Twice Upon a Time (7 page)

‘Who do you use as a model?’ asked Ludo.

‘I use myself mostly. Or sometimes Jonas, if I can get him to stay still longer than ten minutes. I have to bribe him with old episodes of
Gossip Girl
while he poses.’

Ludo laughed and looked closer at the ones of Cinda. The curve of her waist, the slightly pendulous breasts, the long arch of her neck and the way her legs crossed over her most private part.

He turned to face her. They were inches away from one another. God he wanted her, but he knew he had to take it slowly. Cinda wasn’t a one off. She was intoxicating – funny, sexy, clever. He wanted to be with her as long as he could.

‘Let’s have dinner tonight, just the two of us,’ he said, his fingers playing with one of her plaits.

He could feel something between them. The tension of unfulfilled desire, perhaps.

‘And leave Jonas to be eaten alive by Gus? That hardly seems fair,’ she said with a flirtatious smile.

He leant over and kissed her.

Their lips met tentatively at first, and then he felt her mouth open and he slipped his arms around her. She leant into him and he responded in kind by pulling her to him. He was almost on top of her, and the feel of her beneath her thin dress was almost too much. He looked down at her face, flushed, filled with desire and possibilities, and he wondered for a moment if she was the one.

Just as he was thinking that she pulled away. ‘Hang on. We can’t,’ she said, straining to sit up.

‘What’s wrong?’ he asked, confused. Was he misreading things? He’d been sure she was totally into him.

‘We’re squashing my sketches,’ she explained, gesturing at them.

He looked down and laughed, standing up and carefully moving the charcoal sketches.

‘See you tonight, Cinda,’ he said and he bent down and kissed her again, just so she knew how much he liked her.

Cinda stared at the door after Ludo had left her, her mouth still tingling from the kiss.

He is so crazy sexy
, she thought yet again. And then she thought about dinner. She had nothing to wear. She ran down the marble hallway to find Jonas.

‘I have to go to dinner with Ludo and I have nothing to wear,’ she squealed as she skidded into his room. ‘And we can’t stop kissing, so I think we’ll go somewhere nice.’

Jonas walked out of the bathroom, a plush towel around his waist, his face white from a moisture mask.

‘Hold up, girl,’ he said, his hands on his hips. ‘You’ve been kissing?’

‘Yes,’ Cinda said impatiently, ‘but what am I going to wear?’

‘How was the kissing?’

She paused. ‘Lovely. Sexy.’

Jonas looked at her and pursed his lips. ‘Hmmmm.’

Cinda knew that look. ‘I don’t have time for any theories, Jonas. We have to focus. What will I wear?’

Jonas walked over and touched the peach satin curtains, holding them up to the light.

‘I am not wearing curtains. I’m not one of the Von Trapp children,’ Cinda said firmly.

‘I know, I’m messing with you,’ laughed Jonas. ‘Lemme take this crap off my face and we’ll head into the town and get something fab. I saw some gorgeous shops for the rich bitches of Sardine City.’

Forty minutes later, Cinda and Jonas were in town, wandering about the shops. Everything they liked was well beyond their budget.

‘I don’t know what I’m going to do,’ Cinda moaned as they walked out of another store empty-handed.

Jonas thought for a minute and then walked back into the store. Cinda stood outside, watching him talk to the sales assistant. The woman glanced at Cinda a few times before her face spread into a huge smile. Jonas waved at her to come inside.

Cinda tentatively walked back inside the beautiful store.

‘Maria here says you can have anything you want,’ Jonas said, a triumphant look on his face.

Cinda stared at him, confused.

‘I explained you are going out with Prince Ludo tonight and she said she’d be happy to help with your outfit.’

Cinda smiled at the woman but shook her head. ‘Thank you, but I’m not comfortable doing that. I don’t need free things.’

The woman frowned. ‘But we all love Ludo. Of course you need a dress to match your beauty and his style. Let me help.’

Cinda shook her head again. It felt all wrong, expecting people to give her things just because she was going on a date with a prince. ‘I can’t, but thank you.’

Jonas scowled. ‘What are you going to wear then? One of your shitty maxi dresses?’

‘If I have to, then yes,’ said Cinda crossly. She turned and walked out of the store.

Jonas followed. ‘Cinda, stop. I’m sorry.’ he said. ‘I just wish you could see how amazing you are. You deserve the best.’

She turned to him and crossed her arms. ‘I don’t know who you think I am but after seven years you should know I don’t accept charity.’

‘It’s not charity,’ said Jonas. ‘You’d be helping this woman get coverage for her designs, which are gorgeous. And you get a nice dress for tonight.’

Cinda shook her head, defiant.

‘What about if you return it tomorrow?’ asked Jonas. ‘That way it’s like borrowing a dress from a very stylish friend back in Sydney.’

Cinda paused. This was a good argument, and she did need a dress. Maybe she was being silly about this. ‘I would need to return it in perfect condition.’

‘I know,’ said Jonas. ‘Which will be fine, provided you don’t fall into any pools.’

Cinda smiled, accepting the joke and his idea. She looked back at the shop. ‘We are just borrowing though, right?’

‘Right,’ said Jonas firmly. ‘Just borrowing.’

Ludo waited for Cinda at the bottom of the marble staircase. Dressed in navy pants and a white shirt, Tod’s loafers on his feet again, he should have felt as comfortable as ever. Instead he felt nervous, an unusual feeling for him.

