I pushed the shopping bag further up my arm as I fished around in my bag for my house key, ignoring Lindsee's laughing behind me; only to jump as the door was pulled open in front of us and I frowned as I looked up to find Giovanni standing in the doorway.
How was he in my house?
"Uh hi?" I said as he stepped aside for the two of us to enter my own house and I let the few shopping bags slip off my arm and onto the floor. "What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you." Giovanni snapped and I sucked my teeth.
"No, I mean what are you doing inside my house?" I asked as I pulled my low tops off and fished my jacket out of one of the bags to hang up.
"Waiting for you, I just said that Poppy."
"How did you get in?" I crossed my arms, I knew I was being unreasonably aggressive but things were not great between us right now.
"I'm gunna go...do something in the kitchen." Lindsee mumbled before she made a beeline away from us, her own shopping bags abandoned in the foyer with mine.
"Don't look at her like that." I snapped at Giovanni as I sucked my teeth, his narrowed eyes pointed after my best friend and I felt a flash of anger run through my veins.
"She's a bad influence." Was all Giovanni said in return and I rolled my eyes.
"Hardly," I snorted before sighing, I knew that him coming to England was a bad idea and I was being proved right. "You never told me how you got in."
"I have a key."
"How?" I snapped, as far as I was aware the only people with a key to my house, were me obviously, Lindsee and Harry.
I swallowed as I remembered that I'd never taken the key back from him, although I doubted that he even had it still after all this time.
"I found it in a drawer in the kitchen." Giovanni explained as if it was obvious and I frowned.
"So you just took it? Why? This isn't your house! You don't live here!"
"I took it so I could use it to surprise you and be near you."
"Did you ever stop and think that I didn't want that?" I muttered as I ran a hand through my hair, I wasn't in the mood for this.
I wasn't in the mood for Giovanni at all to be honest, I'd had a really good day on the end of a kinda shitty week and all I wanted to do was come home, eat pizza with my best friend and get excited about going to see our possible new flats on Tuesday.
Oh yeah and my birthday on Wednesday, I guess.
"You know you've changed since being here." Giovanni shook his head and I raised an eyebrow.
"What's that meant to mean?"
"I mean you're not the same fiore I-"
"Don't call me that!" I snapped, my temper flaring as I stared at Giovanni through narrowed eyes.
"That is exactly what I mean! Ever since you came home you're different, you're rude and careless and lazy and I think it's your friends. What have you been up to today? Spending money when you're supposed to be looking for jobs!"
"Don't you dare bring my friends into this!" I hissed, "I don't know what you expected but I am exactly the same person I was in New York except maybe I'm not fucking sad anymore! I'm home with my friends who make me happy and I can spend my money however the fuck I want!"
"You can't if you don't have a job." Giovanni shook his head. "You're lazy."
"I had two fucking interviews on Thursday and Friday!" I snapped, aware of Lindsee's head peaking around the archway into the kitchen. "Not that it's any of your business but I got turned down for both! That's why I went out with my friends."
It actually hurt saying it out loud now, I had thought both interviews had gone really well and I was actually really excited about the second one and to have found out on Friday afternoon that I didn't get either had really upset me.
It hadn't hurt this much when I'd just shown Lindsee the rejection emails.
Plus that and the fact I hadn't seen or heard from Harry since he was here on Wednesday, not that I was expecting to considering I doubted he even remembered but I had just thought, stupidly, that he might have called or something.
I hadn't been lying when I said I'd missed him too.
"Perhaps you didn't get the job because of your friends." Giovanni simmered and I sneered at him.
"Don't fucking talk about them like that."
"Why not? I'm not stupid Poppy, I know what Lindsee says about me, all of your friends are the same, filthy mouths that I see you've copied and the drinking." Giovanni shook his head.
"I was at a wedding!" I shouted, I didn't understand what his problem was. "I have friends Giovanni! That isn't going to change, if you don't like them then I don't care, I love them and don't you ever use Lindsee's name like that again."
"You know what Poppy? This is all that Harry's fault, I'm not stupid I saw him on Thursday. How could you do that to me?"
"Don't say his name." I shook my head, this was ridiculous. "I didn't do anything to you."
"Why was he here?" Giovanni shouted making me flinch backwards, "He's just some drug addicted dealer isn't he?"
"Shut up." I hissed.
"No, I won't! Because you need to hear it Poppy, he's no good for you! He's just some dirty poor drug user, he isn't good for you. He isn't suited for you and I can't believe you can't see that, he's the kind of person I'd hire to wash my car."
"Get out."
My head was spinning as my chest was heaving and I refused to look at Giovanni, knowing that if I moved my eyes from the spot on the tiled floor I would do something I'd regret and something that would make me like my Father.
"Excuse me?" Giovanni asked sounding horrified.
"I said get out!" I screamed, my eyes flashing to him, "Give me back my fucking key! Harry is twice the person you could ever be, I never fucking wanted you! I barely even like you, Giovanni, you don't get to talk about him like that. In fact, you don't get to talk about him at all."
There was a nerve twitching in my eye but I couldn't bring myself to care as my chest heaved as I wiggled my fingers, my outstretched hand still empty but I wasn't going to let Giovanni get away with this.
"I moved here for you." Giovanni said slowly as I watched him fish the key out of his trousers pocket.
"I never asked for that."
The cold metal was a shock against my hot hand and I sucked my teeth as I looked at Giovanni, I didn't know how I ever thought he was attractive.
He had to have been the ugliest person I'd ever seen.
"Maybe we just need time apart. You know I'm going home in a few days, when I get back we'll talk." Giovanni said and I couldn't stop the snort as I shook my head.
"I don't know what you're not getting here. I don't want you here, I don't want you to come back."
"Poppy..."
"I don't want you to come back and if you're too stupid to understand that; if you do then you won't be fucking welcome here."
"Don't be ridiculous Poppy it's your birthday on Wednesday. I have gifts." Giovanni looked at me as if I was crazy.
"I don't want them." I said simply, "Because unlike some people, I don't think material objects are the most important things in the world."
"We'll talk about this."
"No, we won't." I said easily, aware of Lindsee watching silently again. "I don't want your fucking gifts and I don't want you in my house."
"Poppy." Giovanni tried and I shook my head as I pointed towards the door.
"Get the fuck out."
The foyer was silent as I stared at him down until Giovanni finally shook his head and the echo of his Italian shoes clicking against the tiles filled the air and I crossed my arms as he pulled the front door open, giving me one last look before he was gone and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
If that had happened with anyone else then I would have been a mess, if I'd argued with Max or my Father or Lindsee, or even Harry then I would have been running for the closest sharp objects to puncture my skin but all I felt was relief.
"P?"
I blinked as I turned towards Lindsee who had emerged fully from the kitchen and was looking at me worriedly.
"Why did that take me so long to do?" I asked breathlessly, a laugh bubbling up from my chest as Lindsee shrugged at me in amusement.
"I'm proud of you." Lindsee pulled me into a hug and I hummed as I squeezed her back.
"He's, how do you Brits say it, a real cunt."
I couldn't stop the loud laugh as Lindsee looked very pleased with herself and I shook my head at her, I really would pick her over any stupid man any day. And I think that would include Harry.
But she didn't need to know that, her head was already big enough.
"I'm going to put these upstairs and then I wanna get changed and then I think we should order food." I said, feeling like a weight had been lifted from my shoulder.
"I also think we should have a drink." Lindsee suggested and I nodded in agreement as I picked up my bags.
"A nice big vodka please."