𝓢𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓽 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓟𝓼𝔂𝓬𝓱𝓸

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓝𝓲𝓷𝓮

𝓛𝓾𝓬𝓪 𝓟𝓞𝓥

Over the next few days, I felt something strange going on. I wasn't as prone to scowling. I actually smiled at people when they greeted me in the halls. And when I went to gather food or books, I said please and thank you instead of just leering at the chef and librarian.

I had the feeling the Alberto Scorfano had something to do with it. 

Stupid, funny, annoyingly handsome Alberto. 

I wasn't complaining, though. Ever since I had brought him to the pool with me, we had gotten to know each other better and better. Despite the voices in my mind screaming at me not to, I told him about how I had lost my parents to fishermen when I was just a baby. He had actually given me a hug after the story, and I had actually let him.

It was strange, having someone willing to care for me. 

Sure, Aria had always been nice, but she was still busy with other assignments from Ercole. And Guido and Ciccio were at Ercole's side constantly, giving me little opportunity to talk to them. Alberto was probably the first person I could really talk to and enjoyed my time with.

That was probably why I felt myself falling for him.

At first, I had imagined that I would use that conversation at the pool to toy with him. But as I went along, I realized the truth in what I said.

Ercole doesn't want me to have a choice. He wants me to be his obedient little pet for the rest of my life. 

Too bad he made the mistake of letting me get to be with Alberto.

I stopped in front of the doors to the library, then pushed them open without hesitation. I took a deep breath, savoring the smell of crisp paper. My favorite place in the whole facility, besides the pool, I had told Alberto.

I walked through the aisles, skimming the astronomy section. Once I had picked out a few books from there, I went to the poetry section. Then, I walked over to the art section. I picked out a book I thought would be interesting for Alberto, then grabbed a few blank drawing pads and some pens and pencils, then placed it all on the counter in front of the librarian. 

"That's quite a bit of reading, Signore Paguro," she said, counting all of the books and writing down their titles in the log. I shrugged. "Just getting something to do for a while," I said. She smiled at me before sliding the books into a bag and handing it to me. "Enjoy your books," she said. I nodded, then turned and walked back to my quarters. 

When I walked in, I was hit with a mouth-watering smell. I looked into the kitchen, where Alberto was bent over something in the stove. He was humming a random tune, too engrossed in his work to realize that I was back. 

I cleared my throat, and he whirled around and flashed me a grin. "Luca! You're just in time! I'm making lunch," he said excitedly. I snickered. "What is it? You do know I don't eat meat very often," I said, setting the book bag on the counter. 

Alberto nodded, then turned back to the stove, grabbing two plates and serving something from the pan on the stove onto them. The smell grew even stronger, and my stomach growled embarrassingly loud. I sat down on the barstool, waiting patiently.

A few minutes later, Alberto set two steaming plates on the table. "Voila! Trenette al Pesto!" he declared, looking incredibly proud of himself. I looked at the plate, and my mouth immediately began to water. I had heard of trenette al pesto and had often wanted to try it, but I had never found the time. 

It smelled like heaven was on a plate. I picked up my fork and dug it into the pasta before taking a tentative bite. That was all it took for me to dive into the meal, devouring the food within seconds.