All The Best Parts

three.

CHARLES COULDN'T HELP but smile amusedly as he twisted his fork on the chicken alfredo he ordered. He had successfully trapped Andie into having dinner with Carlos. He didn't like his new teammate as much as he liked Seb but he knew they all had to get along if they wanted to get some wins this season. And he pitied his teammate as no one deserved to be subject to Andie's anger because she could be Satan's daughter.

"Enjoying the food, Andie?" Rosella, the cook, asked.

"Still the best Aglio Olio, Rosella." Andie mustered a smile at the old lady she'd known from her childhood.

"You tell if they treating you badly there in the factory, alright?"

Andie laughed. "You know they wouldn't be able to if they dared to try."

The old lady left the three to finish their meals. Carlos stayed silent the entire time. He watched every bit of Andie's reactions; every eye roll, every nose scrunch.

"Where are you living while you're here?" Charles asked.

"My in-laws own a house near here. They have staff running it, and Vica insisted I stay there."

"The villa in San Venanzio?"

"Yeah, how do you know that?"

"Vica emailed me. You know Carlos rents a villa there too."

"He does?" Andie blurted. She was caught off guard, and the three of them in that table knew it.

"I do?" Carlos was unsure if that was his cue to join the conversation because his mind briefly flew elsewhere to protect his ego from the torture of being ignored by the first girl he had a crush on.

Charles smiled, proudly. "Yes, Carlos does. Don't you, Carlos?"

"It's a small one," Carlos said, averting his gaze from her. He could feel her eyes on him. Despite not seeing her face, he knew she had her signature flat look. The one that didn't say much about what she was thinking yet it says as much too.

"He has a pool!"

"C'mon, Charlie boy. You have a pool too."

"Not as good as yours. Do you have a pool too, Andie?"

"The villa has one, yes."

"And horses too, right?" Andie nodded in reply. Charles proceeded, "Well, Carlos here is a great horse rider."

A silence followed.

Andie finally broke her neutral expression.

She was pissed.

Not at Carlos for a change.

"J'apprécie ce que vous faites ici. Mais ce n'est pas le cas, Charles." I appreciate what you're doing here. But this is not happening.

"Impolite, Andie. Carlos can't understand French."

Oh he didn't, but he could understand facial expressions and Andie's was easy to read. She was pissed at him. This was her way of cutting him out of the conversation.

"Préférez-vous que je parle en français ou en allemand?" Do you want me to speak in French or German?

"I was messing with you."

"Pas drôle." Not funny.

"Ce n'est pas de sa faute."

"Je sais."

"Ce n'est pas le cas, Andie."

"Laissez faire."

"Fine. Carlos, you don't mind driving Andie home? Her place is out of the way to mine." Charles said.