The Underbosses Chef [M/M]

22 - Twenty - Two - Matteo Concetta's Point Of View.

Caio left before we could enjoy the cheesecake and things together. I hunted through the kitchen looking for something to tie up my hair, and a produce elastic was what I found. The idea of using it seemed painful and would definitely get tangled, but I wanted to head down to that pool Alessio mentioned and go for a swim. I had a single pair of gym shorts that I brought and they would work just fine for swimming.

Tying up my hair into a bun, I grabbed the towel from my room, setting it on the bed as I changed into a tank top. Tossing the towel over my shoulder. Making sure I had my phone, I headed out after putting my single shoe on.

I didn't bump into Caio, or anyone else, the entire walk to the gym building. It was surprisingly empty, too. I found the pool pretty easily. It alone took up half the building. Setting my towel and phone aside, I pulled my tank top off, and set it on top of my towel and phone. I took the boot off, set it by the wall, and carefully walked to the pool. I dropped into a sitting position and slipped my feet into the water. It was cool, but not cold. I dropped into the pool entirely. I drove under the surface of the water and resurfaced a few moments later.

Swimming didn't hurt my foot, and it was relaxing. I couldn't see Alessio having an issue with this, since they often used swimming in physio. As long as it didn't hurt and I wasn't pushing it, I didn't see this being a bad thing in the slightest.

Back and forth repeatedly, I swam from end to end, careful not to push off with the wonky foot. My shoulders started to burn after the fourth time, but I didn't quit. I was enjoying the burn. Once I was cleared to work out again, I could get back into kickboxing, the way I kept in shape in Italy. The pool would do in the meantime. I stopped swimming and started walking the perimeter of the inside of the pool. Walking on my foot in the water was pretty painless, and I was pleased with that. Considering that walking on my foot, out of water without the boot, I still had some pain. Not enough to keep me off of it, though. Nikki popped in and paused.

"Oh! Hey, Matteo."

"Hey."

"Should you be in the pool with your foot?"

"Don't know, probably not if you ask Alessio, but it doesn't hurt and I'm still getting physical activities."

"Are you making a whirlpool? Because if so, count me in, dude, for sure!"

Nikki kicked all his stuff aside and dove in. He joined me in walking around the pool on the other side of me. He looked at me and frowned.

"Next time you need a hair tie, let me know. I have a ton for my daughter. That elastic is going to be miserable to take out. Definitely do not sleep with that thing in your hair."

"Ok, I'll try to remember that."

"I'll just bring you some over, so that you don't forget." Nikki said.

"Alexi said you've been interested in being employed under Jackson. I had no idea."

"Yeah, Jackson, Creed and even sometimes Lev have been training me the last two years, to make sure I'm up to it and capable."

"It must be so wild, to be introduced into the family years later and not from birth, like Alessio and I."

"I got to enjoy my childhood and teenage years. From my understanding Alessio didn't and you well, yeah."

"Yeah. I ran away."

"You did what you thought you had, too. I understand that, even if no one else around you does. Call it my outside view on the entire thing."

"Part of me is regretting leaving Italy." I said truthfully, for the first time.

"Yeah? How come?"

"In Italy, I didn't have much to worry about. I could do what I wanted, without having to worry about Alessio being disappointed or ashamed of me. I had work to keep me busy, and a few friends, and my mother was far from having to worry about her, and then there's Caio..."