These things always seem much shorter in my head than they end up being in writing stressed I apologize upfront for the butchering of Franco's dialogue emotion_facepalm And yes... believe it or not, this entire thing was in fact inspired just by this contest.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As one might imagine, back in their school days, the Pavani boys were -very- popular with the ladies. Aside from having the aura of The Family's reputation going for them, they were also blessed with devilishly good looks. However, despite there being no shortage of girls who were more than willing, Antonio was the last to lose his virginity. Aside from being one of the youngest, he also wasn't nearly as much of a playboy as the rest of them. It's not that he wasn't at all interested, nor was he "old fashioned" like his mother. He was just a lot more particular about who he chose to get close to. A girl had to be more than just a hot body and a pretty face for them to really "do it" for him. It wasn't until a while after his sister moved to America and his three elder brothers had graduated that he actually found a girl who piqued his interest.
He had been skipping gym class to go read a book when he met her. It was a pretty common practice for him to skip P.E. like that, but this time there was someone else tucked away in his usual hiding spot. At first there was both annoyance and panic to be had by the both of them, neither wanting to be ratted out or disturbed in their reading, but once it was settled that they both just wanted to sit there in peace, they were able to do just that. He would have preferred the solitude most, but they shared a comfortable silence well enough. She would later introduce herself as Caprice. It was a rather peculiar name, he thought, and she agreed, but added that her parents had the musical term in mind when they gave it to her. Capri is what she preferred to go by.
In time, the occasional small talk they would have before burying their noses in their own books turned into long conversations. Though their opinions on various subjects as well as tastes in literature differed greatly, with her having idealistic views and preferring love stories and romance novels while he favored a more realistic life approach as well as nonfiction and murder mysteries, they admired in each other the intellect and eloquence used when speaking of their passions. This intellectual fascination soon turned into a physical one and the two became an item. It didn't take long for rumors of this to spread as the idea of a Pavani boy actually dating a girl instead of just sleeping with them was almost unheard of.
Antonio had never let rumors get to him before, but Capri wasn't used to that kind of attention. So for her sake, he tried to dispel some of the nastier ones and confirmed that they were indeed dating and nothing more. However, considering the reputation his brothers had established for the Pavani name at the school, convincing anyone that they weren't having sex was a difficult task, even with it being the truth. His brothers were certain such was the case despite their peers disagreeing at least, which wasn't entirely a good thing. He didn't have that swagger that the rest of them had and that was a dead giveaway to the brothers.
Inevitably, as the relationship continued with their intimate moments never proceeding past second base, the teasing of his brothers about the whole thing commenced. Thankfully Vincenso had moved into his own place by then so he had one less to deal with, but handling the three remaining ones, more so Franco and Dante than Marco, was still a bit much. It didn't help that the only one on his side when such teasing took place was Mamma, who commended him for it, thinking he was going to wait until marriage.
He had no intention of waiting until marriage, but Capri felt they were too young for such a thing and wished to wait, at least until they were "adults". While not agreeing with her reasoning nor her definition of "adult", which seemed to mostly be comprised of arbitrary "life achievements" rather than anything having to do with actual maturity, he felt it responsible of her to at least acknowledge that they both had some growing up to do first and respected her wishes... or at least tried to.
After Dante about got the both of them kicked out of school for seducing and deflowering one of the young nuns that worked there, the pressure for Antonio to live up to the Pavani reputation really started to rise. He tried not to reflect that onto Capri, but the frustration was at times very evident and was beginning to threaten their relationship.
Seeing this, Franco one day took pity on his younger brother and pulled him aside for a little chat, teaching him the tricks of the trade involved with the art of seducing women. The whole conversation is rather awkward and embarrassing, but at the same time genuinely helpful.
"Yous gots ta makes dems wants it", he says, crudely describing how to go about snaking your way into third base and what to do once there.
"Yous gets lei prendere del piacere once an yous won't be able ta gets hers off of yous." After that, with much unnecessary ceremony, Franco imparts him with a vhs cassette from his prized collection "for studying purposes".
Antonio waits until he feels he and Capri are on better, more stable terms before he utilizes his older brother's advice. Sure enough, it works like a charm. With minimal fuss, he manages to make it to third base with her, and just like Franco said, once she got a taste of it, she was begging for more. After the first time, their intimate sessions thereafter often led to it and she was finding excuses to see him more frequently for it. Their relationship was gradually becoming more physical than anything as their long conversations were being traded for visits inside each other's underthings, but being at that hormonally charged stage in life, it didn't seem to matter at the time. Besides, they had already established a deeper than physical connection beforehand. In their minds, what they'd previously had was only being made stronger by them venturing into this new level of involvement with each other.
