Our fingers continue to slide together and it’s painfully hard to focus. “What did you want to talk about?”
“Nothing in particular. I wanted to see if you’d come to my room later.”
I drop his hand. I wish I weren’t so reactionary, but it can’t be helped. “Come to your room?” I ask him. “What for?”
“I thought that was obvious. So I can throw you over my shoulder and lock you away in my dungeon.”
Thank all that is holy my neutral face disguises my pervy inner voice that responds with,What time are we thinking?I am officially losing my mind.
“I just want to show you something,” Matt says more seriously. “No pressure, though.”
I look around the room and everyone is still too preoccupied to notice us talking. Facing Matt again, I’m still not positive of what I’m about to say but I answer him regardless. “Okay. I guess I’ll stop by later, then.”
“Great,” Matt replies with a little smile. He looks over his shoulder, and whatever he sees prompts him to take a slight step away from me.
“Ciao, bello!”Professor Leoni sings, now standing directly beside her son. She reaches up and squishes his cheeks in her hands before letting go. “It’s so nice of you to visit us. How are you? You look hungry.”
“Just wanted to see how everyone was doing,” he says. “And I’m fine. I’m not hungry.”
“You’re not hungry?” Professor Leoni isn’t having it. “I swear you don’t eat anymore. What? You suddenly don’t like your mother’s cooking? If you go on like this, you’re going to get sick. You used to be such a healthy boy and now you’re fading away. Violet, tell him.”
I shouldn’t get involved in family matters. I really shouldn’t.
“You do look a bit hungry,” I tell him. “You should probably eat something.”
Matt shoots me an unappreciative glare and I enjoy it quite a bit. “I had eggs and toast this morning,” he mumbles.
The professor scoffs. “There’s lasagna in the fridge. Heat that up and have an espresso. You look pale.”
“I’m fine, Mom. I’m going to my room to work. I’ll eat later.” He gives me a wave and heads straight for the door.
“I’ll come talk to you as soon as I’m done,” she calls after him.
He swings around in the hallway, now leaning on the door frame. “I have to work, Mom. We can talk later.”
“I’ll see you in fifteen minutes.”
Matt briefly hangs his head before looking up with a strained smile. “See you then.”
He turns and disappears from view just as Professor Leoni faces me with a satisfied sigh.
“Matteo likes to do things his way, but so do I. If you tell him to do something enough times, he’ll eventually give up. Now,” she says, clapping her hands together, “I am very excited to see your sketches.”
“Of course.” I gesture toward the desk, and she sits down in my seat. I watch in anxious suspense as she silently reviews my drawings, and I have to force myself not to hover as I try to gauge her reaction.
She flips through the pages for almost a minute before she speaks. “You have real talent, Violetta. There’s something very intriguing about your designs.”
I let out an exhale, feeling ecstatic that she didn’t go with theyour designs are trash, and so are youresponse that my brain has trained me to expect.
“I especially like that they can be worn by many different kinds of women,” she says.
“Thank you,” I say, leaning forward a bit to look at the papers. “I know a lot of designers make up a story to go with their pieces, but when I make something, I try to think up a few stories. I like to imagine how a bunch of people would wear the clothes, and not just one.”
“And that’s why your work will appeal to a wide market of buyers. It’s good not to box yourself in. But you also don’t want to be noncommittal. It’s okay to accept that not everything you make is going to be for everyone.”
I gaze at the sketches, knowing she isn’t wrong. “That makes sense. I guess it’s just hard when you’re designing for a panel of judges. I’m so afraid that I’m going to present the wrong thing.”
Professor Leoni twists in her seat so she can better face me. “You can never predict what anyone is going to like,” she says. “And when designs come off as too eager to please, that can often lead to disaster. When I teach my students, I like to remind them that it’s important to design for the customer, but also for themselves. People can feel and see the love you put into a piece. But they can also sense the fear.”
