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Gossip really wasn’t Giulia’s thing. It just so happened that she had been lingering behind a bookshelf, aimlessly flipping through magazines while listening to the conversation nearby. She didn’t mean to eavesdrop; the group of teens that had been chatting among themselves just hadn’t noticed her. Not that she would have made herself known, afterall it would be incredibly rude to interrupt the fascinating conversation that was going on.
Okay. So maybe she was doing a little eavesdropping, but it wasn’t because she loved gossip. Giulia reassured herself that what she was doing was all for a good cause. She definitely would have left by now, had she not heard the group mention her dear brother. Afterall, she had to make sure that they weren’t talking badly about her beloved fratello. All good sisters would stay by and defend the family honor (from behind a bookshelf of course). She definitely wasn’t doing this so she could use this new information to tease her brother.
“Well I still think the Marcovaldo boy is the most handsome out of all the lifeguards. I wouldn’t mind drowning if it meant being carried in those strong arms of his.”
Giulia inhaled sharply as she bit down a snicker, subtly leaning to see which girl was swooning over her idiot brother. If only she knew.
“Ugh Isabella,” The blond girl next to her rolled her eyes and scoffed. “You’d better give up now. You know he’s totally off limits.”
“Leave me alone.” Isabella let out a sigh then pouted. “A girl can dream can’t she?”
“Don’t tell me he’s still dating that Paguro boy?!” said the dark haired boy sitting across from them.
“Technically they’re not official.”
“Oh please! All of Portorosso knows that Luca Paguro has the Marcovaldo boy wrapped up around his little finger.” The blonde girl leaned in close. “I heard that the two have been exchanging passionate love letters for the past four years! Perhaps they haven’t put a label on their relationship, but that has to mean something.”
Passionate eh? Giulia thought amused. That was certainly an interesting way to put it. The two basically wrote each other long essays describing the most mundane details of their everyday lives. From what type of coffee they had in the morning to what love song plagued their mind (and likely served as a bittersweet reminder of the other).
Luca in particular would dedicate an hour every day after his studies and even carried around a small notebook that was filled with scribbles of things he thought would interest Alberto.
“Look Giulia! That Vespa is green just like Alberto’s eyes! Hold on, let me write it down.”
“Giulia, do you remember the name of the movie we watched yesterday? The romantic one that made us cry at the end? I think Alberto might like it.”
“Giulia, after class, can we stop by the library real quick? There’s a book I checked out last time and I can’t remember the name of it.”
“Let me guess you’re going to recommend it to your Portorosso boyfriend?” Teased one of their classmates with a grin.
“It’s not like that!” Luca protested as his face began to heat up. “Beto and I-“
“Oh it’s Beto now. Very interesting.”
“Giulia! Ugh never mind, I'll go by myself.”
Giulia couldn’t help but snicker at that old memory. They’re totally hopeless. She thought as she turned back her attention to the conversation once again.
“Damn that does sound serious,” the dark haired boy leaned back in his chair. “Wait. How do you even know that Francesca?”
“My cousin works at the post office, so she’s heard a few things from working there.” Francesca smirked. “She says the Marcovaldo boy turns into a lovesick fool that practically happily prances around once he’s gotten a letter from his precious friend.”
Giulia couldn’t help but let out a stifled giggle. Of course her brother couldn’t help but be less than obvious about how happy he was to get a letter from Luca. According to her father, he could always tell when Luca had sent a letter based on Alberto’s mood. During those days he would carry around a dopey grin and had a bad habit of staring out into space. However it wasn’t nothing that a quick smack with a newspaper couldn’t fix. Afterall, a fisherman couldn’t afford to be distracted while doing his job.
Luca was just a lovesick as Alberto was. Despite being one of the most hardworking students at their school, whenever a letter from Alberto came, all his focus on school disappeared. Suddenly he’d sit there with a goofy grin, doodling hearts all over his notes instead of writing down why the mitochondria was the powerhouse of the cell. Anyone could clearly see that those two saps were hopelessly in love with one another.
“What a shame.” Isabella sighed as she rested her chin on her palm.
“I know,” The dark haired boy said. “That Paguro boy is such a cutie.”
Giulia covered her mouth with her hand, trying not to gasp loudly. She wasn’t the only one shocked at this revelation as the two other girls had similar expressions.
“What?! No way Matteo!”
“You were into him? Oh my! I’d definitely be careful if I were you.”
“Relax. There’s a reason I never said anything.” Matteo snorted. “I kinda gave up after that one time at the bookstore.”
