From London to Rome

Chapter 17

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Luca

Adrina is still walking around the kitchen. I was hoping she would be out with friends today. She is the typical 17-year old. Never at home unless you want her out. Usually, her friends come over on Sundays but luckily today it's just Adrina.

"Are you leaving tonight?"

"Why the sudden urge to get me out of the house?"

"Well..." I don't know if I should tell her. I trust her, but I also know that she will tell mum whenever she gets angry with me. If she doesn't leave, she will find out anyway, maybe it's better if she knows the whole story. "There may be someone coming over."

"And who may that someone be?" She sees me hesitating but keeps digging for more information. "Is that the same person who has you glued to your phone all day for the past month?"

"Was it that obvious?" Adrina nods while digging through the fridge.

"What is all this food doing here?"

"Oh, Skylar and I are cooking dinner tonight."

"So, her name is Skylar. Keep talking." Damn, she knows me too well.

"We met a month ago and we've been hanging out ever since."

"Do you even know me? That's not even close to the explanation I'm waiting for."

"What do you want me to say, Adri? We met because I ran into her twice in one day. We started texting, met up a few times. I really like to spend time with her, talk to her, be near her."

"You've got it good, brother. You should see your eyes lighting up when you talk about her." As I said, she knows me too well. "And, no. I'm not going anywhere tonight. I would love to meet the girl that got my brother all mushy."

"Fine, you can stay. But please don't embarrass me." I finish cleaning downstairs before heading to my room to take a shower and get changed. I put on a white shirt and a pair of ripped jeans and head back to the living room. Adrina is already sitting on the couch, shifting between channels.

"Couldn't you have picked something else to wear other than your standard white tee and jeans?"

"What? She has seen me before. Why would I wear something that isn't me? I don't know why you got all dressed up. We're just going to make dinner."

"It isn't every day you bring a girl home. I better make sure I look good."

"Can you blame me? Would you ever dare to bring a guy home with mum here? No one will ever be good enough for her. And I never liked a girl enough to put her through that."

"So, you like Skylar enough to put her through it?"

"You think I would have invited her if mum would be here? There is no way I will let mum scare her off after just a month of knowing her. No way I will let her come here once mum is back. She will destroy everything."

"True. Well, good luck with the cooking. Try not to burn the house down and call me when dinner is ready." Without waiting for my reply, she heads upstairs. At the moment I hear Adrina's door close, the bell rings.

"Oh, you're on!" Skylar and I just finished preparing lasagne and tiramisu. We were cleaning up when I decided to pull a little prank. I dipped my finger in the pot with leftover Bolognese sauce and smeared it on her cheek. She responds by throwing small chunks of cheese my way. I manage to dodge most of them, but I can't avoid one hitting me straight on my forehead. She tries running away from me, but I'm quicker and soon she has her whole face covered in sauce. What I didn't see coming was the cacao powder Skylar managed to grab and throw in my hair.

"How long until din..." Adrina looks at the mess we made. Not only of ourselves but of the kitchen as well. "What the hell happened here? I swear Luca, you may be four years older, but you behave like the younger sibling. Now go get your asses cleaned up." Always fun when your sister lectures you in front of the girl you like. I quickly get a cleaning rag and start wiping the countertops and the floor. Skylar finishes rinsing the dishes and puts them in the dishwasher.

"I think we may need a shower." Luckily, we managed to keep our clothes relatively clean, but our faces need some serious cleaning.

"That may be a good idea. Do you want to go first? You're leaving a trail of cacao powder everywhere you go."

"Who said anything about going first? My shower is big enough for two." I joke.

"In your dreams, Bianchi." God, it's so hot when she uses my last name.

"Yes indeed, I did dream about it." Did I really say that out loud? Why can't I keep my mouth shut for once in my life? I'm trying to make her like me, not scare her away. She doesn't seem to mind my comment though. As a matter of fact, I see her smirking, she clearly tries to hide it from me, but fails miserably. Remind me to thank the Lord for this girl. Not only is she smart, kind, beautiful and so much more, but she also seems to appreciate my humour. Most people don't like my dry and dirty humour, but Skylar is different. Instead of scaring her off, it seems that she happily goes along with it. Having a comeback for everything.

"You can go first. I'll ask Adrina for some clothes."

"Those are never gonna fit me. She is definitely two sizes smaller than me." She might be right. Adrina is a little shorter and Skylar has great hips and a beautiful ass. I cannot help staring at her ass while she walks out of the kitchen. Focus Luca, focus. I just cannot help it, I'm too attracted to her not to look.

"Don't worry, I'll find you something." I lead her to my bathroom and search my closet for something to wear for Skylar.

Skylar and I both ended up in joggers and a t-shirt. It's a simple outfit, but Skylar looks incredibly hot wearing my clothes. Is it bad that I want her to wear them more often? Damn, I can never focus when I'm around this girl. She does things to me no one else has ever done. She makes me feel things I didn't know I was capable of feeling. And all of that within a month of meeting her. Only when Adrina starts talking, I notice that I have been staring at Skylar.

"This is actually really good. I didn't know you could cook this well." Adrina says to me.

"I had the best help." I see Skylar blushing, making all my sisters failed attempts to bring me down worth it.

It's late already and Skylar still has to take the underground to get home. I wish I could let her stay here, but mom will be coming home tomorrow morning and I don't want to risk them running into each other. I walk with Skylar to the station. I hate that she has to travel home all by herself. I offered to go with her multiple times, but she wouldn't have it. She said she will be perfectly capable to get home safely by herself and honestly, I don't doubt her for a minute. But I still don't like the idea.

"So, what's the deal with you two?" The day has been way too nice to end with an interrogation from my sister.

"I like hanging out with her. I can really be myself with her. That's it."

"No, no. you're not getting away with that, Luca. You look at her as a kid looks at his Christmas presents. You brought her home for god's sake. Don't bullshit me."

"What do you want to hear, Adrina? Yes, I like the girl. So freaking much."

"Then make it official. Ask her to be your girlfriend or something. Tell the whole world how much you like her."

"The first one, yes I am planning on doing that soon. The second, not if it's up to me. Once people find out we're dating, they are going to go after her. They will destroy her."

"Fine, keep it out of the media for as long as you can, but for the love of god, Luca. Please prepare her for what may be coming once people find out. I was slightly used to it because of mum and dad, but she has no idea what's coming her way."