Lucy Comes Across a Secret

Max was taken aback by Lucy's words, but seeing the expression on her face, he decided it was best not to say anything. Lucy also decided to remain silent so they could continue their conversation once they were back at the hotel.

Shortly after entering the hotel room, Lucy put down her purse on the couch and then flopped down next to it. She gestured for Max to sit next to her. When he did, she took a deep breath and then let it out slowly before starting, "Look, I get it. This is still a new relationship, and we are both feeling a little insecure." She put a hand on Max's knee before continuing, "But here's what I take issue with. You can't let that insecurity or jealousy or whatever you want to call it get to you and have it start affecting our relationship. When I look back at my relationship with Kyle, I noticed a lot of red flags that came up after our first few months together. In some ways, he was very controlling. I don't know, maybe he was projecting his issues on me. I mean, since he was cheating on me maybe he thought I'd cheat on him too and so he always had to know where I was and what I was doing. I thought it was cute then, but I don't anymore. I like that we have these intense feelings for each other, but either you trust me, or you don't."

Max listened to every word, feeling each one stab him in the heart. He felt very guilty and decided to be honest with her. He took her hand in his and began, "I do trust you. I do. And I don't want these feelings to make you feel sad or upset." Letting out a sigh, he continued, "It's just…okay remember how when everything happened with Kyle, I told you I could relate since I'd been cheated on too in the past?" Lucy nodded. "I didn't think the details were important to share at the time because it wasn't about me then, but I guess it's important now to mention that she cheated on me with her ex-boyfriend. The one she had before we got together. He came back into her life wanting to be 'just friends.' I didn't like it, but I didn't let her know that. At first it was just them hanging out casually here and there but then one day she said they slept together, and she decided to go back to him. I thought I was over it, but seeing Rajat, it just kind of brought it all back I guess. I know he's not your ex but maybe this just means I still have some work to do on myself. I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize," Lucy said, raising a hand to his cheek and caressing him. "I still have work to do too. That's why I wasn't sure if the timing was right for us. But maybe we can work on these things together."

Max smiled and nodded, "You're seriously the best thing that has ever happened to me." He leaned in and kissed her gently. She kissed him back and before they both realized what happened, they were both naked and holding onto each other as if it was the last time they would do so.

When they finished making love, Lucy laughed, "Make-up sex without a real fight is pretty good too."

"Just pretty good?," Max joked, looking at her sideways. "I guess I should up my game then."

They both laughed and then laid there for a bit, enjoying the feeling of skin on skin. Deciding to spend the rest of the day in the hotel, Max and Lucy alternated between long talks and sex until they both passed out from exhaustion.

After spending the next morning and afternoon touring some more ancient sites, they left for Florence, stopping off in Assisi on the way as Lucy wanted to visit the former temple to Athena (now a church) and St. Francis's basilica where he is buried. They spent several days in Florence, with the first stop being the Galleria dell'Accademia, of course, to see Michaelangelo's David and one of his unfinished Pietas. They also visited the Uffizi Gallery, with Lucy staring in admiration at all the famous paintings after first gawking at all the statues and other works of art in the Hall of Sculptures.

"I wish I had a talent for painting. It must be so amazing to be able to create something like this," Lucy sighed, staring at Botticelli's Primavera.

Max hugged her from behind, "You could always take classes. Who knows? Maybe you'll become a famous artist."

"I doubt that," she laughed. "You haven't seen my stick figures have you?"

"There's no harm in trying," Max insisted gently.

Lucy shrugged, "Maybe. It might be fun. You're right, who knows?"

The next day the couple took a side trip to Siena, visiting the Museo Civico and having lunch at a small café in the Piazza del Campo. While there, Max thought it would be a good idea to take a picture from the top of a tower. Five hundred steps later, Lucy was huffing and puffing while Max pushed her the last couple of stories. But, once at the top, the view of the town was certainly worth it. All the orange/terra-cotta tiled roofs, blending with nature, were a sight to behold. Of course, Lucy ended up slipping on the very last step down and twisting her ankle a bit.

"I can't believe I made it up and down with no problems and then I fall on the last step. So typical," she laughed.

Max and one of the bodyguards helped her to the car so they could go get the ankle checked out by a doctor. It was just mildly sprained, so she had to just keep off of it for a day. Not surprisingly, they couple found ways to entertain themselves during that time.

By the second day, however, Lucy was adamant that she was not about to spend her hard-earned vacation lying around in a hotel. So, on they went to their last stop, Venice. On the way, however, she asked again if Max wanted to visit any family he still had in Milan. She had asked him this early on in their vacation and he had said no. Max remained quiet at her question so she said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to bug you about it."

"No, it's okay," he said quickly. "No need to apologize. I mean, I get it. We come all the way here. Why wouldn't I want to see some family?" He sighed.

"It's okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't feel comfortable," Lucy said gently, patting his knee.

He took her hand and smiled, "It's not that. I just don't want you to know what a messed-up family I actually come from."

"I'd never judge you. You know that right?," she asked quietly, eyebrows pinched in concern.

"I know," he nodded. "It's not a big deal now I guess but the reason my mother, brother and I came to the US was because we had to escape my father. He was an alcoholic and abusive."