“Don’t tell you made a move on him?!” Isabella slapped a hand over her mouth. “When did this happen?”
“It happened last summer when the new bookstore opened. I accidentally bumped into Luca and we ended up finding out we had a lot of the same interests-”
“Ugh okay we get it-” Francesa sighed exasperated. “Get to the good part! Come on, don't drag it out!”
“Okay, but keep it down!” Matteo leaned closer. “Anyways, he was looking for this specific book that was on the top shelf so I offered to bring it down. So then I leaned in close-”
“Matteo you scoundrel!” Isabella said, smacking his shoulder. “Don’t tell me you really pulled such a cliche move on him like that? You really are shameless.”
“I’m not taking this from someone in love with a clearly gay man.”
This is a gold mine. Giulia thought. She was in tears, but thankfully her wheezing was overshadowed by a loud cackle coming from Francesca.
“S-Shut up! Just tell us what happened afterwards!”
“What was his reaction?! Tell us!”
“Dio, he was so adorable! He was pretty flustered but,” Matteo huffed in annoyance. “Before I could even reach for the damn book, that Marcovaldo boy put his hand on my shoulder and yanked me back. He tried to keep a friendly smile, going on about how he and Luca had to leave for dinner, but his eyes screamed bloody murder.”
“Then why are you still here huh?” Isabella said somewhat bitterly.
“Because Luca is an absolute sweetheart who’d never let that happen. Plus now I make sure to keep my distance, though I doubt that Marcovaldo boy will ever stop staring daggers whenever I’m around.”
Suddenly something clicked inside Giulia’s head. Of course!
A memory from last summer quickly came to mind. She remembers that one night when Alberto came home particularly pissed off then spent most of the night sulking around, despite his best attempt to appear relaxed. She vividly remembered trying to find out what happened, but Alberto seemed hellbent on not saying anything. This probably explained why his mood worsened when she began to ask Luca about his visit to the bookstore.
“Yeah I got this new book-” Luca said hesitantly, looking over at Alberto who was hunched over, staring down at his plate with a tight grip on his fork. “It was recommended to me at the bookstore and it sounds really interesting-”
“Recommended by who? A new friend?” At this, Alberto loudly scoffed, rolling his eyes as he took a bite of his food.
“Yes,” Luca stared at Alberto with a frown. “A new friend. Just a friend.”
“Wow Luca. I didn’t know that's what friends act like.” Alberto said bitterly. “I guess that must be normal back in Genoa.”
“Um, what's the deal with you today?” Giulia ignorantly asked, oblivious to the entire issue at hand.
“Nothing’s wrong! Everything is fine. Why would I even be mad?” Alberto said with a forced grin as he mercissely stabbed his pasta. “I’m fan-tastic.”
He kept his shitty attitude all night until Luca used his big puppy brown eyes to get him to stop. It only took one ‘Beto please’ for him to settle down and apologize. Though it would explain why he always insists on accompanying Luca to the bookstore. In hindsight, it should have been pretty obvious to Giulia what had been going on.
“Honestly I don’t blame him.” Francesca said as she took a sip from her coffee. “I probably wouldn’t like it if someone shamelessly flirts with my lover in front of me.”
“Unofficial lover.” Isabella insisted. “It's not over till there’s a ring on it. And even that isn’t enough to stop many from trying.”
“Well that’s a battle that’s already lost stupida.” Matteo said, rolling his eyes. “What part of gay man don’t you understand? Are you really in denial or are you just that stupid?”
“Not like it's any of our business but how do you even know that?! That’s exactly how rumours spread.” Matteo blankly stared at her.
“C'mon. Just look at him.” Giulia let out a loud snort that she quickly covered with a cough. Thankfully she was able to go unnoticed by the trio.
“That’s the exact reason he gave Maria two years ago when she confessed to him.” Francesca explained.
“Wait Maria confessed to him?!”
“She did it a day after Giorgia.”
“Giorgia?! -Confessed too?!”
“Wow I guess you really are stupid huh.” Matteo said with a smirk. “But I mean even if that wasn’t the case, the real reason why he turned down all those confessions should be more than obvious.”
That had certainly been an interesting year. Giulia thought.
Alberto’s increasing popularity had come as a surprise to Giulia. She really didn’t get what all the fuss was about or how he suddenly gained what she liked to call a fan club. Apparently from what she was told, Alberto’s charm combined with the impressive physique that came from hours of fishing and swimming was considered “attractive”. Though all Giulia really sees is an overly confident idiota whose ego is far too big for his own good. She practically makes it her mission every summer to humble him after long months of non stop praise.
