Days and months passed without any problems. Pietro decided it was time to let Dino go out alone without Luca again. They hadn't found any information about Johnson. So Pietro thought Dino was completely safe now. In fact, Dino wasn't as naive as before. He wasn't a little kid anymore. He was going to turn seventeen soon.
That weekend, Dino, Kacper, May, Natisha, and the other two girls went to the park. They had all become good friends. However, Enya was still upset with Dino for not giving her Helio's number. Somehow, she found out that what Dino said about Helio wasn't true—he definitely liked girls. Enya didn't bring it up with Dino because it felt too embarrassing to keep asking about a boy, like she was desperate. Dino had completely forgotten that Enya liked Helio.
All the girls and boys were lying on the green grass under the shade of a tree. May was lying close to Dino, resting her head on his chest. Natisha was sitting beside Kacper. Enya and Lis sat together, wishing they also had boyfriends.
"Are we going to get ice cream today?" Lis asked, looking over at the ice cream shop. It was crowded, as usual, like it was the only ice cream shop in the whole country.
Everyone looked at Dino when ice cream was mentioned and laughed.
"What?" Dino asked, acting like he didn't remember.
"Oh, don't you remember what happened last time?" May said, smiling at him.
"I don't remember," Dino said playfully, knowing it was his fault and how silly it had been.
"Oh, don't lie. You kissed me after I ate lobster ice cream, and you got allergies," May teased.
"Maybe I was allergic to you," Dino said, trying to make May angry.
"Oh, really? So it wasn't the ice cream but me?" May asked, a bit angrily, though she knew Dino was joking.
"But we can test it now to see what I'm actually allergic to," Dino said, then kissed May on the lips.
"Ew, go get a room!" Enya and Lis said, throwing their hats at Dino and May, while Natisha and Kacper laughed.
Instead of stopping, Dino made the kiss more passionate, smiling.
"Oh, Dino, stop it," someone said.
"Dude, that's gross," another voice added.
May started giggling nonstop.
"Come on, guys, I want ice cream," Lis said, standing up.
"I'll come with you. What do you guys want?" Enya asked.
"We want Brown Butter Pecan ice cream," Kacper said, checking the menu on his phone.
"You both want the same flavor?" Dino asked, surprised.
"Yeah," Kacper said, smiling at Natisha.
"What's going on with you two?" Dino asked, laughing.
"I think it's cute," May said.
"Nah... I'm going to get a different flavor than yours, and after I eat it, I'll take a bite from yours," Dino said.
"Well, I'll finish mine before you get a chance," May challenged.
"Then I'll kiss you so I can taste the flavor," Dino said with a smile at the corner of his lips.
"Gross," Enya said, and Dino giggled.
"Hurry up and tell us what you want, and while we're gone, you guys better get all your kissing done," Lis said.
"I want pineapple-flavored ice cream," Dino said, checking the menu on his phone. May peeked at Dino's phone and scrolled to find a flavor.
"I want lavender honey," May said.
"Mmm... that sounds tasty," Dino said, looking at May's lips.
"Oh, Dino, we're never coming with you two again," Lis and Enya said as they left. Dino laughed.
"Come on, I was joking," Dino said, laughing. "It's just fun to mess with you guys."
May playfully hit Dino with a smile. "Stop it, Dino."
The couple waited patiently until Enya and Lis disappeared into the ice cream shop, then took full advantage of the privacy they had.
When Enya and Lis came back with the ice cream, Dino behaved like a good boy.
"Wow, I love the taste of these. These are the best ice creams," Enya said, enjoying her coconut-flavored ice cream.
They all stayed in the park, having fun until they started to get hungry.
"I'm hungry now," May said.
"Me too," Natisha said, glancing at Kacper.
"Let's go to the mall and get something to eat," Dino suggested, and everyone got up. They got into their cars and headed to the mall. They went to their favorite place where they often had lunch.
Meanwhile, Rosi was already there, hoping to see her son. She had noticed that Dino came to this place most weekends to have lunch with his friends. She always made sure to talk to him, pretending it was just a coincidence. The only reason she came was to see Dino—she didn't have a special interest in eating at this restaurant otherwise.
But today, there were so many friends with Dino that she thought it might not be a good idea to approach him. In fact, they might suspect something, she thought. She watched him from a distance, secretly taking photos of him as usual so she could look at them when she missed him. She thought her son was growing up to be a handsome young man, just like Pietro.
After having lunch and shopping at the mall until the evening, the friends decided to head home.
May said she would go with Lis and Enya, so they all left together, leaving Dino alone since he was heading in a different direction. As he walked to his car, he saw Rosi. She was leaning against a wall, looking like she was in pain. Concerned, Dino hurried over to her.
"Hey, Rosi! Are you okay?" Dino asked.
Rosi looked at him, breathing heavily, still holding onto the wall. "Oh, Dino. I suddenly felt dizzy. I don't know why. I don't feel well. I don't think I can drive my car," she said.
"Are you drunk?" Dino asked, and Rosi looked at him, speechless.
"Of course not," Rosi said.
"Did you come alone? Where's Lola?" Dino asked, offering his hand to help her. Rosi took his hand eagerly, glad to hold it. Dino didn't notice the way Rosi's eyes sparkled as she held his hand.
"She didn't come. Can you do me a favor, Dino, if you don't mind?" Rosi asked in a helpless tone.
"What?" Dino asked, ready to help.
"Can you drop me at my place? It's not far. Sorry for asking, but I really don't feel well. I don't feel safe taking a taxi either," Rosi said.
"No problem. I'll take you home," Dino said.
"Oh, thank you, Dino," Rosi said, placing her hand on Dino's shoulder. She didn't look sick anymore, but Dino didn't notice that.
YOU ARE READING
Lost Lombardi
Ficción GeneralDino had always dreamed of escaping his miserable life with his foster family, who constantly mistreated him. As an adopted child, he never felt loved or wanted, but he had a plan: work hard, finish high school, and go to college far away from his s...
