Love, accidentally

1

E L E O N O R A

Looking at the mirror, I saw a totally different person. Just a couple of days ago, I was dirty and spot-full. Now, everything is all clean and clear. I couldn't help but feel proud of myself. All the edges were pristine, gold shining like never before. I should thank my mother for her advice later.

"I'm sorry it took me this long." I traced my fingers along with it.

Come to think of it, a lot of people made fun of me for talking to non-living things. For example, if my sister walked in on me talking to the mirror, apologizing even because it took me this long to clean it, she'd smack me on the head and say "Freak".

Maybe I was.

It began ever since I apologized to my door handle for hooking my backpack on it for a whole day. Don't come at me...it felt right at the moment.

"Come on, Nora we have to go." My little sister called from downstairs.

"Coming!" I shouted back so she could hear me, putting my phone in the back pocket of my dark blue jeans, and headed out. When I reached downstairs, Eva was standing, looking as annoyed as ever with a tote bag on her shoulder.

"Did you get the chocolate filling?" I asked while tying my shoelaces.

"Sì, now come on because we're late." I nodded in response-even though you can't particularly be late for your own shop. I didn't comment on it because I knew she was excited to see the bakery after quite a while.

"Are you sure you're not forgetting something?" I raised my eyebrow at her, already knowing the answer.

She furrowed her eyebrows and ruffled through the bag before tapping her pockets and looking at me knowingly with our mother's chocolate eyes.

"My phone." She gun-pointed at me.

"Good girl." I mused, taking her phone out of my other pocket only to feel its buzz in my hand.

She snatched it from me, but I was fast to read the caller's ID.

"Who's Luca?" I asked, my voice clipped.

"Um, can we talk about that later?" She averted her eyes, gulping audibly.

"Why not right now?"

"I just..." She sighed, looking slightly uncomfortable.

It hurt to see my sister feeling uncomfortable talking to me about her love life. I didn't know if it was because she was scared of hurting me or of me hurting her.

It was then that I remembered that I wasn't exactly the most hostile person to talk to about love. At least now I wasn't.

I was about to tell her it's okay to talk to me regardless of the reason she was holding back but my own phone bussed in my back pocket.

"Nessa?" I picked up.

"Hey babe, are you at the bakery?" The soft familiar voice sounded through the phone.

"On my way," I said, taking the keys from the key holder and opening the front door of my apartment.

I didn't miss the sigh of relief that escaped Eva's lips behind me.

"Great-I'll meet you there." I hung up and placed my phone back in my pocket.

Due to the current financial state I was in, I didn't own a car, so we walked.

It wasn't exactly an awkward twenty-minute walk-especially after what happened at the apartment-and I just settled for asking about mom and dad and our home back in Milan.