It had been almost a full week since that one uncomfortable rehearsal. Since the fiasco, Amedeo, Cosimo, Lucio and I hadn't seen each other in person.  But after rehearsal, we talked everything out on the phone and now it seemed like the friendly group dynamic was mostly back to normal. I was incredibly relieved, albeit confused about the whole situation. I wondered what it was that made them all act so jealous, but I didn't even want to think about it. Hopefully it was all water under the bridge. 

I had been working all week on my pieces for the showcase, taking the coordinator's words to heart. I tried hard to put emotion into my singing, to not to be so robotic, to just let myself go free. It was proving to be more challenging than I thought. I had conditioned myself to always be proper and formal when singing so that I would be taken seriously, but I never thought about being taken too seriously. Nobody wants to watch a boring opera singer. 

I kept thinking of what the coordinator told me, to channel feelings of love and romance in the song. Considering I had never dated anyone or had even been interested in anyone that way, it was a difficult task. At least it was at first. Involuntarily, whenever I sang, I would think of Lucio. I tried to get him out of my mind, thinking he would just be a distraction. But maybe I did need to think of him, if that's what was going to help me convey that emotion. I just couldn't rectify myself to admitting that I liked him more than as a friend. I wasn't even sure of my feelings; I just knew I got butterflies every time I was around him and that he always stood out to me among the three guys. But that's not liking someone like that. Right? 

The restaurant was coming to its close, so I started to sweep the floors as the last of the customers shuffled out of the store. "Thank you, come again." My mom said, sending them off with a warm smile. The customers walked out the door and my mom turned to me, shooting a sharp breath out of her mouth. "I thought they'd never leave. They just sat there drinking the same cup of coffee for two hours." She growled, clearly irritated. My mom hated customers who would take up a table for a long period of time and only order something like water or coffee. It was one of her pet peeves as a restaurant owner. 

I giggled, sweeping some dust into the dustpan I was holding. "Good thing they didn't stay until after closing." She raised an eyebrow. "I would've kicked them out if they had the nerve. Or forced them to order a meal." I laughed. I walked over to the trash can, dumping the dust into it and closing the lid. I put the broom and dustpan back into the supply closet and sighed, wiping my hands on my apron. "I guess I should go and work on my songs a bit more." My voice was already tired, but I felt the need to practice. Dumb reasoning as a singer, but I needed to make sure my songs sounded perfect. 

"Aspetti per un momento, Daniela." My mom said, calling me over to her with a waving of her finger. I went over to her, waiting to hear what she wanted. She smiled. "I want you to invite those boys over for dinner tonight." My eyes bugged out of my head. This was coming out of nowhere. "You want me to invite them for dinner?" She raised a brow. "What do you think I just said?" I gathered my thoughts. "What made you think of doing that?" She smiled. "I know that you're good friends with them and you're all working so hard on this showcase. You should be able to enjoy a night together." She smirked. "And why go out to eat anywhere else when your mamma makes the best Italian food on the planet?" I smiled. She had a point there. 

The idea of having dinner with the guys was an exciting one. I remember when we first ate a meal together, the special moments we shared and how much fun we had. We really bonded then. Maybe we could bond even more now. I smiled even more when I thought of sharing another meal with Lucio. I smiled at my mom. "That's a good idea. I'll ask them." My mom clapped her hands, walking to the kitchen, scanning the fridge for possible meals to make. I pulled out my phone and sent a text to the group chat. 

Daniela: Did you guys eat dinner yet? If not, want to come to the restaurant and eat together around 7:00? My mom is cooking and we wanted to invite you :)

I didn't need to wait more than a minute before I received a response from all of them.

Amedeo: Thank you for the invite, Daniela. I'll see you then.

Cosimo: Yessss dinner with your mom cooking~ sounds like heaven! i'm there ;)

Lucio: That sounds great, thanks Daniela! 

