Page 91 of Matteo

Right now, I'm the only compatible donor they've identified. Zach's testing is still ongoing and I pray that he'll match, because I don't want this decision resting solely on my shoulders.

For the first time in my life, I'm thinking about kidneys, hospitals, surgery, and mortality. I'm having to face how quickly things can change and how fragile life is.

Jett sighs loudly and checks his watch. “I've got a meeting.” He stands up.

“On a Saturday, dude?” Rio’s eyebrows rise.

The excuse is paper thin.

“Some of us have to work, even on a Saturday, bud.”

A moment later Zach stands too. “I should get going.”

One by one, we all follow.

The old man sits quietly, saying nothing.

Nobody is angry. Nobody storms out.

It's just easier to leave than sit here and acknowledge what's happening. As I head for the elevator, I find myself reaching for my phone. For reasons I can't quite explain, the person I want to talk to right now isn't one of my brothers.

It's Elizabeth.

Chapter 22

ELIZABETH

Matteo didn't sound like himself when he called me, and I immediately panicked. I thought we'd had another technical issue at the lab, but it wasn't about that.

He wanted to see me. It's been a few days since I last saw him and my heart did a somersault at hearing those words. He has no idea how much I've thought about him. How many times I've replayed our last conversation. How many times I've wondered if he'd call.

I got ready in record time, pulling on a mini skirt with thick leggings and ankle boots, along with a soft cream sweater. Then I threw a denim jacket over the top and headed out the door.

We’re meeting in Central Park. It was his suggestion, not mine, but it turns out to be perfect for whatever today is.

There's a slight chill to the air, which stings my cheeks. Leaves in shades of gold and amber carpet the ground. People are jogging, walking, and walking dogs. Parents pushing strollers. Couples holding hands.

I follow the winding path, my boots crunching through scattered leaves. He told me to meet him at Bethesda Fountain. I spot him before he sees me, standing with the lake beyond him, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket, his hair ruffled by the breeze.

My heart is beating far too fast for my own good.

I've spent years learning how to control my emotions. How to keep my head down. How to go unnoticed.

Invisible people don't get hurt, or abandoned. They also don't give other people the power to let them down.

But as I watch Matteo standing there waiting for me, I realize I don't want to be invisible anymore. I slow down as I take all of him in, without him realizing. His shoulders are slightly hunched, as though he’s carrying the weight of something on them. Something’s bothering him, and I wonder if that's why he reached out to me.

It’s strange how events in my life have led me to him. We met by accident and fate, and our first impressions were formed in a trapped elevator. I would have met him anyway, seeing that I was going for an interview in his department, but I just didn’t know it then. And because I didn’t know, I allowed myself to see him in another light; this man who dresses like he should be on the stage in a band, not the CEO of a company.

He turns suddenly then, as if he can feel my stare, and when his eyes find mine, it feels like the sun is shining inside my heart. A slow smile spreads across his face, reaching his eyes. He’s genuinely happy to see me.

My pulse immediately betrays me. We’ve acknowledged the attraction simmering between us. Before that, we danced around it, and teased it. Pretended it wasn’t becoming impossible to ignore.

“Hey,” I say, when I reach him.

“Hey.” We don't shake hands, or anything, yet my body longs for some physical acknowledgement. A greeting that isn’t polite and cold. It's an effort to hold back, but I do, because he and I are still teetering around the edge of something that we can’t name, and we're not on safe ground yet.

He stays quiet.