𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐏

𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐖𝐎

I wake up in my apartment, in New York, after getting in early this morning from Italy. Ale has been up for a while and is downstairs watching TV, I think.

Our last night in Italy was spent going around Rome, doing touristic stuff and involved some kissing. A lot of kissing. Since our first date, I and Alessandro have been on more than five dates, and although nothing is official, he has been mentioning how he can see this going long term. He hasn't said this to me, just to someone named Mike he was talking to, and I overheard.

After my morning routine, I make my way downstairs where he has a breakfast laid out on the table.

"Morning," I say. He responds with a kiss on my head, followed by one on my lips. "I thought you were going to sleep in."

I shrug my shoulders and lean into his embrace. "I couldn't sleep. I knew you were here, so I joined."

He gets a phone call, as we're watching TV and once he comes back to the sofa, he says, " I will be leaving in less than an hour because Natalia is staying with me for a bit." Not ready for him to go yet, I tell him, "You can bring her here, I don't mind."

Ludovica and Natalia get to my apartment about an hour after, just as I and Alessandro finish putting anything that could be hurtful out of reach. As soon as he opens the door, two little hands wrap around Alessandro's neck. He holds her gently, as he hugs her back.

"Hi, zio sandi!" Her smile is bright as she plays with his hair, and his face lights up just as much, as he bounces her a little on his arms. I watch the two in awe, completely unaware of Ludovica's eyes on me, until she clears her throat, and I notice her staring at me with a smile on her face.

Clearing my throat too, I offer her my hand, "Hi, it's nice to meet you again." She shakes my hand, "It's great seeing you again, Angelica. Thank you so much for taking Nat." I shake my head and tell her it's okay.

After she kisses her daughter goodbye and, thanks her brother, she gets in her car, where her husband is waiting for her.

When Ale puts Natalia down, she hides behind him, as she shyly walks towards the living room.

As soon as she sees the comfortable set-up I and her uncle made she gets visibly excited. There are blankets on the floor, with pillows and fairy my led lights are on.

Disney Plus is on the TV, ready to play Princess and the Frog, Natalia's - and my - favorite Disney princess movie.

She follows Alessandro's order for her to sit on the couch while he goes into the kitchen. I sit by her and she's quick to talk, "Do you like Tiana and the Frog, too? I love it." I nod, "Yes, it's my favorite movie. Your uncle told me it's yours, too?" Her head bops violently and her curls move everywhere, as she nods. "You're really pretty. And you look like Princess Tiana."

I smile at her, as she examines my face with a lot of attention. "Yeah, you're really pretty. I love your hair." I instinctively touch the beads at the end of my cornrows. "Thank you. You're beautiful, too, Natalia. And your hair is really pretty, too."

She thanks me and starts talking about how her dad did it because her mom doesn't know how.

Our conversation is interrupted by Alessandro bringing two plates of pasta in. He puts the one in a small bowl on the floor and moves the other in my direction.

I thank him and sit beside Natalia on the floor. I start the movie and as the movie plays, we eat our pasta, and I watch as Ale struggles to feed Natalia, who refuses to move her head in his direction so that he can feed her - way too concentrated on her favorite princess on the screen. He eventually gives up and goes to the kitchen to drop our plates.

When we finish Princes and the Frog, Natalia asks for us to play Snow White and we do. Twenty minutes in, she's sound asleep by my side, leaning into me. I move her hair out of her face and realize just how much she looks like Alessandro and Ludovica.

She has the same black hair and curls, same pointy nose and heart-shaped full rosy lips. The only thing that she takes from her father is the caramel shade of her skin, due to her father's South Asian ethnic background.

"She likes you, you know?" His voice startles me. "She rarely gets comfortable with people who she doesn't know properly, but she's comfortable with you."

I smile at his words. "She called me pretty before," I let him know. "Well, we are a family who really values the truth and telling the truth. And you are pretty. Very pretty." His words cause my cheeks to heat up.

"You're very pretty, too." His face gets close to mine, as a smirk appears on his lips. "You think?" His voice is lower. Unable to find my voice, I nod and as I give my answer, he places a soft kiss on my lips.

Butterflies erupt in my stomach and I know that I'm deeper than I can ever phantom.

school has been kicking my ass and I'm so behind and have exams approaching real and practice ones.

hope u enjoyed the chapter even though it's short and two weeks late :(