Love in Portofino

“So you’re telling me that evil scientists do exist, and they call themselves… knights of what now-walruses?”

“No.” Narcissa massaged her temples while Ajda still stared at her with a skeptical expression. “Walpurgis, and they’re not necessarily evil, just rebellious.”

“…Can a scientist even be rebellious?” Ajda turned to Regulus now whose mood was still in shambles after the interaction. His young face was illuminated by the moonlight, making him appear broody and similar to an ancient poet.

“Tom Riddle is the head biologist of the team,” Narcissa continued “He has some… creative ideas for the functions of the human body. But the government is extremely strict on their project.”

Sighing, Regulus spoke for the first time through the journey home from the restaurant “Valid, after what happened.”

The blonde girl bit her lip anxiously and silently gave a look to her cousin which left Ajda even more confused.

“Well, do tell.” Ajda urged.

“It’s really nothing,” Narcissa chuckled nervously. “I used to be a bit familiar with them but it’s all in the past.”

“A bit.” Regulus muttered quietly.

Seemingly trying to fill the silence, Narcissa turned to Ajda once more and smiled mischievously “Romy Suitlane, mm?”

“Pardon?”

“Suitlane,” Narcissa chuckled, “the one you were eye-fucking.”

Spluttering, Ajda stopped and held her hands up “I did no such thing.”

“Mhm, oh yes ‘the pleasure is allllll mine dahhhlinnn…would you like to go home with me tonight-‘“ Narcissa did a scarily good expression of the girl that was definitely… something.

“Oh shut the fuck up-“

“And what of Avery?” Regulus turned to them with a blank look on his usually playful grey eyes.

Ajda stared inquisitively back at him, “And what of him?”

“He still acted like a lovefool,” he straightened up “and what of Riddle? He’s a psychopath.”

Chucking Ajda turned to Narcissa “Psychopath!” But seeing her serious expression halted her sentence.

“Psychopath… Oh you gotta be kidding me.” Ajda scoffed. “He’s an arrogant prick, but he’s as same as the 90 percent of the male population.”

“That’s sexist-“

“He’s a walking red flag.” Regulus still gazed at her brown eyes with a serious expression. “And no one who has respect for themselves want to be associated with him.”

He then turned to Narcissa with a meaningful look and started their journey to the villa back again.

Ajda, utterly lost, turned to Narcissa for support. But the woman only stared with a heartbroken expression at her cousin’s back.

Taking her best friend’s ring clad hand Ajda smiled to her. It was obvious she wouldn’t be getting any answers this evening and that her friend was deeply emotional over the night’s events.

Hastening their steps, they reached Regulus and Ajda took his hand too and squeezed it.

Even though they all looked quite similar to kindergartners with their hands all intertwined and their little smiles, Ajda knew that this group meant everything to her. And that meant being patient and communicating with genuine love.

And even though she was patient, didn’t mean she wasn’t going to pry.

The vespa’s smallness was really observable as two people tried to fit into the motorbike Ajda rented for the holiday.

She loved the beige colored bike as the morning ride to the bakery was the most calming event of the day with the morning sun calmly shining down at her.

But this was in the past as now a 6 foot 3 man was trying to climb after her and his long legs was digging into her calves painfully.

“What do they make these for, chihuahuas?!” He complained as if her dear darling lovely motorbike was designed to carry a giant.

“Complain and you shall suffer,” Ajda’s sunglasses shielded him from her icy look.

Smartly shutting his mouth shut, Regulus let out a sudden shout “Let’s go!”

“As you wish” Ajda smiled evilly.

“Oh my God you better slow the fuck down!”

The two friends picked their breads and muffins from the bakery and decided on a morning stroll at the beach. The sun was now proudly resting next to fluffy clouds after the show of pinks and oranges it gave.

Seagulls danced around them as Ajda threw a few pieces of bread up to the hungry birds. Regulus seemed nervous as he tried to stop her.

“I just know one of them is going to shit on us.” he said, still staring up at the birds nervously as if they were from hell.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Cackling, Ajda threw even bigger pieces to the air and the birds went madder.