‘Where are you off to?’ asked Gus as he wandered past.

‘Cinda and I are heading out to Andreini,’ he said in a tight voice.

He wanted Gus to leave him and Cinda alone. He knew his brother was here to try and stop whatever might happen between them, and he wished Gus would just go back to his boring life and stay out of Ludo’s.

Gus was about to say something when movement on the stairs caught their eye.

Cinda was walking carefully down the stairs, dressed in a white scoop-necked dress that highlighted her tan. It was just short enough to give Ludo a glimpse of her shapely legs. She had a thin silver belt around her waist. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail and her face glowed with shimmer. Her full lips were highlighted in pink gloss.

‘Wow,’ said Ludo, meeting Cinda at the bottom step. It didn’t really do her outfit justice. He noticed his brother staring at her, and a blush rose to her cheeks when he kissed her.

‘I’ll get the car,’ said Ludo, impatient to leave. ‘
Un momento
.’ He skipped out the open front door and down the stone steps.

Cinda stood silently, her hands clasping her little silver bag.

‘You look very nice,’ Gus finally said.

‘Thank you,’ she answered, not looking at him.

‘Lucinda, I – ’ he started to say, but Ludo had pulled up, the car window down so he could call out to her.

‘Cinda! Let’s go!’

Cinda moved down the steps and around into the passenger’s seat, leaving Gus standing alone, watching the car drive away.

8

Jonas wandered around downstairs, a French
Vogue
tucked under his arm, looking for food.

He walked into the living area, where Gus was watching a soccer game on the huge TV.

‘Prince Gus, what’s new?’ he asked, perching on the arm of the plush sofa.

Gus looked up at him. ‘I’m watching the soccer,’ he said in a thin voice.

‘Obviously,’ said Jonas, rolling his eyes when Gus returned his gaze to the screen. ‘But what about dinner? Do you want to order a pizza or something?’

Gus looked at him as though he had just suggested they invade France.

‘We don’t “order pizza”,’ he said.

‘You’re crazy,’ said Jonas, standing up and moving to a comfy armchair. ‘I thought you guys invented pizza or something.’

‘You’re thinking of Italy,’ Gus said, not looking at Jonas.

‘That’s right, you invented sardines,’ Jonas laughed.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Gus stood up and left the room. Deciding he wasn’t coming back, Jonas changed the channel to a game show. The male host was dressed in a bikini while people ran through a series of outdoor obstacles.

He was just laughing at a woman falling face-first into a wading pool of tiramisu when Gus walked back into the room.

‘I was watching the soccer,’ he said indignantly.

‘Yeah, sorry,’ said Jonas. ‘Feel free to change it back.’ He passed the remote to Gus, who took it but made no move to change the channel.

A man was now trying to climb over a fence that had been greased in olive oil. Despite himself, Gus laughed.

Jonas looked at him. ‘Your TV is the best,’ he said. ‘So tacky.’

Gus made a face. ‘This is Italian TV. Sometimes I think it’s an embarrassment, the way people behave.’

‘Nah, they’re just having fun,’ said Jonas.
You should try it
sometime
, he added silently.

They were silent for a few minutes. ‘I asked Basil to get the chef to make us pizza,’ said Gus.

Jonas turned to him. ‘Nice one, Prince G,’ he smiled. ‘I like your style.’

Gus tried to smile but failed.

‘You don’t like Cinda and Ludo going out tonight, do you?’ Jonas said quietly.

Gus didn’t speak, just stared at the TV.

‘She’s a great girl, really,’ said Jonas defensively. ‘He could do a lot worse.’

‘He has,’ said Gus with a bitter laugh.

‘Meaning?’

Gus cleared his throat and then looked Jonas in the eye. ‘Ludo is a serial playboy. I don’t think he means to be, but he falls fast and often. Cinda will just be another heartbroken girl in a long line, unless of course she has another agenda.’

Jonas knew exactly what Gus was inferring and didn’t like it at all.

‘You don’t know her, Gus. She’s no gold digger, if that’s what you’re implying. Today she was offered all sorts of free things when people found out she was going out with Ludo. But she doesn’t want free things. She nearly had my head for suggesting it, actually. In the end she only said yes if she could return everything tomorrow.’

‘But she did tell people she was going out with Ludo, so she could borrow things in the first place,’ said Gus, as though his point was proven.

‘No actually, she didn’t,’ said Jonas. ‘I did, and she was cross with me for doing it.’

Gus said nothing and Jonas leant forward. ‘Whatever you think of her, you’re wrong. She is the most decent, gorgeous girl you’ll ever meet. You have no idea what her life is like or who she really is. Don’t judge someone just because of your own issues.’

Gus went to speak, his face angered, and then he stopped himself and looked down. ‘I don’t want Ludo to cause hurt,’ he said. ‘Or ruin his reputation.’

‘And I don’t want Cinda to get hurt or have her name slandered,’ countered Jonas.

They stared unseeingly at the TV for a while before Gus spoke again. ‘How did you two meet?’ he finally asked Jonas.

Jonas smiled. ‘We met at school. I’d been transferred from another school – I was being bullied for being gay. I used to hide in the art room every lunchtime, just hanging out by myself. Cinda and I started to talk, because she was always painting or stretching canvas or some crap. She asked me a lot of questions, introduced me to the textiles teacher who really encouraged me with my sewing.’ He paused, remembering how kind Cinda had been to him. Even now it made him warm with gratitude.