Broken Truth (32 page)

Waiting around the baggage carousel, Charlie waited patiently for her suitcases to come off. Luckily she had managed to secure a trolley which she hoped would help a little with the weight of her belongings.

Five minutes passed until the carousel finally started to move and circulate the luggage. Charlie spotted her three suitcases coming around on the carousel one shortly after the other. Springing into action, she grabbed each handle in turn and pulled her cases from the conveyor.

“Shit,” she sighed as she fanned herself with her hand. She looked between the luggage trolley and her three suitcases. She really didn’t want to exert herself anymore, but couldn’t see any other option.

 “
Volete qualche aiuto?
”

A hand rested on Charlie’s back causing her to jump away in alarm. Her eyes snapped up to the handsome face of the older gentleman beside her who was watching her with an amused grin.

“
Volete qualche aiuto?
”

She focused on his mouth as the smooth Italian language rolled off of his lips. She couldn’t speak Italian, but she hoped that by attempting to lip read it would give him a sign that she didn’t understand.

The man paused briefly before shaking his head with a smile. “Uhhh... You speak English?”

“
Si
,” Charlie replied with a nod.

He chuckled at her confusion between the two languages. “Yes?”

Realising her mistake, Charlie felt her face flush. “Sorry, I meant to say yes.”

“No problem,” he said with a wave. “You looked a little flustered, so I wanted to check if you needed any help loading your cases?”

“That would be wonderful,” she thanked.

She watched as the mysterious gentleman loaded her cases onto the trolley with ease. When he finished he turned towards her and held out his hand. “By the way... I’m Marco.”

Taken aback by his sudden friendliness, Charlie wavered slightly before she returned his handshake. “I’m Charlie,” she replied, ending their handshake swiftly. She wasn’t too keen with where this was potentially going, so she decided to ease up a little bit. Visions of the night with Jay suddenly infiltrated her mind and put her body quickly on the edge.

Sensing her reluctance, Marco held up his hands in surrender. “I mean no harm,” he laughed as he took in her closed off stance. “I merely wanted to help a struggling beauty with her luggage.”

“Thank you, I am very grateful for your assistance.”

“
Ciao Bella
,” Marco said as he leaned in to kiss Charlie on both cheeks. “I hope you enjoy your time in Milan.”

Charlie kept her eyes trained on the back of Marco as he made his way towards a private exit at the arrivals terminal rather than the main doorway everyone else appeared to be exiting through. Once he was out of sight, she turned towards her trolley and placed her handbag on top. Pulling out her mobile phone she flicked through her emails to find the details Imogen had sent her earlier. Refreshing herself on the instructions, she now knew that she had to locate her new roommate, Sophia, in the arrivals terminal. 

Pushing her trolley through the double doors into the main airport waiting area, Charlie scanned the various signs people were holding. She worked her way up the line until she finally spotted a tall, slim, blonde girl around early twenties holding a sign with her name emblazoned in purple lettering across the front.

“Sophia?” Charlie approached the young girl nervously. She watched as Sophia focused on her, a wide smile stretching across her mouth.

“You must be Charlie. I am so pleased to finally meet you,” Sophia gushed as she rushed forward and pulled her into a quick embrace. “I have heard nothing but wonderful things about you and I am very excited to be roommates for the next few months.”

“Oh, you are English?” Charlie looked at her with slight surprise as she took in the young girl’s similar accent. She couldn’t recall Imogen ever mentioning that Sophia was also from the UK.

Sophia bounced up and down on her toes excitedly. “Yep, I’m from Birmingham in the Midlands.”

Charlie nodded as she finally placed the Brummy accent she could hear. “That’s it. That’s the accent I could hear,” she smiled.

Sophia beamed. “I know right? Birmingham just has one of those accents that everyone remembers. But, to answer the question I can see burning away on your brain... I am half British and half Italian. I was born and raised in the UK, but I recently moved over to Milan around a year ago to be nearer to my grandparents.”

 Certainly from first impressions, Charlie thought she looked Italian. There was just something special and exotic about the way Sophia looked.

“Okay, I guess we’d better make a move,” Sophia said, casting a glance at her mobile phone. “You need to unpack and get settled before work tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Charlie lifted her eyebrows.

“Oh don’t worry, you won’t be working straight away. Boutiques in Milan rarely open on a Sunday unless there is a big event. They just requested you in the boutique so that they can start showing you around the place and stuff.” Sophia shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “You know, just to show you the ropes and get the paperwork filed before business on Monday. Then after work we have to get you registered with the local police station and town hall so that we can get your details in the system for employment.”

“It’s a good job you know what needs to be done,” Charlie laughed.

“That’s what I’m here for,” Sophia replied, nudging her out of the way to push her trolley.

Thirty

Waking up in her modest sized bedroom in the apartment she was now sharing with Sophia, Charlie put on her glasses and looked out of the window. She smiled to herself as her eyes took in the gorgeous city of Milan; a truly a breathtaking sight to see in the morning.

“Knock! Knock!”

Charlie sat up in bed as Sophia casually popped her head around the door.