Still chuckling quietly at his scared look she continued, “So, last night.”

“Last night?”

“Yes, last night.”

“Yes?” He turned to the sailboats that lined up on the cerulean sea that shined like a diamond.

“What was that about the knights of whatever?” Ajda asked.

Still staring at the boats, he sighed. “That group is more familiar than you might imagine.”

“We grew up together, we went to each other’s houses and went to the same schools.” He continued. “We both knew our deepest secrets and our most hidden desires.”

He cleared his throat. “They were all extremely smart in their own ways. Creative too, with their ideas and their dreams they never seemed to worry that they got too close to the sun.”

“And when they did burn themselves, I was there alongside them burning the most.” He stared disinterested at the scene in front of him. The trees, the sea and the sand between their cold feet were not the object of his thoughts.

It seemed he was way too lost in the past that still affected his present.

The silence that stretched a minute longer was broken by the boy who seemed to sober up. “Of course, that’s all in the past now.”

He gave an exhausted smile to her that Ajda couldn’t help but feel utterly sad for her friend who always tried to make everyone feel included and who was the most gentle boy she has ever known.

After his brother, whom he talked very little about other than his absence, he had walls up around him that he thought protected him but his true friendly nature always shined through the cracks.

“Well, you have me.” Ajda smiled. “I hate the sun so there’s no need for you to worry.”

Regulus grinned and turned to her. He looked broken, extremely so. But there would always be his close friends there for him to lean on.

“Don’t ever forget that associating with this group automatically puts you on the frontlines heading to the sun.” He said somberly.

Apparently noticing her thoughts, as always, he gave a sad smile to her “and her story is not mine to tell, I’m afraid.”

“Of course-“

And then obviously a bird shat on them.

He was right after all.

“I TOLD YOU SO!”

Narcissa Malfoy, Neé Black, loved sleeping in. Breakfasts that are delivered to her bed which cost the same as her rent, hair that is as silky as the luxury scarves she wore. She was the ultimate definition of a princess with money to flaunt and comfort to live in.

And although her lifestyle, she was the most generous and humble person Ajda had ever known.

When they first met each other, the woman thought of her as a spoiled little girl who never picked a book in her life, who were obsessed with boys and who treated other people like scum on her expensive high heels.

She was proven wrong as the blonde girl was the most kind to her and the most understanding. When Ajda cried over her ex boyfriend who didn’t even deserve her tears, Narcissa never judged and never complained.

She only stared at this stranger with an compassionate look in her clear blue eyes.

Narcissa continued to prove her wrong after all. With her personality that was a gem, Ajda was always shocked that a girl friend of hers wasn’t jealous of her achievements or mean at her for her heritage.

Always the revolutionary, Narcissa changed her perception on women and made her standards higher. They formed a sisterhood that was as powerful as their love between each other.

So when narcissa cleaned her face that contained bird shit on with her usual kindness, Ajda knew that Narcissa was a gift for her from the universe which constantly reminded her that she was lucky.

“And, you’re done!” Narcissa smiled. “Who knew bird shit was that hard to clean.”

“Don’t. Say. Bird. Shit.” Ajda gritted her teeth, “I feel embarrassed as it is.”

“Pardon me” Narcissa coughed. “I’m sorry that a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves let out their solid bodily waste discharged from the hole on their back on you.”

Shaking her head, Ajda sighed. “Chemist? More like a biologist.”

Narcissa was silent as Ajda thanked her and tried to get up. The woman suddenly held Ajda’s jewelry clad wrist. The brunette gave her a questioning look.

“I believe we need to talk.” Narcissa stated, shifting from her seat on the couch, looking highly uncomfortable.

Noticing her friends feelings, Ajda smiled comfortingly back at her. “We don’t need to.”

“No,” Narcissa took a breath in, “I want to explain. I know you must feel confused.”

Searching her friend’s eyes for any sign of lies, she found none. So Ajda nodded.

“I was 15 when Lucius and I had sex.”

The brunette chocked on her spit, “I was not expecting that!”

Chuckling she continued, “It was amazing, of course, but afterwards I noticed something.”

