Amici ed Amanti

Amici ed Amanti

~*~

Roman Holiday - Part 2

Liam pressed a kiss to the Italian witch's cheek before offering his oldest friend a hug. "S'ok, it's easy enough to mix up. You'll have to forgive Bella, her English is very bad."

"I'm sure it was an honest mistake." She stepped in his embrace, enjoying the warm shiver up her spine that being close to him always brought while trying not to think about the fact that he was clad in only a pair of deep red silk pyjama bottoms.

"You're not going to cold-cock me if I give you a kiss are you?" he whispered dangerously close to her ear, making her knees feel weak.

"No." She shook her head slightly, butterflies fluttered in her stomach.

"Good," he responded with a laugh then proceeded to lay a big wet sloppy kiss on her cheek. "Just checking. I'll show you to your room. You can fresh up while Bella and I get dressed."

Lucy Ann could feel Isabella's eyes boring a hole in her back of her as Liam practically dragged her by the hand to the room that would be her's for the duration. Thankfully the other witch disappeared behind the door that led to the master suite, leaving them blissfully alone.

"Here we are," he said, opening the door for her. She entered the ornately appointed room decorated in creams and pale gold. The ceiling fresco was an angel theme. "You should find everything you need. The loo is the door the left there."

She nodded. Being around him again after nearly a year was playing havoc on her ability to think. So much for thinking she was over her silly school girl crush.

"You might want to change clothes," he continued on, "you're not in England anymore and it's going to be hot today. We'll have a little brunch out on the terrace once I get dressed. You're hungry right?" He had managed to make his way to the door by the time he finished.

"No, I mean yes," she stammered. "I'm sorry. This morning has me all out of sorts."

"It's all right. It's my fault - I left you in a lurch. Can you forgive me?" One corner of his mouth was quirked up in that half-smile of his that made her heart skip a beat. She knew it was his get-out-of-trouble smile, and it worked like a charm every time.

"Of course, I could never be angry with you."

"Good, I don't think I could bear it if you were."

Lucy Ann sucked in a deep breath before forcing a smile. "Go on you silly thing and get dressed!"

"I'm going, I'm going," he muttered before turning to face her from the doorway. "Lucy Goosey?"

"Yes?"

"I'm glad you're here," Liam said softly, pulling the door closed behind him.

~*~

Lucy Ann shrugged off her jumper before resizing her cases and unpacking a bit. She chided herself for being unable to shake the image of Liam's bare chest, not to mention the trail of fine pale gold hair that disappeared tantalizingly beneath the low waist band of his pyjamas. What she wouldn't give to...it was wrong to think of her best friend that way.

She shook her head hard to clear the image from her mind then splashed cold water on her flushed cheeks. It was all that other witch's fault she was in such state. If Bella wasn't around, draping herself all over Liam then everything would be okay. If only she were back in school...

"You have got to get a hold of yourself girl," she admonished herself as she picked out a simple pale yellow linen sundress decorated with lavender sprigs of flowers and brown leather sandals.

With a few quick styling spells, Lucy Ann's long chestnut colored hair was twisted up in an intricate knot. After a cursory glance in the mirror, she was prepared to face brunch with Liam and his bint.

Bella was lounging gracefully in one of the chairs in the shade sipping a glass of orange juice when she walked out on the garden terrace. Just as Liam warned, the day was hot already, but there was a nice breeze blowing to keep it from being unbearable.

Lucy Ann took the seat across from the dark haired witch. There was just something about this other witch that made just made her want to kill. She was going to put her best foot forward if it killed her despite the welling animosity. "I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Lucy Ann."

"Mmm," Bella purred, carefully looking her up and down.

"I went to school with Liam," she continued on, feeling the need to fill the space with idle chatter while she slathered a croissant with strawberry jam. "We've practically known each other our whole lives. Where did you meet him?"

Bella scrunched up her nose at her companion's breakfasting habits. "My English is not so good. I know not what you speak."

"I'm sorry! I don't speak Italian - just enough to get by," Lucy Ann explained awkwardly, wishing Liam would show up to break the tension. She couldn't remember ever feeling this uncomfortable around a witch he was dating - there was just something about this one in particular that set her on edge.

"Buon giorno!" Liam's voice stopped her mutinous thoughts of wondering where Bella kept her wand and where she'd love to stick it. "Che bel giorno con due donne magnifiche!" He settled in the seat across from Bella and began filling his plate with food.

Lucy Ann thought she was going to melt into a puddle right there on the spot if he didn't stop speaking in Italian - her wildest fantasy almost come true. It was one thing for him to speak English, but dear Merlin in Avalon, the way the Italian rolled so easily off his tongue. Why, why, why couldn't she have taken Italian instead of French?

"Va essere l'oggi caldo," Bella said, nibbling on grapes. "Sarebbe un giorno buono essere pigro."

He chuckled. "Non oggi mio dolce. Are you finding enough to eat, Goosey?"

"Uh, what? Oh yes," Lucy Ann responded, shaking her head to clear the thoughts of him whispering naughty things to her in Italian. She grabbed another croissant, nearly knocking over the pitcher of orange juice in the process. She could just feel Bella's scathing stare.

He caught the pitcher before it could spill, averting a disaster, and settling back in his chair like nothing happened. "I unfortunately have to go into work this afternoon for a bit. I thought you were coming this evening. I can't get out of it."

"It's all right, not your fault there was a misunderstanding," she said while leveling a dark look at the witch across the table. Bella gave her a slow smile in return.

"Good, that is settled. Bella will keep you company this afternoon, farà non lei mio dolce?"

"Sì, sarebbe il mio piacere."

Liam gave Isabella a warm smile while pulling her towards him by the hand so he could lavish it with a kiss. "All right, I must go, but I'll be back as soon as possible. Lucy Ann, make yourself at home. Bella is going out of town for a few weeks, but she's not leaving for a couple hours yet."

"Okay." She tired not to seem crestfallen at the prospect of spending the afternoon with the bint.

He hugged her from behind, whispering in her ear, "Bella is fantastic once you get to know her."

Lucy Ann could feel her watching the exchange through narrowed eyes.

He took the black robes the little house elf was holding for him and slipped it on over his sky blue silk shirt and charcoal gray trousers before Disapparating.

Faced with spending the afternoon with that witch, she decided to make the best of breakfast, filling her plate with eggs, fruit and bread.

"Another croissant?" Bella asked critically, in lightly accented, but otherwise perfect English. She stood, smoothing out her pale blue raw silk sundress over her lush curves before heading inside. She turned to face Lucy Ann from just past the double doors, her voice dripped with pure venom, "You are already, how do you English say it? Ah, yes, sturdy."

~*~