Page 62 of Chasing You

“Ah!” Pa laughs, throwing his hands up in agony, like he can’t believe he couldn’t figure it out. I just give his shoulder a pat.

He asks his tongue. “Brava, brava.”He waves me away from the table before I can finish the puzzle for him.

There’s something about this place that feels so warm and cozy as soon as you walk in. And it’s not the multicolored rugs Ma got from the market, nor is it the warm colors on the walls. It’s them, it’s this family.

I can only hope to one day have a place that makes people feel like this. To have a home that people can walk into and know they’ll always be welcome.

“Can I help, Ma?” I ask when I see the table set ready for dinner.

“No, no, no. It’s ready.” She walks out with a steaming dish of her famous lasagna.So that’s why Pa was staying out of the kitchen.“Sit, sit,” she says, ushering me to the table. “Luca, spegni la telivisione.”

Pa searches my gaze for sympathy, but he won’t get it from me. If he had it his way, the football would be on every night in the background of our dinner conversations, but Ma won’t have it. He reluctantly switches the TV off before joining us.

“This looks great, Ma,grazie.”

“Prego,” she draws the word out with pride as she sits down. “Thank you for joining us. It feels like we don’t see you nearly enough anymore.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I’ve just been so busy with work and?—-”

“And Miles?” she asks, her voice filled with suspicion andexcitement. Finding out that Ma and Miles had met, and just how in love with him she is, is not helping my situation.

I sigh as I serve up a chunk of lasagna onto my plate. “No, not with Miles.”

Well, not physically, anyway. My mind has been entirely occupied by images of him in that stupid suit since the other night.

Him, Leo, Caio and Isla, and May and Rafael all headed out to Sorrento for a boxing tournament he’s fighting in today. I haven’t heard a thing from any of them, so they must be having a good time. I’ve tried to wash the sour taste off my tongue all day, but to no avail. I don’t wish I was there, maybe I just wish he wasn’t so likable, that everyone didn’t soften to him straight away, even though that’s exactly what I did, too.

“Who’s Miles?” Pa asks. I just shove a mouthful of lasagna into my mouth, avoiding any kind of conversation about this.

“Oh, he is just this absolutely wonderful boy I met down at the bakery a few weeks ago. He has got just the most handsome smile and he is so kind.” I nearly roll my eyes at her flattery. “Now, he told me that he came here to win someone back,” that makes me pause my chewing. “Someone that he hurt many years ago, but someone he never stopped caring about.”

“He told you all of that?” I say, the sentence muffled through my full mouth.

She just tips her head. “More or less.”Okay, so let’s make room for embellishment here then.I knew Miles wanted to talk to me, to explain himself and why he left, but I didn't quite realize why. He took time off work to come here to win me back? It sounds so ridiculous, I don't know what to do with it. It’s the complete opposite of what he did four years ago.

“And what does this have to do with anything?” Pa asks, still as lost as a chicken in the ocean.

“It’s Marina! He came back for Marina!”

“I don’t ever remember her dating someone called Miles?”

“It was when I was in Sorrento,” I say, filling him in at least a little bit.

“And even better,” Ma carries on. “He’s Isla’s brother!”

Pa puts down his fork. “Okay, I’m confused.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I say, shaking my head. “None of it matters because it’s not going to happen.” Even if my mind has been swirling with the very possibility of it happening far more than I care to admit.

“Oh, but he is such a sweetheart,principessa!”

“Okay,” I shrug. “I’m sure the pope is too, that doesn’t mean he should be my boyfriend.”

“All of Italy would be proud if you dated the pope,” Pa whispers. “Just saying.”

Ma gives him an odd look before bringing her focus back to me, but before she can speak, I stop her. “No, uh-uh. Not happening. We don’t need to talk about this.”

“You’re not getting any younger,bambina.”

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