Gio (5th Street)

  Bianca vowed she’d never sleep with anyone again unless she was in love. And while she didn’t even know she was in love with Felix until earlier that evening she did know what she felt for him was different than what she’d ever felt for any other guy. When they did make love for the first time it felt right. That’s all that mattered to her at the time. And now… now it would be truly different because now she knew he loved her. She could hardly wait to tell her mom and nana.

  CHAPTER 5

  With Bianca being such a distraction today Gio had forgotten to call his mom earlier to let her know he’d gotten there okay. He had a couple of texts he hadn’t read; one from her asking if he’d made there in one piece and another from Noah asking him to call him when he had time.

  He clicked the television in his room on and tossed the remote on the bed. While stepping out of his shoes he dialed his mom. She was a little pissed that he hadn’t called earlier—said she was beginning to worry but she got over it once he assured her he was fine.

  The next call he was going to make was to Noah but a commercial on the TV caught his eye. He was fairly certain that being around Felix for two whole months, he might run into a few celebs. He figured he should start brushing up on some pop culture so he wouldn’t feel so clueless if he met anyone he should have at least heard of.

  The tabloid show on now had just flashed a teaser clip of what was coming up. In the clip candid photos of Felix walking in the snowy streets of Chicago with an unidentified girl—taken earlier that day. The broadcaster asked if this could be Felix’s mystery girl that he’d been rumored to be seeing.

  With Felix’s upcoming fight getting so much hype Gio was sure the gossip shows were trying to cash in on it by airing even the most insignificant thing they could find on Felix.

  Gio closed his door all the way and locked it. Bianca was staying in the master bedroom on the other side of the massive cabin but he still didn’t want her walking by and accidentally overhearing the broadcast. He waited out the couple of minutes of commercials while he stripped down and threw on a pair of loose basketball shorts minus a shirt. Maybe it was freezing outside but the cabin was well heated. It was almost hot.

  They came back from commercial and Gio sat down on the bed raising the volume just slightly.

  “Boxing’s current welterweight champ of the world, Felix Sanchez has been linked to many of Hollywood’s A-listers including some of biggest athletes in the world. But most recently he’s rumored to be in a relationship with an unidentified woman in Big Bear, California. Insiders have suggested maybe that’s why he trains at his over twenty acre secluded compound located in Big Bear—to be near her. There have been sightings of Sanchez and this mysterious girl but as of today, there have been no pictures. Just today he was seen strolling through the downtown Chicago area where he was in town to make an appearance on the Stephan Walker show.

  “Photos were taken of him and an unidentified woman leaving Michael Jordan’s restaurant, One Sixty_blue, then getting in a car Felix himself drove back to the Omni Hotel where all of Walker’s guests are put up. Could his Big Bear secret romance be out? You be the judge.”

  The first few photos of Felix and the girl were harmless, they were smiling and talking seemingly oblivious to the photos being taken but there was no touching.

  “We caught up with them at the Omni as they drove up to the valet and exited their car.”

  There were more pictures of them getting out of the car; the girl waiting for him to come around the car to meet her and then there it was. He reached over and placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked into the hotel. He might still be able to explain this but the fact remained he was walking into a hotel with another girl. Gio shook his head.

  And here after spending the evening with Bianca he’d actually begun to believe that maybe Felix was serious about her. Why wouldn’t he be? She was everything a guy would want in a girl—beautiful, adorable as shit, but most prominent was how down to earth and incredibly sweet she was. She didn’t strike him as someone who would put up with this crap. She shouldn’t. But was it really possible she could be that naïve?

  Gio never kept up with any of the tabloid crap and here he’d watched one episode and already he was getting a blow by blow of Felix’s affairs.

  “Let’s go to Chicago now where Philip is standing by outside the Omni.”

  “You’re kidding me. They actually went on location just to get a glimpse of Felix’s new girl?” Gio watched disgusted as Philip basically reported he had nothing. They hadn’t seen the couple since the photos were shot hours ago. But they’d be looking out and actually had a crew heading to Big Bear as he spoke. “Fucking vultures.”

  Gio knew Felix had plenty of security and the odds of them getting any shots inside of the compound were slim. But the thought of them hounding Bianca still irritated him. She’d told him over dinner how she’d be staying at the compound during Felix’s time here but she was still going to continue going to school and into work at her grandma’s shop. No doubt the damn paparazzi would be staked out just outside the compound’s entrance. It was just a matter of time before they figured out who she was.

  Not only that, then they’d know the girl they’d seen him with in Chicago was not the same girl as Big Bear. Gio wondered how good Bianca would be about handling all the media bullshit.

  The show moved on to gossip about another celebrity. Gio picked up his cell feeling even more agitated. Not just at the media but at Felix. How could he be so stupid? He had to know these vultures were watching him all the time. What kind of explanation would he have for her? This would be interesting. But he’d seen Bianca cry twice already since he’d been here. He couldn’t be sure about the first time but he was almost certain it had been her initial reaction to finding out Felix wasn’t going to make it up tonight. Which meant she cared about him that much.

