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I drunkenly kissed Gio a few months ago, and I wanted it to go further so badly. I could have sworn he was going to kiss me back. Instead, he pushed me off. Then the next day, Lorenzo scolded me about it for an hour as if I were a child. Like I wasn’t already embarrassed enough to be rejected, Gio told on me too.
My stubborn man.
Katherine’s room is on the second floor, and it’s huge. It might even be bigger than my room at the family estate. As I open the door, chills run down my back; It’s cold in here.
There’s a little note propped up on the bed.
“Help yourself to anything, closet included, though I’m not sure if any of it will fit. Have fun and relax, this is to take stress away, not add it!
-your favorite sister–in–law”
Katherine has this weird idea that I’m a million times skinnier than her. We’re practically the same size. She just has bigger hips and definitely bigger boobs. I looked it up on the internet and I think she has some sort of body dysmorphia which makes me sad for her. She’s fucking hot, but sometimes it’s like she doesn’t think she is. Granted, her size has very little to do with how stunning she is. All bodies can be gorgeous.
She has these weird mood swings, like she represses herself sometimes and other times is the life of the party. I know she has a lot of sadness in her past, but we don’t talk about it.
I put the note on the bedside table near the alarm clock and set my suitcase on the bed. Walking into the ensuite bathroom, my mind relaxes at the sight of her show. Mostly because I need it. I need to be under the hot stream of water and experience it again. Agoodshower. I couldn’t stand having to shower at school in the dorms. The water pressure is awful and the hot water doesn’t last long enough.
There’s a folded stack of fluffy white towels on the sink that looks like soft clouds of cotton. Her shower covers the entire back wall of the bathroom. It’s beautiful and the deep spa sized tub is calling my name too. But a shower will be quicker, and I’m hungry, so that’s my choice.
The water is practically boiling hot, filling the air with wet steam, just the way I like it. Katherine and I use the same products aside from our conditioners. Her hair is significantly curlier than mine, meaning she needs special stuff for it. My hair has always been sort of wavy from time to time, but it’s usually straight until I style it. So I use my personal conditioner, lathering it all over my head, pulling out any tangles in the process. The waterfall shower head fills the room with echos that make it sound like a rainstorm. It’s peaceful, but when my stomach growls at me, I finish up and get out.
I towel dry my body and blow out my hair, keeping it straight with a little volume. I’m cold doing this naked, but I hate getting dressed with wet hair, so I tough it out. Once I finish, I throw on a simple baby blue bra and panties set and try to decide what to wear. I don’t know if I’ll see Gio or not, but I’m starting my mission slowly.
I pick out a pair of skintight black jeans with tattered rips in the knees and put on a pink long–sleeved crop top. My sparkly belly button ring is visible just the right amount. I don’t know that Gio or Luca has ever seen it, but they will now. Converse and a pair of silver hoops top off the look. For makeup I just put on my base, lashes, chapstick and some bronzer. I’m not going out, so I don’t care too much about having a fancy eye–look on.
The alarm clock says 7pm when I grab my phone and make my way out of the room. I shove it in my back pocket and take the stairs down to the foyer.
It’s empty.
I make my way to the kitchen and I find Luca sitting at the countertop. He’s eating pizza from Bella’s, our family's favorite shop. There’s three boxes on the counter and a bottle of white wine opened next to them. I don’t acknowledge him. I just walk past him and grab a plate.
He doesn’t acknowledge me either. I think I see him glance at me, but I don’t pay attention. Taking a slice with vegetables on it and grabbing a wine glass before I sit down, I do a medium pour into the glass and sit at the counter, leaving a chair of space in between us.
The pizza is cold when I bite into it, but still fantastic. The wine is from one of my mom’s selections. She has good taste, of course. I’ve been drinking wine casually since I was like twelve, so I like to think I know a bit about it. Katherine, though, likes cheap white wine that could pass for sparkling grape juice. I love her, but sometimes she makes me cringe.
I want to know where Gio is, but I don’t want to ask. Luca will just give me grief about it if I do. Since Katherine moved in, she’s been making not-so-subtle hints about Gio and I. Luca has made his place on the matter clear. He doesn’t think it’ll happen, and that irritates me.
A little faith would be nice, dammit.
“Has Lorenzo been in touch? I only got a few texts from Katherine today.” I try to make small talk and act cool, but I'm not very good at it. It pains me. I don’t like not having a set plan for conversations. Being rehearsed is a habit that I find comforting.
Luca grunts, swallowing his last bite. “Yeah, they’re good,” he confirms.
“Oh.”
I’ve finished my pizza too, but I stay in my seat, sipping the last of my wine.
“You gonna ask what you really want to know?”
My heart thumps in my chest, but I keep my face relaxed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I nearly stutter, trying to fake confusion.
“You’re like the worst liar, you know that?” He laughs, giving me a cheeky grin. “Gio’s out, he’ll be back though.”
Possessive questions swirl around in my mind, itching to come out.
Out where?
With who?
