“‘Avere’ is the verb for ‘to have,’” Neil said. He wrote it down in my notebook. “But it’s an irregular conjugation. ‘Io ho,’ I have. ‘Tu hai,’ you have. Lei, lui, lei ha . . .”

When Neil would reach over to write down a word, his forearm kept brushing my wrist. It meant nothing to him but stirred everything in me. My skin became electric. It wasn’t just the touch. It was the setup, too. Francesco eventually made his way downstairs to clean up the area behind us. I felt like he was watching us, could sense that every fiber of my being was aroused as Neil spoke softly and filled my notebook with Italian words.

It was a good thing Neil was writing everything down. I would have to review it all later, when I was less distracted.

• • •

Toward the end of our lesson, I asked Neil, “What’s the word for ‘question’ in Italian?”

“Domanda,” he said.

“All right. I have a domanda. Io. Ho. Domanda,” I said, making sure to use the right verb conjugation. “What’s the deal with Rocco?”

Neil reached for my notebook and wrote: Io ho una domanda. Damn. I was close. “I actually don’t know Rocco very well. He and Jahan used to work together in a pizza shop, I think, or some kind of tourist trap in Piazza Navona, way before we were all friends. That’s how they got close. When I first met Rocco, I just knew him as Jahan’s artsy friend.”

“But he’s with Giovanni, right?” I asked.

Neil’s eyes shifted. “Yes.”

I sat in silence for a few seconds. Neil asked why I was asking about Rocco, and I explained to him what happened last night.

“Oh boy,” he said, though he didn’t seem surprised. “I’m sorry.”

“What I don’t get,” I said, “is why Rocco would hit on me if he’s dating Giovanni.”

“Well. Yeah,” Neil said. “But they’re open.” I cocked my head back. “It means they’re not monogamous. They’re allowed to hook up with other people.”

“I know what an open relationship is,” I said defensively.

“Right, because you’re on the ‘internet,’” Neil mocked.

I glared at Neil, but he was right; I knew what it meant abstractly, the way you know a billionaire is a person with billions of dollars, but to see it applied in the flesh, to real-life people I had met, was new to me.

“So, um. Is that . . . common?” I asked.

Neil laughed. “I don’t know. A lot of gay couples are open. I have some straight friends who are in open relationships, too.”

“But isn’t the point of a relationship that you’re with one person?”

“Depends on your definition of a relationship. Some people would insist that a relationship is only between a man and a woman.”

“Good point,” I said. “I guess if you look at it like that, anything works.”

“Yeah. Though I don’t want you thinking every gay couple is open.” He lowered his voice and looked over his shoulder. “Francesco and I aren’t open.” The way he said it, almost emphasizing it, I felt like he was making a point. “There’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s not for everyone. It just comes down to what you’re most comfortable with.”