I woke up that morning thinking of all the fun that I had the day before with Amedeo, Cosimo, and Lucio. After they left, I worked in the restaurant until closing and ate the half of bombolino Lucio gave me between breaks. At the end of the day, I was so tired from the stress of auditions and from running around the restaurant all day, but I still found myself lying awake when I went to sleep, thinking of the three guys. Amedeo, with his beautiful, soulful voice and his sweet, reserved personality. Cosimo, with his light, airy voice and his silly, energetic personality. And Lucio, with his strong, passionate voice, his kind words, and his award-winning smile. I fell asleep, thinking of how happy I would be if I was casted in the showcase. I also thought how happy I would be to see the guys all again. 

I got out of bed and checked my phone, which was plugged in and sitting on my nightstand. I unplugged and opened it up to see that I had over 50 messages on my phone. "What in the world?" I muttered to myself as I opened my texting app. Apparently, Amedeo, Cosimo, and Lucio had made a group chat and added me to it. They had been talking the whole night about the day they had, how nervous they were at auditions, how they hoped to get in, and eventually how they needed to shut up because I was most likely sleeping. Oh yeah, and all these messages were sent between 11 PM and 2 AM. I sighed. When I got to know them better, I'd have to lecture these boys on their sleep schedule. 

Just as I was about to shut my phone off, I felt it buzzing in my hand. It was from the group chat. New messages were coming in. 

Lucio: Buongiorno! Check your email everyone!

I raised an eyebrow and continued being a spectator to the text conversation. 

Cosimo: Did you send me another electronic love card? I told you no means no, Lucio!

Lucio: LOL very funny. Just check it! 

Amedeo: Is it about the audition...?

My heart stopped and I gulped nervously. I hadn't remembered about the audition until I read Amedeo's text. Up until this point in time, I had only concentrated on how happy I would feel if I was cast in the show, but I didn't even stop to think how crushed I would be if I wasn't. 

I opened up my computer right away and checked my email. Sure enough, there was a new email from the Solstice Theatre sitting in my inbox, unopened and brightly highlighted. I clenched my fists and took a deep breath to steady my accelerating heartbeat. I hovered over the email and hurriedly clicked it open with my mouse. 

My eyes widened as I saw that the first line read Congratulations! I kept reading the email to make sure it was saying what I thought it was saying. And it was. 

Dear Daniela Barrelli, 

Congratulations! You have been cast in Solstice Theatre's Annual Opera Showcase. We were very impressed with your audition and are happy to offer you a spot in the showcase. Below is the information you will need to see your rehearsal times, ticket information, and the contact information of the coordinators and personnel involved in the showcase. 

We look forward to working with you and welcome to the Solstice family! 

Sincerely, 

Solstice Theatre Casting 

It was at that moment I realized tears were streaming down my face. I touched my cheek and came back with a tear-stained finger. I laughed at my silliness. I sat down at my desk and re-read the email again, re-reading the Congratulations! part about a million times. I downloaded all the information I needed to my phone and shut the lid to my computer. I ran downstairs, crying, "Mamma! Mamma!" 

I freaked out all the morning customers that were there peacefully drinking coffee, but I didn't care. My mom came running to me. "What? What is it? Are you hurt? What's going on?" She frantically said, checking my body for anything that was bleeding or broken. I stopped her and held onto her shoulders. I was a bit out of breath, so I took a moment, before announcing loudly, "I was cast in the showcase!" 

Now it was my mom's turn to be loud. She started screaming, hugging me tightly, and jumping up and down with me. "Mia figlia! Mia figlia!" She cried, hugging me tightly. She let me go and grabbed me by the wrist and started bringing me up to random people's tables. "You hear that? My daughter's in an opera showcase! Solstice Theatre!" She kept repeating. I didn't have time to be embarrassed. I was just so happy that I had gotten in. 

Then, I had a sobering thought. Did the guys all get in? 