I smiled down at my phone and looked up at my mom. "They're all coming." She smiled. "Perfetto. What do you think I should make? Pasta e fagioli? Chicken parmigiana?" She suggested, looking through the fridge some more. I smiled, knowing exactly what I wanted. "Penne arrabbiata." My mom turned back to me with a warm smile on her face. "Good choice." She got out all the ingredients and we started to cook the meal together. I made the caprese salad and the rest of the antipasti and she made the main pasta dish. 

It wasn't long before there was a knock on the door to the restaurant. "They're here!" I said to my mom. I left the kitchen and took off my apron, hanging it up on the coat rack. I smoothed out my dress and fixed my hair before answering the door. I opened the door to reveal Amedeo, Cosimo, and Lucio standing on the steps, handsome smiles on their faces. They were dressed impeccably; all of them were wearing nice coats, stylish scarves, black dress pants, and different colored formal shirts and ties. It was like they were heading off to have dinner at The Ritz. I suddenly felt very underdressed in my casual black dress with white cuffs. Cosimo was holding a bottle of wine in his hands and Amedeo was holding a panettonne. "Buonasera." I smiled at them all. 

My mom came out from the kitchen, lighting up at the sight of the boys. "Benvenuto, ragazzi! Come on in, you can hang up your coats and scarves on the coat rack." She said, walking towards us. The boys all walked in, politely wiping their shoes off on the mat. Cosimo smiled, walking up to me. "Buonasera, Daniela. This is for you." He handed me the bottle of red wine. I looked down at the bottle then looked back at him, smiling appreciatively. "Grazie, Cosimo. I'll serve it with dinner tonight." He smiled back at me, pleased I liked his gift. Amedeo approached me next, handing me the panettonne. "I thought I would bring something for dessert. I'm sorry if you don't like it, you don't have to eat it." I laughed, holding the wine in one hand and the panettone in the other. "Not like it? Of course I like it, it's panettonne! Grazie, Amedeo." It looked I had made his day judging by the look on his face. I put the two gifts on the counter. Lucio walked up to me, his hands suspiciously placed behind his back. He pulled out a beautiful bouquet of red roses from behind his back, to which I gasped in delight. 

He smiled shyly, holding out the flowers towards me. "I didn't know if you liked roses, but when I saw them, I immediately thought of you, so I just had to get them for you." He handed them to me. I took them, delicately cradling them in my arms. "Lucio, they're so beautiful. Grazie tanto." I sniffed them, inhaling their beautiful scent. His eyes lit up, happy which how much I loved them. "Prego." I caught sight of Amedeo and Cosimo standing next to us, looks of disappointment on their faces. I looked at them, then at the roses, then back at Lucio. Cosimo smirked. "Well, at least I brought something you can drink." Amedeo looked at him. "At least I brought something you can consume without getting drunk." Uh oh. 

"Let me take your coats!" I said a bit too loudly, wanting to break up whatever fight was going to occur. I put the roses on the counter next to the other two gifts and went to take their coats, but they all held their hands up in protest. "You relax, Daniela, we'll do it." Lucio volunteered, taking all their coats and hanging them up on the rack. I smiled, feeling that familiar tugging on my heart. He was just so thoughtful. My mom looked at the counter, admiring all the gifts, especially the roses. "You boys are just too sweet. Go ahead and pick any table you'd like, I'll bring all the food out for you in just a second." She said, gesturing towards the tables. 

We sat in our, now, usual table by the window. The sun was beginning to set, casting a golden haze over everything. Pretty soon, it would be dark and our little shop would be one of the many buildings illuminating the San Francisco nightlife. The boys and I all sat down, Lucio pulling out and pushing in my chair for me as I sat down. Perfect gentleman, as always. It wasn't long before my mom brought out the antipasti - caprese salad, bread and butter, and octopus salad. We started spooning portions of the food onto our plates, getting a little bit of everything. As Lucio brought a bit of octopus salad onto his plate, Cosimo and Amedeo stared at him in shock. "What are you doing? Didn't you say you hated octopus salad?" Cosimo asked. 