However, two years prior had really been a tipping point, because it was the first time one someone showed romantic interest in Alberto (other than Luca that is). A few weeks after Giulia and Luca left Portorosso again, they received a very interesting phone call.
"...So then I told her the same thing that I wasn't really interested in her." Alberto said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Girls are...I just um no..."
"Oh. Oh-Oh! Right, I totally get it!" Luca spluttered out, sounding somewhat relieved, releasing the tight grip he held on the phone cord. "Girls. They're okay but- Yeah definitely no-! For me too that is..."
"You too?! That's great- I mean- Uh wow! Girls. No. Just like me. Congrats. That's cool…"
"Uh yeah thanks. It's really cool..."
Giulia nearly pulled her hair out that night. Those two idiots continued to babble nonsense throughout their phone call that it drove her completely insane. However, the worst of it happened afterwards, when Luca kept her up all night by asking a million questions.
1 AM
"So Alberto said the reason he turned those girls down was because he didn't like girls. Do you think that means he would have accepted if they had been boys?! I mean duh obviously that's stupid-"
2 AM
"What if he gets another confession and he accepts it? Would he stop talking to me? I just really don't want that to happen... Ugh what's wrong with me?!"
3 AM
"Best friends can get jealous right? And they also want to hug, hold hands, and maybe kiss a little…? Ugh no that's dumb! Cause I definitely don't want to do that with you and you're also my best friend! Maybe it depends on the person...?"
"Luca please! I will smother you with my pillow if you ask one more question about your love life."
"Oh sorry." Luca grumbled. "Guess it doesn't make any sense asking you since you don't have a love life to begin with."
That quickly gained Luca a face full of pillows.
"Alright! Alright! I give up!" Isabella let her forehead hit the table. "I'll just find another summer romance.”
"Cheer up already. It could be worse! I mean have you heard what’s been going on between Signora Costa and her neighbor?”
Well I don’t really care about that. Giulia thought as she placed the magazine she had back onto the shelf. I should probably get home soon.
Just as Giulia was about to walk out, a girl barreled through the door.
“You guys will not believe what I just saw!”
“Veronica! Where have you been?” Francesca motioned towards the seat next to her. “We’ve been waiting for you for over half an hour!”
“Sorry! I had a long shift today plus there was- Ah! But that’s not important right now! I have to tell you what I just saw!”
“Well get on with it then. What happened?”
“There was a fight!”
“A fight?!” The other three teens said in unison. Guila was about to slip by unsuspected until-
“Yes! Between the butcher's son and the older Marcovaldo sibling!”
“Che cosa?!” Giulia shouted, startling the group who finally became aware of her presence. She quickly made her away and grabbed the girl by the shoulders. “What did that idiota do?! Don’t tell me it happened in front of everyone? Santa mozzarella! Did he at least win the fight? Cause that would definitely be way more embarrassing-“
“Um w-well-” Veronica stuttered out with an extremely flustered expression as she stared up at the redhead.
“Hey back up a bit! You’re overwhelming her.” Francesca said as she stood up.
“Who- Wait.” A realization dawned upon Isabella. ”You’re the other Marcovaldo, no?”
“Yes- Nevermind that!” Giulia turned back to Veronica. “Sorry I know I’m a little much at times, but I really need to know what happened. I need to know what trouble my stupid brother has gotten himself in!”
“Ah right. So I really don’t know how it all started, but what I understood is that it all started with Signor Ricci’s son bothering your brother’s friend. No, wait- He is dating Paguro isn’t he-?“
“Yes, but they don’t know it yet!” Giulia interrupted, which earned a glare from the others. “Heh sorry again. Then what happened?”
“Well the creep just wasn’t taking a hint and kept bothering him. That’s when your brother showed up. The two started having a really heated argument. I thought that was the end of things but instead…”
“And if I ever see you harassing Luca again I’ll fucking break that stupid face of yours!” Alberto shouted angrily.
“Alberto please!” Luca pleaded as he tried to pull Alberto away. “Let’s just go! It’s not worth it.“
“That’s right! Listen to your little fish boyfriend and run like the coward you are!”
Alberto gritted his teeth. He looked down at Luca and deeply sighed. “Fine. Let’s go.”
“That's exactly what I’d expect from your kind!” The butcher’s son gave a haughty laugh. “If I’d known that he was mostro marino I wouldn’t have wasted my time on him! Fish are only good when they’re gutted out and served on a silver platter!”
