Enea

The rest of the world seems to believe that ancient people were stupid.

That humanity only became intelligent with the Industrial Revolution, and that before then we were ruled by superstition and nonsense.

I don't personally think that's true. I think humans simply have a tendency to explain what we don't understand using what we do, to see patterns where there aren't any.

However, that's me.

Italians, as a whole, are a little different.

What many people don't understand about us is that, unlike Americans, we're no longer living through our nation's golden age.

Some would agree, others wouldn't, but that doesn't matter too much.

What I'm trying to say is that we know our past generations were brilliant, and that our time in the sunlight is gone.

Yes, we still have excellence, but it will never compare to the Renaissance or the Roman Empire.

I'm not saying we gave up on greatness, or that we're trash now.

I'm saying we deeply respect those who came before us.

That's why we're among Europe's biggest users of proverbs in everyday speech.

And that's remarkable, because Italian wasn't even a language before 960 AD. Italy wasn't a country before 1861, and even after it became one, people only started speaking Italian because of the World Wars, compulsory education, and many other factors.

...

I'm getting sidetracked.

We like proverbs, but they often contradict one another.

They do in every language.

For example, in English, "Truth will out" is in stark contrast to "Time tries the truth."

If the truth is always going to come out eventually, yet time also tests it...

Wouldn't that make the truth worthless by the time it comes out? Or does it mean that time doesn't affect the truth until it's revealed? That wouldn't make much sense either.

Why am I mumbling about this?

Because Chiara needs to know the truth, and I intend to tell her.

How much of it? Is she ready to hear everything now?

I doubt anyone would be ready to hear that their boyfriend is actually two people living in one body... or that they're living in a sort of video-game Earth.

But, would waiting to tell her come back to bite me later?

Probably.

Wouldn't it be better to wait until I know everything before telling her?

No.

I doubt I'll ever know more. Destiny was pretty clear.

So I don't know.

One thing I do know is that I don't have that much time.

And most of all... I know that I love her.
So I don't want to hide things from her.

I wish... I wish our situation was easier.

︵︵︵ ๑ ♡ ๑ ︵︵︵

I entered my house.
"Anyone home?"

Silence followed.

Chiara hopped inside, closing the door behind her.

"Looks like we're alone. Mom must still be at work," I said.

Chiara nodded, a bit stiffly.
"What does she do?"

I set Pandora free, and she immediately peeked out of the carrier, looking left and right.
"She works as a fitness instructor, but she also does interior design as a side gig."

She frowned.
"... does she own the gym?"

I slowly shook my head.

"Oh," she murmured.

Yes, Chiara. We don't have much money on our own.

"But I'm sure your dad has to pay alimony and child support, right?" she asked warily.

I smiled as I walked into the kitchen.
"He does. And since he can't come near us, it feels so good to simply receive his payment every month. Not that money means much to him... he's very rich."

Chiara followed into the room, immediately walking past me to look inside the fridge.
"So, since he's rich, the payment must be big. By our laws, you need to maintain your ex-partner's previous standard of living until they can support themselves or find someone else."

She's very informed about this.

"Why do you know so much?" I asked.

She giggled.
"I like to watch Forum whenever I can."

That TV show about civil trials?

"MEOW!" Pandora shouted.

I looked down.

The kitten had her front paws on my leg.

"Do you have cat food?" Chiara asked.

Oh, right!

I picked the kitten up, setting her on my shoulder. 
She immediately calmed down.

I opened the cupboard, taking out a box with a picture of a cat printed on it.
I poured some kibble into my palm, not having a bowl.

Pandora didn't mind. She climbed down to my wrist and started eating from it.
I could feel her tiny tongue tickling me.

"She's so cute..." I whispered, enamored with the sight.

Chiara hummed.
"She is. But I'm a bit confused."

"Why?"

She started massaging her left temple.
"Mmmmmh... you're already so close. It's hard to believe she's a kitten."

She's not wrong.

"I know as much as you do. I'm not complaining, though. This is amazing," I confessed.

She laughed.
"I'm sure it is. Being in love is always amazing. 
Speaking of love..."

A chill ran down my spine.

Here it comes.

"Yes?"

She crossed her arms, tapping the fingers of one hand against the other.
"What was that thing about finding love for Michele?"

I sighed.

There is no way out of this.

But I doubt she's ready.

I walked to the dining table, making sure not to disturb Pandora, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

I gestured for Chiara to join me, and she did. Reluctantly.

Her eyes never left me.

I know Chiara is relentless and values the truth above most things.

I took a deep breath.
"Chiara, I don't know where to start. I don't even know if I should tell you... I want to. But—"

Her eyes hardened.
"But what? While we walked here, no matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn't think of a valid reason for you to do such a thing."

