𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄, damiano david

━━𝟐𝟏.𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬

Pattering rain woke me up. My cheek was against Damiano's warm chest, he held me with one arm and seemed to still be asleep.

I didn't want to wake him, besides, I enjoyed the safe feeling his closeness left in me.
I listened to his quiet breathing for a while, ran my finger along his chest and traced the tattoos.
The rain became less, eventually it stopped altogether. Damiano's chest continued to rise and fall regularly and I snuggled closer to him.
I would have loved to make the world stop so that I could live in that moment forever.

"Have you been awake long?" asked Damiano in a raspy morning voice and I looked up and rested my chin on his chest to look him in the face.
"A little," I answered.

He kissed my lips and I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling.
"I wasn't sure if what happened yesterday was a dream," I said honestly and kissed his chest feather lightly.

"I love you," he whispered softly in reply and I knew it hadn't been a dream.
This was reality, even if it felt like a dream.

"We have to go to breakfast. Today at noon are the next interviews in the arena," I said then sighed and pushed myself up, but Damiano pulled me back down to him so that I was lying on top of him again.

"Just a moment," he murmured, and then we kissed again, holding each other as if we were afraid of losing the other again.

Before breakfast I knocked on Sophia's door to get my keycard and change and put on my make-up. She was completely frantic when I came into her room because she had misplaced her mobile phone.

I got ready in my room while Damiano sat on my bed and watched me, his eyes following my every move.
Together we went downstairs to the dining room, my fingers intertwined with his and I was happier than I had been in a long time.

Apart from Sophia, everyone else from my team was already at our table. Damiano pressed a gentle kiss to my cheek because we had to sit at different tables, then he let go of my hand and went to his table at the other end of the room.

Elle waved at me as I approached our table, a slight smile on her lips, "I see Damiano and you are back together?" it was more of a question than a statement.
"Yes," I replied curtly and took a seat opposite her.

Sophia hurried into the dining room and plopped down on the bench next to me, still looking frantic, "I found my phone," she said proudly, holding said object aloft.
"Great, Sophia," I said, feeling like a primary school teacher praising a pupil for solving a simple maths problem.

"Let's get something to eat, I'm starving," she said and pushed me off the bench.
I almost stumbled because she was pulling me so frantically and freed myself from her grip, "Tell me, is everything okay with you or why are you like this?"

"Everything is fine. I'm just excited, Ethan asked me out on a date yesterday. You know I'm not good at dates, I'm always so nervous.", she whispered in my ear and I giggled, "If that's your only concern. He's already totally infatuated with you anyway, so whether you throw your food on your lap on a date or not, it's not going to change anything."

"I just don't want to embarrass myself," Sophia whined, handing me an empty plate which I placed on my tray.
"You worry too much"I loaded a slice of bread, jam and some fruit onto my plate. Sophia's eyes widened, "What's going on here?" she asked, pointing at my plate.
"What's supposed to be going on?"
"You're eating more than usual, at least you're making an effort to."
"I'm in a good mood" I said and my stomach turned.

I was too easy to see through. When I was feeling bad, when I had worries and panic attacks, I always ate much less than I should, often nothing at all.
Of course, Sophia noticed immediately that something was up when I ate more after a long time. It still wasn't much, but it was a whole meal by my standards.