The Photographer (Ignazio Boschetto Fanfiction)

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

“What do you think?” Ignazio asked as I sipped the soup from the spoon.

“Good, but needs more hot sauce,” I said, handing him back the spoon from across the cabinet and returning to my laptop screen.

He laughed, shaking his head.

“If it was up to you, we’d put a whole bottle of hot sauce in there!”

“Sounds good to me,” I shrugged, and he laughed, turning from me to keep stirring the soup. He was making it for dinner, when the boys and I were going to watch the Grammies together in his hotel room in Philadelphia, a stop on the U.S. tour.

“How are the T-shirt sales going?” he asked, not looking up as he stirred.

“Very well,” I said, looking at the sales chart on my laptop screen, but I sounded bored as I said it, and Ignazio looked up and smiled at me.

“What will your next project be?” he asked, and I rested my chin down in my hand and looked up at him.

“I don’t know. That’s the problem. It’s already February, but I don’t know what to do.”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something soon,” he encouraged, smiling at me, and I smiled back.

“I hope so.”

*****

I sipped the broth from the bottom of my soup, not taking my eyes from the T.V. as Bruno Mars came out to sing his new pop hit. I turned my eyes to Gianluca, lowering the bowl as he clapped along with the audience.

“Bruno Mars!” he said, leaning back in satisfaction as he watched. He smiled at me when he caught me eyeing him, “I’m a big fan!”

I smiled back and let Ignazio take my bowl when he got up and passed by my chair.

“Watch, I bet he’s going to sing,” he whispered in my ear as he bent down to take it.

I watched Gianluca, and when Bruno Mars started to sing he jumped up and started to sing along, turning around and gesturing dramatically to Piero, who had been sitting beside him on the couch. I had chosen to sit in a chair in the corner of the room with my laptop so I could work. I had listened to them and eaten Ignazio’s soup while I observed them, but I mostly kept to myself.

I laughed at Gianluca, and again when Piero jumped up to dance with him, playfully taking him around the waist and almost falling over with him as they both took the lead. I laughed from my corner, watching them, and Piero looked over at me and then broke away from Gianluca and rushed over to me. I straightened, looking up at him in surprise, and he held out his hands and moved the laptop.

“Come dance!” he said, taking my hands, and I rolled my eyes but let him pull me up. He pulled me to the center of the room, but I pulled away when he reached for my waist.

“Salsa!” I said, starting the rock-step, but he couldn’t follow me and ended up just walking forward and back.

“No, no, no! You’re doing it all wrong, Piero,” Gianluca said, laughing at his feeble steps, and Piero laughed too.

Suddenly someone wrapped a hand around my waist and hoisted me into the air, out of Piero’s reach.

“Ignazio!” I cried in surprise, and then laughed as he spun me around and set me back down in front of him.

I turned toward him and he reached out for my hands.

“Come on, my dear, let’s show them how it’s done! Children, observe!”