It was Sunday afternoon. One day had passed since Cosimo, Amedeo, Lucio and I had our little outing on Friday, but I still found myself thinking about all that happened. Learning about the boys' families and the tragedies they had gone through, not to mention the close moments I had with each one of them. Especially the moment with Lucio. I tried not to think of how I was feeling that day, because it was utterly ridiculous to think I had feelings like that for Lucio after only a few days of knowing him. 

The boys and I had texted on our group chat afterwards, mainly about how we were doing on our pieces and how nervous we were for Monday (or the lack of nerves from Cosimo.) Lucio gave me updates on how his part of our duet was going, but never sent videos. He said he wanted it to be a surprise. A bold move for a duet we're supposed to sing perfectly together tomorrow, but I admired that kind of courage in a man. It was either courage or stupidity, so I decided to stick with courage. I hated to admit it, but I already missed them. Especially one of them in particular. I wanted to have a fun day with them again, but I knew that with the showcase and all, we'd have to dedicate our time mainly to practicing our pieces. Still, in the back of my mind, I nurtured the thought that we'd all get together and I'd get to see their smiling faces again.   

Sundays were always the slow day at the restaurant. Hardly anybody came in during the mornings, there would be maybe one or two tables full during the lunch hour, and we usually didn't see much business at night either. It was days like these were my mom and I would talk about doing other things besides running the restaurant. But then the occasional customer would walk in and we'd forget everything we said. I was standing at the coffee bar downstairs, twiddling my thumbs together in boredom. My mom was hunched over a cup of coffee, taking a sip from it every now and then. "This is real exciting, huh?" She said sarcastically. "Totally." I replied, just as sarcastically. 

She turned to me. "So, what's the deal with you and these guys? For real." The question came out of nowhere. I cleared my throat. "We're friends." She arched an eyebrow, not buying my story. Even though it was true. I shrugged. "That's all!" She slowly shook her head, smirking. "If that's what you say." She looked at me. "Then answer me this. Who's the best friend out of all of them?" She emphasized the word best. I saw what she was getting at, but I decided to play along. It would give me a chance to talk out what it was I was feeling. "Lucio's really nice." She snapped her fingers. "I knew it! As soon as those boys walked into my restaurant, I knew he was the one. He was nice, respectful, well-dressed, and had eyes only for you." I blushed profusely. "Mamma! It's not..." I groaned. "I don't think he likes me like that." I could hear the disappointment in my voice. I fixed it immediately. "But that's okay! He's a good friend, just like Cosimo and Amedeo." My mom smiled. "Just like Cosimo and Amedeo?" I nodded, but it wasn't true. He was special. But I wasn't about to admit that. Not yet, anyways. 

While we were talking, my phone buzzed and lit up in the pocket of my apron. I grabbed hold of it and opened it to see a new message from Lucio. I smiled, thinking it was another group chat update, but was surprised to see it was a private text message from him. 

Lucio: Come outside!

I looked at the text, a bit confused. Did he mean outside the restaurant? 

"What is it?" My mom asked. I showed her the text. She squinted to read it without her glasses. Then she slyly smiled. "Well, you better go outside then." I smiled back and shoved my phone in the pocket of my pants, taking off my apron and setting it down on the counter. I opened the door and walked out to see Lucio standing there looking handsome as ever. He was wearing his usual black frames, his hair was perfectly styled, and he was wearing a black blazer, a white shirt, and jeans. He turned to look at me and smiled. "Thanks for coming out to meet me." I smiled, stepping closer towards him. "Thanks for inviting me out." 

Lucio looked at me, then straight behind me at my mom, who I just noticed was standing in the doorframe watching us. "Don't mind me. Ciao, Lucio!" She said, waving at him. He waved back. "Ciao, Signora Barrelli." He politely said. Lucio returned his attention back to me. "I'm sorry this is so sudden, but I really wanted to hang out with you." I smiled. "Oh! Okay. Where's Cosimo and Amedeo?" I started looking around for them before I noticed Lucio shaking his head. "No, it's just me. I wanted to hang out with you - just you." I felt that oh-so familiar tugging on my heartstrings. He wanted to hang out just with me. Us two hanging out together. Me and Lucio. Lucio and I. 