I raised a hand, gesturing for her to stop.
"I assure you I have a valid reason. More than one."

She frowned.
"Such as? I know he didn't ask you.
No offense, Enea. I like you so much it hurts to breathe.
But I'm much closer to Michele than you are.
He likes Elena. He doesn't go around looking for a girlfriend."

She likes me so much it hurts to breathe.

I couldn't help but smile.

She noticed, then touched her lips, blushing.

"Meoow!"

Pandora, having finished eating, immediately jumped onto the table.
She walked straight to my girlfriend, looking her in the eyes.

Chiara extended her hand, almost in disbelief.
Her fingers brushed through Pandora's white fur, gliding behind her ears.

Purring echoed through the small kitchen.

I didn't know what to say. I was just saved by a cat.

Pandora has defused the situation.

Maybe luck is on my side.

I'm not good at deceiving. Not that I would.

My only option is to be honest.

"Chiara, I'm afraid.
I don't want to lie to you or hide things from you,
but I'm also scared of hurting you... or losing you.
I have no other choice, though.
I need your help to find love for Michele.
I'm new in town, and I'm hardly a player," I confessed.

My girlfriend shifted her gaze from the kitten to me.
She kept blinking slowly, without uttering a word.
Her expression radiated confusion.

I slumped my shoulders.
"I'll tell you one thing per date we have. I'm doing it to protect your mind."

Her jaw dropped.
"My mind? Are you mental? There is no way we'll have another dat—"

"Meeeow," Pandora interrupted, rubbing her face against my girlfriend's palm.

She couldn't help but look at her.

Pandora...

You're the MVP today.

Time to attack.

"Chiara, I swear on my soul, on my family. I'm not lying or pranking you."

She looked back at me, her eyebrows twitching.
"You haven't said anything yet. So that promise is empty."

That's right...

"Then I promise the same about the present and the future," I vowed.

While I attacked with words, Pandora flanked her with cuteness.
A lethal combination.

She swallowed.
"Fine. You said one question per date.
This is a date, so I'm allowed one, right?"

I nodded.
"The question can't be to explain everything, Chiara. It needs to be precise."

She flinched, then rested a hand under her chin, humming.

I know you too well.

A few seconds of uncertainty passed, marked by the ticking of my wall clock.

Finally, with the last tick, her lips parted.

"Understood. Only because I like you so much, and because Pandora seems to be mind-controlled by you in this joint attack of cuteness.

I'll be open-minded.

But Enea... know that if I prove you've lied to me by spotting inconsistencies, even once, I won't even stop to say goodbye.

We'd be done."

I wouldn't expect anything less.

Thankfully, I have no intention of lying.

I smiled.
"It must have been a really good kiss for you to even consider this."

She blushed, coughing.

She's so pretty when she's embarrassed.

Pandora immediately jumped down from the table, landing on Chiara's lap before kneading her abdomen with her tiny paws.
"Meooow."

CAT ATTACK!

Chiara gasped.
"This isn't fair! You're being all mysterious and funny.
Plus... how did you train this cat to do your bidding so quickly?"

I wouldn't ask that.

Because I didn't.

I smirked.
"Is that going to be your question?"

Her eyes widened, and she shook her head.
"No! There is one I've been asking since the beginning.
I did ask, but the passing train drowned out my voice.
You didn't hear it."

I did hear it.

I simply didn't reply.

Since I know what it is... I know this is going to be tough.

I hummed in agreement.
"I'm ready when you are."

She nodded.

Her expression softened at my words.
At least, that's how it seemed to me.
Not that I could know for sure.
This was her moment to ask her question.

She picked Pandora up from her lap and placed the kitten back on the table, as if she didn't want to be distracted by her.

The little ball of white fur, however, didn't take her eyes off Chiara for a second.
She sat upright like a sphinx, watching my girlfriend's every move.

Her purring, Chiara's clothes rustling softly as she moved, and the ticking of the clock blended into a song, weaving a net of sound around us.

"I want to know..." She hunched forward. "How is it possible that you claimed to have loved me for a hundred days when I've known you for less than three weeks?"

Her eyes kept moving, tracing my face, studying my expression.

She can be so scary...

I gulped.
"On the fourteenth of September, I found myself trapped in a loop."

She squinted.
"A loop?"

I nodded.
"Yes. I would go to bed on the night of the fourteenth and wake up on the morning of the fourteenth."

"Shut u—" She was about to slam her hand on the table, but Pandora being there made her stop midair.

She started gritting her teeth, her eyes screaming murder.

That's not good.

Remaining seated, I turned and opened the fridge.

I took out a can of green tea and slid it across the table like a skilled bartender.

Chiara caught it as it passed beside Pandora, who looked at it with curiosity, probably wishing it had stopped at the edge of the table so she could push it off.