"Mamma, I have to call someone." She let go of my hand and smiled brighter than I had ever seen her smile before. She was so thrilled for me. "Call those boys from yesterday! They have to know they're getting involved with a future opera diva!" I smiled and hugged her one more time before rushing up the stairs and back to my room. I shut the door and grabbed my phone, which had been lying on my desk. There were no new texts that had been sent. I frowned. They got in, right? They were too good to not have made it in. But then again, there were a lot of people at the audition. But they blew everyone out of the water! How could they not get in? My head was starting to hurt from all the worrying thoughts buzzing around in there, so I decided to find out for sure. I texted in the group chat for the first time. 

Daniela: What did everyone's email say? 

I didn't have to wait more than a few seconds for a reply. 

Lucio: I just looked at my results

Amedeo: Me too 

Cosimo: Same here

I gulped nervously. There was no discernable emotion in those messages. How could I tell if they were cast or not? 

Daniela: What did they say??

Lucio: We should all say at the same time

Amedeo: Good idea

Cosimo: 👍

Lucio: Uno

Lucio: Due

Lucio: Tre

I typed as fast as my fingers could.

Daniela: Cast!

Lucio: Cast!

Amedeo: Cast!

Cosimo: Cast, baby! 

I let out a joyful scream. We had all gotten cast! This was a dream come true! 

Cosimo: YESSSSSS THE ITALIAN SQUAD LET'S GOOOOO

Amedeo: Congrats to everyone! I nearly cried when I read the results

Lucio: I did cry LOL

Cosimo: Wow, no shame. It's okay because I cried too

Daniela: So did I. I'm a mess right now LOL

Cosimo: We all knew you'd get in 

Amedeo: Yeah, basically we just worried if we were going to get to perform with you 

Lucio: Glad that's going to happen now :)

I smiled down at my phone. I guess they just woke up being that charming and complimentary. 

Daniela: Awww you guys are too sweet :D

Daniela: I should get ready for rehearsals. I'll see you all there!

Lucio: Ciao ciao! 

Cosimo: A presto!

Amedeo: See you!

I put my phone down and hurriedly got ready so that I could be at the theatre as early as possible. I couldn't wipe the huge grin off of my face. I had been cast in my dream showcase. Me! All my hard work had paid off. Not only that, but I was cast with three of my friends. Everything was turning up roses. I grabbed all my singer essentials and headed for the door. "Ciao, mamma! I'm going to go to rehearsals now." My mom waved at me to stop me from leaving. "Aspetti! Here." She gave me 3 packets of cookies all wrapped up nicely. "For the boys. As a congratulations to them." I had told her that they all got in as soon as I heard from them. I smiled. "They'll love them. Grazie, mamma." I gave her another hug and then left for rehearsal. 

I still did my usual routine - grabbed a cup of coffee from Caffè e Dolci, hopped on the cable car and took the right street to get to the theatre, and walked the rest of the way. This time, though, I didn't run into any handsome and charming Italian men. That's okay, I already had met 3 very good ones. 

I walked into the theatre, now seeing it in a different light. Sure, it was still the impressive and somewhat intimidating Solstice Theatre, famous for turning young proteges into opera stars. But now, it was no longer a place that just made me nervous. It was a place where I felt I had a chance. The place where I would perform and give it my all so that I one day soon, I could become an opera singer and perform in Italy. I touched the marble wall of the theatre as I walked in. We were in this together now. I walked down the aisle and looked around at the people that were there. I recognized some faces from the auditions, but also saw a lot less people than were there that day. It looked like it would be a showcase of about 15-20 participants. So many people trying to accomplish their dreams, including me. And now we all got a chance. 

I continued walking down the aisle until I spotted Amedeo, Cosimo, and Lucio all sitting in their usual seats near the front of the stage. As soon as they spotted me, they came running. "Daniela!" They cried. Amedeo came up and wrapped me in a big hug. "We're in!" He said while he was hugging me. Cosimo not only hugged me but picked me up as he did it. "I told you that you were great!" He said, tousling my hair as he put me down. Lucio hugged me and spun me around, like something out of a movie. "The angel returns." He remarked. He held onto my hands and showed me to my seat, right next to him. Perfect. "You guys, we're one step closer to our dreams." I said, out of the blue. They all looked at each other and smiled. "In more ways than one." I heard Lucio say. I raised an eyebrow, not understanding exactly what he meant, but didn't press him any further. 

