaque titled ‘Absolutely Not Fine.’
I took her response as a clear "no," but I made my way to the bathroom regardless. After a shower, I emerged wearing sweatpants with a towel draped over my shoulder. As I stepped out, she dashed past me into the bathroom, as if she had been holding it in for ages.
Probably just needed to pee.
Then there was silence for awhile, I didn't hear the sound of running water or toilet flushing.
Then she exploded out of the bathroom like a rocket. “It’s in there! It’s in there—it’s—” Her voice became a jumbled mess. She looked like someone who had seen the devil doing cartwheels on the sink.
“What’s in there?” I asked.
Without uttering a word, she pointed.
My instincts kicked in; I rushed to my closet, grabbed my gun, and moved cautiously ready for anything.
I scanned the bathroom.
Left, right, ceiling.
And then I spotted it.
A spider. Just sitting there on the wall, as if it owned the place.
For a split second, I was torn between laughter and the urge to bury my head in a pillow. Then I recalled Andrian's journal entries about her intense fear of spiders.
She's scared of spiders.
I glanced at her: her eyes were widened, her face pale, and hands trembling.
My expression said it all: Are you kidding me?
I noticed a rolled-up magazine by the sink—who leaves these things around?—and I swiftly smashed the spider. A clean hit. Problem solved.
I exited without a single word.
\---
••Luciana••
I felt utterly foolish.
My heart raced from the shock of encountering that eight-legged monster. I had arachnophobia, a fact that Matteo and Antonio never let me rest about it. Matteo even sprayed my room in Sicily every week like he was blessing a shrine.
I tried to ignore Roman, but sitting on the toilet with a spider glaring at me from the wall was simply not an option.
Impulsively, I ran to him, but now regret was gnawing at me. I don't know how to face him after that show i performed.
Dragging myself back to the bed, I buried the embarrassment and attempted to concentrate on my movie as if nothing had happened.
A few moments later, he asked, “You alright?”
“Yes. Thank you,” I mumbled. At least he didn’t laugh, which was more than what Matteo would have done. Matteo would still be laughing next year.
I thought the night might fall into a peaceful silence, but Roman settled on the edge of my bed and spoke.
“Luci...” His voice was calm, quieter than usual. “About earlier—the whole Katya situation. You misunderstood.”
I looked at him, choosing silence.
“She came to deliver a message from her father. That’s all. There’s nothing romantic between us.” He paused. “Not anymore.”
My shoulders relaxed slightly, yet I forced myself to maintain a facade. “I don't care about that,” I replied coolly.
He hesitated for a moment before saying, “Fine, but can you at least stop acting like I’m invisible?”
Unsure of my ability to respond, I nodded—a subtle gesture, but he caught it. His gaze softened, as if the tension had eased into calm.
A quiet moment unfolded.
Leaning a touch closer, he looked at my tablet. “What are you watching?”
My face lit up before I could catch myself.
“Oh! This cartoon. I used to watch it with Matteo. Look at this scene—it’s hilarious! He always rewinds it at least five times. And then see this part? Wait, let me show you…” I prattled on, while Roman watched me like he wasn’t sure whether to laugh or question my entire age.
Yet, he listened.
Then, out of the blue, he asked, “You’re really scared of spiders?”
I froze.
So that moment wasn’t lost after all. I remained silent.
His mouth twitched into a slow, amused grin, followed by a soft laugh.
“A fierce Sicilian princess… scared of a spider.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks as I rolled my eyes at him.
"What an asshole," I thought.