CHAPTER 35
They’d just finished her lesson, something on poetry, she thought, but her mind had wandered too many times to remember the details clearly. Grayson leaned back slightly in his chair, stretching one arm over the table and nodding in approval at the completed sheet in front of Mia.
"You're getting faster," he said with a soft smile. “You’ve barely stammered at all when reading out loud today.”
Mia blinked down at the page. “I guess…” she murmured, her voice trailing off like it always did when a praise made her shy.. Mia ducked her head, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her sleeve again a habit she never quite grew out of.
“Come on,” he said over his shoulder. “Let’s go fix something for lunch. I’m starving.”
Mia nodded, following quietly as they made their way downstairs.
The house was calm, sunlight filtering in through the kitchen windows in thin, golden slants that warmed the tiled floor.
In the kitchen, he rolled up his sleeves with the same smooth, practiced motion he always did before he cooked.
He moved around the space easily, grabbing a chopping board, rinsing vegetables and flipping the knife between his fingers like it weighed nothing.
Mia sat at the small bar stool by the counter, watching him quietly, her cheek resting in her palm. Her legs dangled from the stool and her toes brushing the air. She liked the hum of the kitchen ..the low buzz of the fridge, the clink of knives, the hiss of the tap and the aroma
Grayson turned toward the pantry and pulled the door open with a soft creak.
There was a pause.
Then a low:
“…Huh.”
Mia blinked. “What?”
Grayson leaned in slightly. “Jesus. Did someone rob a bakery?”
He pulled out one box. Then another. And another.
His voice was amused. “Okay, who stockpiled brands of chocolate chip cookies? And packs of chocolate?”
Mia froze for a second. Her eyes darted to the pile forming on the counter. She knew exactly where they came from. Her fingers tightened in her sleeve.
Grayson turned to her slowly, one brow raised. “...You?”
Mia bit her lip. “Not really.”
“Not really?” his forehead creased into suspicion
“I didn’t buy them.”
“Ah.” He nodded once. “So they just… appeared in the middle of the night.”
She gave a tiny shrug. “Sort of.”
Grayson looked at her for a moment, clearly connecting the dots, then there was a slight twitch in his expression. “You went out, ??."his brows furrowed, that didn't make sense, she would never go out alone.
Mia didn’t answer.
He let the silence stretch for a few more seconds before placing the cookies back gently, lining them up. “You’re not in trouble,” he added, tone quiet.
She looked down at her lap. “Not me…Marcello.. he .. .. uuh.... He bought them for me.. yesterday ?”
Her cheeks pinkened.
Grayson ears puckered ". Wait... Wh.. what....”
Before he could finish— right on cue — a quiet sound of foootsteps on tile reached them
Mia turned her head just as Marcello stepped into view.
Her breath hitched.
He wasn’t wearing a shirt , only dark sweatpants which slung low on his hips, and a towel in one hand. His hair was damp at the edges, the way it always looked when he had just showered. Water still clung to his collarbones in beads, tracing a slow path down the toned planes of his chest.
Mia immediately looked away.
Her face flamed. She dropped her gaze to the floor, gripping the edge of the counter like it might save her.
Marcello didn’t say anything at first. He crossed the room with quiet confidence, not even glancing at her as he went straight for the fridge.
But she could feel it the heat of his presence, the quiet pull of his attention. He didn’t need to look for her to feel seen.
Grayson, clearly unfazed, just nodded in his direction. “Why would you buy all these cookies for Christ's sake, it'll spoil her teeth ?”
Marcello pulled open the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and spoke as matter of factly without turning. “She wanted cookies.”
Mia’s stomach did a small flip.
Grayson smirked. “Well, she’s got enough to open a store now.”
Marcello didn’t reply, he just closed the fridge and leaned against it, unscrewing the cap on the bottle. His eyes finally flicked towards Mia, taking in her appearance briefly, his emotions unreadable
She tried to pretend she didn’t notice but her blush refused to fade.
Marcello was still Leaning against the fridge, bare-chested and unbothered, like his presence didn’t just hijack the entire rhythm of her breath.
Mia kept her eyes down, willing the blush on her face to fade thankfully Grayson broke the silence. “Mia, can you grab the cheese from the drawer?”
She startled slightly. “Oh — yeah.”
She stood too quickly.
The stool scraped back with a soft screech, and she flinched, hoping it didn’t sound as loud as it felt. Marcello didn’t move, but she could feel his eyes on her, which made her spine stiffen and her skin burn like she’d stepped into sunlight too suddenly.
She moved toward the fridge.