  The second time was just a testament to what he’d always suspected about her. Bianca was a sweetheart with a genuinely tender heart—a heart that Felix would most likely stomp. Damn.

  Noah answered on the second ring. “G? How’s it going up there? Are you cold yet?”

  Gio could practically hear the smile in Noah’s words. “Yeah, it’s colder than shit out there. But Felix has us hooked up. Dude, you should see this place. It’s unbelievable.”

  “I heard about it. He said he’ll have us all up at least once while he’s still up there. Make a weekend thing out of it.”

  “That’d be cool,” Gio said smiling.

  “So how’d it go today? Did you guys get started?”

  Noah’s questions brought back the irritation of knowing what Felix must be up to that very second. “Nah, he didn’t make it out of Chicago. Bad weather or something. He’s supposed to make it up here tomorrow. We’ll see.” He paused for a moment and stood up, then lowered his voice. “Hey, do you remember Bianca Rubio from high school?”

  “Bianca?” Noah paused as if he were trying to remember. “Oh, yeah, yeah! The one you were into?” Gio made a dead stop. He’d started pacing but Noah’s comment came as such a surprise.

  “Who said I was into her?”

  Noah laughed. “You did, ass. Remember?”

  Gio stood there, still not moving, trying to remember ever telling anyone. He’d never even admitted to himself that he was into her. There was just something about her eyes that he found so enthralling. But he’d never told anyone. At least he didn’t remember doing so. “No. When did I say this?”

  Noah continued to chuckle. Someone was in a good mood. Gio frowned and began walking again.

  “Maybe it’s ‘cause we were drunk. But I remember. That time I was all depressed over that stupid bitch that dumped me. I think you were trying to make me feel better. You said you had a thing for Bianca, the chick Felix was always flirting with so she was off limits. Then you made me swear on my bike that I wouldn’t tell a fucking soul.”

  Gio dropped his head back as the memories came flooding
back. “That’s right. Shit, I forgot all about that.” He’d completely blocked out the memory. “Holy, shit. I forgot about Felix and her back then, too. Well, get this. She’s here now.”

  “Here where? In Big Bear?”

  “In his fucking cabin. She calls herself his girlfriend and she looks even better than she did back then.”

  “You’re kidding me. Bianca? How the hell did that happen?”

  Gio explained everything Bianca had told him then added, as he sat back down on the bed running his hand through his hair, “She’s still as sweet as I remember her being and she really does seem to care about him. What sucks is he’s probably gonna do to her what he does to all the chicks he goes out with. Use her to his convenience.”

  “You never know, G. Maybe she’s different.”

  Damn right she was. “The hell I don’t know. I just saw his dumbass on TV. They had footage of him and some other chick walking into a hotel together in Chicago just today.”

  Noah was quiet. He’d been Gio’s best friend since high school. Noah knew him too well and Gio knew he sounded a little more irritated than he should. He really shouldn’t care about this so much. He never had before when it came to Felix and his trysts. In fact, it’d been fun to hear some of his stories in the past. But this was different.

  Before Noah could catch on to what Gio didn’t even understand he was feeling, he changed the subject abruptly. “So why did you want me to call you?”

  “I need you to leave next weekend open.” Noah’s cheery voice was back. “Roni’s making dinner and wants everyone over.”

  Finally, Gio had reason to smile. “Why? Is she pregnant?”

  “Dude!”

  “What?” Gio smiled even bigger.

  Noah had told Gio about Roni getting off the pill and that he might be a dad soon. This was no surprise. As much as Noah, who was an orphan, had always put up a front about not caring that he had no family and that his friends were his family, Gio knew having a family of his own was huge for him. Noah had been almost giddy when he told Gio about it. As young as Noah was, Gio had no doubt he was mature enough and could more than handle fatherhood.

  “Alright, but don’t ruin the surprise.” Again the smile Gio imagined on Noah’s face practically radiated through the phone. “She is, and since you’ve already ruined that part of the surprise I may as well tell you the rest. We’re getting married. I wanna do it before the baby is here so we’ll just have something small but she wants to go to Tahoe.”

  “Tahoe?”

  Noah told him about how since Roni couldn’t drink she could at least gamble and how she thought the snow would be extra romantic. They were basically eloping. Noah didn’t want anyone having to take time off and spend money to make it up to Tahoe but they’d have a little something when they got back. Noah was obviously excited. Gio couldn’t be happier for him. He’d never seen him so happy as when he was around Roni. He congratulated him whole-heartedly and was surprised that even with all the baby and wedding talk Noah went back to Bianca.

  “So, you gonna be okay being around Bianca?”

  The warm feelings of joy were suddenly overrun with annoyance. “What do you mean? Of course I am.” His words were so defensive he almost expected Noah to laugh but he didn’t.

  Instead, he sounded even more serious. “All I’m saying is, I know you. You already sound like this pisses you off. And I’m with you. It’s bad enough Felix does this to girls in his own league but to dick around with someone like Bianca, who you say is so sweet and probably has no idea what she’s in for, sucks. You’re a good friend and if she warms up to you at all and vice versa it’s gonna make it even harder to know his ass is just toying with her.” Noah sighed. “You’re out there for a reason, man. To get your mind clear and ready to get back to how things were before. I just hope you’re not gonna get all caught up in this shit.”

