i stood in my tracks, resting against the wall as i watched mattia walk back inside. i fixed the back of my hair as it frizzed up before walking into the restaurant they way i left. i pulled my chair out once again, flattening my dress as i took a seat - all eyes were on me.
"restrooms outside, huh?" ansel taunted, shoving food into his mouth.
"apparently, dickhead." i kicked him gently under the table, grabbing my fork to begin eating.
"blair brooks!" my mom exclaimed, "do you always have to use such vulgar language? especially in public." she said between her teeth with wide eyes. my dad's eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled at me proudly.
throughout the course of dinner, i watched mattia appear and disappear with a giddy smile on his face. occasionally, he would wink at me as he passed by. once dinner ended, mr. polibio brought us the bill, he handed it to my father with a smile.
"family discount for you all." he motioned his attention towards me from across the table, lowering his head before cupping his mouth to whisper, "and for the troubles matti's been giving your daughter." my face flushed, as he spoke. my father left a generous tip on the table, before we said our thank you's and good-bye's to mr. polibio. as we began to walk out, mattia peeked his head around the corner from the kitchen with a wide smile and a wave.
dad drove us down the street yet again, straight to the house.
"making milk-tea, anyone want some?" mom asked around as we entered the house, everyone declined but me. mom and i entered the kitchen, she dug around in the cabinets for the kettle as i watched from the bar stood.
"aha! i found the bitch!" she said, holding a baby-blue tea kettle in her hands happily.
"do you always have to use such vulgar language?" i repeated her from earlier, speaking in a british accent with a smile. she rolled her eyes at me, filling the kettle up. "keep it up, milani and you'll make your own tea." she placed the kettle onto the stove, before leaning over the counter to face me. i looked down at my phone, scrolling through instagram before turning to face her - she had a cunning smile on her face. i raised my eyebrows at her with a questioning look, turning my phone off.
"so..." she grinned, wiggling her shoulders to me.
"sooo." i repeated to her, expressionless.
"so, what did you and mattia do during dinner?" she lowered her head to me attentively.
"we didn't do anything." i said, turning away to hide the smile that formed at my lips.
she sighed loudly, shaking her head. "gli piaci , blair." she spoke seriously, "e ti piace anche lui." i shook my head to her, disagreeing - knowing the truth.
"you don't know that, mom."
"i know it, because i see it." she pointed to her eyes, pulling the kettle off of the stove to prepare the drink. "and it's not just me that sees it!" she argued back. i stayed silent, huffing loudly. "we see it, his family sees it, so do his fans." she added, pushing a mug in front of me.
"fans?" i questioned.
"rinnie and ansel told me what happened while you went to the restroom."
i watched her with a defeated expression, nodding at her once before grabbing my mug to go upstairs. "grazie."
i opened and shut my door, placing my drink on the table beside my bed. i glanced at my phone, checking the time - 9:45. i kicked my shoes off, pulling my legs up to my chest as i thought about what happened in the alleyway, taking a sip from my drink. around 10 o'clock, i decided to pamper myself before bed - music, bath bomb, face mask, shave, exfoliate, moisturize, deep condition. i watched myself in the mirror as i let my eyes wander over my dress, pulling the top out like mattia did earlier. i shrugged as i looked down at what rested inside with a smile. "boy got a glimpse for free?"