“Did you sleep alright,” she asked as she crossed the room to sit on the edge of Charlie’s bed.

“Perfect. Thank you,” Charlie lied.

It had been possibly one of the worst nights sleep she had endured since her breakup from Callum. She wasn’t sure whether it was the overfriendly banter with Marco at the airport or the extremely vivid dream she had while on the plane. Either way, Charlie had spent the best part of last night tossing and turning until sleep finally took pity on her exhaustion.

“What time do we have to leave?” Charlie glanced around the room realising that she couldn’t see what time it was. She knew that they were expected at work early from what Sophia had told her yesterday, so she didn’t want to be late.

“We have, like, an hour,” she replied, stretching her arms lazily above her head. “Did you want any help picking out something to wear? You know, with it being your sort of first day and all.”

“That sounds like fun,” Charlie smiled, pushing the covers away from her body and getting out of bed. She hoped that clothes and work would help take her mind away from the one thing that plagued her continuously.

Walking over to the fitted wardrobe, Charlie opened the louvre doors wide to accommodate space for the both of them. Thankfully she and Sophia had plenty of time last night to unpack and get things organised.

“I think I know what you should wear,” Sophia squeaked, nudging her out of the way so that she could gain access. She flicked through the hangers until she found what she was after. “This,” she said, pulling out a fitted black and cream optical illusion dress. “This dress is the absolute shit. I noticed it when we were unpacking last night and I instantly fell in love. I think you should wear this today,” Sophia proudly advised as she passed her the hanger.

Charlie held up the hanger and eyed the dress warily. She was right, it was a gorgeous dress, but she just wasn’t sure if it was too much for her first day. She wanted to make a good first impression, just not the kind that stayed on a person’s mind for the wrong reason.

“You don’t like it?” Charlie guiltily watched as Sophia’s face fell.

“No, it isn’t that. I think the dress is absolutely stunning as I wouldn’t have bought it otherwise in the first place. I’m just kind of on the fence as to whether I should wear it for a first day?”

Sophia’s mouth formed a small O as she looked at the dress from Charlie’s perspective. “I totally get it,” she said, turning her attention back to the rows of hangers. “But, I still think you should wear something sexy.”

Looking at the determination spread across Sophia’s face, Charlie sighed knowing that she wasn’t going to get away with wearing a moderately covered trouser suit today.

“Holy shit. I feel like I have just stepped into the middle of high profile magazine shoot,” Charlie said, her mouth gaping open wide at the street Sophia had just navigated them down. She took in the breathtaking window displays that lined each and every building along the street with awe. It was a never ending parade of glass, lights and high fashion - she was in paradise.

Sophia chuckled beside her. “Welcome to the Quadrilatero della moda or The Golden Rectangle as called by the locals. This is Milan’s main fashion district which has been deemed one of the most important shopping areas in the world.” She gestured with her hand towards the many streets that led into the centre of the quadrilateral shape. “In this particular area you will find that many of the world’s high profile fashion houses have boutiques-” Sophia paused suddenly and turned towards an extraordinary window display featuring a theme of black and chrome. “And this... This is our little home.”

Charlie couldn’t help but let her jaw drop a little further as she took in the upper class shop front before her. She felt completely lost for words. There was no way that this was where she was working for the next six months. Everything just looked so large and shiny and new.

“What do you think?”

She turned to face Sophia, her face a mixture of shock and awe.

“It hasn’t been open long, but already everyone that works here is like a family,” Sophia explained as she squeezed Charlie’s shoulder. “Are you ready to go in and meet them?”

Charlie gulped nervously, but nodded her head in agreement as she followed Sophia through the doors of the boutique.

The sudden chorus of welcomes startled Charlie somewhat as she took in her new surroundings and the people in it with amazement.

“
Buongiorno signorina!
”

“
Ciao Sophia!
”

While she continued her visual exploration, Charlie heard Sophia conversing between the other employees in Italian. Although her pronunciation was amazing, Charlie could still hear the British twang in her accent which she found to be a comforting and reassuring sound. 

“Ahhhhh, so she is English like you?”

Charlie’s eyes snapped up as Sophia placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Yes, she is. She is from a little further up north than I am, but still from England.”

Charlie studied the young Italian man before her with piqued interest. Firstly, she noticed the unusual shade of mahogany coloured hair that had been spiked up artistically on the top of his head. Secondly, she was drawn towards the captivating russet colour of his eyes and the way that the dark brown and reddish-orange tints gleamed with unintentional seduction. Lastly, she took in his olive coloured skin and the way it complemented beautifully with the colours in his hair and eyes.

“
Buongiorno
, my name is Emilio,” he smiled, holding out his hand towards her.

“Charlie,” she replied, delicately placing her hand in his. She gasped as he unexpectedly lifted it to his mouth and pressed a soft kiss against her knuckles with a cheeky wink.

“Oh my,” she mumbled, stepping backwards to seek safety where Sophia was stood. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable with the whole situation and how affectionate all of the Italian men she had encountered seemed to be.

“Don’t worry about Emilio,” Sophia discreetly whispered. “He is like that with everyone he meets, but he is completely committed to his girlfriend and baby daughter.”