“Luca can take care of it,” Matteo said.
Gianna glared at him before she sent me a smile. “Go on.”
I accepted Matteo’s arm. I wasn’t sure why Gianna despised him so much because it had started before the basement so it wasn’t that. But it wasn’t any of my business and Gianna didn’t talk about her emotions with me anyway. That was what Aria was for. In their minds I was always too young to get it. But I knew more than they thought.
* * *
Fifty minutes later, we arrived at Luca and Aria’s apartment building. I checked my reflection in the mirrors of the elevator, making sure my makeup was in place and I didn’t have anything between my teeth. It had been months since I’d last seen Romero and I wanted to make a good impression. But when we walked into Aria and Luca’s apartment Romero wasn’t there yet. My eyes darted around and eventually Aria leaned toward me, whispering, “Romero will be here soon, don’t worry.”
“I wasn’t looking for him,” I said quickly, but she didn’t buy it. I looked away before she could see my blush.
“Of course,” Aria said with a knowing smile. “He’ll come over around dinnertime to guard us when Matteo and Luca have to leave for business.”
Excitement bubbled up in me, but it was mixed with something queasy and nervous, too. I’d had the occasional nightmare about that night in the basement, not about Romero in particular but I wondered if a live encounter would bring more of the bad stuff up. But that wasn’t even the main reason why I was nervous. So far Romero had always ignored me, well not me, but my flirting. He’d treated me like a kid. Maybe he’d finally show more interest, or any interest at all. After all I was turning fifteen and it wasn’t as if I hadn’t caught many of my father’s soldiers checking me out. Maybe I wasn’t Romero’s type, no matter my age. I didn’t even know if he was dating someone or promised to someone.
During dinner I could tell that Aria and Gianna were exchanging the occasional glance. I wasn’t sure what it meant. Were they talking about me?
The elevator made a bling sound and started its descent to whoever had called it.
“That’s Romero,” Aria said. Luca gave her an odd look but I didn’t react at all, merely nodded as if I didn’t care, but I did, and I was glad for Aria’s warning.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” I said, trying to sound casual. Gianna rolled her eyes. I snatched my purse from the floor and rushed toward the guest bathroom. When I closed the door, I heard the elevator doors slide open. A moment later Romero’s voice rang out. It was deep but not rough. I loved the sound of it.
I faced the mirror and quickly refreshed my makeup and fluffed up my dark blond hair. It wasn’t as bright and pretty as Aria’s and not as eye-catching as Gianna’s red hair but it could have been worse. The others would notice that I’d gone into the bathroom to make myself presentable, my sisters at the very least, but I didn’t care. I wanted to look nice for Romero. Trying to look relaxed, I stepped out of the bathroom. Romero had taken a seat at the table and was loading a plate with the remains of our dessert: tiramisu and panna cotta. He was sitting on the chair right beside mine. I glanced at Aria wondering if she had something to do with it. She merely smiled at me, but Gianna didn’t even bother hiding her amusement. I really hoped she wasn’t going to embarrass me in front of everyone. I strolled over to my chair, hoping I looked grown up and relaxed, but apart from a quick smile Romero didn’t pay me any attention. Disappointment settled heavily in my stomach. I sat down beside him and took a sip of my water, more to have something to do than because I was actually thirsty.
If I’d thought Romero’s obvious disinterest in me was the full extend of my embarrassment today, I was sorely mistaken. Once Matteo and Luca had left for some kind of business meeting, it became obvious that Gianna and Aria were looking for a chance to be alone. They could have just asked me to leave but apparently they needed to get rid of Romero as well. Aria leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Can you distract Romero for a while? It’s important.” I didn’t get the chance to refuse or ask any questions.
“Romero, why don’t you play Scrabble with Lily? She looks like she’s bored out of her mind, and Aria and I need a moment for girl talk,” Gianna said pointedly.
My face burned in shame. Gianna usually knew better than to embarrass me like that. She made it sound like Romero needed to babysit me while she and Aria discussed important stuff.
Romero walked over from the kitchen where he’d been checking his phone and stopped beside me at the dining room table. I could barely look at him. What did he think of me now? I peered up through my lashes. He didn’t look annoyed but that didn’t mean he actually wanted to spend his evening entertaining me. He was a bodyguard, not a babysitter. “Your sister looks like she’d rather spend time with you,” he told Gianna. Then his brown eyes settled on me. “Are you sure you want to play Scrabble with me?” he asked, and I couldn’t help but smile. Few people ever asked what I wanted; even my sisters occasionally forgot that I was a person with her own opinions and wants.
Aria and Gianna gave me a meaningful look. I needed to convince Romero that I wanted it or I’d ruin things for them. “Yes, I really want to play Scrabble with you. I love that game, please?” I said with a bright smile. I didn’t even remember when I’d played it last. Our family had never played board games.
Romero glanced toward my sisters. There was a hint of suspicion on his face. “You could join us,” he said.
“I’d rather play alone with you,” I said in a flirting tone. Gianna winked at me when Romero wasn’t looking. “My sisters hate Scrabble and so does everyone else I know. You are my only hope.”
A grin tugged at Romero’s lips and he nodded. “Alright, but be patient. It’s been a while since I played.”
Playing Scrabble with Romero was actually a whole lot of fun. It was the first time we really spent time alone together. I looked up from the word I’d just put down, debating if I should ask the question that was burning a hole in my stomach. Romero was busy figuring out his next word. His dark brows were drawn together in an adorable way. I wanted to lean across the board and kiss him. “Do you have a girlfriend?” I blurted when I couldn’t hold it in anymore. And then I wanted to die on the spot. Apparently, I didn’t need my sisters to embarrass me. I was doing just fine on my own.
Romero glanced up. There was surprise and amusement on his face. I could feel a blush traveling up my neck. Way to go, Lily. I’d sounded like a moron. “Is that your way of distracting me from the game so you can win?”
I giggled, glad he wasn’t angry with me for asking such a personal question. He returned his attention to the letters in front of him, and my amusement faded when I realized he hadn’t answered my question. Did that mean he had a girlfriend? I couldn’t ask him again without sounding desperate.
I sank deeper into my chair, annoyed. My eyes darted toward the rooftop terrace where my sisters were having their girl talk.
Aria and Gianna probably thought I wasn’t sure they were up to something. They thought I was oblivious to everything going on around me. Just because I was flirting with Romero, however, didn’t mean I didn’t notice the secretive looks they shared. I didn’t ask them because I knew they wouldn’t tell me anyway, and I’d feel even more like the fifth wheel. They weren’t doing it to be cruel but it hurt anyway. Aria looked upset over something Gianna had said. I had to resist the urge to go to them and ask them what was going on.