Chapter 3.2 - Valentina
1935 Words
I wrote this quicker than expected! I'm really enjoying this part of the book; it sometimes writes itself and I surprise myself lol
Anyway, I hope you like this part!
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“What are you supposed to be dressed as?” Matteo asks, eyes falling on me.
“The Goddess Luna.”
“In what universe is that a hero? Or a villain?”
“It’s a God.”
“The theme was superheroes and villains.”
“It was Gods & Monsters, actually.” Isabella and I reply at the same time, before we look at each other and burst out laughing.
“Why didn’t you say so?”
Isabella rolls her eyes and passes me the plate. “You don’t have to understand everything all the time, Matteo.”
“Gods and Monsters.” He repeats. “I would’ve come dressed as-“
Someone bangs on the door, which makes Matteo groan and stand up.
Vinnie walks past Matteo as soon as the door opens, coming to sit down next to me and grabbing the plate.
“You have a rendezvous and you don’t invite me?” he asks Matteo in a disappointed tone.
“It’s Isabella’s birthday present. I was going to invite you after.”
“Happy birthday.” Vinnie tells her, probably for the tenth time today. It’s really cute; he’s been randomly wishing her a happy birthday ever since we arrived.
She smiles but flips him the bird anyway. It’s her way of flirting, and I only know this because I do the same thing with guys I’m attracted to. I like to see how long they can hold their own against me until they cave.
The last guy who could match my sarcasm ended up being my on-and-off-again boyfriend, but it’s been over a year since we broke up. Jamie got a new girlfriend over the summer, and I’m sort of happy for him. Maybe a little bitter. But overall happy.
“How did you know where to find me?” Matteo asks him on our way back inside.
“You were all missing, it didn’t take much to figure it out.”
Isabella and I dance for a while until we get thirsty, so we make our way to the bar.
“I like having the whole club to ourselves.” I tell her as we sit down.
“I’m honestly so grateful for Matteo. He even talked to one of their bartenders and asked him to work today.”
We take our drinks and walk back to the table, just in time for the cake.
After everyone sings happy birthday, Vinnie and Matteo push her face into the cake.
She doesn’t look pleased a few minutes later when she’s trying to wash cake out of her hair.
“I should’ve known they were going to do that.” She tells herself in the mirror.
“They did it with love.” I tell her.
She swears in Italian, and it’s her way of saying she loves them too.
“I think Vinnie’s flirting with you.” I tell her on the way back.
“Shut up, he isn’t.”
“I think he is.”
“Can you elaborate please??”
I open my mouth when Ariana suddenly appears next to us, pulling her away from me, saying something about her needing to do birthday shots. I’m not sure whether it’s in my head or not, but she’s been passive aggressive towards me ever since she arrived.
It’s clear to me now that her and Matteo have something going on, because it’s the first time I’ve ever seen him making out with someone in the club. Let alone someone we all know.
Luca is walking over to me, and I’m not sure I’m in the mood. Before I can think of a way to abort the situation, he’s right next to me.
“Are you in New York just for her birthday or did you move here?”
The question seems out of pocket, but I’ll play along.
“I just moved here.”
“Before or after the gala?”
“After.” I look at him. “You?”
“I also just moved here.”
“Before or after the gala?” I ask, trying my best to mimic his accent.
He gets the joke this time because he genuinely laughs. I think it’s the first time I’ve ever seen him not serious since I met him. I could’ve bet that he disliked me after the bad joke about his dead uncle.
“Before.” He answers, then looks at his empty glass.
“I need a refill.”
I offer to go with him, and he orders a Rum and Coke.
“Why did you pick Hawkeye?”
He shrugs. “I had the arrows and the bow.”
“You just casually had a bow and arrows laying around?”
He laughs. “What about you, Goddess Luna?”
I notice he that he smoothly avoided my question. “Honestly? My costume didn’t arrive on time so I had to improvise.”
“Well, you look incredible.”
I smile as he takes the drink from the bar. We make our way back to the group across the room, and I notice Matteo insistently looking at me.
“Who wants to do some shots?” Vinnie suggests, and everybody cheers to the idea.
I’m about to follow the small group to the bar when I feel a hand on my arm.
“Can I talk to you?”
Matteo is looking at me with a serious expression on his face.
“Sure.”
