Chapter 53 RóISE

Miceli tries to call me when I'm in one of my study groups.

I don't answer and he doesn't call back, but he does leave a voicemail.

Listening to it before the next study session, I grimace. Yeah, that's definitely not romance.

I'm dumping you on some random public relations person to handle our engagement announcement.

That's the gist anyway.

I get a bunch of calls from a number I don't recognize during the next study group. After three of my friends give me dirty looks, I put my phone on DND and focus on the material we're going over.

The group runs over and when I take the do not disturb off, there's a long string of notifications telling me I have four missed calls, three texts and a video message. All in less than two-and-a-half hours.

None of them are from Miceli.

I start from the oldest and make my way up. They are all from the same person. Giovanna Ricci, Communication Specialist with Oscuro Public Relations.

She uses the entire title with every voicemail she leaves. The texts are basic and all say the same thing.

AR : This is Giovanna Ricci with the PR division of Oscuro Enterprises. Miceli De Luca gave me your name. Please return my call immediately .

Immediately. Not at your earliest convenience or when you get a chance .

Her peremptory tone puts my back up and when I watch the video message I dislike her even more. She's gorgeous with a perfect figure and perfect hair .

I'm assuming about the figure because I can only see her torso, shoulders and head, but she's got the phone camera set far enough away, I also get to see part of her desk and what I'm sure is supposed to be an impressive office.

She cinches her place in my list of least favorite people when she mentions that she and Miceli are old friends.

Why do I need to know that?

And by friends does she mean fuck buddies? Because I'm not putting anything past this pushy woman.

I don't think Miceli will be happy when I tell him how difficult I'm finding it to get ahold of you, Róise .

Did I give her permission to call me by my first name? No, I did not.

And also, is that supposed to be a threat? I play the video for my friends while we slurp down caffeinated beverages to sustain us for the final study session of the day.

At least this one is for the class we're all taking so we'll be in it together.

"That's definitely a threat." Goodwin sips her iced mocha. "What a bitch."

Carrie winces at the b-word. "Maybe she's just frustrated. I bet he forgot to tell her it's finals week for you."

Did I mention that it's finals week to Miceli? Allessio probably did, right? "Regardless, I have a life that does not revolve around the mafia."

"Pretty sure they all think that's what your life is now," Traci quips.

I contemplate my Cherry Dr. Pepper morosely. "I have to call her back, don't I?"

They unanimously agree on the answer to that question . Yes. I have to call her back.

"Be the bigger person," Aleks advises.

Carrie nods in agreement.

"Fuck that. Tell her where she can put her stalker behavior." Traci slams back her five-shot espresso.

"I'm on Team Traci with this one," Goodwin says, making the rest of us laugh.

We call her Goodwin because her first name is Tracy and it's confusing in conversation. She's used to being called Goodwin from her time in amateur theater, which she started at the tender age of ten.

I text my stalker.

Róise : I will call you in two hours, after my study session .

Maybe if I give her some info on why I'm busy, she'll back off a little.

No such luck. My phone starts ringing about two seconds after I send the text. Same number. Yes, I check.

If I'm hoping Miceli will call, that's my business .

Annoyed at myself for hoping he'll call and the PR lady for being so impatient, I turn my phone all the way off. Which is not as easy as it used to be.

But I am determined.

After the study session I turn it back on, telling myself that I am not hoping there will be a missed call or text from my mafia lover. Good thing, because if I had been hoping, I would be disappointed.

There are however, several more from Giovanna Ricci.

I don't bother listening to the voicemails or reading the texts this time, but find a quiet place to sit down. Settling onto the prop sofa in the back of one of the improv classrooms, I call her.

She picks up on the fourth ring. Mind games? Really?

"Hello, Róise, it's good of you to finally return my many messages and phone calls."

"I prefer Miss Shaughnessy since we are strangers, Ms. Ricci." I may not play the part of mob princess often, but I know my lines. "As to your aggressively excessive phone calls and texts, I would suggest seeing a therapist for your compulsive behavior, but my guess is that you're just rude."

Along with her anxiety, social and agoraphobias, Fiona has a mild case of OCD. She would never hound someone the way this woman has been doing to me all day.

"Not returning my phone calls makes you the rude one and that's what I told Miceli when I finally called him practically in tears of frustration."

If this woman ever cries with genuine emotion, I'll drink the next noxious protein smoothie Aleks suggests.

Miceli had time to talk to my stalker, but not me?

"I'm sure the underboss was impressed by your inability to deal with the job he gave you without any handholding. Oh, wait…you called him. My bad."

