*Cora*
One day. That's all we had left before the tournament.
Over the past week, I saw E every day. We hung out at Alfonzo's each night, complete with awesome service from Luca and glares from E. A few times he even brought Jayden, who was just... interesting. It took him a while to warm up to me because E apparently wasn't supposed to share the fighting secret with anyone, anytime, ever (Jay's words, not mine), but once he trusted that I wasn't gonna tell a soul besides Elle, we got on really well. After the fourth time he came with E, Jay was easily my best guy friend. He'd even taken to calling me C which I found endearing.
Maybe it was stupid, and the title of Best Guy Friend should belong to E but sue me for thinking there could be something more between us someday.
E and I did talk on the phone or FaceTime every night after we saw each other though. Usually the conversations lasted a lot longer than they should have and we ended up talking until the early hours of the morning.
I didn't care if it made me dead tired the next day, I talked to him until I practically fell asleep. Not gonna lie, on several occasions I actually did, and he made sure to not let me forget that I did the next day (usually with photo evidence).
We never talked about much, just random stuff and the little things you learn about people over time. One thing I never realized was how many press activities he had to do per day. It seemed like he was talking about at least three different things he did with the press that day.
I enjoyed seeing and talking to Theo. We could talk about anything from saltines to societal problems of the world and the conversation would just flow because he was so easy to talk to. It reminded me of the very first conversation we had at Alfonzo's.
I thought back and remembered Luca. I felt horrible for how E had always talked to him and wanted to make that right somehow. Making a split-second decision, I went to my room to get ready.
It was Friday night and I'd be damned if I was going to spend it curled up in sweats on my parent's couch watching cheesy romance movies.
I almost called Elle, but she was on an apology dinner with her mom. Apparently, Stacy hadn't taken to Elle's up and leaving vacation six days early. Elle's dad had left her and her mom when she was young, and her mom actually handled it well. Or so we'd thought. Turns out, she just fell back on drinking and screwing her now ex-husband's best friends as a coping method. Anyway, Elle told me a few days after she got back that her mom decided to have "parties" when she thought Elle was sleeping in the other room. The "noises" kept Elle awake every night and after 4 sleepless nights, Elle swiped one of her mom's credit cards and hopped on a plane home without telling her mom.
So, taking Elle to Alfonzo's would have to wait which meant that tonight it would be just me and my pizza. I could live with that, I decided.
Less than a half an hour later I was walking out the door in the outfit I got with Elle again. Hey, what can I say? It was quickly becoming one of my favorites.
It was a good thing that I like walking because there was no way I was taking a cab. I hate them so much. They smell, they're disgusting, and God knows what happens in the back of those suckers. Sure, I took one last week, but that was only out of necessity.
I knew that Alfonzo's was only an hour or so walk away and it wasn't like I didn't have time. It was five o'clock on a Friday: I could spare the time.
An hour later, I walked into the pizza shop and was greeted by the amazing smell of pizza and a yell.
"Miss Cora! You're back!"
I smiled. "Just Alfonzo. Long time, no see. How are you?"
The pudgy man gave me a toothy grin in reply. "Better now that you're here. You bring some beauty to this old place." He did that Italian kissy-fingers thing and I giggled. Alfonzo was one of those people that immediately make you feel like you're wanted and that you're the best thing since sliced bread. I'd met him twice and he already felt more like family to me than some of my family.
"Well, I doubt that, but thank you. Can I get a table?"
"Sure thing, Miss. I'll have Luca set you up at a beautiful table."
I said thanks and my smile grew. Luca was working. It would be nice to talk to him for a bit without an aggravating singer boy interrupting and being rude.
Alfonzo called to Luca and he waddled back to the kitchen.
"Hey," Luca said as he walked up to me, menu in hand. "Cora, right?"
I nodded, happy he remembered. "Right." I pointed at him. "Luca."
He grinned and nodded, mirroring my actions. "Right." Even though, he'd waited on us many times over the week, we'd never really spoken thanks to E.
We stood smiling slightly at each other in silence for a second before he shook his head. "Uh, right this way, Cora."
I followed him to a table in the very front of the building. I slid into the cracked vinyl booth and grabbed keenly for the menu he tossed down in front of me.
"Eager are ya?" Luca eyed me scanning the menu.
I looked up from my scouring and met his eyes. "Hey, if you walked an hour to get here, you'd be eager for food too."
Luca's easy grin dropped immediately from his face and his eyes widened. "You walked through Los Angeles for an hour by yourself just to get here?"
"Yeah, why?"