Before deciding on anything, I turned to look at my mom, who was still listening to us. "Is that okay, mom?" I asked her. Lucio stepped closer to my mom. "I will protect her with my life while we are out, we'll only go to safe places, and I'll have her home as early as you want her." He said like the perfect gentleman. My mom smiled at us, like we were children asking to play together at the park. "That's fine. Be home by dinner." She focused her attention on Lucio. "And you take care of my daughter. You don't want to get on my bad side." Her tone was so scary, I swear I saw Lucio jump a little bit. "Never, Signora. Your daughter will be safe when she is with me." My mom perked up, doing a 180, and went back to being her usual, cheerful self. "I believe you. Both of you, be careful." I walked up to my mom to hug and kiss her goodbye. She held my hands in hers before I left. "Be safe and no kissing." My eyes bugged out of my head. "Mamma!" I gasped. She started laughing. "I'm just teasing. But seriously, be safe." She smiled. "And have a good time." 

I returned to Lucio, both of us waving to my mom as she went back inside the restaurant. "Your mom is so nice, but also a little scary." Lucio commented. I nodded. "Yep, she's amazing that way." We both laughed. We stood there for a second, like now what? "So, where do you want to go?" I asked Lucio. He smiled. "I'm happy going anywhere with you." We both smiled, enjoying the moment. Until his stomach interrupted us by growling very loudly. He put a hand to his stomach and chuckled, clearly embarrassed. "Or maybe we can get something to eat. I only drank coffee this morning." I nodded. "Same here. Should we go to the deli we went to on Friday?" Lucio nodded. "Besides your mom's restaurant, that place is my favorite." We started heading in the direction of the deli, which I finally learned was called Lorenzo's Eats.

We walked in, the little shop bell tinkering above our heads as we entered. "Buongiorno! I'll be with you in a moment." A worker raised his head up from counting change in the register. "Take your time." Lucio told him. Lucio and I took the opportunity to look around the deli, seeing what we could get for lunch. "Do you like mortadella and provolone sandwiches?" He asked me. I gave him a look. "Who doesn't?" He smiled. "That's settled then, we'll have that! I think they keep the ciabatta rolls over here." We walked to a corner of the store where there was a bunch of bread sitting on shelves, some in bags, some out in the open on display. We spotted a small bag holding about four ciabatta rolls. It was the last one on the shelf. Lucio picked it up for us, smiling. "How lucky are we?"  

When the clerk was done counting the money in the register, we want back up to the counter and put in our order; 1 pound of mortadella, 1/2 pound of provolone, and to Lucio's chagrin, a small container of the octopus salad. Lucio's eyes bugged out of his head when I told him to order that. "I'll get that for you if that's what you want, but it'll only be for you." I smirked. "I know Cosimo said you don't like it, but I just wanted you to try some of it with me. Maybe I can change your mind." Lucio looked like he wanted to argue, but he didn't. Instead, he just smiled his dazzling Lucio smile. "Only for you do I do these things." He said, warmly. I shouldn't have blushed, but I did anyway.

We collected and paid for our food, Lucio sneaking in a bag of amaretti biscotti to the order when I wasn't looking. He said he wanted it to be a surprise, but the surprise got ruined when the worker put the biscotti on the top of the bag where I could see them plain as day. Before we could leave the store, we were stopped by someone yelling, "Lucio!" We turned around to see a middle-aged man with a bushy mustache and eyebrows to match, looking right at Lucio. "I thought that was you. Were you going to leave without saying ciao to old Lorenzo?" Lucio smiled. "Wouldn't dream of it." Lorenzo came out from behind the counter and gave Lucio a big bear hug. He turned to me. "This kid's been coming to my store since he was about this big." He said, crouching down and measuring out a small child's height with his hand. He nudged Lucio a bit roughly, putting his arm around him and pulling him in close, like something you'd see a guy do to his little brother. "But I've never seen him with you. Did Lucio get himself a pretty little girlfriend?"

My eyes went wide as I tried to hide the blush creeping across my face. "Oh no, we aren't, uh, together like that." Lucio stuttered, still in Lorenzo's grip. Lorenzo smirked. "Hmm, maybe not now, but I'm never wrong about these things. You two would make a beautiful couple." He shoved us together. "Look at you! Both young, good-looking," he stopped to whisper to Lucio, "Is she Italian?" Lucio nodded. Lorenzo clapped his hands together. "And both Italian! It's a match made in heaven." Despite our very obvious embarrassment, Lucio and I just smiled at each other awkwardly. He was conveying a look of apology to me in his eyes. 

