caller • mattia polibio

003.

This week Claudia remembered to bring her phone. Unable to bare with another Friday night shift being alone in four walls of nothing. It was like her family had put her in a mental asylum, just subtly and cheaper. However after hours of aimlessly scrolling, no calls for any takeaways, even her phone got boring.

bestie bestie💓
do u want to come over?
i got u soya choco ice cream

clauds😙
if only i wasn't working🥺

bestie bestie💓
oh okay, another time
then?

clauds😙
of course!

Laura was Claudia's best friend, going to different schools was difficult, especially now working on Fridays. However she wasn't worried, Laura had been her best friend long before she could remember. Their families practically being conjoined for decades.

Then again as the clock turned to Seven, the phone rang. 'Coincidence maybe?' Claudia thought, bringing the phone to her ear and a grabbed a pen to take down the order.

"Hello, welcome to Amores Italian restaurant! Will I be taking an order from you today?"

"Well if it isn't Claudia"

"Do you always call on a Friday at this time?" She asked, generally interested at the coincidence of the call.

"We do. Every Friday, every Seven o'clock." he chuckled "It's boys night.. not a girls sleepover."

"Well what can I get you for your girls sleepover..?" It came to Claudia's realisation that she didn't actually know the voice on the other end, but he felt so familiar, as if they had been friends for a while.

"Mattia, it's Mattia. I'll have two large pineapple pizzas this week."

"Well Mattia, It'll be again $24.99 and I assume your thirsty friend will want Coca-Cola again?" She giggled, remembering his annoyance from last Friday.

"He will!" A voice screamed down the phone.

"Goodbye Mattia"

"Goodbye Claudia"

A smile plastered across her face as she pulled herself out of the computer chair, taking the order to her father. She pulled out two Pizza Boxes and the bottle of Coca-Cola. The stranger had a name, Mattia. It was a different name, not something basic a boy would have, like Jake or Ben, but Mattia.

——————

"So how is your little job now?" Laura asked, resting backwards on her bed, scrolling through netflix with a bowl of fruit in her lap. Laura was a health freak, loving fruit as a snack whilst Claudia sat there with her favourite soya chocolate ice cream. Despite being Italian and her nationality having cheese on practically all of their dishes, Claudia was lactose intolerant, being unable to have cheese and milk, even ice cream.

"Quite boring. Although these group of boys call every Friday at the same time, they give me a couple minutes of entertainment" Claudia smiled thinking of the boy.

Mattia. What does he look like? Could she know him and not realise? Is he single?

'Claudia. You're not falling for a stranger!' She thought to herself, knocking the questions she had, out of her head. It was ridiculous thinking you could be attracted to a voice, someone unknown, just because they make you laugh.

"I'm sure your Pa loves the idea that a boy has your attention." Laura sounded concerned for her best friend, knowing that her father was highly protective over Claudia and how he felt when it came to her and boys.

"It's nothing Laur. They're just customers."