Chapter 38 Rosa
ROSA
We arrive at the restaurant, give our names, then step inside once they check us in. I look around and see that the place is now more decorated, going for a modern and elegant look. It feels more girly now.
I hear a woman shriek from upstairs, and then I notice Delilah rushing down to us with a big grin.
“Hi! You’re finally here!” She almost shouts, then pulls us into a big hug.
Ever since we’ve met in Monaco, we’ve kept FaceTiming, chatting, we even met a couple times during bigger breaks. We became good friends, even with Isa.
“Yes. We made it. More or less survived the family gathering,” I say, and we share a laugh. And I’m not even exaggerating.
“Oh my, meeting the parents? You’re getting serious then?” She smirks, pointing her fingers at us. I look over to Mateo, and a blush spreads on my cheeks as he looks back at me, waiting for my answer.
“I guess we can say that, yeah,” I answer finally. A guy approaches us, cradling Lilah’s face, then leaves a kiss on her cheek with a loud smooch.
“Della, darling. You made it.” He pulls her into a hug, then turns to greet us. He’s about to kiss my cheek, too, but Mateo quickly puts his arm around my waist, keeping me close to him, like he’s marking his territory. Is he really that stupid that he can’t see the guy’s more into him than me?
“Hi. I’m Rosa, a friend of Lilah. And this is my boyfriend, Mateo.” He smirks at Teo’s actions, protecting me from him, when it should be the other way around. That man has some naughty thoughts going on about my boyfriend.
“Nice to meet you guys. I’m Rio. I hope to see you around.” Just as quickly he came, he walked away. Lilah rolls her eyes and then lets out a chuckle.
“Rio… Rio is my cousin. He can be a handful at times, but he’s the sweetest guy. Ladies always ask me to set them up with him, but…it’s no use.” Mateo clears his throat, and when Lilah looks at me, we burst out laughing. So she noticed his obvious jealousy.
“Is that a photo wall?” I ask enthusiastically as I spot the fancy-looking background where people are waiting in a line for their turns.
“Yeah! You can take some photos there and post them on social media to promote the restaurant. I’d be forever grateful if you’d do the same.” She looks at me with hopeful eyes, and then I turn to Mateo, who nods. “Yes! Thank you. I love you guys. Tag the restaurant and me! I’ll see you later.”
Lilah saunters away, and we walk over to the people waiting in line. “Will the whole night go like this?” Teo asks with annoyance in his tone.
“Like what? We just arrived, what’s your problem already?” I ask curiously, because I seriously don’t know what’s bothering him. The restaurant is beautiful, and despite the crowd, we can enjoy ourselves while we wait for the star of the night to say her toast and feed us.
“Everything. I know this is Monaco, but this is next level. This is too much.” My eyes widen, a little taken aback by his answer.
“This is too much for you? How will the gala be in Vegas then?” He grumbles, clearly not liking my answer. “Stop being grumpy. You only have one week left of the summer break, so enjoy it.”
“I’m not grumpy, I’m just… I’m tired, Rosa. I’m tired of all this.” His voice fades, sensing that he’s honest, concern creeping into my voice.
“Tired of what, exactly?” I ask, holding his head in my hands while I’m rubbing his cheeks to soothe him.
He lifts his head and then looks into my eyes deeply, but I can’t quite figure out the feelings behind it. He’s not good at communicating his feelings, but I know he’s hiding something. And fake boyfriend or not, I’m not letting it eat him alive.
He lets out a big sigh, then rests his forehead to mine. He puts his hand over mine that’s on his cheek, his grip so strong it feels like he’s using me as an anchor. He was always a strong man, but this Mateo is different.
It’s not weakness he’s showing, but rather vulnerability. He’s not good at talking, so he shows me instead. The whole world fades around us, and everything turns quiet for a moment.
“Next!” I hear a voice call out, calling us back to reality.
We break away, then stand in front of the fancy wall, waiting for the photographer to snap some pictures. Teo puts his arms around me again, the pose reminding me of prom photos. It’s cute and definitely a core memory, one I’ll remember forever.
“Come on. Where’s the smile?” The photographer speaks up from behind the camera, and I look up at Mateo, seeing that his expression is full of sadness.
Was I really that awful that I hadn’t noticed before how bad he’s doing? My throat tightens, then I turn and cradle his face again, pulling him in for a kiss. We linger in the moment, finding another way to convey our feelings without saying a word.
“Brilliant! Next!” We break the kiss, and before people can get mad at us for taking up so much time at the wall, I grab his hand and pull him away.
I drag him with me, walking through the whole restaurant so we can go upstairs to Lilah’s office. I hope she doesn’t mind that we're gonna use it for a little while. We need a break.
I push the buttons on the lock, then the door swings open with a beep. She told me the code back when I came here to go over her plans in case of emergency, and now I’m really glad she hasn't changed it since then. This counts as an emergency.
“Okay. Talk. You’re weird. What happened?” I ask as Teo plops down on the couch. He seemed fine on the way here, so something must’ve happened on the boat before we set foot in Monaco.
“I told you. I’m just tired,” he says, but I know there’s more to it.
“I need you to be more specific.”
“I don’t want to talk about it, Rosa, okay? I’m tired, and I just want to be left alone for a minute without having to care, without having to worry about anything.” I take a step back when he raises his voice; his answer is taking me by surprise.
“You don’t want to talk about it now? Fine.
But you can’t shut me out, you hear me? Even if this is supposedly a fake relationship, I’m here for you.
And those big, scary walls won’t last too long, Acosta.
” I fold my arms in front of my chest, but when he doesn’t answer or even look my way, I decide to leave. “I’ll be down there if you need me.”
I pause for a little more, but he still doesn’t move, so I turn and leave the room.
I know I said I won’t let him shut me out, but if I pressure him to talk to me, I’ll only make things worse.
He needs to trust me to open up. And I’m not sure he will learn how to do that, given our history. He’s one stubborn man.