From That Moment (2 page)

“Look, I don’t think you should give up your dream because of Colin.”

Lia looked at the river. A boat full of Harvard rowers passed in front of her. 

“I don’t want this to get in the way of my career ambitions.” 

Anu nodded. “Yes. You need to remember the big picture. And hell, maybe he doesn’t even really remember that night?” 

“Oh, he remembers. He gave me this look.” 

“Well, we all do things that we regret. Life is messy,” said Anu.

“I guess.” 

“You can’t control everything. Maybe it’s time to open up that cocoon you’ve built around yourself. Make peace with the messiness.”

Oh how she knows me.
Lia felt her heart skip a beat. She wasn’t ready for this. 

“But...” 

After the incident, Lia had made it her mission to control her feelings, vowing never to allow them to make her decisions. She only ate what was part of her prescribed weight loss plan, and suppressed her emotions instead of feeding them. Her grades became the benchmark of her success as a human being. Dating was out of the question. Until today, she had been doing very well.

“Listen, I know you can handle this.” Anu’s eyes were determined.
She always believes in me.
Lia’s heart ached.

“I’ll give it a try.”

Anu smiled gently. 

“So how are things with Noah?” Lia changed the subject to something more lighthearted. Anu had met Noah at a party a few nights ago, and they had really hit it off. 

Anu’s eyes lit up and her cheeks flushed slightly. She brushed a lock of brown hair off her eyes.

“We went on a date last night, our first. He kissed me, I can’t believe it.”

“Wow, that’s great!” Lia was excited for her friend, but also felt a twinge of sadness. Would she lose their close friendship if things got serious with Noah?

“He’s really sweet and smart, and cute,” gushed Anu. “I almost can’t believe that I met him at that party. I never meet guys at parties.”

“He’s a grad student?” asked Lia.

“Yeah, Math grad student at Harvard.”

“Are you seeing him again?” 

“Yeah, we’re going on another date. Can’t wait.” Anu stood up suddenly. “Let’s go, a good run will make everything better for you.”

Lia focused all her energy on standing up and getting into a steady running rhythm.
It’s going to be okay, it’s going to be okay.
She repeated the positive mantra like a broken record over and over as she ran alongside her friend.

CHAPTER TWO

“Hey Lia,” her aunt Gianna looked up from the table where she was making ravioli. After the intense run with Anu, it was good to be back in Gianna’s cute little bistro. Zia Gianna’s was an Italian cafe in the North End of Boston, known for homemade pasta of every type and exquisite tiramisu. 

“Hi Gianna.” Lia gave her petite aunt a hug, smelling basil and rosemary. Gianna looked up, her green eyes smiling as usual. “How was school?”

Lia placed her backpack on a small table in the back of the kitchen, and washed her hands in the large sink.

“It was mostly good.”

“Only mostly?” Gianna laughed. “My brilliant niece going to MIT, I think you should be ecstatic every day! How many people would love to have your brains?”

“You’re too kind.” Lia blushed. Gianna always saw the positive in everything, she was the most optimistic person she knew.

“How can I help?”

“You could set the tables,” said a deep male voice. Paulo walked over to Lia, drying his hands on a towel. His dark hair framed his masculine square jaws and piercing green eyes. An earring decorated one of his ears. Girls swooned over him, but to Lia he was like a cousin. She teased him sometimes about his absurdly perfect features — he had the fullest lips and longest eyelashes she had seen on a man. 

“Hey Paulo.” Lia reached for the checked tablecloths, stereotypical for an Italian joint. 

“It smells amazing in here.” Lia inhaled. 

“Oh that’s your aunt’s butternut squash ravioli,” said Paulo. “She has the secret touch with those. Even I can’t make them as good.”

“Don’t be silly.” Gianna turned to look at her assistant. “You’re brilliant in the kitchen. I’m so glad I was able to get you before you ended up in trouble somewhere.”

Paulo shrugged. He came from a rough family, and he had been living mostly on the streets when Gianna had met him. She decided to give him a chance, and it turned out that he was a fantastic cook. He wasn’t easy to work with, he had lots of chips on his shoulder, but Gianna had a calming effect on him. Lia admired her Aunt for seeing the gifts in even the most unlikely people.