As they continued down this path, with their shared moments becoming more heated and crossing more boundaries, the seeming inevitability of them giving themselves to each other completely was fast approaching. Yet, there was also a heavy reluctance to take the next step. In Antonio's case, there was a sense of dread about it since, aside from the porn Franco bestowed upon him and what he could find on the internet, there was very little he knew about the act itself. While seemingly straight forward, there was the potential that he was neither physically or mentally prepared for what it would actually feel like which would result in him just embarrassing himself.
For Capri, she was becoming rather sentimental about the idea of losing her virginity. She didn't want to be like so many other girls who just gave it away so unsanctimoniously. Rather, she wanted to be like the women in the romance novels she was so fond of, with the setting, atmosphere, and even the act itself being so perfect and picturesque that she would be the envy of all she were to tell the tale to. This of course served to exacerbate the anxiety that Antonio was already feeling over it. Having no previous experience, there was no way he could guarantee that he'd be able to deliver her the fairytale ending she desired, although he was too ashamed to admit this to her or really anyone for that matter.
They had essentially hit a roadblock. Though they continued on with how their relationship had been going, they were both left wanting to go further but always stopping short which was rather emotionally exhausting for the both of them. It was becoming more difficult to fully enjoy what they did have with the knowledge that there wasn't anything else that would come from it. The excitement was beginning to fade and neither of them knew what to do about it. Antonio was beginning to wonder if he had made a mistake by pursuing this path with her and somehow ruined what was otherwise a fulfilling relationship with the first and so far only girl he had ever taken such a strong romantic interest in.
Around this time, Vincenso, beginning to realize the full extent of the freedoms he gained by no longer living with Mamma, started throwing lavish parties at his new residence on the weekends. Though he was no longer a student, much of the school was still familiar with him, at the very least through rumor, and thus many clamored to attend. The latest in this string was purported to be Valentine's themed as it would be taking place on the same day as it.
Though not exactly the most social of social butterflies, Capri wished to attend this one in particular and they were guaranteed to be let in given Antonio's relation. Accustomed to being dragged to social gatherings due to being part of The Family, Antonio didn't object, though did question her sudden interest in going out of sheer curiosity. Initially she didn't want to say, but after enough prodding and sweet talking, she bashfully admit that she was considering "going all the way" with him that night. She wasn't sure if the opportunity would arise while there, but being at a house with no overbearing authority figures present, there was probably some room they could slip off to. The idea of losing her virginity on Valentine's Day at least seemed kind of romantic as opposed to just any other ordinary day.
Hearing that she was open to settling for something less than that perfect storybook setting that she originally wanted was a huge weight off of Antonio's shoulders. It meant she was willing to view things more realistically and thus, perhaps, may not hold such impossible expectations of him. Excited by this good news, he gave her his word that he would do everything within his capabilities to make the night memorable for her.
In the time leading up to the party, he spared no expense in preparations. He took Capri out to get fitted for a designer outfit complete with matching shoes, custom clutch, and jewelry just for the occasion. He didn't expect to be doing much socializing before their big moment, but he did at least want to show her off a little first so everyone could see what a beautiful woman she was, and she was going to be all his.
Additionally, he meets with Vincenso to speak about his intentions and inquires as to if there are any special arrangements that can be made for them. There's some teasing initially, but he agrees to help his brother out. The plan was for the festivities to be held in the pool house while his main residence remained untouched since he learned quickly from his first few parties that if he lets crowds of people into his living area, valuables end up disappearing. Since Antonio is family and he trusts him, just for him, he'll allow them to go into the main house and be sure to tell the hired help to make themselves scarce for a while so they have it all to themselves. He hands Antonio a spare key and instructs him to leave it on the coffee table when he's done before sending him off, assuring him that everything will be set up and well taken care of for the two.
Lastly, and with great reluctance, Antonio separately consults with Franco and Dante for any special advice they might have to offer him. Neither are very helpful as Franco pretty much tells him to go all out on her and hit it like a porn star while Dante's advice consists of a lot of musical metaphors that go right over his head and pretty much amounts to "just do what feels right".
When the big day arrives, Antonio has a dozen red and white roses sent to Capri first thing in the morning along with a gift certificate for a high dollar salon that his mother and sister had often visited and swore by so she can get herself completely done up for the evening on his dime. The hours leading up to when he was scheduled to pick her up at her house seemed to drag on and on so painfully slow. When the time finally starts to draw near, he takes the time to groom himself, splashing on some fresh aftershave and matching cologne afterward.
Nerves starting to kick in, his voice is a bit shaky as he asks Capri's father if she's home when the man answers the door upon his arrival. Curiously, the answer is actually "no". Capri's father then goes on to explain that she had left with a group of friends a while ago for a "girl's night in" at one of their houses and thus wouldn't be back until tomorrow. Confused by this information, Antonio barely manages to utter a "grazie" to the man before walking back to his car.
