Bad Habits

Chapter Twenty Five

"That's awesome guys! Do you know where your mother and father are right now?"

"They're out on a date. They've been going on them a lot lately." Matteo said with a little sigh.

"Really? Did they leave you home alone?" I peeked into the phone frame and glared at them. 

"Hi Enzo, where were you this entire time?"

"I was in the bathroom," I smirked at my own lie.

"Oh, okay! Well, yeah, they did leave us alone. They said they would be back in an hour."

"And how long has it been? Are you guys, okay?" Aurora inquired. Her smile faded and was replaced by a worried one.

"It's been about an hour. They should be back any—"

The sound of the doorbell cut Matteo off. Nico started blabbing on about mother and father as they ran down the stairs together.

"Who is it?" Nico asked, a hand on the door handle.

"It's me, baby." My mother's voice cooed from the other side. I knew it was her, as she always used those three words when we asked who was at the door. I remember being young and in Italy, and whenever my mother and father returned home late after a night out...doing shit, she would always utter those three words to me every time I asked who was at the door.

My eyes stung at the memory of my parents stumbling inside our old home, laughing their asses off. The strong scent of vodka and weed hit my nostrils every damn time.

"Hey boys! Who's on the phone?"

"It's Enzo and Aurora!"

"Hey guys! How's Paris?"

"It's wonderful. How are you guys?"

"We're great! How's Enzo? Is he there?"

I couldn't get any words out. It was like there was something stuck my throat.  My mouth was slightly hanging open, but nothing came out. Aurora looked up at me. Her smile vanished when she realised, I was stuck.

"Hey boys, Enzo's fallen asleep. It was a long day and he's exhausted."

The boys exchanged nods and sighed.

"All right, Aurora, just tell him we say hello later. Goodnight!" Nico bobbed his head down once as Matteo spoke. When their mother urged them to return to their room, they both waved and went.

"How's he doing?" My mother inquired.

Aurora smiled softly. "He's doing great, Alex. I'm really fucking proud of him."

My mother looked back at my father who was grinning. He had his hands in his pockets and was leaning against a doorframe.

"You love him, don't you? I can see it in your eyes."

She blushed a deep red. "I do, Alex. I really do."

"That's amazing to hear, darling." My mother exhaled before whispering, "Alright then, we'll let you sleep. Tell Enzo we said hello later on. We miss you two so much, it's not the same without you guys here. I love you both, get some rest."

Aurora was rendered speechless. Her lips were barely parted as she gave a small nod.

"We miss you guys too. We'll see you soon. We love you lots, see you later."

"Bye darling." My mother said before ending the call. Aurora moved over to my side, leaving her phone behind. My head was hung low. While looking at the floor, my fingers gently rubbed my temples.