Madrugada

Bye Bye Miss Italian Pie

"Of course, you know me to be a man of my word. I will do my best to fulfill your needs." Cognac eyes saw his hand holding onto her friend's, bringing them to his lips to kiss tenderly. The whites of her eyes showed as her stomach churned from the act. What a farce he was putting on! It was obvious to her and him that Maria would not be getting a dance with him that evening.

"Who's the lovely girl beside you? She seems to be a bit...shy around me." Maria turned to the short girl in an afterthought and waved her off absentmindedly. "She's a friend."

"Well, you should have a bit more manners then. How could you just allow your friend to stand there without knowing anyone besides yourself? You of all people should know the importance of introducing people." He was quick to let go of Maria to turn his attention to the girl.

"Right. Well, Gasparini, you are having the pleasure of meeting a special school friend. This is my bunny, Nisha Knight." Even when using the fond nickname for Nisha, the tone in the taller girl's voice dropped a bit, unenthused by the interest her friend was garnering.

His sandy brown hair bounced as he nodded, taking his hand out of his pocket in front of her, "Arturo Gasparini, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Her intention was not to inherently be rude through her actions she just wanted his attention to stay on her friend as she satisfied her cravings. Now, her fingers were sticky with jelly, and her mouth was full. Covering her mouth with stained fingers, she tried to save face with a semi-curtsy.

Seeing the silence from her friend, Maria scuffed before facing the older man with a practiced smile, "She's also pleased to meet you, Arty dear." Her eyes went back to Nisha, who only stared at the older man. Nisha's hand still covered her mouth as she looked straight at Arturo, glancing at his open hand for a moment before turning back to the buffet for more of the dessert. Maria's amber eyes went rigid, seeing the rude notions from her mate. How could she be so callous to THE Arturo Gasparini, son of the beloved mayor of Florence VincenzoGasparini?

Realizing the young girl was not going to reciprocate his gesture, Arturo dropped his hand to the side.

Swallowing the rest of the food, Nisha mustered up a smile similar to the one she showed him weeks before. The one full of mischief and mirth as she laced her fingers behind her.

Blue eyes held onto the reddish-brown eyes before them, gauging what should be the next step in acquiring the hand of the girl before him.

There was no secret of how lascivious Arturo could be with women. Usually, he was able to get away with his handsome face and charismatic words. He took a couple of steps closer to Nisha, closing the gap and pushing Maria further away.

Maria would have complained or attempted to draw back attention to herself, but another neighboring boy came to ask for a dance. Graciously, she accepted, taking hold of his hand with her lace glove-covered fingers as she was led to the dance floor. Even with the attention given to her from one man to the next for three consecutive dances, her eyes did not fail to draw back toward the duo she left earlier.

Jealously plagued her mind seeing her object of affection infatuated by another, the quiet outsider no less. Maria watched with white knuckles as the tall man's hand made way to touch the young girl, every time met with failure.

She could remember how her older sister would fawn over Arturo for years on end. At first, he would show interest, flirting smoother than the silk he would sleep in. Over time his promises of courtship and romantic gestures to her were broken by such small indiscreet details and coincidences. It seemed that he never once planned to keep his words at all. If Maria wasn't smart, she may not have realized that she too was being pulled into this endless cycle of intangible promises and marrying a man she would hate, just like her sister.

She would be damned before allowing another to take Arturo's sights away from her too.

Maria watched the interaction; it was a game of cat and mouse. Arturo would come close, and Nisha would scurry away. It wasn't long before her friend decided to take her leave and walk to an unknown destination. Amber eyes followed the blue gaze looking at the short girl, shoulders slightly hunched forward. After the third dance, she excused herself and took confident strides back to the direction of the table, watching the smartly dressed man with determination at the forefront.

Now was her chance.

As her cream heels made strong contact with the glossy floor and her baby blue dress swayed along her slim hips, her eyes struggled to carry the same optimism from moments before. Maria watched the cheshire cat smile wipe away from his ruby lips, a dullness replacing the fleeting glee in his eyes. In his hand was a glass of champagne, which was downed in seconds as he turned in her direction.

The glee never came back in his eyes.

"It seems that you are the belle of the ball with many standing in line for you. Maybe there are more men around than you think."

Taking a breath, she painted a coy smile on her brick-red lips. "Of course, you would say that to make me feel better. Do you know where Nisha went?"

His response came out half-hearted, using his finger to point in the opposite direction, "I believe she wanted to get some fresh air. The poor girl knows nothing about these parties. You should comfort her since she is your guest."

"She is not my guest, for all I care she could stay in those weeds." It did bring a sharp pain to her heart to speak about Nisha in that way. They became close in these last few weeks. She was a quiet but nice girl, and they held the same interest in music and mythology. All of Maria's life, her mother made it clear that no one should get in the way of a potential arrangement. If this was always meant to hold true, why did it damper her spirits to say such words?

Maria squared her shoulders to keep up her cold face against her friend, blue eyes looked to her in amusement. She feared that he saw through her actions, but there was nothing said to prove her assumption.

Arturo turned away from her quickly, putting the glass on the table beside him, "I'm afraid I must bid you goodnight. It's been a long day, and I need some time to myself."

A slim hand tugged onto his silk suit, "Wait. What about the dance you promised me? Are you going to break your promise again?" A mist began to obscure Maria's view, water becoming abundant in her tear ducts.

Gently, he removed her wound-up fingers from his suit, kissing her hand before keeping a light grip. "I do not break promises. You know me, dear Maria, I always do my best to keep my word. Unfortunately, I must leave now. Have a lovely evening."

Just like that, he walked away. She watched with tears as he walked towards the open doors of the grand hall of his home. He suddenly paused for a moment, slowly watching either side before changing his route.

Disbelief crossed her mind watching him go in the direction of the gardens. What exactly was Arturo planning? A disquieting chill ran through Maria, but before she could take a step further, a hand stopped her tracks.

It was another young man asking her to dance. Who was she to say no?