Unexpectedly Love

I'm Claudia an 18 year old girl living in Milan a few months ago I broke up with my boyfriend and it was devastating for me, also because we grew up together we did everything together from kindergarten to middle school where we had our first kiss, the first time after five years of intimacy and since we had both finished high school and had a job I thought we would move in together I would have been enough even a studio apartment but it was not what I wanted....

I only found out when we came back from our holidays, we had spent a week in Salento and when we came back one evening when his parents were away and we had the house free after dinner while we were sitting on the sofa he said to me point blank

"I'm leaving on Monday.

"Where are you going?" I asked, shocked, as we had just returned from holiday.

"to rome?"

"What?" I looked at him, not understanding where he wanted to go.

"I told you I want to go to university and so do you...I'm going to La Sapienza!"

"Why? There's a university here too!"

"Yes, but I'm going there" he says almost ruthlessly while I had a knot in my throat.

"Do your parents know?" I asked.

"No I told you first, I'll tell them tomorrow when they get back.

I was terrified to ask, but I did the same.

"Why did you change your mind?"

We had talked about going to the same school and now he changed his mind.....

Why?

"Claudia, I don't want to lie to you."

That didn't bode well, but as I went on, the blood froze in my veins.

"You were my first kiss, my first time, my first girlfriend and this has been going on for too long, I know we had decided otherwise but I changed my mind.

I don't want you to be my only girlfriend I want to experience and....and better that way trust me at least there won't be unnecessary embarrassment"

I look at him with wide eyes

it wasn't him...

it wasn't marco in front of me ...

he didn't mean it...

or yes!

his downcast eyes were telling me yes .

There was no point in standing there.

Doing what?

Trying to change his mind?

It was impossible.

I knew him too well.

So I get up without talking and leave.

I get into the car and go home and cry.

It was all over.

After a week school started and I spent those few days crying with the phone disconnected, I didn't want to hear or see anyone.

I didn't want to see anybody, I just wanted a shoulder to lean on, but I didn't feel like telling my friends, so in those days my greatest friend was the ice-cream tub on which I gladly drowned my sorrows.

Sunday evening I set the alarm clock for 6.30 a.m.

The next day was the first day of school and I would arrive early. I had got it into my head that I would have to take a scholarship.

So I had to work harder than before.

in the mornings I went to the university and when I left I went to a bar to wait tables until eight o'clock in the evening, then I had to go home to cook and study. it was hectic, but I was fine with it, at least I could avoid thinking about Marco.

MARCO

Marco

WHY DID YOU DO IT?

Why did he have to be so cruel?

It had only been a few days since my return to work and school, but my colleague at work had noticed something. I'd been working there for two years and Marco had always come to pick me up in the evenings, even if we didn't go out, but he always came.

So one afternoon he came over.

"Claudia, are you OK?"

"Yes, why?"

"You have a face," my friend said.

"Of course, I have to study, work and run the house by myself." I answered with a shrug.

"And your mother"

"Listen, don't mention her, if I'm in trouble it's her fault!" I exclaim exasperated.

"All right! What about Marco? "he asks again

"We broke up" I answer with a lump in my throat.

"That's why I couldn't see him anymore".

"Yeah"

"Since it's a quiet moment, come and have a coffee and tell me everything".

and so we did, Emma was good at listening without judging, and this time she didn't let slip

"what a big bastard"

"come on Emma, don't exaggerate" I replied and she looked at me really angry.

"I'm not exaggerating, go to his house, eat together and lie down on the couch when you expect the evening to be exciting, let's say so, he arrives with the excuse that he's going to Rome to experience something, because it would be embarrassing for you to see him.

.....and a big asshole"

I smile sadly at his words

He was right

a huge asshole

but a colossal one

"and you left without saying or doing anything?" he asks again.

"Yes," I answered.

"You're so stupid, he should have told me, I'd have smacked him twice, but his parents might have done it".

His parents could say that they were already seeing us at the altar, and I would have liked that too, of course not now, but in a few years, why not?

"Why don't you download this app?" he said, showing me his phone.

"and what is that?" I asked

"an app for singles and a way to meet people."

"and have you met someone through the app?" I ask

"no, but only because I didn't like them".

"but look I don't know" I start to say

"why not?"

"take it as a game you make the profile if there is someone you like you chat with him otherwise not".

"Like Facebook?"

"Yeah, more or less, only here there are only single people."

"I don't know, I'm not convinced"

"and noticing my silence he continued "but do you think that lousy guy as soon as he got to Rome didn't start chasing girls left and right?

"I don't know and I don't care" I say, but both she and I knew it was a lie

I hoped she hadn't done it and yet inside me a tiny little voice was telling me that Emma was right.

She had said it.

"I'll meet you at my place to get a pizza and we'll do it" Emma said.

"OK" I gave in, I didn't see why I had to cry for such an asshole and she was happy too, she smiled at me.

"good girl"

After a couple of hours we finished our shift so we went to her house Emma had been living alone for a couple of years even though she was only two years older she had much more experience than me both in love and in life she said that by now she only trusted me and that for the rest she lived by the motto

"TO THINK WRONG IS NOT WRONG".

With all that I told her that life is not always like that, she replied

"wait and see"

in fact she was not surprised by marco's behaviour .

that evening while we were waiting for the pizza we chose a photo to put as a profile picture

"now you have to write something to talk about yourself" emma said

"alright" I answered

so I write the truth that I'm 18 years old, I study and work, I like to read, dance and jog, but when she read it she didn't agree, so after a series of changes I wrote "I'm sweet and kind, I like to dance all kinds of dances even if I prefer Caribbean dances, I like to read and I love sports".

"Doesn't that sound like an ad for an escort?" I asked doubtfully.

"No way! In fact, do you bet that Marco is in this chat room?"

"I'm not interested"

"What do you think he'll do if we take the piss out of him when he sees you?"

"no thanks it would look like I'm running after him but it's over".

"Whatever"

so we finish the profile putting all the requested information and instead of putting my name I put Jennifer and I don't put the phone number as many people did.

after the pizza we went to watch a movie

because even if I arrived late there was no one waiting for me.

We put on a comedy film to lighten up the evening.

We were in the mood for a laugh and while we were laughing and eating popcorn my phone rang and I opened it and there was a notification from the app.

I opened it and there was a message. It was a simple "hi, Jennifer".

But I wasn't expecting anything from this app.

"I got a message back" I say surprised.

"reply" says my friend

so I reply

"hi max"

"What are you doing?" she asks

"I'm at a friend's...girls' night out" I answer "and you?"

"I just got back to the barracks."

"In the barracks?" I ask him

"Yes, I'm in the army" and after a moment "Didn't you look at my profile?"

so I go to his profile I don't know if it was him but it wasn't bad

"waw" commented Emma at my side "the usual lucky girl".

"yeah but don't you think that if he was really like that he wouldn't be in the chatroom!"

"Come on, he's not a paedophile, he just wants a little bang, but after what happened it would be better for you, at least for a while".

"But really me"

I said embarrassed, I might have seemed dumb, but I believed in love.

the true love that makes the heart beat

that overcomes everything

that sends you to paradise with a kiss

"Wake up, the phone is ringing.

In the meantime, Max had sent other messages

"Are you there?"

"You don't talk anymore"

"Am I that scary?"