Lia walked into the front of the restaurant. The cozy spot had become her home since she had moved in after her college graduation. She had spent the summer working with Gianna, getting ready for grad school. 

“Here, let me help you.” Gianna followed her. They laid the tablecloths on each table, ten in total. “Lia, what’s up? Something’s on your mind.”

“I’m okay, but I just ran into someone that I never expected to see again. I have to work with this person, actually.” Lia sat down, wiping her hot forehead. “I was really excited about starting today.”

“I know you were, that’s why I’m asking.” 

Gianna sat down beside her. She poured Lia a glass of water from the pitcher that was sitting on the table. Lia sipped the cool water slowly and she and Gianna sat in a comfortable silence. 

“So?” Her aunt broke the silence, when she saw that Lia was finished with her water. 

“It’s just… I’m just reliving the most humiliating moment of my past. Kind of dampens my excitement about the lab.”

Gianna moved closer to her and hugged her. The comforting hug calmed Lia and she leaned on Gianna and watched the fan blades spin madly on the ceiling.

“Can you ladies come in here, I can’t make these raviolis all by myself.” Paulo peeked through the door, his green eyes surly. 

“Wait a minute, just do what you can.” Gianna replied, not in the least stressed.

“Lia. You have a tremendous opportunity in front of you. Don’t let anyone get in the way of your dreams.”

Lia nodded. 

“When I was sick, I didn’t let the doctors stop me from living my dream. My cancer was just a little obstacle that was thrown my way to test my resolve. And now, here I am, living my dream.” 

Gianna was Lia’s hero. Three years ago, she had been hit with a huge tumor in her colon; so big that the doctors doubted she would live past six months. They had pretty much written her off when they saw that the tumor had spread to her liver. Gianna had proved them all wrong.

Lia reached over, hugging her aunt. 

“Thank you Gianna, for that dose of perspective. I can be so petty sometimes.” 

Gianna grabbed Lia’s hand. “Now let’s go make some ravioli before pretty boy throws a fit.”

Lia laughed. Only Gianna could handle Paulo and all his flaws. They walked into the kitchen and saw Paulo furiously making ravioli. They were uniformly-shaped and perfect; even under duress Paulo had the golden touch. “Finally, now I can breathe,” he said. He looked tense.

“Lia, put the raviolis on trays, we need more room here.” Lia gingerly picked up the little works of art, praying that she wouldn’t damage any of them.

“So how’s your sister doing?” Paulo often asked about Alex. She had never given him the time of day, but that seemed to fuel his interest even more.

“She’s fine, I guess. I haven’t talked to her in a few days.” Alex was a great source of frustration for her. Her beautiful college-dropout sister spent half her life hungover, and the other half hooking up with random guys. She hadn’t ever recovered from their dad’s death five years ago. Gianna gave Lia’s shoulders a squeeze. She knew how hard it was to think about her family.

“Have you talked to mom?” Lia asked quietly. Lia’s mother hadn’t spoken to her since she had staged an intervention to remove all the alcohol from her home. Gianna shook her head. She tried to call her sister every day, but it was hard to talk to her. 

“Try this.” Gianna popped a slice of freshly-sliced mozzarella in Lia’s mouth. 

“Mm, amazing.”

“Want a caprese salad?” 

“Sure. Just a tiny bit of cheese, please.”

Gianna reached for the ripe heirloom tomatoes on the counter. She sliced one thin, then added some slivers of mozzarella. A quick dash of olive oil, some salt and pepper, a handful of basil leaves, and she handed the plate to Lia.

“Eat,” she ordered.

Lia bit into the juicy tomatoes and soft mozzarella, savoring every bite. Gianna was working with Paulo, the two of them filling and sealing raviolis in sync.

This was a good place to call home. Gianna and Paulo had become Lia’s family, stepping in for the one she had lost. Not a day went by without thinking of her dad; his absence was like an appendage that was going to be with her for the rest of her life. The noise of customers brought Lia back to the present. She slipped on her white apron, and slid to the front of the restaurant. The rest of the evening was a whirlwind of welcoming and seating customers. 

By the time Lia had a chance to stop and think, it was almost 10 p.m.

She and Gianna wiped down the kitchen. Lia sat down in a plastic folding chair, taking a deep breath.

