Behind the Facade | Vittorio, baby

Lingering moments

Lying on his bed that night, Vittorio feels a swirl of emotions, his mind racing as he stares up at the ceiling. Isabella's kiss on his cheek lingers, leaving him with more questions than answers. The weight of their conversation presses heavily on his chest.

Her words echo in his mind: "I'm just confused. I don't know what to think." That confession hits him hard. She feels something too, but fear holds her back. He wonders why it has to be so complicated-why the kiss shook her so much when, for him, it only made things clearer. He knows he wants to be with her, but the walls she's putting up seem impossible to break through.

What if she doesn't come to the party? He thinks about the goodbye party at Nico's place, his last chance to see her before leaving. Will she really show up, or will she disappear again, just like before? The uncertainty gnaws at him. Leaving for America with everything unresolved feels unbearable. Starting a new chapter of his life with this heavy weight in his chest isn't something he can easily face.

And then there's that kiss. The way she hesitated but still kissed him, how her lips lingered against his skin. That moment felt like a mixture of goodbye and something unspoken. He can't help but wonder: Was she trying to tell me something with that kiss? His heart races at the memory, torn between hope and frustration. Does it mean she's starting to feel what he feels, or was it just a way to ease the awkwardness between them?

Restless, he turns over in bed, thinking about the years they drifted apart. High school changed everything. Why did they let themselves grow so distant? They had only recently reconnected, but now it feels like they're slipping away again.

Maybe I pushed her too hard, he thinks, guilt creeping in. Maybe she needs more time, but time is the one thing he doesn't have. He's leaving soon, and he doesn't know what will happen once he's on the other side of the world. Distance could bring them closer, or it could push them apart for good.

What if she's right? What if starting something ruins our friendship? The doubt eats at him. But then again, hasn't it already started changing? Can they really go back to pretending there's nothing between them?

Vittorio closes his eyes, sighing deeply. If she doesn't show up to the party, I'll let it go... but if she does... He knows he won't be able to leave without getting an answer, without knowing if there's a chance for them to be more. One thing is certain-he can't walk away from her without trying one last time.

Please, Bella... show up.

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Isabella lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, her mind spinning as sleep eluded her. The weight of her conversation with Vittorio pressed heavily on her chest, and the kiss she had placed on his cheek lingered in her thoughts like a whisper she couldn't quite shake.

What am I doing? The question echoed in her mind, her heart tight with confusion. She had spent days avoiding him, pretending that kiss hadn't awakened something inside her. Seeing him again, hearing him say he missed her, made it impossible to keep up the charade. Once, she had felt safe with Vittorio, back when their friendship was simple. But now? Everything had shifted, and that change terrified her.

His words played over and over in her head: Maybe we were supposed to be more than just friends. The thought scared her as much as it pulled at her. Part of her wanted it to be true, but fear held her back. What if they weren't meant to be? What if everything between them shattered, and they lost the fragile connection they had just started to rebuild?

Frustration gnawed at her. Why can't things just stay the way they are? She wished they could go back to being just friends, like before. But there was no going back now. His hand on hers earlier, the hurt in his voice when he asked why she was shutting him out-it was all too real. He cared about her, and she cared about him, though admitting it felt like stepping off a cliff with no idea what waited at the bottom.

She thought about the goodbye party at Nico's place. Vittorio wanted her there, and that simple fact made her heart ache. Should I even go? If she did, it might only complicate things more, bringing everything to the surface when she wasn't ready to face it. But if she didn't, it would feel like letting him walk away without saying goodbye, without closure. The thought of him leaving for America with unresolved tension between them gnawed at her.

Her mind circled back to that kiss, the one on his cheek that she had given him almost impulsively. It hadn't been much, but it had meant something. It was her way of holding onto him, just for a brief moment longer. The way he had looked at her after, with those searching eyes, stirred something deep inside her-a mixture of longing and fear she hadn't wanted to acknowledge.

He's leaving, she told herself. Maybe it's better this way. But the thought felt hollow. Distance might make it easier to bury these feelings, but it wouldn't erase them. That kiss had revealed more than she wanted to admit. There was something between them, something neither of them could ignore anymore.

She pulled her blanket tighter around herself, trying to block out the ache in her chest. The uncertainty weighed on her, the fear of what might happen if she went to the party clashing with the fear of what might happen if she didn't. If she let him leave without seeing him again, without at least trying to understand what was happening between them, she risked losing him forever.

What am I so afraid of? The question slipped into the darkness of the room, unanswered.

The walls she had carefully built to protect herself from these feelings seemed weaker now, fragile. And as she lay there, unable to sleep, the thought of Vittorio-of what he meant to her and what they could be-refused to fade.

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