After a few minutes, the former judge, now official coordinator of the showcase, walked onto the stage. She was dressed nearly the same as she was the day of auditions, except her pantsuit was now a wine red. She was still holding onto her clipboard. "Welcome, everyone, to the first day of rehearsals and congratulations on being cast in the Solstice Theatre Annual Opera Showcase!" Everyone clapped and cheered. She continued. "As you can see, we announced the casting incredibly early. That is the first time in Solstice history that we have been able to do that." She smiled at us all. "Truth be told, we had plenty of talent at these auditions that we were able to make the casting choices all in one day." Then, she turned serious. "We are placing a great deal of trust and faith in you. Make us proud. Don't make us regret our decision to cast you." A chill swept over the auditorium. Even Cosimo looked serious. 

She went right back to smiling and being all cheerful in a nanosecond. "For rehearsal today, I will be giving you your assigned pieces that you will perform in the showcase. I will call you by the order we went by in auditions and give you sheet music for your assigned piece. You can go home and learn them after everyone has received their sheet music packet. You have been assigned these pieces based on your voice type and what we feel you will excel in performing." She walked off the stage and sat back at her table. She cleared her throat and opened her clipboard, pushing her glasses down from on top of her head onto her face. "First, may I have Mr. Amedeo di Luca?" Amedeo stood up, and I could see he was nervous. I gave him a knowing look, which seemed to be enough to put a spring in his step. He walked up to the table and received his packet. The look on his face told me that he got assigned a good song. He stayed to talk with the coordinator for a second, thanked her, and then walked away.

He came back to us, a big grin on his face. He sat back down in his seat and showed us the sheet music. We all gasped in unison. "Vesti La Giubba. Can you believe it? It's my favorite piece from Pagliaccio!" He remarked, bringing his hand to his mouth. I smiled at him. "Congratulations, Amedeo." He smiled at me. "Thanks." There was that movie-star smile. 

Our little party was interrupted when the coordinator announced the next person to receive their song. "Mr. Cosimo Galli?" Cosimo hopped up from his seat and rushed right up to the table. He got his song packet and smiled brightly, staying to talk with the coordinator for a minute. They were both smiling and chatting up a storm. It was the first time I had seen her laugh! Cosimo was working his charm! 

He came skipping back to us, plopping down in his seat and proudly holding out his sheet music for us to see. Another round of gasps. "What has two thumbs and got assigned to sing Per Te? This guy!" Cosimo pointed both of his thumbs at himself. We all laughed and, as usual, he got playfully hit by Amedeo and Lucio. "Awesome, man." Lucio complimented. I nodded. "That's a beautiful piece, congratulations." Cosimo winked at me. "I'll sing it for you, baby." I couldn't help but blush, even though he was only joking. 

"Mr. Lucio Castelli?" Lucio got out of his seat and looked at me before leaving. "Hopefully I get a good piece too!" He left and walked up to the table to get his sheet music. As it was handed to him, I saw him look it over. He brought a hand up to his mouth as he looked at the title. I tilted my head to try and get a better look at him. He thanked the coordinator and came right back to us. "Guardate, guardate!" In all the excitement, he had started speaking Italian. He showed us his sheet music. This was the biggest gasp we had done. "Nessun Dorma." We all breathed in unison. Lucio sighed. "This is amazing." We all started patting him on the back, literally. "Congratulations, that's a great piece." Amedeo said. Cosimo nodded. "You're going to knock it out of the park." I smiled. "You'll be amazing." Lucio turned to me and leaned over to whisper in my ear. "First, I meet you. Then, I get cast in the showcase. Then, I'm assigned Nessun Dorma. My life has never been so great." I smiled, and blushed at our closeness. He took hold of my hand and smiled. Then, he realized what he was doing. He immediately retracted his hand and rubbed his neck with it instead. "Oh, I'm sorry!" I laughed. "No worries." I couldn't help but wonder why he had felt the need to take my hand, but I before I could stress over it, I heard my name being called.

