Page 47 of Pomegranates and Olive

"Sorted out? " I tuck my legs under myself and curl up in the over-stuffed terrace chair. "Believe me, I'm sorry that I've hurt Luca and I'm sorry that it all happened the way it did, but I'm not sorry about us breaking up. It was the right thing to do... for both of us. He may not see that now... or maybe he does... either way, when he really thinks about it, he'll know I'm right."

"I personally think there's more to this than maybe Luca's letting on."

"What do you mean?"

"If Luca loved you, and I mean truly loved you, if he really wanted marriage and babies and all of that, then he would have fought harder for you, wouldn’t he? He wouldn't have let you go, no matter what."

I'm a little taken aback. "You think he wanted me to break up with him?"

"I think at the very least he would’ve returned your call even if just to blast you." Ginny comes to my side of the table and sits down, putting an arm around me. "Listen, you guys had been together for a long time. Maybe your relationship had just run its course."

"Run its course..." I let those words sink in while I take a rather large gulp of wine before quoting the Bard. "True is it that we have seen better days."

“Shut up, cuz.” Ginny rolls her eyes. "I know this hasn't been easy, but I want you to know that I'm so proud of you."

"Why?"

"Because you found the courage to walk away with your head held high, not everyone has the balls to do that."

"No, what actually happened was that I ran away covered in vomit." I shake my head ruefully. "And then I went and pashed Yilmaz who is the worst kind of man-whore. Did you know he's got his next conquest down there right now?"

"He's not doing anything wrong." Ginny stifles a smile as she side-eyes me. "He's single and a very good-looking guy."

"You're no help!"

"What do you want me to say? Do you like him? Do you wish it was you down there with him?"

Do I like Deniz?

No.

Yes.

I don't know.

Maybe.

"I'll admit I'm not totally immune to his charms, but I don't want to be just another notch on his bedpost either."

"You kissed the guy on a plane. Is that really such a bad thing?"

"You don't know the half of it!"

"Alright, let me ask you this then, do you want to kiss him again?"

Ginny was enjoying my squirming, so I thought I might throw out a curveball... just to see where it lands. "I've already done that."

"Wait a minute! Wait a goddamn minute! What the actual feck, Liv!"

"Did I forget to mention that I kissed him? Actually, truth be told I've kissed him a few times since then."

"Yes you bloody well forgot to mention it, you... you...puttana! How? When?"

"You're gonna make me blush with that kind of language!" I laugh loudly at her pathetic attempt to curse in Italian at me. Ginger's side of the family aren't bi-lingual like us Russo's, thanks to her mum walking out when she was young. "It seems that I gave him a strip show last night in my Justin Bieber t-shirt before sticking my tongue down his throat."

"I can't believe you kept this from me!" She gives a small snort of disbelief, eyebrows raised. "Jeeze, you had an eventful first night in Bodrum, didn't you?"

I take a loud gulp of wine before continuing, "But I had an even more eventful night tonight."

---