Tre Ragazzi e Una Ragazza

9 ~ The Dinner

It had been almost a full week since that one uncomfortable rehearsal. Since the fiasco, Amedeo, Cosimo, Lucio and I hadn't seen each other in person.  But after rehearsal, we talked everything out on the phone and now it seemed like the friendly group dynamic was mostly back to normal. I was incredibly relieved, albeit confused about the whole situation. I wondered what it was that made them all act so jealous, but I didn't even want to think about it. Hopefully it was all water under the bridge. 

I had been working all week on my pieces for the showcase, taking the coordinator's words to heart. I tried hard to put emotion into my singing, to not to be so robotic, to just let myself go free. It was proving to be more challenging than I thought. I had conditioned myself to always be proper and formal when singing so that I would be taken seriously, but I never thought about being taken too seriously. Nobody wants to watch a boring opera singer. 

I kept thinking of what the coordinator told me, to channel feelings of love and romance in the song. Considering I had never dated anyone or had even been interested in anyone that way, it was a difficult task. At least it was at first. Involuntarily, whenever I sang, I would think of Lucio. I tried to get him out of my mind, thinking he would just be a distraction. But maybe I did need to think of him, if that's what was going to help me convey that emotion. I just couldn't rectify myself to admitting that I liked him more than as a friend. I wasn't even sure of my feelings; I just knew I got butterflies every time I was around him and that he always stood out to me among the three guys. But that's not liking someone like that. Right? 

The restaurant was coming to its close, so I started to sweep the floors as the last of the customers shuffled out of the store. "Thank you, come again." My mom said, sending them off with a warm smile. The customers walked out the door and my mom turned to me, shooting a sharp breath out of her mouth. "I thought they'd never leave. They just sat there drinking the same cup of coffee for two hours." She growled, clearly irritated. My mom hated customers who would take up a table for a long period of time and only order something like water or coffee. It was one of her pet peeves as a restaurant owner. 

I giggled, sweeping some dust into the dustpan I was holding. "Good thing they didn't stay until after closing." She raised an eyebrow. "I would've kicked them out if they had the nerve. Or forced them to order a meal." I laughed. I walked over to the trash can, dumping the dust into it and closing the lid. I put the broom and dustpan back into the supply closet and sighed, wiping my hands on my apron. "I guess I should go and work on my songs a bit more." My voice was already tired, but I felt the need to practice. Dumb reasoning as a singer, but I needed to make sure my songs sounded perfect. 

"Aspetti per un momento, Daniela." My mom said, calling me over to her with a waving of her finger. I went over to her, waiting to hear what she wanted. She smiled. "I want you to invite those boys over for dinner tonight." My eyes bugged out of my head. This was coming out of nowhere. "You want me to invite them for dinner?" She raised a brow. "What do you think I just said?" I gathered my thoughts. "What made you think of doing that?" She smiled. "I know that you're good friends with them and you're all working so hard on this showcase. You should be able to enjoy a night together." She smirked. "And why go out to eat anywhere else when your mamma makes the best Italian food on the planet?" I smiled. She had a point there. 

The idea of having dinner with the guys was an exciting one. I remember when we first ate a meal together, the special moments we shared and how much fun we had. We really bonded then. Maybe we could bond even more now. I smiled even more when I thought of sharing another meal with Lucio. I smiled at my mom. "That's a good idea. I'll ask them." My mom clapped her hands, walking to the kitchen, scanning the fridge for possible meals to make. I pulled out my phone and sent a text to the group chat.