"Fine. Ravioli." The elevator dings.
Thank God. We step out.
And then I see... Sophia. My heart drops. She's standing in the lobby, smiling the second she sees me.
Great timing. I feel Gio watching us.
"Sophia?"
"Surprise," she says, already walking toward me.
I move without thinking, trying to ignore the fact that she didn't tell me anything. We hug. I press a kiss to her cheek. Over her shoulder, I see Gio putting on his helmet, smirking.
"So it’s a girl. Well, this is adorable," he calls out. "You two still doing the whole heteronormative nostalgia thing? Vintage."
I flinch. Sophia turns, confused. "Who's that?"
"No one," I say too fast, because I know he can hear me.
Gio swings a leg over his bike, tightens the strap under his chin. "Nice to meet you, Sophia," he says. "You've got yourself a real romantic. Just don't leave him alone in elevators."
He starts the bike and then he's gone.
I can't stop smiling. "Why the hell didn't you tell me you were coming to Italy?" I say, wrapping my arms around her before she can even finish looking up.
She hugs me back, warm but... off somehow.
Not as tight. Not as long.
"We would've paid for everything," I add. "You could've stayed with us. We've got the space."
She steps back a little, brushing hair behind her ear. "I don't know... I just... I don't think we're there yet. You know? As a relationship."
That hits me weird. Not hard exactly, just unexpected. We've been together ten months.
I thought... I don't know what I thought.
I nod slowly, forcing a fake smile. "Okay. Fair."
"So... how long are you staying? And where?"
"Half a month, probably." She glances at her phone. "I'm staying at a friend's summer house."
My eyebrows lift. "Wait, you have friends here??"
She laughs. "Just one. Maria. She's Greek, actually. Her family's got this place out by the coast."
Maria. Nice. First time I hear that name.
I try not to sound weird about it. It's not like shehasto report all her friendships to me, right?
Still, it's strange.
Me being Italian, and her neveroncementioning anyone she knows around here.
I clear my throat.
"Well, if you're free now, you could come by the house! We're having lunch. You can finally meet my siblings."