Lucio stepped in. "We're just friends, Lorenzo." Lorenzo smiled. "Alright, alright, I'll give you kids a break. But here, take these." He handed us two hazelnut chocolate candies. "I give these candies to people I know would be great together. Almost like my own matchmaking service, but with chocolate." He winked. "Trust me on this one." We took the candies anyways. "Say hi to your zia and zio for me! Ciao, bambini!" Lorenzo returned back to the counter, leaving a red-faced Lucio and I standing in the middle of the deli. "So, should we go eat now?" Lucio asked. I nodded, still looking down at the chocolate in my hand. How did he know hazelnut was my favorite?

We left the store, looking around for a place to sit and eat. Most of the deli's tables were full, which made me angry in behalf of my mom's always empty on Sundays restaurant. Lucio looked at me. "Do you maybe want to eat in the park? It's a nice day outside." I smiled, absolutely loving the idea. "A picnic in the park. How perfect." Lucio smiled. "Let's go then." We walked down the streets of Little Italy until we turned the corner and walked diagonally towards Marigold Park. We caught sight of some of the people who were already there. There were parents flying kites and throwing frisbees with their kids, a group of teenagers riding around on skateboards, and elderly couples taking a leisurely stroll. We smiled at each other as we looked out at the picturesque scene. "Look!" I pointed to an area away from the crowds at a patch of grass right underneath a humongous tree with its leaves creating a perfect spot of shade for us to sit under. Lucio looked over at me, noticing me staring at the spot. He smiled and, without a word, took my hand in his to guide me through the crowd. 

We arrived at the golden spot and sat down. The grass was warm and soft as the sun filtered through the bald spots of the tree, the leaves and sun making a beautiful pattern all around us. Lucio smiled. "What a perfect place." He sighed. He sat the bag down in front of us, pulling out our food. He set up a little sandwich station, taking it upon himself to make our sandwiches. "How much mortadella and provolone do you want on your sandwich?" I walked him through my order like I was at a Subway. At the end of it, I held the perfect sandwich in my hand. "Grazie mille." Lucio smiled before making his sandwich. It was similar to mine in the quantity of the ingredients, but I noticed he went heavy on the mortadella. Who could blame him, it was pretty amazing.

Like the silly people we were, we 'clinked' our sandwiches together and cheered, "Cin cin!" We laughed and started eating. I happily groaned, marveling at the delicious sandwich I held in my hands. "Best lunch ever." I said, mouth still full. No shame. Lucio nodded, wiping a stray crumb from his lip. "See why it's my favorite place?" I nodded. "I've got to tell my mom to put this on our menu." Lucio raised an eyebrow. "And let you put Lorenzo out of business? Never." We both started laughing. 

As we were finishing our sandwiches, I brought out the container of octopus salad, to which Lucio gagged. "Come on! It's really good." I coerced him, opening the lid and taking out the two forks that were in the bag. I stuck one of the pieces of octopus with the fork, holding it out to him. Lucio groaned, his face scrunched up. He looked at the octopus like I was handing him alien on a stick. "What if I can't even swallow it? I don't want to throw up on you." I laughed. "You won't throw up." Lucio still looked concerned. I sighed. "Do you trust me, Lucio?" Lucio nodded. "Of course I do." I shoved the octopus closer to him. No more words needed. 

Lucio stared at the octopus, putting on a brave face. He took it from my hand, holding it in front of his face. "Okay." He took a deep breath, acting like he was about to conquer the octopus. He quickly popped it in his mouth, chewing it hurriedly. I watched as his face changed from disgust to confused surprise to finally a pleasantly surprised smile. "Hey, it's not bad." He said in surprise. I clasped my hands together, a big smile on my face. "Really? You like it?" I asked. He nodded, a big smile on his face. "This is so weird. When I last had this, I had to spit it out in a garbage can, but this is actually pretty good!" He tilted his head, a smile on his face. "And this is just pure octopus salad?" I nodded, holding up the container for him to see for himself. He smiled his usual dashing smile. "It must be because I'm with you that it tastes so good. You added your magic to it just by being here." I smiled, giggling a little bit. Would he ever run out of compliments to give me? I hoped not. 

