"What? No!" Rava says, immediately offended.
Jin squints across the table. "Did Gio get you pregnant?" "Shut the fuck up," Rava snaps, and his mom lightly smacks Jin's arm with her napkin. Daisy leans in next. "Wait—I know. You're staying in Italy!"
The table falls silent. Damn.
Okay, maybe not the best guess.
I jump in again. "No, it's none of that. Yesterday, he got a call. Rava tell them."
He hesitates. His eyes meet mine. I know that look.
Thewhat if this changes everythinglook.
But I just give him a tiny nod. So he takes a breath, and starts. "I got a call from my Master's program," he says.
"In Canada. They're offering me a full scholarship. All of it. Tuition, housing, everything."
Chaos. "SWEET BABY JESUS, I KNEW YOU WERE A BEAUTIFUL GENIUS!" Lorenzo shouts, pounding the table.
Daisy gasps. "Oh my god, Rava!! That's amazing! Wait—does that mean we'll have a reason to visit Canada again? I hope so. I need to shop there."
His mom reaches across and squeezes his hand with both of hers. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart. I mean it. You deserve this. You worked so hard."
He just smiles. A little shy. A little overwhelmed. I look at him, at that quiet joy in his eyes. My heart does that thing again.
That clench that's not quite pain but way too big to be just happiness. Because that's all I ever wanted. For him to be seen. To be celebrated. To finally feel like he matters. Like he earned a place in the world and the world is finally giving it to him. God, he looks so damn beautiful when he smiles like that.
"How long is the program?" Daisy asks, already scooting closer, about to start taking notes. "Two years," Rava says quietly, fingers fidgeting with the edge of his napkin. Lorenzo opens his mouth too fast. "So that means you guys will br—"
Before he can finish the sentence, Daisy snatches a piece of bread and shoves it straight into his mouth.
"Eat," she orders sweetly. "This is amazing. Shut up and eat."
Lorenzo mumbles something through the carbs, shooting her a betrayed look. I just watch her. And I smile.
Thank you, Daisy.
There is this unspoken thing between us lately, like she can read the things I can't say out loud. That I am scared. That I don't want anyone planting doubts in Rava's head.
That I need this moment to stay golden for just a little longer. She gets it. Rava looks at me. And I can tell, he knows exactly what has just happened too.
He gives me the softest smile. And it grounds me.
Like… maybe we still have time. Maybe two years don't have to mean the end. Maybe this isn't the beginning of the goodbye, maybe it is just the start of us figuring out how far we'd go to stay together.
And damn if that isn't the most terrifying, beautiful thing I've ever felt. "Someone say something about the food," I finally say, pretending to be annoyed. "Don't let the dramatic announcements overshadow the fact that I slaved over a stove for this."
Lorenzo looks up at me with the most ridiculous fake serious face I've ever seen. "You sound like my mom," he says.
"But I gotta admit, I love your food, daddy Gio." Jin bursts out laughing, nearly spitting out his water. "Daddy Gio?!"
Lorenzo slams a hand on the table. "Yes. Guys. We are NOT letting this man's achievement go uncelebrated. Tonight, we're getting absolutely fucked up. There's an open beach party down by the shore. We're going. We're dancing. We're honoring the genius that lives among us."
Jin opens his mouth immediately. "Can I come t—"
"No," Daisy cuts in, already pointing a stern finger at him. "You can go drink some milk. You're sixteen. You're not getting drunk. Mom, tell him something—"
"No need," Jin says, cutting her off with a huff. "I don't wanna hang out with you guys anyway. You're old. You'll embarrass me. I'm going out with my own friends. And if I do see you guys there, Rava's paying the price. Again. I'm casually stealing his glasses and watching him squint like a grandpa."
