All the stories

Introduction · Ch. p.5

Alex and Giulia, two souls searching for their place in the world, find their vital rhythm in the sounds of the city and the waves of the sea. Alex, with his music, gives voice to Roman nights, turning every party into a unique experience — a crescendo of emotions echoing through the streets of a Rome that seems to dance at his command…

Chapter 01 · Ch. p.7

Alex and I met at the Surf Club, in Piazza di Spagna, Rome. It was mid-October 1999; in a few months the new millennium would begin, and among people like me, born in Pelé's years, there was that magical air that electrifies you and lifts you higher and higher — that spark that makes you want to leap into the void…

Chapter 02 · Ch. p.21

Alex had gone over to Andy's house; they had arranged to spend the afternoon playing and testing the new mixer bought with the money from the last club night. Andy and Alex were bound by a friendship that went far beyond simple collaboration. They had met in high school, and since then they had shared countless experiences…

Chapter 03 · Ch. p.35

That morning I had woken up early and gone to the tennis club to train. It had been so long since I last held a racket. I missed it. Between graduating and leaving for London, I hadn't found time to move, and my body was crying out for revenge. It was good to see friends I hadn't seen in ages…

Chapter 04 · Ch. p.53

The meeting point had been set for four in the afternoon at the villa hosting the Halloween party. Alex parked in the square beside Andy's car — an electric-blue, three-door Peugeot 206 he was particularly proud of. He got out and headed up the main driveway. The villa was laid out over two floors…

Chapter 05 · Ch. p.64

Finally, the long-awaited evening had arrived. All day I had been buzzing with excitement. Alex and I would see each other for the second time — it was October 31, 1999. Since we had met, I had thought of him constantly, and of his absurd question about happiness…

Chapter 06 · Ch. p.75

As Alex and I walked hand in hand, I heard a distant, intermittent noise, coming closer and closer... but what... I woke up, opened my eyes, trying to work out where I was. I slipped out from under the covers and switched off the alarm that kept ringing stubbornly. Damn — right at the best part!!

Chapter 07 · Ch. p.91

The exam in work and organizational psychology had been a tough hurdle for Alex, yet despite all his social commitments he had scored a solid 28. He left the lecture hall deeply satisfied and headed out into the courtyard — he was starving, having skipped breakfast to be on time for the exam…

Chapter 08 · Ch. p.106

The train left Rome's Termini station on time at 7:35; my arrival in Turin was expected around 11:05. I tried in vain to tame my nerves — I was worried about what lay ahead. I had studied the papers all weekend and hoped I was prepared enough for the work that awaited me…

Chapter 09 · Ch. p.124

Alex and the others reached Milan well ahead of time, so Alex decided to go straight to the venue to speak with the manager — to ask permission to unload the equipment and leave the van nearby, so they could roam the city in Alex's Fiat alone. The club was on the Navigli, right in the heart of the nightlife…

Chapter 10 · Ch. p.138

As agreed, Alex met Andy and the others at seven, in front of the Macondo. When they saw him arrive — “Aho, here he is...” — they teased him. “So, how was your afternoon?” Luca asked in a sly little voice. “That's not how you treat friends, you know...” Marco added. Alex laughed; he knew they hadn't taken his absence well…

Chapter 11 · Ch. p.156

If I believed my return to the Rome office would be greeted with ovations — or at the very least with my superiors' compliments — well, I was sorely mistaken. My triumphant entrance died in under ten minutes. I reached my desk to the usual cold good-morning from my colleagues…

Chapter 12 · Ch. p.171

Alex was still in bed. His mother knocked on his bedroom door around 10:00. “Alex?” No answer. “Alex?” She opened the door softly. “Sweetheart... wake up.” Alex emerged from under the blankets and turned towards her. “Yeah, what is it, Mum?” he asked, his voice thick with sleep. “Listen, you came home late last night...”

