Beautiful Lies - Shawn Mendes

5. Settling In

I didn't realise just how many clothes I had managed to fit into my medium sized suitcase. Fliss began to hang up my clothes in the wardrobe, whilst I sorted the contents of my cosmetics bag onto the dressing table. I then flittered back and forth between my bedroom and the bathroom, arranging my stuff neatly next to my Nonna's.

It didn't take us too long to finish unpacking, and once we had, we looked around the room that now felt like home, in pride. Nonna shouted from the kitchen that dinner was ready, and so we followed the mouth-watering scent of spices and herbs down the corridor to where the open plan kitchen and dining room was.

Dinner was delicious. Nonna had always been an amazing cook - she often got orders from businesses  in town to bake for various occasions. To say there were only three of us, the cuisine scattered around the small table looked as if it could feed five easily. That was one of the best things about being at Nonna's, you could never go hungry.

I had missed her cooking so much so, that when I took my first bite, I couldn't help but let out out a soft groan of satisfaction. There was just something about Italian food, the way that it tasted, that could never compare to the food back home.

'So how's Jack?' My grandma asked, taking a sip of her red wine.

I mimicked the action and looked over at Fliss who caught my glance, before replying. 'Well, erm, the thing is we.. we broke up.'

Putting down her cutlery, Nonna gathered my hands in hers and said sympathetically, 'I'm so sorry, I didn't realise, I would never have asked if I'd known'

'It doesn't matter really, it was a mutual decision. We were both going to different uni's and life would be taking us in different directions anyway, and we didn't want to carry out a long distance relationship, it's not really our thing.'

Jack and I had been together since we were thirteen, it was hard not having someone in my life anymore, that had previously been in it for five years, but I think I was more in love with the idea of being in love, rather than actually being in love with him. I mean, does any thirteen year old really understand what love is. I feel like we felt obliged to stay together because of how long it had been, and how close our families were. So if anything, life was doing us a kind of favour.

After my reply, my grandma quickly changed the topic. I looked over at Nonna as she laughed at something that Fliss had said, and I noticed the way her eyes crinkled when she laughed and the way her shoulders shook lightly as she found herself amused by the joke. She looked as beautiful now, as she did from photographs when she was my age. I hoped that when I reached that age, I would look as good as she did.

It was such a shame that she lived by herself, but she always had, seeing as my Grandpa died before I was even born. Grief produces two types of people. Those who believe they're a victim and that they're owed compensation for what has happened. And there's those who become stronger characters, who live life to the full and make the most of it, knowing now for themselves that things don't last forever. My Nonna was definitely the latter.

Fliss and I cleared the table and washed the pots from dinner, giving my Nonna a well-deserved break. By the time we had finished, it was coming up ten o'clock and after a long day of travelling and catching up, I needed a good rest, knowing that my cousin would have planned a busy day for us tomorrow.

Fliss decided to spend the night, just because of ease, so we gave our grandmother a kiss on the cheek and wished her goodnight.

I went to the bathroom to wash my face, and brush my hair, when I suddenly remembered that I hadn't called my mum. Making a mental note to do it tomorrow, I left the bathroom and silently got changed next to the bed which Fliss was already lying in. Crawling into bed, I turned the bedside lamp off next to me. I drifted off to sleep, the only sound audible, was the gentle crashing of the waves on the rocks, that were far down below us.

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AN - I hope you all enjoy, I promise Shawn and Sophia will be meeting soon, *hint* next chapter *hint* , what do you think so far?