"Ms. Daniela Barrelli?" I gulped. "My turn." I squeezed out of the seat and past the boys, who I saw were all whisper-cheering and clapping for me as I left. I walked up to the coordinator, facing her up close for the first time. A glint came over her glasses, which made her look even more intimidating. She looked up at me and smiled. "Hello, Ms. Barrelli. Congratulations on being cast in the showcase. Your audition was beautiful, you definitely earned your place here." I felt tears coming on, but I had to hold them in. I couldn't embarrass myself in front of the coordinator. "Thank you, I am so grateful for this opportunity." The coordinator nodded and handed me my packet. "Here is your piece. Please practice it at home and be ready to rehearse it by Monday next week." I looked over my sheet music, the title of the song jumping off the page. I couldn't stop myself from gasping right then and there. The coordinator looked at me, arching a brow. I smiled. "I'm sorry, I just love this piece." She smiled. "I'm glad. You can take your seat now." I clutched my sheet music tightly in my hands and stepped away from the table. "Thank you so much." 

I walked back to the guys, making eye contact with them on the way back. My eyes bugged out of my head and my smile was spread from ear to ear. The guys were looking at me expectantly. When I shuffled back into my seat, they all turned around to face me. "Well?" Lucio asked. I smiled and showed them my sheet music. They all gasped in unison. We were getting pretty good at that. "Caro Mio Ben!" Lucio gasped again. I nodded. "I know! It's my favorite piece." I told them. Cosimo smiled. "You're going to nail it." Amedeo nodded. "You'll be great." Lucio looked at me and smiled. "You were made to sing that song." He always knew just what to say. "Thank you." I was looking at him more so than the others. 

After everyone was assigned their piece, the coordinator walked up to the stage again. "Now that you all have your pieces, I have a special announcement." She took off her glasses and scanned the audience. For once, she didn't have her clipboard with her. "For the first time in Solstice Theatre history, we will be assigning a duet to two participants we feel will be best suited for working with a partner and for excelling at the piece we chose." She tilted her head. "Now, it may seem a bit strange that the piece I chose is not opera. But, as soon as I heard these two singers in their audition, I knew this song would be perfect for both of them, so I decided to include it in the program anyways." She smiled. We were all stunned. A duet in the opera showcase was unheard of, especially with a song that wasn't opera. Lucio looked at me with hope in his eyes. "Wouldn't it be amazing if we got to duet?" The very thought of it made my heart do leaps and turns in my chest. "It would be." I admitted.

Then, the coordinator turned her head to look at our section. "May I please have Mr. Lucio Castelli and Ms. Daniela Barrelli to the stage?" Lucio and I both froze in our seats. We looked at each other, then at the coordinator, then back at each other. "Did she say us?" Lucio asked. I nodded. "I think she did." Amedeo and Cosimo were looking at us, jerking their heads to the stage, reminding us that we still had to go up there. We were still in shock. The coordinator tried again. "Mr. Lucio Castelli and Ms. Daniela Barrelli?" She said, a little louder and a little more impatiently. This time, we went right away. Lucio and I came out of the aisle together. Lucio took my hand and guided me up to the stage, only letting go when we were both standing next to the coordinator on stage. She turned to us and smiled. 

"When I heard both of you sing during the auditions, I just knew that I had to cast you both in our first ever duet. Your voices will be amazing together." She looked at Lucio. "Your strength and passion," then she turned to me, "and your grace and emotion will be paired perfectly together." She handed us each another sheet music packet. "Here is your song. Please practice and learn it together and be ready for rehearsals on Monday." We both thanked her and left the stage, going back to our seats. On the way there, we both looked at our sheet music. We gasped out loud and turned to look at each other. "Vivo Per Lei!" We both yelled in unison. We nearly made everyone turn around to look at us, but we didn't care. We embraced in a big hug to congratulate each other. "Congratulations, Daniela." He said as we were still in each other's arms. "Congratulations, Lucio." I said back. We smiled at each other and then broke out of the hug, going back to our seats.     