Chapter 13 · Ch. p.190

I switched on the bedside lamp and looked at the alarm clock: 4:30. Still the middle of the night, and I couldn't sleep. I sat up — I had been tossing and turning for over an hour. I kept replaying the way I had said goodbye to Alex. Or rather, how I hadn't said goodbye. I questioned the nature of my own behaviour…

Chapter 14 · Ch. p.206

All day Alex had been busy with Andy and the others, setting up the console for the party at the Sistina Bernini Hotel. Keeping the secret from Giulia had taken a huge effort. Thanks to Isabella's connections — or more precisely, her father's influential political contacts — he had accepted the gig…

Chapter 15 · Ch. p.218

The appointment had been set for 2:30 pm at the Gianicolo. I was electrified at the thought of seeing Alex — and above all of helping him on New Year's Eve. I knew that night was the most important one; Alex had hinted at it often. Having a role in it meant feeling part of his world…

Chapter 16 · Ch. p.235

The alarm clock on the nightstand read ten past three in the morning. Alex couldn't fall asleep. The tension for the evening ahead was making itself felt. Isabella had taken more bookings than expected, so everything had to run at maximum efficiency. He wasn't worried — just itching to fire up the engine…

Chapter 17 · Ch. p.250

Alex and Andy wandered through the ballroom, welcoming friends as they slowly began to arrive. Alex exchanged the usual pleasantries, and many complimented him on the elegance of the location. He was delighted that the choice of the villa pleased the guests — all credit to Isabella's connections…

Chapter 18 · Ch. p.267

Back in the ballroom, Giulia rejoined her friends at the table while Alex announced over the microphone that the party would move to the other room. Astonished looks, mouths agape with surprise. Alex urged everyone to leave gradually and in an orderly fashion — but a long queue soon formed at the exit…

Chapter 19 · Ch. p.279

On Monday, January 3rd of the new millennium, I was back at the office as usual. Sitting at my desk, buried under documents and invoices, I kept replaying what had happened on the night of the 31st. By then it had become an obsession. When Lidia and the harpies she called friends had gone, a heavy silence fell over all of us…

Chapter 20 · Ch. p.292

I went back to my room alone and lay down on the covers. It had been a beautiful day — the trip, the arrival at the hotel, dinner, and Giulia. Yes, Giulia was becoming an obsession. I wondered when I had started thinking about her so constantly. I couldn't explain how she had managed to get into my veins so deeply…

Chapter 21 · Ch. p.301

I climbed off the snowmobile with my nerves still on edge. I only began to relax when I saw the girls hurrying towards me, worried. “What happened?” Francesca asked at once, Monica right behind her. “Did you fall? Are you hurt?” “No, no, girls... relax, I'm fine, I didn't fall. Everything's okay — I just need to sit down and catch my breath…”

Chapter 22 · Ch. p.309

When I saw her relaxed on the deckchair in the sun, I felt the urge growing inside me to be alone with her... We hadn't yet had time that was ours alone, and after the panic attack — for which I felt thoroughly guilty — I thought the moment had come to devote myself to her, to make her forget that awful experience…

Chapter 23 · Ch. p.318

We had arranged to meet in about half an hour, down in the hotel lobby, before joining the others at the restaurant. I shut the door with my foot and rushed into the bathroom. As the hot shower water ran over my skin, my mind wandered through the memories of that day. So many things had happened in so little time…

Chapter 24 · Ch. p.329

Excitement ran high among the group; the air crackled with electricity for the evening ahead. Yet a veil of melancholy hovered over the holiday's imminent end. In the morning they all met on the slopes for one last run of what had been a week on the snow filled with fun and friendship…

Chapter 25 · Ch. p.338

I arrived at the office right on time; at the entrance I ran into Claudia. “Hey, hi, welcome back... how are you?” she asked, sincere joy on her face at seeing me. I was happy too — she was the only bright spot in that terrible job. “All good, thanks — it was a wonderful holiday!” I exclaimed enthusiastically…

Chapter 26 · Ch. p.354

It was early March; I had just sat another university exam, and that evening I felt like celebrating. I called Andy and we went for a beer at Marlo's. As we walked in, the familiar blanket of smoke welcomed us; we greeted a few known faces and regulars. Playing pool with a beer in my hand relaxed me…

Epilogue · Ch. p.367

It was a grey day; the sea was rough and the wind blew hard, bending Alex's sails aboard his boat, in the middle of a sea that seemed determined to swallow him whole. It was a moment of reckoning, when questions about the past and the future grew ever more pressing…