𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐫 ✔️

27. Dripping

CHAPTER 27
Ilaria de Luca

"Mamma, I don't think you added enough..." I slowly trail off as I read my aunts recipe for brownies.

"I've made these before Ilaria, trust me," she says, mixing everything in a bowl.

The sky rumbles and a chill runs down my spine as I sit on a stool – behind the island. The rain as been pouring all week. But I liked it because it was an excuse for me to cuddle with my mother, or bake, or even sit and gossip now and then.

I didn't want her to feel like I didn't enjoy her company like I did my fathers.

"Yeah but," I scrunch my brows together and she leans over my shoulder, reading with me.

"The salt!" she lightly hits my arm, putting the bowl down as she rushes towards the cabinet.

The salt container was empty and I watched as she leaves to grab some more.

Dropping the hand written recipe I pick up my phone as I get a message from my father.

I open it and it's a video of uncle Nereus being afraid of heights. He's clutching onto uncle Cesar for dear life as they sit in the plane.

Where are they flying to now...

I couldn't help but burst out into laughter as I watched him take deep – dramatic – breaths in.

"Ilaria says 'Hi'," I hear my fathers voice and uncle Nereus has his eyes squeezed shut.

"Antonio de Luca I swear to God just because you married my sister does not mean I won't beat the shit out of you!" he yells and I hear my father – and uncle Cesar – laugh in the background. "Are you laughing at me?" he snaps at uncle Cesar.

"No, of course not," uncle Cesar quickly says and shakes his head at the camera, telling my father to stop recording.

The video ends after my father torments uncle Nereus a little more. While laughing I texted back, telling him to send me more 'funny videos'.

My mother finally comes back with the salt and adds some before continuing to mix everything.

"Daddy just sent me a video," I laugh, pulling up the video to show her.

We laugh until the very end and she shakes her head.

"Those two men are going to drive him insane," she says as she starts preparing the baking tray.

"Let me," I say when it's time to throw the mixture over.

Hopping off the stool I throw the mixture into the baking tray and my mother rushes upstairs to grab a jacket since she's cold.

My phone vibrates and I pick it up to see a video from my uncle Nereus.

"Oh my..." I can't help but laugh as I hop onto the island to watch it.

My eyes grow wide as he excitedly shows me how they're at some reptile museum. He shows me various reptiles before he points the camera to a huge snake tank.

The tank was empty and then uncle Cesar appears with the snake in his hands and around his arm.

"As you know, we're not afraid of snakes and love them so very much," I hear my uncle Nereus say and uncle Cesar chuckles. "Some more than others at least," he says, flipping the camera to himself with a vicious grin.

"I'll rip your throat out," I hear my father threaten before the camera flips again and I see uncle Cesar holding the snake out towards my father.