Cosimo and Amedeo looked at us like we were hiding the secret to eternal youth. "Well? What did you get? We couldn't quite make out what you yelled over there." Cosimo asked, hands waving in the air. Lucio and I looked at each other, then back at the two. "Vivo Per Lei." I said with the biggest smile on my face. They both gasped, Amedeo's hands covering his mouth and Cosimo's hands on top of his head. "You're so lucky!" Cosimo whined. "I would have loved to sing that with you, Daniela." Amedeo admitted. Lucio smiled at them as we sat back down in our seats. "I'm definitely the lucky one here." He said, looking at me. I shook my head. "I think we're both lucky. Vivo Per Lei is a beautiful song." He looked back to the front of the stage where the coordinator was still standing. "Yeah, the song." He said rather pensively. The smile was still on his face, but I couldn't tell what he was thinking. 

"Thank you all for coming. Please go home and practice your songs and be ready to rehearse them next week. You're all dismissed, and travel safe!" A round of claps went through the theatre as we all stood up and gathered our things. As we walked out of the theatre together, Amedeo had an idea. "Why don't we practice in one of the practice rooms here at the theatre?" He looked at me and then looked away, embarrassed. "That way we don't have to, um, work out going to anyone's house." I giggled. Sometimes, he reminded me of a little boy who got shy thinking about a girl entering his room. Cosimo snapped his fingers. "Works for me. My dad and his family are home right now and they're most likely making a ruckus." I raised an eyebrow. "What do they do that they make a ruckus?" I asked. He shrugged. "They talk. They're just pretty loud." We all laughed. 

Lucio pointed to the corridor on the right. "I saw practice rooms over here the other day." We all walked in his direction and, sure enough, found an empty practice room for all of us to use. We entered the room and closed the door behind us. Lucio and I pulled out the folding chairs that were sitting against the wall and sat down. I slung my bag over the back of the chair and crossed my legs. We all just looked at each other for a good minute. Amedeo was sitting at the piano in the room, playing some light jazz music, Cosimo was standing in the corner of the room, cracking his knuckles, and Lucio and I were sitting next to each other, Lucio's arms folded neatly in his lap. I decided to take the initiative. "So, should we warm up?" They all agreed. Amedeo played scales and arpeggios for us to warm up to for about 10 minutes. 

"Alright, who goes first?" Amedeo asked when we finished warm ups. We all looked at each other for a solid 30 seconds until Lucio cleared his throat. "We can go in the order of the way we were called up to the stage today." We all smiled and nodded in agreement. "Alright, that means Amedeo first!" Cosimo pointed at his friend. Amedeo sighed and shook his head. "Fine." Cosimo pulled up the track of Vesti la Giubba on his phone and grabbed a chair, taking a seat on the other side of me. The track started playing, and already you could see Amedeo was getting into character. 

In front of just us, he didn't seem as nervous anymore. He sang the words to the song with such pain and emotion, you truly believed he had been betrayed by someone he loved. He was a brilliant actor, and the emotions in his voice added to the performance. He would hardly look at us as he sang, casting his gaze either on the ground or right above our heads at the wall. When it came to that powerful and famous climax, it felt as if we were watching a professional performance of Pagliaccio. He finished the song and looked at us, a faint smile appearing on his lips. "The end." He awkwardly muttered. We all clapped loudly for him, although he deserved more. "Bravo!" Lucio said, while Cosimo was just whistling at him. I smiled. "You're so great at that song!" What a poetic compliment, Daniela. Amedeo smiled and came up to me. "Grazie." He glared at Cosimo. "Hey, volunteer boy, your turn." He made a motion for Cosimo to get up from his seat and as soon as he did, took it from him, now sitting next to me. Amedeo caught my eye and whispered to me, "I'm glad you liked it." I blushed at our closeness, so I just redirected my attention to Cosimo, who was finding his track on his phone. 