“That was a good evening Gianna.”

“Yes, lots of new faces. I love it.” Gianna beamed, even though she had bags under her eyes. 

“I should get some reading done. I’m going to go into lab.”

“Why don’t you read here?” Gianna asked.

“It’s easier for me to focus in lab. It should take me an hour or two. Then I can come home and relax.”

“Okay, sweetie.” Gianna stood up. “I’m heading upstairs, I want to add a video about my butternut squash filling.”

Lia smiled. Her aunt was a mini-celebrity. She had her own YouTube Channel:
Gianna’s Italian Tidbits
. 

“Get some rest too,” she said. She always worried that Gianna was pushing herself too hard. On the other hand, she was so clearly in love with her life, that she must be doing something right.

Lia gave her aunt a kiss on the check, grabbed her backpack, and headed out into the warm evening. She loved summer in Boston, and she hoped that the warmth would last a few more weeks.

The streets were quiet; nothing like the weekend evenings, when the sidewalks were bustling with laughing people. Lia hopped on the blue line. As the train lurched forward she looked at her reflection. She still hadn’t gotten used to the new thin version of herself. Thirty pounds lost made a big difference on her 5’5” frame. She liked it, but she still felt like she was in a stranger’s body.

*************

Colin liked the quiet evenings in lab. The only noise was the humming of the fluorescent lights and the freezers. No questions from other students, asking him how to prepare solutions or where some obscure chemical was located. He sat down at his desk, settling into the padded chair he had taken from Dr. P’s office. He took a sip of his coffee, as he pored over the latest issue of Nature.
That’s my next goal. A paper in Nature. 

Colin had been published in other top journals, but he hadn’t yet published in the elusive and exclusive publication.
Maybe by Christmas. If I can get some more data by October.

He ran his hands through his hair. 

“Hey, just wanted to let you know I’m here.” The soft voice startled him out of his focus. He turned towards the speaker. He felt his heart rushing faster. His knees felt weak and he fought for the right words.

“Oh. Hey.” W
hy is she here now?
 

Lia stood in front of him, wearing a very conservative pair of khakis and buttoned up blouse. He blushed as he imagined himself opening her blouse, one button at a time. Was she hiding a lacy bra under that boring blouse?

“Uh...Have a seat,” he said gruffly. Colin was never tongue-tied around women; he didn’t understand why she had this effect on him. He felt his heart beating hard. I hope she can’t hear that. He tugged at his collar, trying to cool himself off.

As she sat down, he caught a whiff of basil and tomatoes. His mouth watered. He watched Lia pull her papers out of her backpack, carefully arranging them on the table. She was so gentle and meticulous. 

“You need any help?” he asked. He moved his chair closer to hers.

“I’m good,” she replied curtly. She pushed her chair away from him and gripped the paper she was about to read. His mouth opened, but nothing came out. Lia looked down at the paper.

“Uh...I...ok.” She glanced at him and he saw her eyes for a brief second. Just as quickly, she looked back down at her paper. Her legs were tightly clenched and she sat upright in her chair. 

Colin pictured himself massaging her shoulders, as she relaxed in his strong arms. 

He wanted to pull her hair out of her obedient ponytail and see her hair flowing over her shoulders. 

“You know...Uh, that’s a good paper to start with.”

Lia pressed her lips into a tight line and clenched her jaws. She breathed short, tense breaths. I
’m really ticking her off.

“I’m sorry,” he offered. Lia’s body relaxed a little and she looked at him fully this time.

“It’s okay.” Her voice was softer. She looked so pretty when he could actually see her face. Without makeup, her beauty was subtle and understated. Her large green eyes were kind with a hint of vulnerability.

“You know, you’re different from how I remember you,” he ventured. As soon as he said it, he regretted his choice of words. 

Lia’s eyes flashed with an emotion that looked like anger, but he couldn’t tell for sure.

“What do you mean?” She sat up straight again. Her eyes looked straight at him, waiting for an answer.

“Oh, um, you were much larger—I mean, you’re thinner now.” He wanted to crawl under his desk and hide.
I’m going to get it now.
Lia stood up suddenly. The chair rolled away from her. She crossed her arms, covering her chest. He heard the lab clock ticking as she stared at him.
Tick tock tick tock.