"Yes, babe, if you're doing this to get my attention, then don't bother," Giacomo added.
I stared at them. I should have felt insulted by their audacity in assuming that I was bound to him and wouldn't marry anyone else, but I kept calm.
"I was talking to my friend about her wedding," I said instead.
Pietro frowned. "You don't have any friends besides Nadina."
I glared at him. "I have a lot of friends."
Giacomo sighed. "So about earlier, we're sorry we've not been paying you any attention. It's just with Nadina and the baby, everything is so sudden—"
"How did Nadina become pregnant and I didn't know? Who's the father?" I asked, interrupting him.
I wanted to know what lie he would tell just to keep his secret.
Giacomo exchanged a nervous glance with Pietro, and Pietro spoke up immediately.
"The baby is mine!"
Giacomo nodded quickly. "Yes, it's Pietro's. We just didn't know how to tell you 'cause Pietro and Nadina hooked up once and then she got pregnant and, you know, she's your best friend and all," Giacomo rambled.
"Yeah," Pietro nodded.
His thumb pressed into the center of his opposite palm without him seeming to notice.
I stared at them, half-amused. They must think I'm such an idiot, like I haven't figured out the truth yet.
"Listen, maybe I've been a bit harsh on you, especially with the customs situation. It's just you've been making things hard for us too," Giacomo said.
"Also, what did you go to do at customs?" Pietro asked.
"I was trying to get my passport. I lost mine," I lied smoothly.
They nodded, and Giacomo started speaking again.
"So… how about we take you to lunch tomorrow afternoon? It'd be like old times, just the three of us," Giacomo suggested.
I frowned. "What about Nadina and the baby?"
"It's just one afternoon. I'm sure they'll be fine," Giacomo said.
I nodded. "Alright, that's fine."
They smiled excitedly and hugged me, even though it made my skin crawl.
When they left, I locked the door, grabbed my suitcase, and started shoving the rest of my things inside.
When I was done, I hid it under the bed.
Then I brought out the plane tickets my mother had sent, along with my passport, which I had grabbed from the mailbox earlier.
My flight was at noon.
The same time I was supposed to be at lunch with the boys.
Imagine their surprise when they waited… and I never arrived.
Filled with quiet excitement for my trip tomorrow, I decided to sleep early and rest my aching body.