"Alright, here we go lady and gents!" He said, pressing play on the track. The intro started to Per Te started to play and Cosimo mimicked putting on his acting face. He started to sing the song and suddenly, I saw him a whole new light. No longer was he the goofy guy who was the boisterous life of the party. Now, he was a real, professional singer giving us the privilege of watching a private performance. His voice was still light and energetic as always, but the romantic notions of the song came through very well. It was like he was singing to his long, lost love about wanting to be with her and living only for her. The words touched my heart and his voice fit with the song so well. I could see him performing this and making all the girls in the audience swoon. He finished his song and gave us a grand bow as we clapped for him. "Nice, Cosimo!" Amedeo said, with Lucio nodding along. Cosimo looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "What, no compliment from Daniela?" I had to bring my mind back to earth and think of something to say about that wonderful performance. "You're so amazing." Another home run on the complimenting, Daniela! 

Cosimo chuckled. "And you're so sweet." He pointed at Lucio. "It's Nessun Dorma time, buddy boy. Up, up!" Lucio rose from his seat and Cosimo stole it from him. Now, both Amedeo and Cosimo were sitting on either side of me. Cosimo smiled. "But thanks. I mean it." I smiled. "No problem." Lucio got his song set up on the phone and took a breath. "Here we go." He smiled. The famous intro began to play and, right away, he launched into the song like a professional. The first note that came out of his mouth already made my heartbeat accelerate. As he continued to sing, he showed his remarkable strength in how long he could hold out notes, how he could control his dynamics like he was raising and lowering the heat on a stove, and how he could act through all of this. He reminded me of a young Pavarotti, singing his heart out just in this little practice room for us. As the ending was approaching, Amedeo, Cosimo, and I all were on the edge of our seats. I instinctively clenched my fists as he was about to attempt that first note. 

Then I immediately relaxed.

He nailed it. There was no better word for what he did. The pitch, the emotion, the strength, the vibrato, they were all there. He held out the high note for a long while before tapering off with such delicate softness. Once he was done, he bent over a bit to catch his breath. Amedeo and Cosimo started wildly clapping, hooting, and hollering. "That's our Lucio!" Cosimo endearingly called. Amedeo smiled. "That was amazing, Lucio." Lucio looked up at us, a big grin on his face. Suddenly, I saw that everyone was looking at me and their smiles were gone, replaced with looks of worry and concern. "Daniela? Are you okay? You're crying." Amedeo said, frowning. I gasped and reached up to touch my cheek. Tears had been trickling down my cheeks during the ending of his piece. His voice had touched and moved me so much that the crying was just pure emotion. 

I wiped my eyes as Lucio came over to me. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was crying." Lucio knelt down to look me in the eye as I was sitting on the chair. "Are you okay?" Beyond my control, another tear streamed down my cheek. "Your voice is just so beautiful. And that ending was so moving." I said. He looked taken aback, his eyes still showing concern for me. I laughed and wiped my tears away. "I'm so sorry, you must think I'm so silly." I was quite embarrassed. Before I knew it, Lucio was wiping my tears for me with the back of his hand. "No, you're not. I think this is the best reaction I've ever received for my singing." He smiled brightly. "I'll remember this forever." His eyes went wide. "Not because you were crying! Well, yeah, because you were crying, but it's not like I enjoyed seeing you cry! Ah, no, but, I'm sorry." He buried his face in his hands. I burst out laughing. We were back to kind and awkward Lucio. However, I liked both sides of him. He paused, his hand still resting gently on my face. We looked at each other for what seemed like forever, until Cosimo nudged my arm with his elbow. 