Lucio turned to me and smiled. "Not so much anymore." I smiled back, remembering our time in the park together and how I made him try the dish. Cosimo and Amedeo both looked around, confused at the way we were looking at each other. Cosimo reached over and grabbed some of the octopus salad once Lucio was done with it. He made sure to put more on his plate than Lucio did. He smiled at me, resting the bowl back on the table. "Will your lovely mom be joining us for dinner?" I looked back at the kitchen, my mom walking towards us with napkins, right on cue. "Mom, do you want to stay and eat dinner with us?" She shook her head, smiling. "No, you kids go ahead and enjoy. I have a lot of things to do to prepare for tomorrow." 

Little did I know that all those preparations for tomorrow would go right out the window, as her new mission would be to embarrass me in various ways for the whole night. As soon as we finished our antipasti, my mom decided to regale the table with the charming yet ultra-embarrassing story of 5-year-old me making caprese salad for the first time. She told the boys all about how I would make the biggest mess and would command everyone in the kitchen like I was a little Italian Gordon Ramsay. As I hid behind my hands in embarrassment, the boys were eating it all up. "You sounded so cute!" Cosimo laughed. Amedeo smiled. "So outspoken at such a young age." Lucio put a friendly hand on my shoulder, trying to ease my pain. "Nothing to be embarrassed about, Daniela." I smiled at him gratefully. 

Soon, we opened up Cosimo's bottle of red wine, each of us pouring a little into our glasses. Then, my mom brought us the meal - penne arrabbiata. The bright smile on Lucio's face was enough to tell me I chose the right meal to have for dinner. "Penne arrabbiata." He whispered. He turned to look at me, the biggest smile on his face. "Thank you." I smiled. "I figured we all liked it." That wasn't necessarily true. I just knew it was both Lucio and I's favorite. Luckily, by the way that they were scarfing it down, it seemed like it could potentially be Cosimo and Amedeo's favorite too. Upon taking a bite, Cosimo moaned happily and made the Italian gesture for delicious. "Your mom is an amazing chef." Cosimo complimented. I smiled, savoring some of the pasta. It really was amazing, and it brought back so many good memories of eating this in my childhood. 

Speaking of my childhood, apparently that would be the next topic for discussion at the dinner table, sponsored by none other than my mom. We had finished the pasta, and so I brought the boys coffee and started slicing up Amedeo's panettone. We were happily talking and finishing off our dessert, when I noticed my mom coming towards us carrying a very familiar-looking, black photo album. My eyes went wide as I tried to telepathically communicate with her to turn back around and put the album away, but she kept coming. She smirked at me as if telling me oh yeah, this is happening. I craned my head down, wanting to disappear into my coffee cup.

"Ragazzi, I have something I want you to see." My mom said. The boys all turned to face my mom and fixated on the album she was holding. They all gasped in unison, cheeky grins spreading across their faces. "Don't tell me - Daniela's baby pictures?" Cosimo guessed. In swift response, my mom put the book on the table and opened promptly to the first page. In a series of gasps and laughs, the boys got up and crowded around the book, studying the pictures. As Cosimo got up, my mom took his seat, becoming the nucleus of my embarrassment. I stayed glued to my chair, hands in front of my face. Why was she doing this to me? 

"This is Daniela singing along to Pavarotti." My mom said, pointing to a fuzzy picture of me when I was 9, adorned in a hot pink boa and my mom's high-heeled boots, using a hairbrush as a microphone. I was caught mid-song, my mouth open wide with a big smile. The boys all cooed and smiled at the picture. "You were so cute!" Cosimo laughed, leaning back with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Amedeo smiled, and he giggled for the first time ever. "I love your fashion choices." I couldn't tell if he was being sincere or sarcastic. Lucio looked at the photo, smile plastered on his face. He looked back up at me, but I could only see him through the spaces between my fingers. "You can see you had such a passion for singing, even back then." Instead of feeling embarrassed, his comment made me feel good. I smiled, uncovering my face and daring to take a peek at the picture. "She did." My mom said, the feelings nostalgia in her voice. She turned to the next page and all the good nostalgic feelings vanished, replaced by acute embarrassment. It was of me as a baby. 

