Serenity

• Meeting Again •

– A T H E N A –

"Wait a second, where...where did my queen go?"

Matteo frowned, his eyes narrowing suspiciously at the chessboard in search of his missing piece, but poor him didn't know it was already in my possession.

Ignoring his accusation, I leaned back, a sly smile playing on my lips. I couldn't help but wear a mischievous grin, my eyes dancing with amusement.

"Oh, your queen? She probably went on a spontaneous vacation with her homies. Alabama, perhaps?" I shrugged with feigned innocence while moving my rook with deliberate slowness.

Matteo shot me a playfully annoyed look, his lips twitching with a mix of irritation and amusement. "You're not being funny, plus this's not fair; you cheated."

I gasped dramatically and raised an eyebrow in feigned offense. "This is a serious accusation right now, Professor Matteo," I replied, my tone laced with mock seriousness, though inside, I was chuckling at my audacity.

"You kidding right now?" Matteo's eyes widened in disbelief and exasperation, and his eyes went to squinting through the pieces I had captured.

"Well, desperate times call for desperate measures, don't they? And besides, it's not like you were paying much attention to her." 

"So you just stole my queen while I wasn't looking? That's cheating!" He protested his tone a mix of amusement and annoyance.

I couldn't help but giggle at his outrage. I leaned toward him before unexpectedly flipping his nose.

"Cheating is such a strong word, Professor Matteo. Let's just call it... creative gameplay. A queen swap, if you will."

"A queen swap, huh? You mean, a chess thief in the game." He said, shaking his head in mock disbelief. The grin he tried to suppress escaped, transforming his mock annoyance into a genuine smile.

"Nah just trying to level the playing field, Professor Matteo. Let's see if you can handle my newfound queen strategy." I smirk triumphantly.

My hand hovered over the board threateningly, about to stroke my last final move to announce checkmate when he suddenly swept his arm across the chessboard, brushing off all the remaining pieces with a swift motion.

"What the—" My frustrated yell escaped before I could stop it. I was one move away from declaring checkmate and he had swept away all the efforts I had put into the game, all my attempts to ensure a shred of victory.

His eyes narrowed, and a smile played at the corner of his lips.

"I demand a rematch. No vanishing queens this time."

I let out a defeated sigh, momentarily conceding the win, but then a surge of confidence flooded me. I met his challenge with a smirk.

"Prepare yourself, Matteo. Round whatever-number-it-is is about to begin."

And just as we were about to rearrange the pieces on the board, a sharp knock echoed through Matteo's room, interrupting our rematch before it even began.

We exchanged curious glances, wondering who could be at the door. That's when I glance at the clock on my phone, confirming the time; 7:56 p.m.

With a resigned sigh, I dragged myself up from the plush bean bag I had been sitting comfortably on, my footsteps echoing as I approached the door.

With a quick glance back at my brother, I opened it, revealing our assistant, Joelle, standing in the doorway

"My apologies for the interruption," She said, her voice steady despite her hurried arrival. "But it's dinner time and the Belucci's request your presence downstairs."