easy come, easy go ⇾ joe mazzello

iv

      ALEXANDRIA EYED JOSEPH WARILY and olena angrily as the family sat down for dinner. "kóri," she frowned deeply, bringing dishes of food to the table with the help of kateryna and mia. "why don't you introduce your friend to the family, yes?"

      "yes, mitéra," she said quickly, putting a hand on joseph's shoulder as she went down the line. "starting with ukrainian family, that is my babusya anastasiya and didus dmytro, my bat'ka kostyantyn, titka kateryna, dyad'ko james, and dvoyuridna lily. on the greek side, there's yaya phaedra and pappoús damianos, mitéra alexandria, theíos alexandros and theía mia, with my xaderfi cassiopeia and xaderfos orion." she thought for a moment, then nodded. "that's everyone. family, this is joseph mazzello, my new friend."

      "maybe a little more in english?" alexandria suggested, raising a brow at her daughter.

      olena raised her chin, confidently claiming, "i taught him the family terms; therefore, he knows exactly what i said."

      "she did, ma'am," joseph added. "i know word for word what miss olena said."

      "call me mitéra," alexandria sighed, leaving the room to get the last dish.

      damianos rose to his feet, pulling the nervous boy into a hug. "welcome, dear joseph. for the next two weeks, consider our home as yours."

      "thank you... pappoús." joseph and olena shared a smile as damianos took his seat again.

      "so, joseph," mia began, taking her seat at the table. "what do you do?"

      "i'm an actor."

      everyone looked at him, confused. cassiopeia squinted at him before her eyes went wide, exclaiming, "you're that kid from jurassic park!"

      his face flooded red as he answered, "yeah, that's me." beneath the table, olena took his hand in here, squeezing it in an act of comfort.

      "that's so cool!" james added, resting his elbows on the table. "what are you doing nowadays?"

      "this fall i'll begin attending usc for fine arts."

      the grandparents nodded along, pleased with his answer. "how did you meet our sunlight?" dmytro asked, cocking his head to the side.

      joseph chuckled. "she looked lonely on the beach the other day so i went over and butted in."

      "you're a lucky man," orion cut in, looking to his cousin. "cally usually hates people, especially people butting into her space."

      "cally?"

      "ukrainian family calls me by my ukrainian name, greek family calls me by my greek name. typically, at least," olena clarified, her free hand moving as she gestured to each side of her family.

      alexandria then took her seat at the head of the table, the chatter ceasing. "let's eat."

      dinner was a silent affair, the only noises being the scraping of silverware on plates and whispers for a certain food to be passed for seconds. olena never let go of joseph's hand, forcing herself to eat with her left hand. joseph found himself playing with the rings that adorned her fingers, twisting them about, careful not to drop them. olena smiled to herself all the while, taking sips of her wine every time she felt the need to laugh.

      after dinner, she and joseph slipped out of the house before alexandria could call her into the kitchen to wash the dinner dishes with the women. the pair ran as fast as they could go down to the beach, laughter tearing out of their throats as they danced about. with a smile of mischief, olena ran into the ocean, diving beneath a wave. joseph followed her into the water, the duo resurfacing side by side. mascara ran down her cheeks, of which he wiped away with his thumbs. "you look like a raccoon," he teased, the scent of wine on his breath fanning across her face.

      she chuckled, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, pressing herself to him in a moment of wine-induced confidence. "tell me, joseph, am i a pretty raccoon?"

      "a ridiculous question," he parried, resting his hands on her hips beneath the water. "of course you're a pretty raccoon. you're a pretty being in general."

      the both of them blushed, chests rising and falling rapidly. the sound of a seagull overhead startled them, joseph leaping away from her. they then shared a laugh at how ridiculous such an action was, eyes aflame with admiration for one another. they walked out of the water, hand in hand, arms swinging, not caring about a thing in the world.