Cosimo nearly fell over from laughing so hard, Amedeo couldn't stop giggling, and Lucio was looking at me with a sympathetic smile. I just groaned, hiding my face with my hands. I could feel someone gently prying my hands away. I looked to see that it was Lucio, who now held my hands in his. "It's okay, Daniela. My aunt does this all the time. It's cute and it makes them happy, so why not let them enjoy it?" I looked at my mom, who was beaming, proudly showing off pictures of her daughter. I smiled. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to suffer through it." I joked. Lucio smiled, dropping my hands, and they all went back to looking at my pictures. I had to get up and leave when they became even more incriminating - hint, bathtime pictures. 

I cleaned the table of all the coffee cups and plates. We must have all been really hungry, because we absolutely devoured everything. I started washing dishes when Lucio came up to me and started gently pushing me away from the sink. "Please, you helped make this amazing meal for us. Relax now, I have the dishes." I shook my head. "No Lucio, it's okay! You're a guest, I got this." He just shot me a stubborn smile and started to wash the dishes, despite my protests. "You should probably get over there before she starts showing more photos of you in the bathtub." I visibly cringed and we both started laughing. "Well, I don't want to leave you here alone." I said. Lucio smiled, a blush spreading across his face. His glasses glinted against the light, but I could still see his eyes shining. "That's good. I wouldn't want you to leave me anyways." I took it upon myself to dry the dishes he freshly washed. It looked like we were an old married couple, doing the dishes in comfortable silence and sharing sweet smiles. 

"Room tour?" I heard Cosimo ask from across the room. I nearly broke the plate I was holding in my hand. "No no, that's okay. My room's boring and dull." I tried to push the thought of his mind. Amedeo didn't help at all, and instead jumped on the bandwagon. "I wonder how you would decorate." He said. I shot him a look. "I'm terrible at decorating, the worst." Anything I could say to make them forget it. We all turned to Lucio, who was still washing the dishes in silence. But a sly smirk had come across that once trustworthy face of his. "I'd like to see it. Only if you're comfortable with it, Daniela." I shot him a look with a gasp on my face. "Betrayal." I whispered. He sheepishly giggled, focusing his attention back on the dishes. A moment of silence passed by before we all turned to my mom, who was eerily quiet. Then she smirked. "Up the stairs and to the right." I gasped. "Mamma!" The boys all started moving towards the stairs. They turned back to me, like they were asking for permission. I thought about it for a minute, then sighed. It was inevitable. "Go on." I groaned. They all pumped their fists and made their way to my room. Before following them up, I shot my mom a look. "Grazie tanto." I said, sarcastically. She was too busy laughing to even respond. 

I found them all standing outside my room, door still closed. Even in their brazenness, they were going to try to be gentlemen. I squished past them and opened the door. "Benvenuto alla mia stanza. It's really nothing special." I laughed. They all shuffled in, different pieces in my room catching their eye. Amedeo started looking at the posters of Italy on the walls, focusing on the framed one of La Scala on my bedside table. "Your decor is great, Daniela, I don't know what you were talking about. You have marvelous taste." He focused on one photo of the Leaning Tower of Pisa that was hanging above my bed. "This is beautiful." He said, studying it with an artist's eye. I smiled. "Glad you think so." I looked to see that Cosimo was lingering by my desk, specifically looking at a framed photo on it. It was of me and my mother on the trolley, having a good time in San Francisco as tourists for the day. He picked it up to look at it closer. I saw his eyes well up with tears. He put the photo down and smiled, wiping a stray tear away. "Ah, that reminded me of something." I moved towards him, looking up into his eyes. "Your mom?" He nodded, gaze never leaving the photo. I smiled, a bit sadly. "I hope it brings back good memories." He nodded, smiling at me. 