Luca shook his head and lowered himself into the bench across from me. "You're either really brave or really stupid."
My eyebrows shot up. "Thanks?"
"What? No. I mean- it's LA. It's dangerous out there."
I shrugged and explained the no car, taxi hate thing to him.
"I guess that's fair, but my point still stands. LA is a dangerous city, or it can be at least."
I smiled in reply but didn't agree. "Aren't you supposed to be working?"
He looked down at his red apron and the order pad in his hand. "Yeah I am, but Alfonzo's my uncle so, oh well."
"Well then."
I shook my head then looked at him. The first time I saw him he was good looking. This time, he was extremely good looking. His wavy, dark brown hair had a slightly longer cut to really showcase the slight waves and was messy, but not in a way that said he didn't style it. More like he knew he looked better when every hair wasn't in its perfect place. Of course, they were in their perfect place though, because the way it was made look nearly irresistible.
I noticed several things in a short amount of time at that table. First was that he had one simple black stud in his left earlobe and black lip ring on the left side of his bottom lip that gave him a daring look. Second was that his olive skin tone contrasted mine in a beautiful way as our hands rested on the table. And the third was that the hair and skin gave him a darker look that was offset by the bright white shirt and red apron. A shirt, mind you, that was tight enough to display the muscles in his arms and chest, but not tight enough that it made me think he was showing off. This guy had fashion figured out and I knew my mom would absolutely love to meet this guy and hear how he chose his "daily attire" as she calls it.
None of this, however, was the most alluring part of his appearance. I know, surprising. But it was Luca's eyes that were the part which captured and held my attention. They were a really dark shade of caramel that swirled and mixed together with lighter and darker shades of brown. The closer I looked the more colors I could see. Caramel, amber, and honey colors twirled together into a beautiful display that reminded me of all the chocolates being melted and mixed together. In his right eye, amidst the brown there was one small spec of blue that shown through and captured my gaze.
"Well look," he said, breaking me from my examination, "I do actually have to get back to work. Because Alfonzo's my uncle means he can take it harder on me, but hey, I'm gonna be your server so..." His voice trailed off and I smiled at him.
"So snippets of conversation it is. I'll see you in a bit hopefully with a lemon water in one hand and a double cheese pepperoni pizza in the other," I said teasing Luca. After the one I'd had last week with E, I was looking forward to this one.
"Ah. I see Theo's got his hooks in you," Luca replied, grinning in a way that made me wonder if he meant just with the pizza.
"Excuse me?"
"The pizza. That's his usual. And, since I haven't seen you around here since, I figured he'd gotten you to believe that was the only good pizza here."
"Oh," I said. I wasn't honestly sure what I was supposed to say to that.
Luca sucked in a breath like he was going to say something, exhaled, and inhaled again. "I'm hoping," he began slowly, "that he doesn't have his hooks in... in any other way."
I felt my eyes go wide. "We're just friends," I supplied.
"Yeah? As I recall, Theo didn't care for that particular word last time." He quirked an eyebrow at me in question.
I laughed lightly. "Theo's... a little funny about his friends." I sighed, unsure how to continue. "All I know is that we aren't dating. He's just found a new friend and he's like a selfish child."
I could feel Luca trying not to laugh at my comparison. "How's that exactly?"
"He doesn't like to share." Sure, I'd only really known Theo for a week, but he'd made it clear that he doesn't share or let anyone hurt those he cares about. Like Jay. He's someone E values so highly that he once casually said that he would give his life without hesitation for Jay's. Then the night Theo brought me here to Alfonzo's and was so rude to Luca, someone he's had to know for a long time. Even his parents, whom he told me were mostly gone on business trips to nowhere and everywhere for months at a time, he spoke of with a protective authority that showed no one was ever going to hurt them. Theo was the type that was careful of his friends and I liked that he was. In my experience, I had only Elle and she was a bit wild, to be frank. Her protectiveness was erratic at best.
"So, I see." Luca winked. "Ok, well I'll be back in a few with a lemon water in one hand and a double cheese pepperoni pizza in the other."
Before I could reply, he was gone. I turned my attention back to the little eatery. For having been here basically all week, I had never really looked around to notice things. I had always been focused on, ah... someone else...
Alfonzo's was a small place, but big enough for the regulars and a few new people here and there. The walls were lined with old and cracked bright red booths and white and red checkered tables. The freestanding tables were similarly patterned with matching old and cracked bright red chairs. The white floors and walls were discolored from age and the counter that stood at the back of the shop used to be white, I'm sure, but was now a grimy yellow color. It was clean enough, just well used.