Lucio sighed, sitting back, looking up at the sky. "What made you decide you wanted to be an opera singer?" The question came up out of the blue, but I didn't mind. I smiled, hugging my knees as I recalled my childhood memories. "It was when I was 7 years old. My mom was always a big fan of opera, especially the ones Pavarotti would sing. I remember one day, she was playing Queen of the Night from The Magic Flute and when I first heard her sing those high, staccato notes, I was in awe. I told my mom right then and there that's what I wanted to do. I even attempted to sing it right then, but it definitely didn't sound as good as the singer on the tape." Both Lucio and I laughed. "I want to live out my life as an opera singer in Italy. Milano, specifically. I love it here, but Italy is where I feel I belong." I smiled slightly, looking down at the ground. "So, that's what I've been working towards for 15 years. I took community college voice classes, I learned almost all my repertoire and warm ups from YouTube videos, and I'd try to get performance gigs at small places so that I could get the exposure." I looked up at the sky. "I keep a picture of La Scala right next to my bed to keep me focused on my end goal." I shared. "The Solstice Theatre showcase was one of the final parts of the plan, so it's mind-boggling that I'm going to get to do that. I couldn't be more grateful." I started feeling emotional, recalling my singing journey. I cleared my throat and looked back at Lucio. "That's my dream." 

I was surprised at how much I shared with him. I shared more with him than I had with anyone ever, besides my mom. I cringed slightly as I realized I had been rambling and talking his ear off. I looked back to see if he was bored, but I could not have been more mistaken. He looked so warm and inviting in this moment. He was hanging onto my every word, really paying attention to what I was saying. He had such a kind and sincere smile on his face. "You knew you were born to sing, even that long ago." He said it lovingly, it made my heart melt a little. He tilted his head to the side. "I know you'll go to Italy, and you'll be an amazing opera singer, just like you are now." To have someone I had only known for a few days say something so sweet and so supportive was amazing. "Thank you so much, Lucio." I breathed, a big smile spread across my face. "Okay, enough about me, it's your turn. What made you decide you wanted to be an opera singer?" 

Lucio chuckled, looking down at the ground. "You know what's funny? I don't even remember." I was a bit taken aback by his answer. He could tell, which is why he started laughing. "I just remember always having this dream of singing opera professionally since I was young. I've spent nights lying awake, just wondering what sparked this passion of mine." He looked at me. "But I think I realized what it is." I looked at him, feeling my heart pounding again. "You did?" He nodded and smiled. "That day in the practice room when I sang for you and the guys and you cried. I realized, that's why I sang. To move people through music and make them feel something. I'm so happy that I'm able to do that." He backtracked. "Not happy I made you cry! But, the music was moving to you apparently and, uh, yeah." I laughed. "Don't worry, I know what you mean. That's a beautiful thing to want to do. Trust me, you have the talent to make just about anyone cry." I recalled me blubbering in the practice room, cringing a little. 

Lucio smiled. "It's funny, but, ever since I met you, things have been making more sense to me. Not just why I sing, but what my goals are. What I really want to do with my life." I looked intently at him. "What are your goals?" He smiled, looking out into the city. "I want to stay here and sing for the San Francisco Opera. That way, I'm close to my family, I'm in a city I love, and I can hang out with Cosimo and Amedeo all the time." He looked down at the ground in thought. "Although, you'd be in Italy." I felt a twinge of despair at thinking of us being so far apart. "I know." I whispered. A moment of silence passed before Lucio said, "I'd move to Italy for you." I turned to look at him, not sure if I heard what I thought I did. "You would?" He nodded with a sincere smile. "Yeah. I can't imagine not seeing you again." He shrugged. "And I heard Italy is, like, the place for opera or something." He joked. I couldn't quite laugh. I was still too stunned by what he said. He would sacrifice his dreams of staying in San Francisco just to follow me to Italy. 

At that moment, I saw Lucio in a completely different light. I don't know if it was what I was already feeling, what he said, or the beautiful surroundings, but he had never looked as handsome as he did at this moment. He caught me staring at him, so turned to look me in the eyes. "Are you okay?" He asked after a while. I broke free of my daze and nodded, giving him a thumbs up like a dork. He laughed. Then, he rested his gaze on me. "This may sound weird, but you're really beautiful." He told me. My heart thumped wildly in my chest. "That's not weird, that's really nice. Thanks." I struggled to get words out. Lucio smiled. We sat there staring at each other for one minute too long before the moment was interrupted by my phone going off. Great timing. "Sorry." I apologized with a cheeky grin. I checked it to see a text message from my mom.