He stares at his steering wheel a good while, pondering what went wrong. Did her father feed him a lie to make him leave, having somehow grown suspicious of his intentions with Capri? Or did she change her mind? If so, why? Why didn't she say anything sooner if she was having second thoughts? Eventually, he starts up his car, planning to just return home and try not to think about it too much until he has the chance to speak with her again, but then he suddenly has an epiphany. He knew her to be an intelligent girl, so she probably realized that her parents may have started to suspect something from the recent gifts he'd gotten her, especially when factoring in the Pavani reputation and the holiday. They may not have let her go with him, so she preempted their rejection by making alternate arrangements. She was probably at the party right now.
On the drive over to Vincenso's, he is a bit annoyed that she didn't go over this plan with him first so he could have avoided that awkward exchange with her father, but perhaps genuine disappointment was exactly the kind of reaction she'd wanted her parents to see from him to throw them off track that they were much closer to each other than they know. Overall, this was just a minor hiccup and the rest of the evening should be perfect from there. Plus with that cover story she had given her parents, that opened up the whole night for them to spend with each other. Hopefully his eldest brother doesn't mind that he'll be occupying the house for quite a bit longer than originally planned.
At Vincenso's, it's immediately apparent that this party was no where near as "exclusive" as rumors tried to make it sound. This isn't really a surprise to Antonio and was actually a bit expected, but it will make finding Capri through the crowd a rather daunting task. Even more reason she should have informed him of this plan first so they could have set up a meeting place, especially since she didn't have a cell phone for them to try to coordinate with. Had he realized this scenario would arise, it would have been one of the gifts he got her.
Passing through various parts of the pool house, he recognizes many students past and present from the school there and even comes across a couple of his brothers, but can't seem to find Capri. Though he feels like he's come across a stroke of luck when he eventually does find a small group of her friends gathered somewhere, chatting and laughing away.
"Ah... uh... scusi... would any of you happen to know where Capri is?" The girls all suddenly stop laughing and exchange looks with each other. After a moment, two of them start to speak at the same time, one of them backing down to let the other explain.
"Capri is uh.... she uh.... wasn't feeling well. Yeah. Maria took her home just a bit ago." The other girls nod and mumble their own confirmations with this story. Raising an eyebrow at their odd behavior, he pulls out his cellphone and starts dialing her home number.
"Maybe I should call to make sure she's alright..." The entire group of girls descend upon him with panicked faces, shouting "no" in practical unison as they try to restrain him. One even goes so far as to rip the phone right out of his hand.
"She.... she's got a terrible migraine. Yeah. Hearing the phone ring would just... ugh. You should totally wait for her to call you first." Once again, the other girls nod, uttering quietly in agreement.
"I see....", he responds, eyes narrowed at the girls as he takes his limbs back from them, holding out his hand to the one who took his phone after the rest have released him. She looks to the other girls worriedly, unsure if she should really give him his phone back. He continues to stand there staring her down until she hesitantly returns his property to him.
He stuffs the phone back into his pocket as he walks away, pondering the situation. It was blatantly obvious that they weren't telling him something, but what that could be wasn't immediately clear. Perhaps she really had changed her mind after all but was too afraid to tell him herself because of how much he had been looking forward to it. Maybe he was trying too hard or they were moving too fast. Whatever the case, it was apparent that his plans for the evening had been canceled.
"Eeeeeeeeeeehhhhh, dere's my favorite brodda!" Antonio doesn't even have time to turn at the sound of Franco's voice before his older brother has his arm slung over his shoulders and is hanging on him rather heavily. He smells strongly of Chianti and has clearly had more than his fair share already.
"Yous 'avin a good time deres?"Antonio stares blankly at his intoxicated brother and his ridiculous question.
Franco narrows his own eyes, not liking this response.
"Yous tinkin 'bouts dat broad a yours, eh?" He goes to flip his wrist, but the motion is overly exaggerated and almost causes the both of them to tumble face first to the floor.
"Forget about hers. Dere's plenty a stracciamanici around eres.... like dat donnina over deres," he points, though Antonio doesn't really look that closely as to where since he doesn't particularly care.
"She's on hers back 'fore yous can even says 'ciao', an she does dis thing wit her tongue dats jus," he pauses to kiss the tips of his own fingers.
"...perfezionamento. Franco, he rende l'introduzione." With that, he tries to drag Antonio over to the woman he was referring to, but his brother stands his ground.
"No offense, but I think I'd rather not have your second hand floozies." Pulling his keys out of his pocket, he sees the spare one Vincenso gave him and sighs, removing it from his keyring.