I smiled as I looked around. The place was well-loved, and I could see how proud Alfonzo and his workers were of it. My eyes shifted to the moving people outside the giant glass window I was sat beside and my brain immediately started story making again.
Several stories later, Luca was back with my delicious pizza and water. I thanked him and an idle conversation came up for a few minutes about nothing before he had to return to serving. I watched him go and began the mega task of taking down my cheese and pepperoni goodness.
I felt like an idiot for not specifying that I wanted a small pizza and ended up with a huge one sitting on the table in front of me. I never ate more than two pieces at a time which would leave me with enough for several other complete meals in the next few days.
I shrugged. Nothing I could do about it now. I was only halfway through my first piece when I was interrupted by a voice from behind me.
"Pip?"
Oh.
My.
God.
There was no getting away from that Famous Boy of mine. Not that I wanted to get away, really. I just didn't expect him to turn up at this precise moment.
I sat for a moment stunned and staring at the slice of pizza I had halfway to my mouth, eyes wide and mouth gaping open, before I turned to greet him.
"Theo. Hi."
"Hey," he said while sliding in across from me and grabbing a slice of my pizza. My pizza. "Nice pizza choice."
As annoyed as I was with him for taking some of my pizza, he was a sight. Dang. He was only in shorts and a button down with the sleeves rolled up, but it was still as hot as can be. I mean, every girl here knows how much hotter a guy is when the sleeves of his shirt are rolled up, am I right?
Yeah, thought so.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, bringing my attention back to the pizza.
His reply came easily and with a smile, "Pip, I was coming here long before you even knew this place even existed."
I chuckled. "Fair enough."
Theo finished his slice and grabbed another. "So, has Luca been all over you?" Maybe it was just me and my wishful thinking, but I swear that I heard slight tones of anger and possibly jealously in his tone.
I could feel my cheeks turning red. "No! He hasn't," I defended. "We've just been talking."
He snorted. "Talking. Sure."
"We were. Shut up," I said, smacking his arm. I meant it to come out all sassy-like, but the effect was ruined by the grin I couldn't hide on my face.
In a comfortable silence broken only by trivial chit chat that lasted for well over an hour and a half, I sipped at my water and E finished my pizza until he polished off the last of it. He did the great honor of paying for it then, as well. I wasn't so annoyed after that.
E came back from paying and stood by the edge of my bench. "C'mon," he said after a second. "Let's go." He grabbed my hand and pulled me from my seat in one quick and sudden movement.
"What?" I said, yelping slightly at the sudden movement. "Now? Where are we going?"
E didn't even try to hide the smile on his lips. "Yes now. And it's a surprise. Be patient, Pip. Surely you trust me by now."
I rolled my eyes and let him drag me out through the doors. He drug me around to the back of the little building. That's when the thought of being murdered entered my thoughts and my walking slowed by a fraction.
E must've noticed because he stopped and turned to face me. "You ok?"
"Oh, you know, just terrified of being murdered," I said quietly.
E dropped my hand and the look on his face changed several times in the next few seconds. First surprise, then confusion, to anger, then settled on amusement. "You really think I would risk my music career just so I could kill you?"
Well, once he put it that way... "No. Just an irrational fear."
His grin grew a bit and he took my hand again and started pulling me along again. "Come on, Pip. We're nearly there."
We rounded the corner at the back of the building, and I found myself in a back, hardly used parking lot. I stopped mid stride and stared at the one care in the parking lot that stood out like a sore thumb.
I may not know a lot about cars... ok, I may know absolutely nothing about cars, but even I could tell that this one is beautiful and had been expensive. It was cobalt blue and, upon further inspection, was an Audi... I squinted at the name on the back... R8. And it looked new.
I remembered seeing it at the mall all those weeks ago, but the beauty I saw in it then was nothing compared to it now. The car practically seemed to glow in the setting sun.
E had obviously noticed that I'd stopped and once again, he turned to me, a playfulness written all over his face. "Ok, seriously, Pip. If we're going to go anywhere, we have to make it to the car first."
I sighed. "It's just not fair," I said.
E looked earnestly at me and I could tell he was confused. "What's not?" he queried.
"Your car."
"What about it?" He raised an eyebrow.
"It's brighter than my future," I whispered.
A smirk played on his lips and lit up his face. "What is wrong with you?"
"A lot. A lot is wrong with me." I grinned right back at him. He was just so easy to spend time with.
He nodded, feigning seriousness, before he busted out laughing.
"Oh, Pip." He finally got out between snorts of laughter. "Youare a cute one, aren't you?"