"Alright, crybaby, your turn." He joked. Lucio removed his hand from my face and waited for me to vacate my seat. I cleared my throat and stood up, but I could feel my cheeks heating up from his lingering touch. I found a track of my song on Cosimo's phone and pressed play. "I can't promise anything special like I heard from you guys today, but I'll do my best!" I said, honestly. The intro to the song played and I immediately went into my head. I imagined myself back on that stage in Italy, performing for over a thousand people. The imaginary lights shined brightly on my face and I felt the melody and words deep inside of me, singing for me and only me. This was a song about love, how one person mattered more to me than anyone else, and how I would die without their love. This was the way I felt this about music. I needed it in my life, and I didn't know what I would do without it. I thought about the opportunity I had been given and how I could potentially accomplish all my dreams. That is what I was singing about, my love for my music. It's what I always sang about. But this time, my focus was changing. 

The three men sitting in front of me came back into my focus involuntarily. I studied their faces as they watched me sing. Amedeo was sitting forward in his seat, hands over his mouth. But he didn't look nervous. He looked stunned. His eyes communicated such keen interest and admiration that I didn't need to see the rest of his face to tell what he was thinking. Cosimo was leaned back in his chair, a look of awe on his face and mouth agape. He no longer looked comical; he looked as serious as you could be. I turned to look at Lucio. He was sitting up straight, but his eyes were baring into mine. The golden specks in his eyes were intense as he looked at me like I was his only source of light in a dark tunnel. I couldn't quite describe the look he was giving me, but I knew he liked what he was hearing. I never imagined that I would be able to get out of my head when performing in front of people. I had never once looked at anyone in the audience, but now I was looking closely at all three of these men. I smiled. I enjoyed singing to them.

The song finished and I put a hand over my heart, which was pounding like crazy. I never realized how nerve-wracking it was performing for people when you were actually looking directly at them. The practice room went silent. I gulped nervously. Maybe I had misread the emotions on their faces. Maybe they didn't like what they heard and were trying to think of something to say without telling me that I stunk. But didn't they all repeatedly say how they liked my audition? I didn't know what to think. This silence was killing me. 

Then, they all started clapping. Incredibly loudly. They stood up from their seats and cheered for me. It was just like what had happened at auditions. I broke out in a wide grin and laughed, taking a little bow. "Thank you, guys!" They all came up to me. "That was gorgeous! You need to be at La Scala right this minute." Cosimo complimented. Amedeo nodded. "I've never heard a voice like yours. It was pure bliss." He added, poetically. Lucio came up to me and wrapped me in a tight hug. I wasn't expecting it, but I didn't mind it. He let go and held my hands in his, like he always did. "I told you that you were made to sing that song, Daniela." I smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, guys." I said, even though I was only looking at Lucio at the time. 

He let go of my hands and smiled. "If you don't mind, I'd like to practice our duet on my own just for tonight. I want to make sure I do it perfectly with you on Monday." I smiled and nodded. "That sounds good, I'll do the same." I turned back to the other two. "I guess that means we're done in here." We smiled and cleaned up the room, pushing the piano stool back in and returning all the folding chairs to their position up against the wall. We all exited the practice room, walking out of the theatre and into the streets of the city. Cosimo suddenly turned back without warning and blocked our path. "This doesn't mean we're done hanging out with each other." He smirked and raised one of his bushy eyebrows. "What do you say we explore San Francisco?" We all gasped and looked at each other. What a fun idea! We all nodded. "I have to ask my mom if she needs help at the restaurant first." I brought out my phone and texted her quickly, asking her if she was okay and telling her about the potential plans for the day. Immediately a response came in. 

Mamma: You go out with those boys, your old mom's fine. I'll probably break my back doing a working like a dog in this restaurant while you're out having fun, but it'll be worth it to see that you're married to one of those boys and have a big family! 

As I read that last part, I started having a coughing fit, to which the guys were understandably confused. "You good?" Cosimo asked. I gave him a thumbs up and tried to clear my throat. "Yep! My mom said I could go." I chose to omit the marriage and big family part. They all smiled. Cosimo clapped his hands together.

"Then off we go to San Francisco!"