Their Little Princess | ✔️

Chapter Thirty-Nine

"Who's coming over?" I ask.

"Just Zio Alessio's family," He responds.

"When will they be here?"

My stomach lurches when I hear the doorbell ring as if on cue. "Is that them?" I ask.

"I'm not sure, one second."

He leaves. Another one of their many rules is that not only am I not allowed to answer the door, but I'm not allowed to go near the door without one of my brothers accompanying me or their direct permission.

I hear a woman's voice, "Ciao, Carlo e Elijah!"

"Hi, Zia," I hear Carlo say back. Then there's an indistinct overlapping of chatter as I'm assuming the rest of them come in. I stay on the couch, now engaged in a text conversation with Jess and Chase. 

I put my phone away as they come into the living room, Zia Cecilia, Zio Alessio, and Andre aren't there and I hear a few voices in the kitchen so I make the connection that they're in there with Elijah and Sandro.

I stay sitting as Mateo flops onto one of the sofas, I wonder if they've spent a lot of time here.

"Hey," I say as Giovanni and Niccolo walk in. I think their oldest brother is in the kitchen with Sandro.

"Wait, Nico, can you grab me a water?" Mateo pleads. Niccolo sits down, "Sorry, I'm sitting already. Get it yourself."

"A water sounds good actually," I say. It hits me that I haven't eaten all day and it's almost 3:00, and a cold water sounds amazing. I start to get up, "I'll get you a water." Giovanni stands up and walks out of the living room.

"Bro, what?! But you couldn't get one when I asked?!" Mateo says, "Favoritism is crazy."

"Hi, Maddie," He says finally once he's finished his mini-tantrum that has me grinning slightly.

"Hey, Mateo."

Niccolo sits back on the couch, he reminds me of Xander.

"Do you play sports?" He asks me.

"Not anymore, I like to go to the gym though."

I kick myself for not asking him if he plays sports too just to keep the conversation going, but then I start to worry if it's too late to ask and the conversation will already be over and I'll just make it awkward.

See what I'm dealing with here?

"I think it's cool that you came back," Mateo says, "Everyone is glad that you're home."

Giovanni finally comes back with 2 bottled waters, "I wasn't sure if you wanted flat or seltzer."

"Thanks, Gio," I say grabbing the plain water.

I almost freeze. Am I allowed to nickname him? I love nicknaming people. Plus, Gio is a nickname for Giovanni by default anyway, right? I heard his siblings calling him that. I'm not his sibling though.

He doesn't bat an eye though, just tossing the seltzer to Mateo and sitting on the armchair.

"So what was Seattle like?" Mateo asks curiously, "I've never really explored."

"Well, it rained quite a bit, but not as often as you'd think. Mostly it was just overcast a lot," I shrug, "I don't know, I didn't do much there. Do you guys live in New York?"

Mateo shakes his head, "No, we live in California. Everyone else lives in Italy still besides my dad and Zio Dante. Nonna and Nonno moved to Aosta once Alessandro took the business over. You have to see the villa, we go there every Christmas."

Surprisingly, we hit it off after that. 

Niccolo reminds me a lot of Xander and Francesco, he doesn't smile a lot, and he has a really dry sense of humor like Francesco.

But Gio is nice and Mateo is funny, he's a happy person I've realized, he reminds me of Carlo a bit. The three of them have funny banter. I kind of wish I had the kind of relationship with my brothers, but every time I feel like I'm just at that point, like I'm moving in the right direction, is as if I'm in a car that can't quite make it up the hill and I go back to where I began.

A few hours pass and Sandro is still in the kitchen with the other adults and I can hear their voices every now and then. Mateo is sitting cross-legged on the floor beside me as we talk about school. I'm telling him about Rowan.

"You should just punch her in her ugly face and tell her off."

"She's not ugly," I laugh a little, "And I can't choose violence. It doesn't work out."

"Then I'll punch her," He says, "She won't be able to track me down, I doubt she's smart enough to even find her GPS."

I grin amusedly at that, "It's not that bad, she just annoys me a little bit."

"Well, I go to a private school too, so I understand the kids being rich assholes," He says.

"Can I see your phone?" He asks.

I hand it to him and he goes typing for a few minutes, before handing it back to me, "I put mine and my mom's numbers in for if you ever need something."

"Oh thanks," I say smiling. 

I stifle the yawn that threatens to surface as Mateo looks back down at his own phone to text someone. I stand up, walking over to the sofa where Xander is having some kind of argument with Niccolo and Carlo who's sitting in the other armchair, I think even Giovanni might be involved. I don't listen to it, I just sit down next to Xander and lay on his arm, just watching everyone talking

Finally, everyone who was in the kitchen comes out. "How are you getting along with my boys?" Zia Cecilia asks, sliding her long coat on.

"They're cool. I like talking to Mateo."

She smiles, "I'm glad."

"I know, I'm great," Mateo says with a bow.

Gio rolls his eyes.

Zio Alessio glances at his watch, "Our jet is set to leave in about a half hour and we have to get back home soon," He says to Sandro.

Sandro shakes his hand firmly, Zio Alessio turns to me, "Goodbye, Topolina. I'd love to have talked to you more. Maybe next time, yeah?"

"Sure," I say, I don't know what else to say. I know they're my family, but I haven't had enough time to acquaint myself with them to where I can be comfortable.

I say goodbye to all of them and then they're gone. 

I do think I'm getting sort of used to this family thing.