‘Really? I literally swapped the end of the word forzioniand hoped for the best!’
Gino rolled his eyes. ‘And there I thought you’d learned some Italian.’
‘I had. And if you don’t mind, I’ll definitely have somedessertzioni.’
Gino looked at Ava, mock indignation on his face. ‘Really? You’re doing that?’
Ava went to speak again but giggled. ‘No! Even I can’t keep that up. Sorry. But I would like to try the panna cotta though, please?’ She smiled. ‘But I’m paying. I already had this outfit.’
‘You will not!’ Gino insisted. ‘Pud’s on the ’ouse,’ he added in an attempt at a Cockney accent, as he walked away.
‘Pah!’ Ava chuckled. ‘Phil Mitchell meets Gino D’Acampo!’
* * *
As Gino turned out the lights and locked the pub door, the church clock was striking midnight. Being an hour after the last of the revellers left The Brown Dog, the village streets had fallen silent. The air was cold, but Ava was still feeling the warmth of the pub, as well as the warm glow of success from how well the evening had gone. That, and the alcohol she had consumed, was making her cheeks feel positively rosy. She and Gino walked companionably along the street, the only noise coming from their shoes against the cobbles. The clouds from earlier had cleared revealing a velvet sky, speckled with countless stars. Her eyes having adjusted to being outside, Ava looked up and smiled. ‘There are so many stars tonight. Look, they’re actually twinkling.’
‘Did you know . . .’ Gino paused, looking directly at her.
Ava stopped and looked into his darkened eyes, readying herself for a beautiful Italian phrase about the night sky that, given her current giddy state, might just melt her insides.
‘. . . they’re not actually twinkling?’
‘What?’ That was not what she had expected to hear.
‘We think they’re twinkling but that movement you see, it’s caused by turbulence in the atmosphere — the light from the stars is refracted in different directions — making us think they’re twinkling.’
‘Blimey, has a less romantic sentence ever been spoken by an Italian?’ Ava scoffed, folding her arms as she continued to walk towards Critters’ Cottage.
‘Sorry!’ Gino fell into step alongside her. ‘I’ve always had a fascination with astronomy. Some boys liked football or playing on the PlayStation — I liked looking at the stars.’
Ava paused for a moment, looking at Gino. ‘How did I not know that?’
‘You didn’t ask, and, mentioning it seemed a bit . . . What’s that word?’
‘Nerdy?’ Ava asked with a smile as she continued walking.
‘Yes, nerdy. I have told you I’m more of a late-night than early morning person, though.’
‘Yes, you have,’ Ava conceded, not admitting she had assumed he was referring to an overactive nightlife of a different sort. She thought about the times they’d spent talking. Despite the fact they’d spent long hours chatting, Ava realised she had rarely asked him about his life, passions and ambitions. He had been a good friend to her as she had come to terms with her mum’s illness and death, but she wondered how much of a good friend she’d been to him.
‘Gino.’
‘Yes?’
‘I wasn’t really upset about the star thing . . . I mean, you’ve shattered my illusions. “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” will never be the same again, but I don’t mind,’ she teased, directing Gino towards the shortcut that led through the grounds of Dapplebury House. ‘And I’m sorry I didn’t know that about you . . . You can tell me more . . . about the stars and stuff, if you like.’ Ava unfolded her arms, her hand accidentally brushing Gino’s as she let it swing by her side.
‘Ha, OK! The stars and stuff.’ Gino laughed. ‘How much did you drink tonight?’
‘Hmm, more than a bit but less than a lot,’ Ava confirmed, sure that the light feeling she could feel in her head was due to the success of the night.
‘So you want to talk about the waxing gibbous moon?’ Gino spoke with an amused tone as he pointed at the moon that was less than a full circle but larger than a semicircle.
‘The waxing what?’
‘You must have done the phases of the moon at school! The waxing gibbous moon.’
Ava shook her head. ‘Honestly, I don’t remember ever hearing that before.’
