Oblivion

37| Could have been me

THIRD PERSON

As Riccardo and Josephine left the building, they both exhaled in relief, a weight momentarily lifted from their shoulders. "He's really good," Riccardo remarked, a hint of admiration in his voice, and Josephine smiled.

"Isn't he? It's just... sometimes it annoys me how he seems to know me better than I know myself," she admitted, a mix of appreciation and frustration dancing in her eyes.

"Exactly! It's like he can read your mind." He took his hat from his jacket pocket and placed it on her head. "When are you going to start dressing appropriately?"

She chuckled, but the laughter faded quickly as the thought of returning home settled over her like a heavy cloud. "Don't get me wrong, but I'm not ready to go home yet," she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper.

Riccardo looked down at her, his expression softening with understanding. He understood why she felt like that. Home felt like a cage right now. "We don't have to go straight home. Is there anything you'd like to do instead?" 

Josephine felt a surge of warmth at his sincerity. If he was trying so hard, then maybe she could too. "Maybe not what I want, but we could pick up Matteo. I can show you how I really came into your family," she suggested, her heart racing at the thought of sharing more of herself.

His curiosity piqued, Riccardo quickly pulled out his phone and called Matteo, who answered almost instantly, as if he'd been waiting for this call. "We're picking you up."

"Okay," Matteo replied, and Josephine found it intriguing how he trusted Riccardo so completely. She would have had a thousand questions swirling in her mind before agreeing.

"You two are really close, huh?" she asked as they walked to the car, a hint of wistfulness in her tone. "I always wanted a sister, but Mom wasn't really on board with that."

"I think what brought us closer was the fact that the other three were always so much older than me. I could play a lot more with Matteo, and whether it was kindergarten or school, he was always by my side. It's kind of like Domenico and Vito." Riccardo's voice softened with nostalgia, a momentary smile breaking through before he shook himself back to reality. "Can I ask you something? You don't have to answer if it brings up anything uncomfortable."

Josephine looked at him cautiously, her heart beating a little faster. "What is it?"

"Why were there so many dresses in that package?"

A wave of discomfort washed over her as she crossed her arms, hiding her hands. "He thought I looked pretty in dresses. I wasn't allowed to wear anything else. 'His doll,' he called me." The bitterness seeped into her voice, heavy with the pain of her past. "That's all I was to him."

She didn't need to explain him who she meant with 'him'. Riccardo wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close for a moment. He felt helpless, knowing that no words could change what she had endured. "I'm so sorry," he murmured, his voice low and sincere, wishing he could take away her pain.

Josephine leaned into him, grateful for the warmth of his embrace, though she avoided his gaze. "Yeah, me too," she replied, her voice thick with emotion.

It took a little longer than ten minutes to pick up Matteo, but that didn't seem to bother him. When Riccardo stopped in front of him, Matteo climbed into the back without hesitation, handing each of them a shake that Maria had prepared. He also brought muffins, though they both knew Riccardo hated anyone eating in his car. "Where are we going?" Matteo asked as he buckled his seatbelt, excitement flickering in his eyes.

"Josie wanted to show us something. So, where do we need to go?" Riccardo's tone was neutral, but he glanced at Josephine, wanting to make sure she was okay.