Mamma: Customers are here! On a Sunday! This is crazy. Come home to help. 

I frowned, disappointed that I would have to cut my outing with Lucio short. I looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, I have to go. My mom needs me at the restaurant." Lucio smiled. "Don't worry about it. I should get back to practicing for tomorrow anyways." As we were about to get up, Lucio stopped me. "Wait! The chocolates." He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "We should eat them together." He held out his hands and in his palms were the two hazelnut chocolates. I looked at him, feeling my blush return. "Together?" I repeated. He smiled. "If what Lorenzo said about us is true and we're made for each other, shouldn't we find that out together?" I stared at him, my heart beating rapidly. He closed his hand, enveloping the two chocolates in it. "I'm sorry, it was a dumb idea." I couldn't let him think that. I reached out and touched the hand that was holding the chocolate. "No, I don't think it is." Okay, good going, Daniela. Go ahead and tell him why you want to eat the matchmaking chocolates with him. I cleared my throat. "I mean, Lorenzo gave us these for free, right? We owe it to him to eat them then." Nice going. Lucio seemed to be satisfied with my weird reasoning, judging by the smile on his face. "Exactly." He opened his hand again and held the chocolates out to me. I took the one closest to me. We unwrapped them and popped them in our mouths. The creamy, sweet hazelnut and dark, rich chocolate paired together so well in one, delicious note. We both smiled at each other. "So good!" I said. Lucio smiled. "I guess we'll soon see if we're meant to be." I thought he was joking, but upon closer examination of his face, it looked like he was serious. My heart pounded against my chest with the excitement of that notion. 

We both got up from the grass and packed up our lunch, putting everything back into the shopping bag. We started making our way back to the restaurant, walking through the park and back into Little Italy. When we were back at the restaurant, I stopped before going in to say goodbye to Lucio. 

"Thanks for inviting me out, Lucio. I had a great time." He smiled. "Thanks for coming out with me, I had a great time too." We stood together in silence. Lucio held out the shopping bag to me. "Here you go." He offered. I shook my head. "No, it's okay! You can take it back to your zia and zio. My mom and I have plenty of food." He shook his head back. "No no, you take it. I insist." We both looked down at the shopping bag, then back at each other. I smiled. "Split it?" I suggested. He nodded, smiling. "Good idea." He sat the bag down on a nearby bench and split the food in half, sending mine with me in the paper bag while he held his food in his hands. I laughed. "Lucio, you have further to walk, you take the bag!" He raised a brow. "And deprive you of it? Never." Even in the silliest and smallest things, he was thoughtful. 

I reached into the bag and pulled out the octopus salad, which he couldn't separate in half for obvious reasons. I handed it to him. "Here." He just looked at me with a face that said I told you I bought that for you. I smiled. "So you can remember how I forced you to try it and how you now like it." That seemed to be enough to change his mind. He reached out and took the container, our hands brushing against each other while he did. "Grazie. I'll think of you when I eat it." He smacked his palm against his forehead. "That sounded weird." I laughed at his embarrassment. "I knew what you meant." 

We looked at each other, staring into each other's eyes. Even this was enough to make my heart pound faster. His eyes were so beautiful, the golden specks perfectly bringing out the hazel and deep brown colors in his iris. He reached out to me with his free hand and took my other hand in his. "I won't forget our time together today. Let's do this again soon." He squeezed my hand. I nodded, squeezing back. "Sounds like a plan." We didn't let go of each other's hands. "Ciao, Daniela." "Ciao, Lucio." Against every instinct and desire I had, I let go of his hand and turned away from him to go into the restaurant. I turned around once I was a few feet away from the door to see Lucio still waiting for me, that dazzling smile on his face. I waved to him again before walking in. 

"You're back! And you brought food? Alright, go put this in the fridge and then come help me with the tables." My mom said, whizzing by me. I was too distracted replaying the memories of my day with Lucio to even process what she had said. She came back to me, clapping in front of my face to get my attention. Mission accomplished. I flinched and looked at her now frowning face. "Go put the food in the fridge. You can think about your boyfriend another time." She said, impatiently.  

This time, I didn't bother to correct her.