  Damn it if Noah didn’t read him like a book. He was already getting caught up and he hadn’t even been there a day. But he lied. “Nah, I’ll be cool. Fuck it. She’s gotta have some idea about what she was getting herself into with him. She can’t be that in the dark about it. Right?”

  It was wishful thinking and it only made sense that she did. But something in his gut, something in those unsuspecting eyes of hers told him she was really buying whatever crap Felix was feeding her.

  “I don’t know. You tell me,” Noah said. “Does she seem stupid?”

  “No!” Just like that, he was back on his feet. “Just trusting. And she’s beautiful. Why wouldn’t she believe Felix could really be feeling what he’s probably telling her he is? In fact after spending the evening with her I was beginning to think maybe he did, until I saw him on TV.”

  “Well, lets not jump to conclusions. We all know what the paparazzi can be like. Remember he told us about what they did with that photo of him and that ice skater a few months ago? This could be the same shit. And who knows maybe you can talk some sense into him. Tell him not to be such a heartless ass.”

  Yeah. That was easier said than done. Just because Gio could talk to Noah like this didn’t mean he did with everyone. He’d been as close to Felix as he was to Noah once upon a time. But that was years ago. Gio sighed. He hadn’t even realized how much this really bothered him until Noah brought it back up.

  “I guess. But I’ll be fine. Don’t worry, I won’t stress over this crap.”

  Even Gio didn’t believe his own words and he was sure neither did Noah but he was ending this now. He wanted to hang up on a happy note. “Hey, congrats again bro. I’m really, really happy for you guys. Give Roni a hug for me okay?”

  Gio knew Noah wasn’t completely convinced about him not stressing out. And as much as he told himself it really wasn’t any of his business and his friendship with Felix should come first, that’s the part that was seriously beginning to bother him.

  After only a few hours with Bianca, he already felt sorry for her—and annoyed as hell at Felix. No telling what a few more days and weeks around her would do to him.

  CHAPTER 6

  The next morning Gio woke to sounds of trucks outside. He peeked out the window and sure enough the plows were going. Gio had seen Felix’s private plows on the property last night. Now he knew why he had three. The entire long driveway had been snowed in overnight. Gio expected the winter to be white up here. He knew that’s what Big Bear was known for but this seemed a bit much.

  He showered and dressed in his favorite pair of jeans and a dark thermal. Once fully dressed he walked into the living room where Bianca stood in front of the television holding a mug in her hand. She was still in a bathrobe and her hair looked damp. When she heard his footsteps, she turned giving him a weak smile.

  Gio sucked in a breath for two reasons: for starters, she’d washed off all of yesterday’s makeup giving her that innocent fresh look like back in school. This was the Bianca he remembered and the look brought with it even more memories. Memories of staring at her when she was reading in class, though he’d made sure she never caught him.

  But she looked troubled now. From his angle, he couldn’t see what she was watching but he could guess. If they were airing the same thing he’d watched last night about Felix, that would do it. “Morning,” she said as he got closer. “Did you sleep well?”

  “Like a baby.”

  She smiled again just as weakly as the first time. He hated to ask but he may as well get it over with. He’d find out soon enough. “Something wrong?”

  She nodded and glanced back at the TV. “The storm last night. It’s good for the local businesses but only when the tourists down below can get up here. Looks like the main highway up here is completely closed down.” The corner of her lip lifted. “Felix is finally on his way but now the airport up here is closed. He’ll have to land at the airport in Ontario then wait it out down there. It may be another day before he gets up here.” She shrugged. “The only good thing is I took the whole weekend off. I would’ve never made it out of here in
time to get to the shop. Even with three plows they’re just now finishing up plowing the driveway. The shop opened a few hours ago. This is the most snow we’ve had in years. It’s a mess out there.”

  Gio came around to get a better look at the television screen. The news coverage went from pictures of power lines down, car after car stuck in the snow, and then to people struggling to shovel pathways from their front door to their cars. They listened to the rest of the broadcast without saying a word as the newscaster concluded that the main highway would most likely be closed until the following day. Bianca groaned.

  “She didn’t say anything about the airport.” Gio offered. “That might open up sooner.”

  His phone buzzed in his pocket and Gio pulled it out. It was a text from Felix.

  Just landed in Ontario. I’m sorry, man. I’m trying to get up there. I really am.

  Gio smiled and started to text back.

  “Is that Felix?” Bianca asked.

  Gio nodded glancing up at her. “Yeah, he said he just landed in Ontario.”

  He sent off his response to Felix.

  Don’t worry about it. You’ll get here when you get here. The accommodations in the meantime aren’t too shabby so I’m good.

  “Is he telling you about today?” Bianca walked past him and into the kitchen where Amparo was preparing breakfast.

  Gio looked up at her curiously. “No, what about today?”

  “He said once they clear up the driveway I should take you snowboarding.” She turned and smiled at him as she poured herself more coffee. “He feels bad that he has us both hanging around waiting for him.”

  Gio’s phone buzzed again and he checked the text again.