That meant passing him.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she reached for the drawer. She could smell him — clean, fresh, like soap and rain and something sharper underneath.
“Thanks,” Grayson said from behind her.
Mia grabbed the cheese, then pivoted quickly to hand it over which got her feet tangled against each other enough to make her lose balance. The cheese slipped from her hand, her feet fumbled, and in a blink—
She stumbled an awkward sway enough to make her heart spike in embarrassment and in the space between panic and impact —
Marcello moved.
He caught her arm gently. Steady. One hand curling just above her elbow, the other lightly at her waist, keeping her from tipping forward.
Mia froze.
Her breath stopped in her chest as she looked up , her face too close now, his chest was bare, warm, right there in front of her and his eyes dark, unreadable, heavy with something she couldn’t name, were on her.
Neither of them moved. Neither of them spoke.
Grayson hadn’t noticed he was already cracking eggs into the pan, humming faintly to himself.
Marcello’s hand lingered for half a second longer than necessary then en he released her slowly, like he didn't want to
“You okay?” he asked, voice quiet, barely above a whisper. Mia nodded quickly, heat flooding her face.
“I—I’m fine,” she mumbled, backing up half a step. Her heart was thudding wildly in her chest, she could feel her ears ring.
Marcello didn’t say anything more. He turned away smoothly, like nothing happened, and walked to the counter to take a sip from his water bottle.
But Mia could still feel his touch and his breath from how close he’d been.
She stood there, gripping the counter now, her face turned slightly away, pretending to focus on the stove but all her attention was tangled up in him. What was going on with her.... And him
The silence stretched thin after that.
Mia pretended to help Grayson —setting plates down, folding napkins but her hands still trembled slightly and the rapid heartbeat in her chest still hadn't come down.
From across the counter, Marcello hadn’t said a word. He was back to leaning against the fridge again, drinking water like nothing had happened. But she could feel the shift in the air and his eyes following her every move..
Grayson plated the food. “would you like a plate,” he said casually, nodding toward Marcello.
Mia’s fingers hesitated mid-fold.
Marcello didn’t answer immediately.
Then ....a vibration.
His phone buzzed in his sweatpants pocket, he pulled it out, glanced at the screen once, and his jaw flexed , sharpening his edges
“Can’t,” he said flatly, still looking at the screen. “I have to go.”
Mia’s eyes flicked up involuntarily just as he turned and began walking toward the hallway.
No goodbye or a glance back. Rude
Her hands stayed still on the napkin she was folding. Her throat felt tight like she wanted to say something but didn’t even know what.
Grayson noticed the stillness and looked at her.
“You okay?”
She nodded quickly. “Yeah. Just… just tired.”The kitchen had quieted again, save for the gentle clink of cutlery and the occasional shift of chairs.
Mia nibbled at her grilled cheese, trying not to think about anything too hard — not Marcello, not the way her heart still fluttered from earlier, not even the ache in her chest that came from missing her brother.
Grayson was halfway through his sandwich when his phone buzzed.
He glanced down.
LUCA.
“Excuse me,” he muttered, wiping his hands on a napkin before answering. “Yeah?”
Mia paused mid-bite.
His voice dropped slightly, more serious now. “Yeah, she’s good. We just ate.”
Another pause. His brows drew together faintly.
“Yeah… hang on.” He looked over at her, quieter now. “He wants to talk to you.”
She wiped her hands on her sleeve and took the phone carefully.
“...Luca?”
His voice came through low and steady — but softer than usual. “Hi, princess.”
Her chest squeezed.
She bit her lip and whispered, “Hi.”
You okay?” his voice wasn’t sharp or cold like it was with others. It never was with her.
She nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see. “Yeah. I’m okay.”
“You eating?”
She glanced at her plate. “Mhm.”
A quiet pause.
Then she heard him exhale — like he’d been holding his breath.
“I miss you.”
Mia’s eyes stung suddenly, for no reason at all.
“I miss you too...umm when are you coming back,” she said softly.
There was another pause, longer this time. Like neither of them knew what to say next.
Then he added, “I’ll be back soon. Just a few more days.”
“Okay.”
“Be good.”
“I am,” she whispered, clutching the phone a little tighter.
“Sleep well tonight. And call me if anything’s wrong. Even the smallest thing.”
“I will.”
“I love you, princess.”
Her voice trembled just slightly. “I love you too.”
Mia handed the phone back slowly, her sleeve brushing the corner of her eye and Grayson ended the call without a word and slipped it into his pocket again.
Then, after a long moment, he said, “You okay?”
She nodded faintly shoving her spoon back in her mouth