MATTEO (book 2)

33. XENA

Somehow Matteo's bed is even more comfortable than the first time I got in it.

I remember I'm naked when I get out of bed. I walk to his clsoet and just put one of his shirts on, walking out to see his living room covered in empty beer cans and bottles.

How does he drink that much? It's worrying.

He wasn't anywhere to be seen.

I knock on the room Ilaria's staying in and open up when she allows me to. "Oh, Xena?"

"Have you seen Matteo?" I ask.

"Is he not in his bedroom?"

"No.... There's like... a lot of empty beer cans out here."

She gets out of bed, sighing when she sees the mess. Then she looks at me. "Wait did you stay here last night?"

"Yes..."

"Oh so all the sex toys are for you."

"Yup..." I rock back and forth awkwardly.

"Oh don't worry. TMI doesn't exist in my vocabulary." She rings someone, walking back to her room.

As she does, the door opens and Matteo stumbles in. He smiles so widely when he sees me that I almsot forget he needs to not drink.

"Ilaria." I shout.

"Hey baby." He sets down a whole crate of alcohol on the counter. "Oh, you're so gorgeous." He walks up to me, kissing me gently, then again and again.

Ilaria pulls him away, shouting at him in Italian.

He rolls his eyes, walking to the counter and opening a beer from the crate. He looks her in the eye as he cracks it open and downs the whole thing, not even blinking.

"I hate you." She grabs the empty can off him and throws it at his head. "Xena, my dad and Romeo will be here in a second."

"Everyone knows we're fucking, baby." He burps loudly.

I grab my bag and walk into his room, changing into a clean set of clothes.

I start cleaning up the mess and ten minutes later. They both do show up.

"Oh, look, the fun police have arrived." He lifts up a can, toasting it to them.

Romeo snatched it off him and throws it in the trash bag I was holding. "Is that full of them?"

"Yes." I look out to the balcony. There's even more there.

There was a lot of arguing and when I turn around, Matteo and Romeo started swinging at each other.

Asher just lets them and Ilaria was on the phone to someone else.

Matteo can really fight, wow. He's drunk, smaller than Romeo and... not a sociopath? And he can still managed to floor Romeo.

Asher finally pulls Matteo off him, pushing him to the bedroom. Romeo's nose was bleeding and he just looked panicked as he stayed on the floor.

Ilaria starts cleaning his nose and I take a very deep breath before walking back into the apartment.

"She said she's coming anyway." Ilaria tuts. "She's on her way."

Romeo looks at me. "You get him to stop. My girlfriend doesn't need to seen him like this."

"Me? I..."

"Ignore him." Ilaria shakes her head. "Did anything happen?"

"No. I just... slept."