𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀' 𝗣𝘂𝘇𝘇𝗹𝗲

Present

Three weeks have passed since I got back in touch with Lio and these past weeks when I'm not working which is rarely, I'm at the bookstore with him checking phone books, Social media accounts, asking people we knew went to college with him but still no signs of Alexei and while Helio revealed to me he saw him a few years back after college at a social gathering it was of no help because they didn't even exchange contacts, in his words: "We just caught up between a few drinks and by the time I was conscious he had disappeared", I'm guessing he doesn't want to be found but I'm not ready to give up just yet, Helio was able to get in touch with a girl he knew with through Instagram, she has pics of him and they seem to be close.

I asked him to come to my niece's birthday party since he knows my brother and I wanted him to meet Salome and Crystal, Crystal already knowing him from before she's so excited to see him, my brother on the other hand has never been fond of neither Helio nor Alexei, some type of big brother complex makes him stuck up but I asked Skye and she is fine with it, she said he'll get over it and she wants to meet my boyfriend... I didn't bother to correct her it'll be obvious we are nothing like that. Just old friends...
"Giulia get off your phone, your niece is having a party tonight and your childhood lover is going to be there yet you have nothing to wear" Salome snatches my phone out of my hands and pulls me up, the term lover to describe Helio made my skin crawl but seems like everyone was getting that idea.

Knowing that it's Skye's first step into her teenage years her dad did not hold back on the party preparations, he invited most of the family and Skye's friends and rented a nice venue for the whole thing. Being a single parent was hard on him at first he didn't have a job on the first year from when she was born and he hadn't even started college because the whole thing was sudden, one day his gf was there the next she wasn't and eventually she just left the town and her child, ever since then Sam never slacked off he worked hard just to make sure he could provide the most for his girl, in some way it was a sort of coping mechanism to help him forget the mother of his child who he never got over but never gave himself time come to terms with but at least now he can say that he made it owning a 4 star Michelin rated restaurant in the city, his daughter in a private school he's pretty admirable though his celibacy stays intact.
"Giulia she's right you really have nothing to wear" Crystal says after scanning through my whole closet of clothes I give her a blank stare because there's no way I have nothing to wear,
"Let's go shopping" Salome spins her keys around her finger and leaves the room excitedly, I look over to Crystal who now has a ring on her finger since the last fight she had with her boyfriend, that's right still boyfriend, it's just a promise ring she says that he actually had a good point and their love is more reliable than a contract so they're trying for babies now. I won't pretend I get their dynamic but she's happy and he's a good man so I trust them,
"You wanna listen to the belly?" she giggles as we make our way out the room to Salome,
"You're already pregnant?" I ask confused because she never told me and I expect to be the first to know even before the man,
"Nah just hungry and I heard it brings luck to act like it's already going on" I shake my head in disbelief as we get in the car. 

Salome drives us to the mall and as soon as we get there she already knows  exactly where she wants us to go and what we should wear, we are both used to this she has always been set on what she wants which is why she's been trying to pursue my brother for the past few years it's fun to watch them banter back and forth but neither of them have dated anyone for the longest time and I'd be lying if I said I didn't notice my brother's mood lighten up every time he spotted her walking towards him but for some reason he always brushes her off the moment things are heading in the right direction, I can understand him being skeptical but she's been doing this for like 5 years lord knows not many people are that committed.
"Here we are... for you and for you" she had brought us to a store with cocktail dresses and black tie formal wear, sat us down and made us wait, she hands me a long silver dress with a single off shoulder and a slit while she gives Crystal a purple velvet dress with thin straps and a straight neckline but doesn't show hers.
Once we put on our dresses I can't help but smile because they are just perfect for each of us Salome is wearing a black backless dress floor length with long sleeves very simple but perfect on her,