Storm and Sea - Book 1

Chapter 13

TW in the Description
Thank you to Inkendz for the art!

Giulia POV

The street market was crowded. Everyone was selling, buying, or just killing time. It had been three years since Giulia was able to come home and enjoy the summer market where the townspeople gathered to sell homemade goods.

She admired a pair of earrings fashioned to look like fish scales when she accidentally bumped into someone.

"Oh - spiacente -" She looked up to see Mattias smirking down at her.

"What a pleasant surprise!" He said in his usual cheerful manner.

Giulia was suddenly reminded of her visit to the doctor and how he couldn't wait to get away from her to spend time with a pretty-looking nurse. It turned out the nurse was his sister but still... he left out that crucial bit of information on purpose.

Since then, Giulia had promised herself not to dwell on the doctor, despite his charm.

"Oh, it's just you." She said, frowning and went back to examining the earrings.

"Nice to see you too then," Mattias said, following her eyes to the earings. "Those are lovely."

Giulia huffed and walked to the next stall. "They're ok." She said, suddenly uninterested. Now that Mattias had said he liked them, she didn't think they were that pretty anymore.

"What're you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be working?" She said coldly, now eyeing a light yellow sundress. It was a spaghetti strap with a bow that tied in the front. She eyed it longingly.

"Doctors are known to take breaks every once in a while," Mattias replied, following her to the next stall.

Now that he mentioned it, Giulia noticed he wasn't wearing his usual white coat. He was dressed casually in jeans and a white button-up shirt with the top few buttons left undone. Giulia squinted at his chest.

"Do you have a tattoo?" She asked, surprised. There was a small part of his exposed chest with black ink.

Mattias pulled his shirt, covering it. "That is a secret." He said with a wink. She rolled her eyes and continued browsing.

"What do you want?" Giulia asked, not hiding her irritation.

"Am I not allowed to enjoy the summer festivities?"

"Yes. Just enjoy it somewhere else. I don't care for people that are in love with themself as much as you are." She snapped.

"Ouch," he said in mock pain, "Why so aggressive?" He teased.

She turned on him, her eyebrows knitted together in anger.

"Because you are the biggest womanizer I've ever met!" She barked. A few passersby's looked over at them, but Mattias didn't pay them any mind.

"Oh? And how is that?"

"I don't need to explain myself to you. Coglione."

"I've told you, Talia is my sister." He crooned.

"Yeah, but you let me believe she wasn't!"

Mattias grinned devilishly. "It was fun to see your reaction."

"Get lost, Mattias." She said, turning and storming away. But he followed, extending his hand.

"Giulia! Don't be like that. I was just having some fun."

He followed her to a small courtyard with a single fountain and a bench. There was nobody there.

"Well, it wasn't fun for me!" She suddenly whipped at him. He froze. "How do you think it made me feel?" She wasn't sad, just angry. Livid. The way he played with her feelings, it was all just a game for him.