"Guess I'll just return this and be on my way..." He removes his older brother's arm from his shoulders and starts to walk away, but doesn't make it more than a few steps before Franco is back on him, grabbing for the spare key and oddly looking drastically more sober.
"Eh, yous let Franco takes care a dat, ehs?" Antonio snatches the key back from him, rolling his eyes.
"You'd just lose it, and like hell I'm taking the fall for your incompetence." Franco flicks the underside of his chin at his brother's insult, ranting at him incessantly as he walks away.
Outside of the pool house, Antonio makes his way to the main building alone, head hanging as he recalls how much differently he'd imagined this stroll would be. It was growing dark and the air was getting colder, which would have been the perfect excuse to hold Capri closer to him as he escorted her there had she been by his side at that moment. Shaking the thought from his mind, he slips the key into the lock and steps inside.
Immediately, his ears are greeted with the sound of vigorous movement and a woman's loud moaning coming from one of the rooms, calling out Vincenso's name. Antonio groans and rolls his eyes as he walks over to the coffee table in the living room, literally dropping the spare key there like he had been told. Perhaps it was really for the better that Capri had changed her mind if Vincenso wasn't going to remember the arrangement they'd made.
The noises from the other room suddenly stop and Antonio realizes the sound of the key hitting the glass table might have alerted them that they weren't alone. Cursing to himself quietly for having made his presence known, he turns around and starts to quickly slip back out but suddenly stops when something sticking out between the couch cushions catches his eye. He's just managed to pull it out and have a cursory look at it when his eldest brother comes stumbling in, half dressed and looking like he's about to smash someone's face in. However, when he sees that it's just his brother, his expression quickly changes to apologetic.
"Eh heh heh, Tones! You about mades me lose a brodda deres! Whachu doin' eres, huh?"Antonio slowly looks up at his eldest brother, eyes narrowed.
"I was just returning the key you lent me," he says, motioning toward the coffee table.
"Oh yeahs, dat," he starts, flipping his wrist.
"Forget about it. Now if yous don mind takin a hike deres, I's kinda gots some company eres, capito?" Antonio sets his jaw, staring daggers at his brother.
"Who is it?" At this, Vincenso returns the hostile gaze and crosses his arms, suddenly getting very serious.
"Dats none a yous fooking business, capisce?""Oh, but I think it is...." Antonio holds up high enough for his brother to see the clutch he'd dug out of the couch, "Caprice" spelled out in gemstones along the back of it. Vincenso gets an "oh s**t" look on his face while Antonio sneers, pushing past his brother and dashing off to the room he came out of.
"Naw, Tones! Tones! Yous don wanna goes back deres!" Before Vincenso can catch up, Antonio has already gotten there and flung open the door. Sure enough, there she is, hair a mess and wearing nothing but a bed sheet and the jewelry he bought her. Even when he'd found the purse he didn't want to believe it, but there was no denying it now.
"T-T-T-Tony! I... I can explain!"Shaking with rage, his hand loses grip on the clutch and it drops to the floor beside him. Quickly, he turns to his brother who puts his hands up in mock defense as he approaches.
"Eh heh heh, c'mon Tones. Don be like dats. Can't really blame a guy when dis gnocca comes right up to yas, practically beg..." Right in the middle of his sentence, Antonio hauls off and socks him right in the kisser. He gets a couple more hits in while Vincenso is still dazed from the first one, but had he been thinking clearly, the inevitable result of him starting a fist fight with his older, much more physically adept brother would have been much more apparent to him. Fortunately, Franco was doing that kind of thinking for him and shows up with Marco and Giovanni to break things up before Vincenso can put him in the hospital.
Back at home, Antonio stares at the floor, concentrating on each individual drop of blood from his face that he sees splashing onto it. The Family's on call physician is busy applying stitches to his eyebrow while his mother stands over him, lecturing him on the importance of family and how no woman, especially not some hussy willing to give herself away before marriage, is worth breaking such ties over. Her voice is barely more than a buzz in his already ringing ears, a surreal numbness taking over his mind and body. When the physician is done patching him up sufficiently, his mother sends him off to his room to think about his actions and what she's said. Without a word, he does as he's told.
Once in his room, he closes the door behind him and slumps down onto the edge of his bed. All the emotion he had been devoid of since being brought home slowly comes trickling back, causing his body to shake. He tries his hardest to fight it, but soon feels the stinging in his wounds caused by his own salty tears. He immediately brings his hands to his face, trying to cover his shame as they start to pour out.
Real men don't cry!, he mentally tells himself repeatedly, but no matter how much he derides himself, it just won't stop.
****************************
"Love is by far the cruelest emotion one can ever become cursed with. Through it, you'll lose what you wish most to keep while being forced to keep what you wish most to lose."
-Antonio Pavani, age 18