He pulls me away to an unoccupied booth in the VIP area and sits down.
Oh, he means business.
I’m drunk
I’m talking to myself
I try not to laugh as I take a seat next to him, placing my drink on the table.
He asks me something I can’t understand.
“What?!”
There’s a speaker right above our heads, which makes it a bad place to talk.
He’s probably repeating what he just said but I can only understand Luca’s name.
I make a confused face before leaning in to hear him better. He leans in at the same time, which makes my cheek collide with his mouth before I can stop it.
We both pull away and he stands up, motioning me to do the same.
He looks good in a suit
That’s not even a costume
I do as I’m told and he turns me around, leading me towards the door in the back by my upper arms.
Once we’re in the hallway, he turns left instead of right.”
“That’s the other way.” I say, going after him anyway.
He doesn’t turn around. “Just follow me.”
Exciting
He opens the door at the end of the hallway, which leads outside. It’s an alley between two buildings, a lone lamppost giving just enough light for it to be creepy.
“What are we doing here?”
The door closes behind me with a thud.
“I don’t have enough patience to talk in the club.”
I cross my arms over my chest, already feeling the cold.
“Well? I’m cold, be quick.”
“What did Luca say to you?”
“He asked me when I moved here. I don’t know. We talked about our costumes.”
He gives me a dramatic onceover. “Costumes?”
“Are you dissing my outfit? While wearing your work clothes as a costume?”
“Are you seriously saying Goddess Luna is more on theme than Lucifer? You have a dress and some glitter on, you’re not fooling anyone.”
The fact that he’s telling me off (sort of) makes him extremely attractive right now.
“I’m on theme because I’m a Goddess and Lucifer is not a Monster.”
“The theme was Superheroes and villains, not your Lana del Rey whatever.”
“Everything is more on theme than a suit, that’s for sure.”
“I’m the literal devil. That works for both.”
“The devil does not look like Lucifer.”
He mirrors me by crossing his arms over his chest.
“How do you know what the devil looks like?”
I can’t lie, he’s got me there, but I can’t lose this argument right now; it’s way too fun.
“How do you?”
He rolls his eyes with a smirk on his face at my lame comeback attempt.
“I think the devil looks human.”
I tilt my head. “Why?”
“Because we can’t recognize him if he looks like us.”
The sentence hangs heavy in the air because I have no idea what to reply to that. And what’s even worse is that it makes sense.
“Why do you even want to know about Luca?” I change the subject, suddenly remembering why we’re outside in the first place.
He looks conflicted by the question. “I don’t know. I was just curious.”
“I don’t buy it, tell me the truth.”
His eyebrows go up. “The truth is that you’re my friend and I don’t trust him.”
It’s not at all what I expected. Actually, I don’t even know what I was expecting.
“Don’t trust him to what?”
“I just don’t trust him. As a person.”
“Why did you ask Isabella if he could come then?”
He pinches the bridge of his nose. “His uncle died and my dad asked me to keep an eye on him for a while, make sure he’s okay.”
Neither of us mentions Romeo, nor the fact that I was there, but it lays heavy in the air. I know he’s thinking it too.
I’m not going to be the one to bring it up.
He takes a step forwards, which puts him way too close to my face.
“Can you trust me on this?”
The question is unexpected and it feels intimate.
I try to think about it when his face suddenly turns red and blue.
There’s no sirens, but I see police cars pulling up on the street, blocking the exit.
My fight or flight instinct kicks in, and it tells me to flee.
“Let’s go.” I say, already taking off the other way.
It’s illegal to be outside at this hour, let alone have a party in a club.
He catches up to me and nearly knocks me off my with when he grips into my wrist, trying to stop me.
“No. If you run, you look guilty.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Own up to it.”
He says it like it’s the absolute truth, so my body goes limp as I just nod.
I don’t panic when I see four police officers comings towards us, flashing their lights in our face.
I also don’t panic when two officers wearing masks push us on either side of the door, faces scraping against the wall. My hands are forced to the back of my head as I’m being felt up.
“She clearly doesn’t have pockets.” Matteo raises his voice at the guy.
“What do we have here?” another officer asks as she crouches down to retrieve a small baggie filled with coke. “Who does this belong to?”
Now I panic.
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See you Tuesday with Matteo's POV!!
- Writer
