A goodbye never said (by EliIsCool555)

Chapter 11

Michael's POV:

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As we're still laughing at Melissa's video, I check the clock. 'Ladies, I should probably get going, there's dinner at the hotel in 20 minutes' I tell the girls.

'Wait, why don't we make some dinner here at my house instead?' Melissa asks. 'Who wants some pasta carbonara?'

'Great idea Mel, but like, can you cook?' Monica asks.

'Are you underestimating my cooking skills?' Melissa replies, while sticking a dramatic pose, and we all laugh.

I look at them all, and suddenly, a joke comes to my head and i can't resist:

'Melissa's so Italian, I swear she'd argue with a Danish bakery about how their bread has no soul. 'In Rome, even the bread has passion!' I say that last bit with a dramatic voice and everybody starts laughing, including Melissa.

'Ok, Michael, you might as well give us a comedy show' Nicole says, she really enjoys my jokes.

Fine, I'll tell another one.

'Melissa's so Italian, when she moved to Denmark, she tried to teach the wind how to speak with hand gestures.'

Everybody laughs while Melissa is grating some parmigiano.

'Melissa's so Italian, she probably thinks 'Danish' is just a typo for 'pasta dish.'

Melissa turns around to look at me 'Why are all those jokes about me?'. 'It's because I invented those jokes a decade ago, remember that one time in like, 2016 when we were on facetime for 6 hours?' I ask.

'SIX HOURS DOING WHAT?' I hear Monica in the background.

'Well' Melissa says. "We used to play among us online and do drawing contests, and Michael over there, was literally cheating, like, he would put the paper over the computer screen and draw over, that's not fair!'

'Oh yes, it is fair, there weren't any rules about that! Oh, but can you remember that time like, 6 years ago on facetime when you started singing- she hates when people hear her sing, though she's really good- and my mom walked in, and she just kept singing, completely oblivious. Then, when she'd finished, my mom started clapping'

'Oh god, don't remind me'

'Ok, real nostalgia moment, when we were five and we'd facetime through our mothers' messenger because we didn't have a phone.'

'Ok, nostalgia apart, Michael thinks he's funny with all his jokes about me, but I have payback' Melissa says, and I'm low key scared.

'Michael, your jokes remind me of our first field trip—everyone was excited, but you still managed to be the one to get lost!'

'I- what? Ok'.

'Remember when we were five and you thought you could run faster than me? Your jokes are like that—totally slow and not winning any races!'

Now it's my turn to hit back.

'Your JmanCurly impression is so epic, I'm half expecting you to get your own YouTube channel—'JmanStupid and the Italian Sensation!'

Celine laughs so hard her face turns red and then proceeds to add:

'Melissa, your JmanCurly impression is so hilarious that if he ever saw it, he might just ask you to be his new sidekick—'Jman and Mel, taking the internet by storm, I'm lowkey jealous!'

'Are y'all just teaming up against me?' Melissa says faking to be offended. 'The next person to make a joke about me gets no dinner'

We all laugh and I'm enjoying this, but somehow my mind is always on Maya. Why does she have to be so rude? Why can't she just- Be kind to Melissa and the other girls?

'Dinner is ready' Melissa announces, and then she has everyone's attention.

She takes a plate at a time and sorts the carbonara out to everyone.

'Mmh, why is this so good? Mel, I thought you didn't have any cooking skills!' Celine says while eating the pasta like it was a question of life or death.

'Never underestimate Melissa Romano's cooking skills' I say, no but, this carbonara is actually quite good.