Lucy squeezed Max's hand, and he continued. "We didn't really keep in contact with family for many years so that he wouldn't find us but once my brother and I were adults, we reached out to my mother's side. Unfortunately, the grandmother I told you about, the one from Sweden, you remember?" Lucy nodded. "She passed away during that time. There's still family in Milan that I've visited before but we're not super close."

"Do you want to maybe visit your grandma's grave and put some flowers there?," Lucy asked.

Max thought about her suggestion and then agreed, "I think I'd like that. I could call my aunt and see if they're around and maybe stop by for the afternoon if they are. Are you sure you wouldn't mind. I mean this is your vacation."

"Are you kidding me?," Lucy gave him a look that indicated she was surprised that he'd even suggest that.

As it turned out, Max's aunt was thrilled to hear from him and invited both of them over for dinner. Lucy was shocked when the door opened to their home and it was stuffed full to the brim with family and friends waiting to see Max. "Not super close he says," she thought to herself with a smile.

Lucy became shy when Max introduced her to everyone as his girlfriend and they all wanted to hug her at once. But she soon acclimated and enjoyed herself.

At one point, Max's aunt asked her if she wanted to see pictures of Max as a baby. Her son had to do some translating since Max was off talking to an uncle or a cousin, Lucy wasn't sure which. The aunt led Lucy to a bedroom on the second story of the house where she took out an old photo album from under the bed. Her son said, "This belong to her mother and she has it kept all these years."

Sure enough, the album contained several pictures of a baby Max. After several minutes of oooing and awwwing, they finished the album and Max's aunt sighed. She got a far away look in her eye and Lucy looked at her son. "She gets that way sometimes...umm, when she think of the past."

The aunt said something in a sad voice in Italian and then seemed angry. Lucy had to stop herself from making a startled look as she listened. She hadn't been wrong in thinking one of the words she'd said was Drakos as the son translated, "She say that his father was never same after the Drakos factory close down. He start..uh…alcohol…drinking alcohol. And, uh, that's why the family split up for all years. No one hear from father of Max after that."

"Wait a minute," Lucy stammered, "Are you telling me that Max's father used to work for a factory owned by the Drakos family?"

The son translated her words for his mother and then explained to Lucy what he was told, "She say yes. He work there many years. Uh…much…I mean, whole life. Then one day, company say no more need. Too expensive in Milan. Move factory some place else. Max's father cannot find other work for long time."

Max's aunt side as she took Lucy's hand and said, "Take care Max." She turned to her son to ask something, and he said, "He is good son," so she turned to Lucy and repeated the words.

Lucy nodded and felt her eyes welling up a bit. Max's aunt gave her a hug and nodded back with a smile.

The ladies and Max's cousin went back downstairs to join the party. Afterward, when enough food had been eaten and enough wine had been drunk, the couple said their goodbyes.

In the car ride back, Lucy turned to Max to ask about what she had learned but he was fast asleep.

The next morning, they both had slight hangovers. Lucy wasn't sure when to bring up the subject and decided to just say it over breakfast. "So, umm, I didn't get a chance to tell you this last night, but, um, your aunt took me aside and said something I think you should know."

"Uh-oh," Max said, looking worried. Then he shook his head and asked, "Wait a minute. How did you even understand her since she doesn't speak a lot of English?"

"Your cousin translated," Lucy explained.

"Oh. Okay. So what did she say?," he asked.

Lucy smiled, "Well, first of all, she showed me some of your baby pictures. And I must say you were one cute baby!"

Max's cheeks turned a little pink as he replied, "Oh man, I can't believe she showed you those. Did you see my grandmother then? Wasn't she pretty?"

"Yes, she was beautiful. You definitely take after her," Lucy teased. "But then she basically told me a little about your father. Some of which you told me but one thing you forgot to mention, which was that he worked for one of the Drakos factories."

Max coughed and wiped his mouth before answering. "I wasn't keeping it a secret, just so you know," he said. "I was just trying to figure out how to explain it. I can't really sugar coat the revenge game, but I don't want you to see me as just that kind of guy. Do you know what I mean?"

Lucy sighed, "I do know. I just wish you would trust me with this type of stuff, you know? Trust that I'm not going to judge you or think badly of you. I mean, don't you think I hate the Drakoses for what they've done to my friends and now you?"

"You're right," he replied. "Of course, you're right. I promise I won't hold anything back anymore."

"You better not," Lucy said sternly and then continued eating.

They arrived in Venice later that day and spent a couple days touring around. When the day of their departure back to America arrived, Lucy was visibly depressed.

"I don't want to go back," she whined. "Can't we just move here? I'm sure your aunt would take us in."

Max chuckled, "I'm sure she would but then you'd have to live here. What about Selene and Peter? I'm sure they'd miss you. Not to mention your family?"

"You're right, I know," she acquiesced. "I just had too much fun. It's going to be hard going back to reality."

"We can always come back," Max suggested. That made Lucy perk up.

"I'll take that as a promise," she said with a big smile and Max couldn't resist hugging her.

As soon as the airplane landed in Los Angeles, and their phones were able to get text messages, one came through for Max that sent chills down Lucy's spine.