See you in the Aisle!

Chapter 7

From dreams awoken, in my disarray,

I found this guy amidst my kin's display.

He mingles, smiles, with ease he does reside,

What charm is this that makes my heart collide?

After a grueling week of exams and endless projects, I am finally able to go home to my hometown for a quick rest and visit to my family. I dragged myself out of bed, my hair a wild mess and my eyes barely open. I shuffled into the living room, hoping for a quiet morning with my family, but froze in the doorway when I saw the scene before me.

There, on our balcony, was Matteo. He was lounging with my dad and brother, sipping coffee like he was the long-lost third sibling who had just returned from a far-off adventure.

My heart jumped into my throat. What was he doing here? And why was he so comfortable with my family?

"Morning, sleepyhead!" my brother called out, grinning like a cat that got the cream. "Look who decided to crash our Saturday morning!"

I gaped at Matteo, who was smirking over the rim of his coffee mug, clearly enjoying my horrified reaction.

"Surprise?" Matteo said, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Yeah, big surprise," I managed to mumble, feeling like I wanted to sink into the floor and hide under a blanket.

After an eternity of awkward small talk where I tried to play it cool despite my disheveled appearance, I finally managed to corner Matteo.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered urgently, making sure no one else could overhear.

"I missed you," he said, shrugging as if that was explanation enough. "Plus, I thought I'd spend some time with your family."

"But I look like a disaster," I hissed, gesturing at my wrinkled pajamas and the bird's nest of a hairstyle on my head.

"You look perfect to me," he said with a reassuring smile that made my heart skip a beat.

I rolled my eyes but couldn't suppress a smile. "You can't just show up like this. I mean, seriously?"

"I know," Matteo said, his voice growing more serious. "But I wanted to surprise you. Aria, I don't care if you think you're not ready or if you feel like I'm out of your league. I'm here because I want to be with you, no matter what."

His words hung in the air between us, and I struggled to find a response. Matteo's unwavering confidence in us was both comforting and intimidating. I knew I was complicating things by keeping our relationship a secret and rejecting him repeatedly. I was scared—scared of what my friends would say, scared that this was too good to be true.

As the morning wore on, my dad turned to Matteo with a friendly smile. "You're welcome to stay the night if you'd like. We've got plenty of room."

"What do you mean we have a plenty of room? My brother sleeps on the sofa." I answered looking intently at my father.

"He can sleep on the floor" My father replied

Matteo's face lit up with a grin. "That would be wonderful. Thank you."

I left a sigh and proceed to go back to my room and bury myself on my bed regretting going out before even going to the bathroom.

Cooking dinner had always been a bit of a relaxing ritual for me, a chance to unwind and focus on something other than school or life. Tonight, though, things were a little more chaotic, thanks to Matteo.