Anime gemelle - ENG

2.

Carina DeLuca, unlike Maya, is a free soul, she does what she wants when she wants and doesn't care what others think. Her brother Andrea is her best friend and partner in crime, they are so close that sometimes when they walk together people confuse them and think they are a couple, which makes them both laugh non-stop.

Carina, like many in her family, loved to cook. Since she was very young, her grandfather and mother spent afternoons with her teaching her each of the family recipes. She dreamed of becoming one of the best chefs in Italy and helping to grow the family business. Her plans changed when at the age of 15 her mother died, it was one of the hardest moments in Carina's life, completely changing the plans she saw for her future. From that day on Carina decided to leave behind her passion for cooking, when she entered college she decided to study a career focused on business to help her grandfather take control of the family restaurant, but she swore that she was not going to cook for anyone who was not a member of her family. That activity that once made her so happy now only reminded her that she had lost one of the most important people in her life, so she limited herself to only cooking for herself or her brother Andrea on special occasions. 

Sitting in her living room she couldn't believe what she had done, she invited a complete stranger to her apartment and offered not only to cook for her but to give her cooking lessons. That night Carina couldn't sleep thinking about why she had offered to cook for Maya when she swore she would never cook for anyone outside of her family again. Not even her best friend Amelia or any of her past partners had ever had the pleasure of tasting her food. But Maya made her feel different, it was as if they had known each other all their lives, from the first day she saw her alone in the restaurant and their eyes met Carina felt a special connection. So much so that she decided to come back the next day and the day after hoping to meet her again, to her luck that day she was there and she was not going to miss the opportunity to talk to her. So she thought of his best excuse and went straight to her, she didn't know if the girl would remember her or not but she didn't care, she had to get to know her better.

The long awaited day had arrived, Carina decided she needed to distract herself as she kept thinking about Maya and that she was going to cook one of her mom's special recipes again. So she decided to call Amelia and spend the morning with her. Carina met Amelia right after her mom died, Amelia knew Carina's whole story and how hard it was for her to lose her mom so she was always there for her, supporting her in everything. Also, like Carina, Amelia was a free soul and they always had a good time together. That morning, amidst the laughter and jokes Carina completely forgot she was meeting Maya, until she got a message reminding her why she needed a distraction.

M: Hi! I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I was thinking of bringing wine and I don't know if I should bring white or red. Which is your favorite? Or I can bring both if you prefer. See you soon, can't wait to try your special recipe.

C: Hi bella, don't bother. As a good Italian I have a variety of wines in my house, whites and reds, you don't need to bring more. See you soon.

Amelia noticed Carina's huge smile the moment she received the message and couldn't help but annoy her friend.

- So someone is making my best friend smile like a fool with a single message and you haven't had the decency to tell me who it is. I feel betrayed.

- What's wrong with you? I'm not grinning like a fool.

- Of course you are, I know you Carina you've never been able to hide anything from me. So come on, spill it, who's making my best friend smile like that.

Amelia was right, Carina had never been able to hide anything from her. He didn't have much time left Maya would be at her house soon and knowing Amelia she would need hours to answer all her questions, so she promised she would call her tomorrow to tell her everything but she had to run now or she wouldn't make it on time for her appointment.

-An appointment huh! I expect the call tomorrow and I want all the details of that mystery date. Or I won't stop bothering you for a month, you know me.

Carina couldn't help but laugh, as she rushed off to her house. She still had to prepare some ingredients and change her clothes. She wanted to look good but not too forced, so she changed into baggy jeans, a top that fit her waist and some booties. She left the ingredients ready in the kitchen, took out two glasses, her best bottle of wine and put on some music to relax while she waited for Maya. A few minutes later she heard a knock on her door.

- Wow! You look amazing.

- Please, look at you, you look beautiful. Come in, do you want some wine? She asked her as she went to get the glasses and wine.

- Yes, please. The place is very nice, I love the decor.

- Thank you, I'm glad you like it. And you are welcome anytime. My brother usually stops by from time to time but I'm usually alone. She said as she handed her the glass of wine. - Ready to start?

- More than ready!

- Okay, then let's get started.

Carina helped Maya put on an apron and showed her step by step how to make the pizza. They were having such a good time that Carina completely forgot her promise and remembered the joy of cooking. To her surprise Maya was excellent at it.

- You've done this before? You're really good at cooking.

- No, no, not at all. It's just that I'm good at a lot of things. Besides, I have an excellent teacher.

- I see. Next time you should teach me something.

- Next time? So there will be a next time?

- Well, if it's up to me, yes! There will be a next time and hopefully many more. I like you, you know? I'm sure we can be good friends.

- I like you too, very much. But I don't have much time left in Italy, I have to continue my trip and then go back to Los Angeles with my family.

- So, let's take advantage of the few days you have left here and then we'll see what we can do about long distance friendship. What's more, tomorrow I'll pick you up and take you to one of my favorite beaches. What's better than getting to know Italy with a real Italian. She said as he winked and smiled.

Of course Maya was delighted with Carina's proposal, which she couldn't do more than nod her head and give her one of her biggest smiles. She was happy to know that Carina wanted to get to know her more and for them to be friends. She wanted it too, she had just met her, but inside she knew Carina was special.