Rival?

"I’m sorry, I’m not proud of anything I did. Although I admit that everything was pretty funny". I speak smiling, hoping to relieve the tension, but Philip faces me seriously.

"Do you even know what you’ve done?" Philip questions arching one of his eyebrows.

I get nervous, embarrassed to admit the truth. Who at my age would need to explain something like this?

"Well, I..." I try to remember. "Hopefully, I didn’t do anything illegal".

Philip stares at me for a few moments and then extends me an envelope. I stare at him confused, but catch him and open. In the first photo, me and Vídia were on top of a truck, drinking with several people.

In the other image we were in a bus, again drinking, but this time with several elderly women. I hold the smile, since Filipe stared at me with anger. I’ll stop looking at the pictures, since I’d end up smiling.

"How did you get these photos?" I ask the looking at him with curiosity.

"I received them a few hours ago". He responds by taking me seriously.

"Did you tell them to take it off?" I ask trying to understand.

"No Giulia, I received them today". Responds and snorts, heading towards the plane and leaving me behind.

I look at the envelope and I see something written on the back. It said, Beautiful girlfriend. It was signed as Enzo Cavagnoli. I hasten my step to reach Philip, feeling my breath become agitated.

"Who is Enzo Cavagnoli?" I ask Philip, who keeps walking and pretending that I do not exist. "Philip, please!" I speak and hold his arm, making him pay attention to me. "What does that mean?"

"It means you and your friend took an unnecessary risk. Do you have any idea what might have happened to you?" Philip’s gaze on me is one of disappointment.

I feel a twinge in my chest, not only for doing what I did with Philip, but for finally understanding what could have happened to us.

"Filipe, are you trying to hatch an egg?" Fernando shouts from afar, kind as a horse kick. "That’s no way, my advice is to get out".

Fernando screams and gets on the private plane. Filipe was still silent, without looking at me.

"Let’s go, before they leave us behind". Filipe speaks breaking the silence, pushing me away and heading towards the plane.

Seeing him walking, in front of me and away from me, made me sad. A lonely tear came down my face, the only one I allowed to leave. I took a deep breath and held the cry, feeling my throat hurt intensely, but no. I couldn’t cry now.

How could I not think about it? Obviously I did not understand anything about Philip’s world and still did not fully understand the risk I took. But I knew that in a normal situation, it already became something totally unacceptable.

I sigh tired, hurrying my step to get on the plane. I sit next to Philip, who still continued to ignore me. But at the bottom of the plane, I came across Vídia and Fernando kissing, I rolled my eyes to that scene. I took a hot towel and threw it at them.

"Go to a motel". I complained.

I’ve said and recite, that was the weirdest couple I’ve ever met. They get angry about silly things and in situations like this, they’re almost undressing each other in public.

The plane soon took off and Filipe was looking for pretexts to look at me. How to tie the shoes, adjust the chair or ask something to the stewardess. I don’t really understand him, Philip had a different form than anything I’ve ever known.

"Do you want something?" The nice stewardess finally comes to me.

"I’ll have poison, yeah? I’ll have poison, ice and lemon". I speak making everyone look at me scared, so I fake an innocent smile. " Serve me your strongest drink, I’m hungover". I ask stirring that table that always wanted to move.

"Would you like wine, champagne, cognac or gin?" she asks helpfully.

I had taken a bag of peanuts, two pudding and two chocolate bars. I thought about my answer and was in doubt about what would really heal what I was feeling at that moment.

"You can put it all together". I respond decisively. "So there is no mistake".

The stewardess looks at me like I’m crazy and I really was acting like one.

"No drinks for her, if you continue like this I will put you stuck in a convent". Fernando shouts from behind threatening me and leaving me surprised.

"Do you think it would arrest me? I would drive everyone crazy." I say laughing.

I see Filipe’s hands tighten tightly the chair, leaving his veins to show. Would you be controlling yourself?

I had two shots of brandy and one of gin, I was already feeling lighter and that pain was gone. Just what I needed, to have to drink to forget. My kidney to fight. We landed right near the house of Fernando, very close.

Fernando had a landing strip at home and I tried my best not to be impressed by it. But it was too much, we entered the house and everyone was there to receive the bride and groom. Including a model, blonde and perfect, who ran into the arms of Philip.

"How I miss you, my dear!" Bianca says hugging him excited.

It’s my turn to face Filipe with one of my arched eyebrows and arms crossed. His expression is frightening and looks at me with great fear. I would smile at the situation if Bianca wasn’t hugging him with great intimacy.

I knew I couldn’t charge for things like this. Philip had something with Bianca and despite doubting his good taste, could not be angry about it. But I am not iron and I have no way to pass a woman touching him with such intimacy.

I deny with my head and with an ironic smile, I go towards my room. Now they both had reason to be angry. Where would it end? I enter the room and run to fill the bathtub.

I needed a bath and put on my clothes, to feel more comfortable. The words of that envelope come back to haunt me. It scares me to know that a complete stranger, perhaps a rival of Philip’s, has followed us and taken pictures. We had become totally vulnerable.