Lucio was looking at my Polaroid camera that was also sitting on my bedside table. "This is so cool." He gasped, inspecting it. I picked it up and handed it to him. "I don't use it as often as I should, but you can take a picture with it if you want." I laughed. "Not sure of what though." He looked down at the camera, then at me. He raised it and pointed it right at me, taking a photo. I was so unprepared that I wasn't even smiling. I blinked a bit, the light flashing at me. The picture started printing out of the top of the camera. "Ah, Lucio, I wasn't ready! I'll probably look a mess in that picture." He took the picture and waited for it to develop. As soon as it did, the warmest smile spread across his face. "It's beautiful." I looked over at it. It was just of me, looking at him. I giggled. "You think so?" He looked at me. "I do. You're beautiful." He said it so sincerely, it made my heart skip a beat. 

I smiled, getting a brilliant idea. I took the camera from Lucio and looked at Cosimo and Amedeo. "Ragazzi, venite qua. Let's take a picture together." They all lit up at the idea, coming over to me. We all squished in to fit into frame, Lucio putting his arm around me and standing closer to me. I hope he couldn't feel my thumping heartbeat. Cosimo and Amedeo came close on each side of us. Amedeo leaned in to the left of me to get in frame and Cosimo crouched down behind us, his tallness almost cutting his head out of frame. Once we had the perfect pose, I smiled. "Alright, on tre. Uno, due, tre!" We all smiled, and the camera snapped. We all gathered around the camera as it printed out our photo. I took it out, waving it around as it developed. It finally came into focus and we all smiled in delight. It was perfect. You could feel our friendship and warm feelings through the photo. I especially loved how Lucio and I were the closest together in the picture. 

"This looks great." I smiled. Then I frowned. "Who gets the picture?" We all looked at each other, before Lucio spoke up. "You should keep it, Daniela." I raised a brow. "Why me?" He smiled. "You can hang it up in your room and whenever you feel sad, look at it and remember you will always have us." I smiled at the sentiment, looking down at the photo. I had never had this kind of relationship with anyone. It was so nice and comforting to know you had three people who would always have your back, no matter what. Cosimo and Amedeo were both in agreement, nodding lightly. I smiled and without a word, took a pushpin and hung it up on my corkboard. We stepped back to look at it. It stood out amongst the show tickets, daily reminders, and other photos that were pinned to the board. "Perfetto." I sighed.

Lucio looked solemnly at the photo. "I'm glad we're all friends." I felt a bit of a stone settle in my stomach. These feelings I thought I had for Lucio, would they destroy the friendship I had with Cosimo and Amedeo? Lucio looked back at me and, surprisingly, shared the same look on his face that I did. It was almost like we were thinking the same thing. Cosimo and Amedeo had also grown pensive. Cosimo looked at me with a serious expression, then at the other two, then back to the photo. Amedeo had been looking down at the ground, just as serious. What were we all thinking about in that moment? I looked back at Lucio. Would I have to bury these feelings for the sake of our friendship? I'd rather deny my heart than lose him. 

Once I had given the boys the full room tour, it was time for them to leave. We all shuffled down the stairs, my mom greeting us warmly when we came back. "Did she clean her room today or was it a mess?" All aboard the embarrassment train again. Cosimo laughed. "It was very neat and beautiful, Signora Barrelli. Just like your daughter." I blushed and she smiled. "That's what I like to hear." She said. The boys all grabbed their coats and scarves from the rack, putting them on to brave the San Francisco cold. My mom had made them little care packages of food to take home. "They're just going to go to waste!" She yelled when they tried to give them back to her. You don't stand in the way of my mom, especially when she wants to feed you. 

The boys all said goodbye and thanked my mom for the meal. "It was so nice of you to invite us into your place for the night." Amedeo remarked, air kissing my mom on the cheeks. She smiled, squeezing his shoulder. "It was nice having you boys over." Cosimo said goodbye in the same way, smiling. "Oh Signora Barrelli, when will you run away with me to Italy? Then we can eat penne arrabbiata forever!" He joked. My mom laughed, slapping him playfully. "I'll call you when I'm ready to leave, Cosimo." She joked back. Lucio came up to her and gave her the same parting greeting, taking her hands in his and shaking them gratefully. "Grazie mille per la cena, Signora Barrelli. Il cibo era molto buono, come il cibo che mia zia fa." Thank you so much for dinner, Signora Barrelli. The food was very good, like the food that my aunt makes. My mom gasped in delight at the sudden change to Italian. "Prego, Lucio. Grazie per aver portato i fiori di mia figlia." You're welcome, Lucio. Thank you for bringing my daughter flowers. She smiled and leaned closer to him. "A Daniela piaci molto." Daniela likes you a lot. I felt my cheeks go red. "Mamma." I whispered. Lucio turned back to me, his handsome smile returning. "Mi piace molto anche tua figlia." I like your daughter a lot too. My heart melted on the spot. 

