Oblivion

24| Cooking Skills

THIRD PERSON

"Did you hear that from Luke?" Matteo asked carefully as they sat in Riccardo's room and ate homemade ice cream from Maria.

"Yes," Riccardo said shortly, and Matteo tried to keep a neutral face. It was no secret that the two didn't particularly like each other, probably because they were too similar in many ways. So far, at least, Luke had retained some dignity. Matteo couldn't quite explain why he had posted a photo of himself in bed with Riccardo's former girlfriend that morning. The picture had since been deleted, but it had long been sent to anyone who was interested—or not. "She can do whatever she wants and with whomever she wants. We are no longer a couple."

Matteo raised his eyebrows in surprise. That sounded too forgiving and mature for his brother. "Riccardo. Whatever you think you want to do, please don't do it. It's not worth it, and he isn't like that."

Riccardo turned his head toward him and twisted one corner of his mouth into a grim smile. "Did you know his sister goes to our school?"

"Yes, and do you know how old she is? Fifteen. The same age as our sister. I beg you, just leave her alone and him too. It's only a year and a half left, and then you'll never have to see him again." Matteo tried to reason with him. If it weren't for Josephine, he wouldn't have cared what Riccardo did or didn't do, but at some point, she would join this school too, and she did best without carrying a target on her back.

"She's not our sister."

"She will be in the eyes of the law. The sooner you accept that, the easier it will be for both of you." Matteo thought for a moment. "And for me. Do you know how stupid it is for me to stand between you two? She hasn't done anything to you, and yet you're just punishing her for her existence in our lives."

Riccardo didn't answer him. How could he explain to him what Matteo wouldn't understand anyway? Not to mention the fact that it wasn't clear whether she would stay or not. She clearly wasn't a bad person, but Riccardo wasn't willing to build a sibling relationship with her just so that one day she would be gone again. It just wasn't worth the effort to him. Aside from the obvious problems she brought with her, he still couldn't understand his older brother's motivations. As sad as it was, there were thousands of homeless youth with difficult pasts. So why her? Annoyed that he couldn't find an answer, he changed the subject. "I didn't think I'd say this, but I'm looking forward to school."

His brother heard Vito's car approaching and quickly looked out the window. He watched thoughtfully as his brother and Josephine got out. Vito said something to her as he gently pushed her toward the door, but whatever it was, it didn't change her compressed posture. "And I didn't even think to say that I'm happy about Vito's return. I'll be down in the kitchen if you can get over your ego."

_____________

Matteo arrived in the living room at the same time as the other two. Josephine smiled slightly at him while Vito raised an irritated eyebrow. "Can I do something for you?"

"No, I actually wanted to ask Josephine if she would like to cook with me," Matteo replied, and when no one spoke after a few seconds, he continued talking. "Because Maria is already gone, and I wanted to make lasagna." He looked at Josephine, who was eyeing him uncertainly. "I can't cook," she said quietly, looking at her hands. That was probably the truth, because she had never cooked in her life. At least she didn't remember that.

"Not a problem at all! Everyone can cook; just not everyone is good at it. Don't worry, I'll show you what you have to do. And lasagna is not very complicated. Basically, it's Bolognese layered and baked with cheese. It's basically child's play, so to speak. The béchamel sauce is a bit more complicated, but it doesn't look that difficult when Valentino makes it, and if necessary, we can just ask him if he can help." He thought about mentioning the panna cotta but decided against it. That might be a bit too much.