Her silence tells me that maybe my fiancé wasn't all that excited to receive her phone call. Question is, would he even pick up for me?

"We've gotten off on the wrong foot, Ro—Miss Shaughnessy," she stresses my name. "My name is—"

"Giovanna Ricci," I cut her off. "I got that from your epic number of texts and messages."

"You do realize you are marrying into the Genovese Family? I am one of the capo's daughters. You should be cultivating my friendship, but maybe you are too young to realize that. "

Wow. This woman reminds me of the popular girls in high school and she's making comments about my age?

"I'm marrying into the don's family. I'm pretty sure Catalina and Aria will smooth my way better than you ever could."

Her laughter is ugly. "If Aria De Luca didn't hate the Irish, maybe."

Okay, I've had enough. "If you've got something to say or ask about my upcoming wedding, say or ask it."

"I have several questions."

What follows is a barrage of inane inquiries, like What is your favorite color? Who's your favorite singer? Please don't tell me Taylor Swift.

Of course, I tell her I'm a Swiftie. And I'm not even lying to get on Ms. Ricci's nerves. That it succeeds in doing that, I take as a win. Go me.

"What do you like to do in your spare time? We'll definitely leave any reference to RPGs out of it."

Is she proud of herself for knowing the acronym for role playing games? I'm an actor, of course I've played some. Almost all of my friends have created at least one character for a Dungeons and Dragons session.

However, I prefer scripted acting and since starting college, I haven't had time for playing any games.

"I'm a student," I remind her. "I don't have time for hobbies right now. I'm lucky if I get a chance to read a book that isn't on my curriculum."

Or to watch a movie or a show that isn't part of one of my classes. That night I binge watched a TV series with my cousins was the first time in three months I got to do something like that.

And I still had to write a paper on it for one of my classes to justify the time.

"Good. I'll put down reading, shall I? Do you do any volunteering?"

"What part of my last answer would make you think I have time for that?" Some students do, I'm sure, but then they don't have the additional social responsibilities that come with being a mob princess.

Most of the time, I cover for Fiona, which increases my responsibilities, but it's totally worth it.

As the conversation progresses, Ms. Ricci talks to me like I'm a teenager, not a twenty-one-year-old woman.

"The age gap is going to be hard to spin," she says, like she's doing me a favor figuring out how to do that.

Unimpressed, I say, "Miceli is only twelve years older than me."

As of my birthday .

He might think I'm too young. And this PR person definitely thinks I'm too young, but in the mob, women get married younger with a bigger age gap to their groom. My grandmother was twenty years younger than my grandfather.

The mafia is the same. Even I know that. So, why is Giovanna Ricci pretending she doesn't?

She continues with her silly questions about surface things, and then talks at me like I have no say in when the engagement gets announced or when the press conference is supposed to happen.

"Keep in mind that my last final ends at 3 PM on Thursday," I inform her. "My calendar is pretty clear after that."

"I will text your security detail with the particulars once they are firmed up," she replies, not acknowledging my words, like she's ignored so many other things I've said during this phone call.

What was the point of that call, much less the communication specialist's dozens of calls, texts and messages to get ahold of me?

To make me mad? Because that's the one goal she succeeded in accomplishing.

I text Miceli.

Mi Dolce Fiore : …

What the heck? He changed my name in our text stream. Is that significant?

Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love. He doesn't do love. Maybe he prefers thinking of me in other terms.

I can't exactly be offended by my sweet flower though. It's a play on my name and well, I like that he always includes the possessive mi .

Mi Dolce Fiore : I don't like your PR lady .

Ares : Giovanna can be a little intense, but she's good at her job .

Mi Dolce Fiore : You think? She didn't listen to anything I said. I'm pretty sure she's going to make it all up when she creates my bio .

Ares : Don't worry about it. Do you need to ask or tell me anything important?

Because the fact I intensely dislike the person in charge of handling the public relations for our engagement isn't that?

I guess I won't ask him about being old friends with her. He probably thinks stuff like that isn't important either.

Ares : Róise?

Mi Dolce Fiore : I have nothing important to add .

I tuck my phone in my bag and go looking for Allessio and Zoey. Unsurprisingly, I don't have to go far. They're waiting outside the door to the classroom where I left them after Allessio cleared the room.

~ ~ ~

There have been no texts from Miceli since yesterday. Looks like he didn't have anything important to say to me. Like, goodnight . Or to ask. Like, how are you?

I wouldn't dream of texting him anything so trivial either.

I put my phone on DND as soon as we reach campus and for the next two days, I only take it out of do not disturb at night before bed.

Not that I get any calls. Or texts.