Cosimo and Amedeo stood behind us, hearing everything that was being said. Cosimo put a hand on my shoulder, leaning in to whisper in my ear. "Mi piaci molto anche tu." I like you a lot too. My cheeks went aflame from the close interaction. I smiled at him. "Grazie." His face was quite serious, but he still wore a charming smile. I could feel a different vibe coming from him. Then Amedeo turned to me, looking into my eyes. "Sei una grande ragazza." You are a great girl. His expression was quite serious too. I could feel the same vibe from Cosimo also coming from Amedeo. I didn't know what was happening. "Grazie." I replied in the same manner. His eyes lingered on me for a while, before Cosimo opened the door. "Come on, guys. Remember, rehearsal tomorrow?" They made their way towards the door, walking out. Cosimo smiled and took my hand, kissing it. "Thank you for tonight." He walked out the door. Amedeo smiled, shyly taking one of my hands in his. "It was a great night tonight." He then walked out the door. It was Lucio's turn. 

He smiled at me and leaned in for a hug. He held me tightly. I felt that safe and secure feeling return. It felt right to be in his arms. He looked at me, holding both my hands in his. "Can I see you tomorrow morning? I want to practice the duet with you before rehearsal." I smiled, excited at the thought. "I would love to." He smiled. "Perfect, I'll see you at the practice room at 10:00." We stayed standing together in the doorway until he smiled up at me. He moved forward and kissed me on the cheek. No air kisses there. I felt my face heat up and my heart flutter. He pulled away, our faces still close. "Buonanotte, Daniela." He said, quietly. I looked into his eyes. "Buonanotte, Lucio." This moment felt so intimate. I could've stayed like this forever. 

"Lucio, come on!" Cosimo yelled from outside. He and Amedeo were looking at us with frowns. I knew I wasn't making this weirdness with them up. I pulled further away from Lucio. Our friendship would come before my feelings. I smiled. "Ciao." Lucio looked disappointed that I had pulled away from him, but he still smiled. He squeezed my hands before leaving. "A domani, Daniela." I watched him walk off with the rest of the boys, all waving to me as they disappeared into the night. I smiled, gently closing the door before turning back to my mom. We both smiled at each other, but she had a knowing look in her eyes. 

"You like Lucio, don't you?" She cut right to the chase. The pounding in my heart, the thoughts that had been filling my head, the smile that always came to my face whenever I thought of him. It was no use denying it any longer. I looked at her, a big smile on my face. "I do." She smiled. "He likes you too, I can tell." I brightened at the thought. "I don't know about that." She looked at me. "Trust your mother, Daniela. Besides, didn't you hear him tonight?" I blushed, remembering the conversation he had with my mom in Italian. She crossed her arms, a concerned look replacing the smile she had on her face. "Trust me too when I tell you he's not the only one." I stopped in my tracks, the smile also vanishing from my face. I looked back at her. "What do you mean?" She looked towards the door, then back at me. "Cosimo and Amedeo. They like you too." It was like a gun went off in the room. 

"I don't know about that, mamma." Either that or I didn't want to admit what I had already been suspecting. I didn't want our friendship to be strained, or worse, to end. She sighed. "Listen to your mother, and be careful. That's all." She sighed, cracking her back. "I'm going to head to bed. You should too, since you have rehearsal tomorrow and that early morning with Lucio." She smiled. "Buonanotte, mia figlia." She kissed and hugged me goodnight, going up the stairs. I stood alone in the kitchen, thinking of tonight and of all that my mom had said. It was a lot to process, but despite my racing mind, I knew one thing was certain. 

I liked Lucio.