Enamored by Italians

Chapter 2 - XO, Diego

I stood there like an idiot, reading the little note at least 5 more times, before Nia smacked my arm.
"Hey, Mar! You good?"
"Yeah..."
Nia looked at the note, frowning.
"Fucking men." She muttered, before putting her headphones back on, returning to the coziness of her room.
I looked up, and out the window, my mind racing with a thousand thoughts. Did Diego like me? In a non-friendly way? Or was I just imagining things?
"Lis?" I spoke, trying to look collected, but my voice betrayed me.
"Hm?"
"I'll come back in a bit. Okay?"
"Sure thing, Mar. Be careful." Lis said, continuing to pack her suitcase out.
I walked out the door, inhaling the fresh, salty air into my lungs, while my legs were still taking me down the stairs, and to the streets of Capri.
I looked around, seeing the magnificent sunset, playing in the colors of pink, orange and yellow.
I was still holding the note like my life depended on it, making it crumple a bit, but I could still read what was written on it.
XO, Diego.
Damn you, you Italian manwhore. I said this because he really looked like one.
I decided to get some groceries in a nearby supermarket. I entered the shop, feeling my body cool down from the cold air blown by the air-conditioners, while wondering if my body was hot from the living hell outside in the heat or because I read the note over and over again.
XO, Diego.
I almost threw it out because the more I read it, the hotter my body got. I just stuffed it inside my pocket, hoping that I'll forget it there. I grabbed a basket, and headed inside.
Fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and everything nice was there. I knew I could find everything the three of us would need. After getting some mangoes and apples, along with onions, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes, I headed to the meat counter. I bought chicken breasts, then went to get the snacks Nia and Lis had already nagged me about. I was busy looking at chips, when suddenly, someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around to face the stranger, slowly and deliberately lifting my gaze. My eyes widened a bit as I saw Francesco's brown eyes stare back into my own blue ones.
"Holy shit, you scared me." I blurted out, regretting it as soon as I said that.
"I see you're the kitty type. Getting scared from a tap on a shoulder." He laughed in amusement.
"Sorry I reacted like that."
"It's okay. I thought I'd just say hi, since I saw you. Diego sent me down to get tomatoes, he ran out of them in the middle of cooking."
I snorted.
"Seems like he didn't have the best luck today."
"Running out of tomatoes has him clawing at the wall." Francesco said.
"I'm definitely not doubting that."I spoke again, this time throwing 4 packets of salted chips right into my basket. Surprisingly, Francesco didn't even notice I just shoved a whole lot of chips inside, making me sigh with relief.
"Anyways, I gotta go now, before I get beheaded by him." Francesco said. "See you around, Marie."
"Same."
He walked away to cash register, leaving me in the salty snacks island. I put another packet of chips inside my basket, and went to pay for the groceries.

20 minutes later...

I opened the door of our apartment, slowly stepping inside. I looked around, only to see Lis dancing in the middle of the kitchen, and Nia sleeping on the couch with headphones on.
"What the hell happened here? Did a nuclear bomb go off?" I asked, pointing to the mess in the room.
"Oh, no. I was just trying to put everything in place." Lis said cheerfully.
"Mission failed."
"Hey! It's not that bad!"
"Yes, it is, Lis. The whole place looks like a mess."
"That is so not true." She said.
"Yes, it is."
"Okay, maybe there is a tiny mess, but nothing serious, Mar."
"Sure. And I have a dick."
Lis rolled her eyes with a smile.
"Fine, I'll make sure to tidy it up."
"Thank you. By the way, you won't believe me when I say this." I said, putting the grocery bags down on the kitchen counter.
"What did you see there?" Lis asked, starting to unpack the grocery bags.
"Not what. Who."
"Oh, so it was a person?"
"Yes." I said, putting the veggies inside the pantry.
"Let me guess. It was... Ms. Beaumont?"
"Nope."
"Was it one of the Italian hotties?" Lis asked with a teasing smile.
"Yes." I said, knowing that she won't leave me alone until she knows who was at the supermarket.
"It was Daniel?"
"Nope."
"Diego?"
I shaked my head.
"Francesco is the only option left. It was him."
"Correct."
"What the heck was he doing in the supermarket?"
"Buying tomatoes. Diego ran out of them." I said, while we finished packing the groceries out.
"Oh, that explains it. So that's why I heard yelling from their apartment."
My eyes went wide with surprise.
"You heard what?"
"Mar, are you deaf? I said I heard yelling from their apartment."
"Yelling?"
"Yes. Yelling."
I hummed, not surprised that those guys were the type to lash out on each other.
"To be honest, I'm not surprised. They seem like the type to fight about the smallest things." I said, plopping down on the couch. Nia was still there, sleeping soundly with headphones on, hogging all the space. I pushed her leg away, after she almost kicked me in her sleep. I took my phone out of my pocket, and as I was about to open TikTok, I noticed a note next to me.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" I asked, realizing that this wasn't just an ordinary note. It was the note. The one Diego gave me.
XO, Diego.
I read it again and again, until Lis stood behind me, screaming.
"Oh my God, Mar! Did Hottie Diego give you a note?! Holy shit!" She screamed in excitement, happy that after 2 years, I started dating again. Which wasn't exactly true, because I won't date Diego, nor any of the Italian guys. Because this note meant nothing. Or at least I thought so.