"I'm not lying, Chiara. Time kept looping, and I was trapped in it. 

I fell in love with you by watching you from afar over and over. 

That's why my confession was so weird. I had nothing to lose.
I thought the world was going to reset the next day. Does it make more sense now?" I explained.

"Wait..." She blinked twice before tilting her head. "You're serious, aren't you? You know I'm going to leave if you aren't, right?"

I nodded.
"I am serious."

"And, was the day always the same?" She touched her lips, as if she could stop the words from escaping.

I shook my head.
"Don't worry, Chiara. Once something is revealed by one of your questions, we're free to talk about it. You didn't waste your next question."

"Ah... that's reassuring. I think.
Is it? Sorry, I need some air."

She stood up, walked to the window at the end of the room, and opened it.

I gave her a few seconds to breathe, but I didn't need to.

I had a little furry ally who had already climbed onto the windowsill, her purring never stopping despite the birds occasionally distracting her.

"Please continue," Chiara said.

I smiled, despite the fact she couldn't see me.
"The days didn't always play out the same way.
But no matter what I did, two things would always happen, and I was forced to witness them."

She started tapping a finger against the windowsill.
"Let me guess. Michele's indirect rejection was one of them."

She's so smart.

"Yes."

"And the other?" she asked.

"Cristina Pastorelli would always single me out," I replied.

She turned to face me, leaning against the window.
"Huh? You said you tried everything.
Did you try skipping school?
How would she single you out then?"

I sighed.
"I'd run into her on the street... wherever I went.
If I stayed home, she would call.
If I didn't answer, she'd call my mother, claiming she'd seen me skip school, which always ended with me being dragged to Toschi."

Her eyes widened.

She began biting her thumbnail while pacing back and forth in front of the window.

Pandora's tiny head followed her every movement.

"Sorry if I ask again, but..."

"Don't be sorry, Chiara. Ask as many times as you want," I said calmly.

She stopped walking.
"Thank you... I guess."

"Don't mention it. I know it's hard.
For what it's worth, you're taking it much better than I did," I confessed.

Her eyes finally met mine.
"Wait. What does that mean?"

I shrugged.
"When I said I tried everything to escape it, I meant everything.
I even looked up what happens in anime and novels... anything I could find."

She immediately rushed over, grabbing my shoulders.
"Tell me you didn't do anything reckless."

What?

"No. There were lines I refused to cross," I replied.

She let out a long breath, her shoulders relaxing.
"I'm so glad..."

Her expression hardened, and she slapped the back of my head.
"Then don't say 'everything' next time!"

I laughed.
"I guess you're right."

"Meow!" Pandora called from atop the table.

I patted my shoulder.
Her ears tilted back as she cocked her head.

I patted it again, more slowly, and she stretched before jumping onto it.

I love this cat already.

This time, Chiara didn't step away.
She leaned against the table, right beside me.
"So, what do you think it means?"

I waved the question away.
"That will be for our next date. I can't tell you now."

She gasped.
"What? Why are you spreading all of this out? Just tell me."

I shook my head.
"Chiara, your mind could snap. I won't risk it."

She blinked, one hand now supporting part of her weight on the table.
"That's absolutely nuts. Everything you've said is."

I stood up.
"Yes! It is!"

Chiara fell silent, looking at me.

She was afraid, but not of me.

"I love you. I haven't lied to you once." I held her chin. "I know it's hard. I know it's crazy. I know I'm asking a lot."

Her breathing grew heavier as her eyes wandered from my wrist to my lips.
"Enea..."

"Believe me, Chiara. I need you. Without you..." I rested my forehead against hers. "I'm lost."

We remained like that for three ticks of the clock before she leaned in, our lips meeting for the second time.

The relief I felt when she kissed me made it almost better than our first kiss.
Almost, because that's an impossible bar to surpass.

We broke the kiss, but I didn't waste any time.

I kissed the top of her head.
"Chiara. You may not know it... but it was you.
You saved me from the loop. Now help me save the rest."

She nodded, her breathing still heavy with passion as her fingers danced across my chest.
"I truly went crazy, didn't I? I'm actually believing you."

I chuckled.
"Does it matter?"

"Yes?" She pulled back to peer into my eyes. "Why wouldn't it?"

I smiled.
"Because even if all of this really happened, all that matters to me is that we're together."

She stopped searching my face, just as my hands became still on her hips.

It was as if time itself had stopped, giving her one last chance to act as a lie detector.

Thankfully, she leaned in and kissed me again.

Our third kiss.

Apparently, against all odds, and with the help of a kitten, I had passed the impossible test.

Unfortunately... it wasn't going to be the last.

Not that I minded.

Viola, my past life's mother, had a favorite proverb:

A pain shared is half the pain. A joy shared is double the joy.