“There was something wrong with me, and it wasn’t because Lucius was rough or anything. It was something internal.”

“So my… then friend Nithya secretly took me to the doctor’s office, we hid it from my parents as they would surely disown me.”

“I was interfile.” Narcissa sighed, “And there would be nothing we could do to change that.”

“Of course… Lucius was there for me and as you can see I’m going to have a family of 5.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me?” Ajda took her friend’s hand and squeezed it.

“No one knew other than Nithya and Lucius.” Narcissa gave a little smile. “And I wanted it to stay that way.”

“You know that this isn’t something that is shameful or anything, right?” Ajda stated confidently. “It’s not your fault and it never will be, my love.”

“Except, the fault was mine.”

“What?” the brunette shook her head, “That’s impossible, darling.”

“I -we- made it possible, I guess.” Narcissa averted her eyes.

“We? How?”

“The group and I…” Narcissa cleared her throat, “were very close. You could say we were siblings, even.”

Ajda nodded with an expression that gave her friend the confidence to let out her other sentence. “In high school, we were the most ambitious people you could ever meet.”

“And all of us were interested in science which was a bonus.” Narcissa’s little smile she failed to hide shined through her face. “We conducted secret experiments and meetings where we discussed the future of our world as if we weren’t just a bunch of 14 year-olds who couldn’t even cook.”

“Tom, was the most ambitious out of us all, you could even say perfectionistic. And it was valid seeing as he rose up from nothing with no one there to help him.”

“Him?” Ajda asked, doubtful. His mannerisms screamed rich and arrogant to her. Someone who didn’t have to work a day on his life.

“Yes, him.” Narcissa nodded. “You and Tom are quite similar on that aspect.”

Deciding not to comment on that, Ajda urged her friend to continue.

“And his plans were… interesting to my young eyes. I was inexperienced and idealistic.” Narcissa said, shamefully.

“And on one of these experiments, I volunteered to try the solution we had conducted, quite stupidly, after months of research.”

“Apparently, we failed and my bodily functions also failed that I had to get treatment for years for several of my organs that weakened.”

“After 6 years, at 20 years of age, we met each other and that was when I felt my most healthy self.” Narcissa smiled. “And the group and I never talked afterwards.”

“My interest in chemistry still continued but I was done with any serious research. So I decided to create wonderful perfumes for exceptional women.” Narcissa gave a knowing look to her.

The perfume bottle that set on her counter shined brightly as the sun hit the glass bottle and created various shapes around the room.

Both friends gazed at each other, one with searching and the other emphatically. Their hands which were intertwined held onto each other tightly, as if fearing the other would run away if one let go.

“You’re so strong.” Ajda breathed in, mesmerized. “Kind and brave and hard working… I never met a woman like you.”

Narcissa’s breath hitched on her throat. Her watery eyes were staring at her silently.

“I’m so proud of you,” Ajda said, so sure of herself. “And I always will be.”

Narcissa suddenly hugged the woman in-front of her tightly and she felt free. Free to fail, free to shine and free to cry.

They both grinned to each other as they let go after what seemed like hours. Their connection had tightened, and it could be felt throughout the room.

“I have interrupted something again, haven’t I?”

Regulus now leaned on the doorway, his curly hair messy after the shower he took and his grey eyes emotional.

After last night’s events, the two cousins were both on edge with each other. They both got out of the room whenever the other was around and they both averted their eyes whenever the other spoke.

But it seemed they could talk silently with their eyes as both stared at each other for a short time until Narcissa opened her arms towards him.

“You’re always welcome.” She grinned once again.

Relief filled his whole being as he reached her cousin’s arms and let out a sigh only someone who felt safe could. His cousin who held him when his brother made him cry, his cousin who held him when his parents beat him, and his cousin who slept beside his bed for weeks after he attempted to harm himself.

The three friends sat on that couch overlooking the garden for the whole day. Talking and laughing and crying some even more. Board games turned into confessions and laughter as they both recited their memories of each other.

Yes, Ajda had decided once again, she didn’t feel lonely after all.

-

I hope you liked this chapter. I love reading comments and they keep me inspired to write! I appreciate you all and have a great week!