Elegance with Expense

62. Growing up with Wealth

'Begs the question, who did you hear it from?' I didn't let his question startle me, I guess I could lie.

'That really doesn't matter, I need to know if it's true.'

'Why do you need to know? You don't need to know everything that happens in my life.' I shrugged, emphasising on the word need. I saw him throw his head back in frustration.

He centred his head and looked behind me for a few seconds. He didn't look into my eyes, before raising his voice. Although he wasn't acknowledging my gaze, it was obvious that I could have been the only one he was directing these words too. 'Just tell me dammit.'

I hadn't seen him loose himself in the way that he did just then, it wasn't very loud or staggering, but it was almost desperate. He showed this by dropping his burger back onto the table, neither of us had taken even a bite from our food. Our hunger didn't seem to be a priority.

'Don't get angry.'

'What! Are you telling me that you did?' He interrupted before I could confirm. I guess there's no point in lying about it now, if I absolutely had to tell one brother, it would be Lorenzo. It was obvious he wouldn't be happy, far from it in fact, but he would keep his calm. I slowly nodded, and saw him slouch. 'I'm going to kill him.'

...I guess I was proved wrong.

'Lorenzo, what is wrong with you. What is wrong with all of you? I'm not too happy about it either, I just found out that he is being paid to be around me.'

'He's not supposed to be around you in that way!' He half yelled.

I was glad that we had this space to ourselves, he definitely would have gained some attention if the tables around us were filled.

'I asked you to come with me for a reason. I haven't had the greatest day, so could you please find the courtesy to not yell at me right now.' I huffed. 'Yes, I kissed him. You're not much older than me, and have taken advantage of half the girls in our school. What I did wasn't even bad, you had to have expected something like this would happen eventually.'

'No, I never did. You're meant to stay innocent forever.'

Brave of him to assume I'm innocent. He should know better.

I thought at this point, our generation had grown out of the patriarchal oppression. They are being sexist, and don't even recognize it. Kissing someone at my age isn't totally abnormal, My actions involving Milan aren't abnormal, their involvement is.

How can he get angry at me, he knew this whole time about Milan, I should be getting angry at him; but I wouldn't. I knew I wouldn't. 

I have the decency to slumber myself in a time when I know that getting in an argument will only lead to the both of us getting upset. It won't benefit us, nor will it resolve anything. There would be no purpose, and our breath would be wasted.

Immediately, this subject needed to be changed before anything too crazy happened, so I took it upon myself to do exactly that. I waited for a quiet moment, when Lorenzo's breathing pace had slowed down, and he had loosened his posture slightly.

'Do you come here often?' My voice wasn't tender, it was hard. But it was a good way to transition without it seeming so strange.

He looked away from the view he was staring at, and locked eyes with me. My sudden change in questioning didn't take him by surprise, I think he understood.

'Not as often as I would like to. It's not close enough to the house.' He grumbled, fiddling with the wrapping paper of the burger. His eyes kept going to his hands then back up to me. I sat still, in the awkward environment, hoping that he would ask me a question to keep the conversation flowing. He couldn't rely on my words. 'Did you have a place like this in London?' My wishes came true.