Page 106 of Matteo
Dinner was a loud affair, as they usually were, but there was an undercurrent of tension that had more to do with other things than my presence.
“Ari, have you been baking lately?” I asked conversationally, taking a bite of my steak.
A deliberate pause before she gave a curt answer. “Yes.”
“Anything special?”
“No.”
I grinned, deciding to move on to the next topic. “How are your classes going?”
“Fine.”One-word answers it is.
“What do you plan on doing after you graduate?”
“Nothing.” My molars ground as I actively avoided her father’s and brothers’ glares.
“I heard this phrase ‘feck your arse’ mentioned somewhere,” Hannah announced, her eyes locked on her phone. It would seem Hannah was nervous too, because she only word-vomited when she was on edge. It was her tic, just like baking was Arianna’s.
“What does it mean?” Hannah added, causing her brothers to snicker and her parents to choke on their drink.
“Hannah, not today,” her mother said softly.
“Even I know what ‘arse’ means,” Gianna added, rolling her eyes. “Use your imagination withfeck.”
“Where did you hear that?” Nico demanded. “Whoever it is, he’s a dead man.”
“What makes you think it was a man?” Hannah challenged.
“Why are you saying ‘ass’ with anr?” Arianna wondered, her brows furrowed. “Are we Irish now?”
“And why all these questions, Hannah?” Mr. Morrelli stated calmly while pinching the bridge of his nose. “It’s like the whole world has gone crazy.”
“Yeah, like it’s on steroids,” Hannah agreed, adding another comment that made no sense. She really had to be having a bad day today. “Did you know that family hormones sync up and undergo changes at the same time?” Hannah continued innocently. I honestly didn’t think there was any hope deciphering that one.
“Are you gonna be a doctor now?” Gianna questioned. “Or psychiatrist? Gynecologist? Because I’m not even sure how to categorize that question.”
“Gianna, be nice,” Mrs. Morrelli scolded. “Hannah, sweetie, how about we talk about the latest book you’re reading?”
“Or we could talk about the upcoming wedding,” she suggested, but there was an uncomfortable gleam in her eye. “Or religion?”
Jesus fucking Christ.I was about to have my own nervous breakdown and kidnap Arianna, right here and now.
“Let’s leave the wedding topic for another day,” Mr. Morrelli suggested. “And I don’t think the devil, angels, or anything in between wants to deal with us today, so we’ll table the discussion about religion as well.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Gianna muttered.
Hannah stabbed her fork into the piece of chicken on her plate, which led to Arianna stuffing spinach into her mouth like her life depended on it. Everyone knew she fucking hated spinach.
Her father gave his head a subtle shake, and I swore he muttered, “These girls will give me a heart attack.”
I should feel sorry for the man, but I didn’t. This visit was my last courtesy, hoping to make him see reason. He didn’t, and so I was moving on to the second stage of executing my plan.
“Francesca and I have a date,” Cassius announced casually and I narrowed my eyes on him, forcing my body to relax. “I’m thinking about taking her somewhere… romantic?”
Gianna snickered. “Yeah, right. She’d never go out with you.”
“Maybe when hell freezes over,” Arianna muttered, her eyes meeting mine before looking away.
