Begin Again

Chapter 23

"You may call him Alfie," Matteo said.

"Uh, no. Please do not call me Alfie," Alfred replied.

I giggled. "That's not my main concern," I said. "I thought Matteo was a very quiet child and he was homeschooled. Why would he have friends?"

"We're... family friends," Alfred explained. "My mum's a Clarke, one of those big families living on Fifth Avenue. Both families are quite close. I go over to their house, here, from time to time to hang out with him and his brother, Luca."

"Yes but, to be more precise, my mother invited him over to interact with me so that I would be more talkative," Matteo added. "Obviously, it didn't work out."

"But we're still friends," Alfred said.

I nodded and laughed, "Okay, okay. For the past three months, I thought I was Matteo's only friend. That was the impression he gave me. I mean, with a personality like that, how would he have friends? He shut everybody out."

Alfred sighed, shaking his head, "I know... I recall talking to him, only to have him either staring at me or ignoring me entirely. Talking to him is like talking to the wall. When he has an opinion, he sticks to it. He's very stubborn."

"Yes, he is very stubborn. Super stubborn," I laughed.

"I can hear you. You know that, right?" Matteo interjected.

"Yes, Matteo. We can hear you," I chuckled. Just then, a random thought came into my mind. "Wait, Alfred, don't you have exams? Why would you come over from Harvard for this party? I don't study the map but I know it's quite far."

He grinned. "Oh, they were over a few days ago. And, yes, it's quite far. It was a one-hour flight. I have to go back soon, though. It's not the holidays yet after all. I came here to wish my buddy a happy birthday!"

"Indeed. Happy birthday to me," someone said.

I turned to see a man who looked similar to Matteo but seemed slightly older. It wasn't his face. It was the way he acted. This must be Luca Knight, Matteo's older brother who is the future CEO of the Knight's business whose name I don't know.

"You must be Luca," I said. "Happy birthday!" Even though I don't know how old you are. I extended my hand and he shook it.

"Thank you, Ma'am. What's your name?" he asked.

"She's Alexia Grey and she's my girlfriend," Matteo replied.

He nodded. "I see. This is the girl you were talking about at dinner yesterday. She's quite pretty. It's such a pity that you knew her first. Don't worry. I won't snatch her from you. She may be a little too young for me."

I laughed awkwardly. What a weird conversation. I glanced at Matteo who was frowning. "That's what Mrs Knight told me too. I mean, the pretty part, not everything after that."

"That calls for something. My mother hardly compliments anyone," he replied. Just then, Mrs Knight called for him. "Oops, I got to go. Mum calls." With that, he left.

I looked at Matteo and smiled. "He's not that bad."

"You don't know him well enough," he laughed. "Don't you find it a little creepy when he said it was such a pity that he didn't meet you before me?"

"Yeah, it was kind of creepy but it turned out fine in the end," I muttered.

"Luca is the exact opposite of Matteo. I'm like somewhere in between. I always have to mediate between them. Luca is too loud and Matteo is too quiet. What happens when you put fire and ice together?" Alfred asked.

I shrugged. "The fire will melt the ice," I suggested in a questioning tone.

He sighed, "Oh well. That wasn't what I was going for."

"Basically, we clash," Matteo replied. "I'm nice, quiet and studious while he's wild, loud and playful. He's a total troublemaker. I always shake my head when I hear him ask Mum and Dad to fix his dreadful mess. For example, scandals."

"Ooh, tea," I whistled.

And so we chatted about the temperature scale of Luca, Alfred and Matteo. One is boiling hot, one is icy cold and one is at room temperature. It's the most interesting conversation I've had in years with analogies and all.

It's also good to know that not every guy is an asshole. These three boys I know are nice. Perhaps Luca is a little wild with girls but at least he makes it clear that it's not a serious relationship. Derek played me totally.

After we cut the cake, Matteo and I headed home. As we went down the lift, I received a call. It was my mother. "Hello, Mum."

"Alexia, I have something important to tell you. I know you don't want to hear his name but Derek hasn't been in town for the past week. His parents are concerned. He might still be in Manhattan so be careful, okay?" she blabbered.

"Derek's still in Manhattan?" I gasped and looked at Matteo. I continued, "Doesn't he have school? Shouldn't he be back in town by now?"

"You know he doesn't care much about school," she sighed.

"God damn it," I muttered. I looked around me. There are Matteo and bodyguards number one and two. I should be safe. But I doubt he even knows my whereabouts. "Don't worry, Mum. I'll take care of myself. Besides, there are bodyguards. I should be fine."

She paused for a few seconds. We exited the lift and walked out of the building. After that, my mother replied, "I don't recall Aunt Adeline hiring bodyguards for you but it's good to hear that you are protected. Stay safe, Lexie."

"You too, Mum," I replied and hung up. "What did your parents say?"

"They're still tracking him down. It takes days for there to be results. As for now, we have to lie low. No more dates for us. We're staying home," he said.

I sighed. Why does Derek have to be such a nuisance? Can't he just suck it up and move on? Why is he so clingy? All of a sudden, I heard a loud sound.

Bang!

People were screaming. The bodyguards surrounded Matteo and me as we backed off into the condominium. Matteo took out his phone and called Alfred while I called the police. This reminds me of Grey's Anatomy. It's like the hospital shooting but along Central Park South.

Stop it, Alexia. This is not the time for Grey's Anatomy references!

The police said they would arrive soon and hung up. My fingers were icy cold. This is scarier than I thought. There is a mass shooting! I could die! Matteo could die! We could all die! I took a deep breath to calm myself down. It's not the right time to panic.

Matteo put down his phone and whispered, "Alfie's on the phone right now. Everyone's listening. I told them not to come down. Come on, we have to go back upstairs. It's too dangerous here."

I nodded and we moved to the lift. I can see a guy with messy hair and dirty clothes walking towards us. Is he a beggar? Just then, I noticed the gun in his hand. Oh my God. He's the shooter. He looked oddly familiar. I think I've seen him before...

He raised the gun and aimed at me. Then he pulled the trigger.