That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Before the blond even knew what was happening, a fist came crashing down against his face.
“Bam!” Veronica said as she hit her fist against her palm. “He was on the floor before he even knew what hit him.”
“Santa ricotta.” Giulia smacked the top of her head. “Please tell me that’s the end of it?”
“Not exactly…” Veronica bit her lip. “He did try to fight back but it was very one sided.”
“Ay Alberto! Papa is going to be furious when he finds out…”
“At least he won the fight. Good for him.”
“Matteo!” Isabella scolded as she shot him a glare.
“No he’s right.” Francesca agreed. “That Ricci kid is a total scumbag, who doesn’t know the meaning of no. He definitely had it coming.”
“But the worst part-“
“The worst part?!” Giulia said with widening eyes.
“The worst part is that Signor Ricci found out what your brother did. And he got really pissed off…”
“Don’t tell me he fought that old man too?!”
“No! By then, your brother had already left with Luca. However,” Veronica said nervously. “I think you better get home soon. It sounded like he was getting ready to go find and confront your brother. Who knows what that old man has planned…”
“Oh my Dio.” Giulia ran her fingers to her hair. Her brother was going to be the death of her. She grabbed Veronica’s hands and clasped them together. “Thank you for telling me, but now I gotta go!”
With that said, Giulia dashed out of there, leaving the other girl in a daze.
“She really is something huh…” Veronica said as her cheeks became dusted with a light shade of pink.
“Of course you’d say that.” Francesca snorted. “She’s totally your type.”
“You don’t think she heard what we were talking about right…?”
“Yeah don’t even get your hopes up Isabella. She definitely heard everything.” With that she let her head fall against the table once again.
...
“Luca, how many times do I have to tell you that I'm fine! Seriously, that jerk barely left a scratch on me!” Alberto said as he leaned away from Luca’s hand. He gestured towards his face. “It doesn’t even hurt.”
“Oh really?” Luca said unconvinced. He moved his hand then with his thumb pressed into the swollen bruise on Alberto’s left cheek. “So this doesn’t hurt right?”
“Ow ow ow ow! Okay-”Alberto grabbed Lucas' wrist in order to move his hand away. “So maybe it hurts a little...”
Luca let out a huff in annoyance. He handed Alberto a small bag of ice, gently pressing it against his bruised face. “I told you that we should have left.”
“I know. I know it was stupid but I just-“ Alberto looked to the side, as he closed his right fist tightly. “I just couldn’t stand the way he was talking about you. I just lost my cool, you know...”
“I know. I just don’t like to see you get hurt or get in trouble because of me.” Luca sighed softly. His hand reached out for Alberto’s closed fist, gently drawing circles until it opened up. “You already do so much for me.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Alberto chuckled softly, as he slowly intertwined their fingers.
“It is if you’re going to be coming home with bruises on your face.”
“And I’m completely fine with that. Plus, I won that fight. Seriously I doubt that bastard is going to be getting up from where I left him any time soon.” Luca frowned.
“Beto I’m serious!”
“I’m serious too!”
“Ugh!” Luca rested his head on Alberto’s shoulder. “It’s not just about the fight Alberto. There were a lot of people who saw the fight. Before we know it, everyone in Portorosso will know what happened.”
“Good then everyone will hear what a badass I am.”
“That’s just it! Once everyone hears about the beating you gave him, rumors are going to start and spread.” Luca pulled back with scared, tearful eyes. “What if people start to think that us sea monsters are violent?! Even though most of Portorosso accepts us, there’s a lot that don’t. What if they start talking bad about you? What if they try and do something to you?! I’d never forgive myself if that ever happened.”
“Luca…” Alberto put the ice bag down from his cheek that was now covered with purple scales. With his free hand, he carefully cupped the side of Lucas' face. He gently wiped away a small streak rolling down his face, brushing away the blue scales that had appeared. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry.”
Luca sniffed softly. “Promise me you’ll never do something like that again.”
“I’ll try my best Luca,” Alberto pushed back a brown curl behind Lucas' ear. “but I can’t just stand around when someone hurts or insults the person I love.”
“Don’t think your sweet words are going to distract me.” Luca’s cheeks visibly darken to a bright shade of red. “I mean it. No more getting into fights.”
“Alright you caught me.” Alberto leaned close to Luca’s ear then whispered. “I did mean it though.”
“S-Shut up!” Luca stuttered as he playfully smacked Alberto’s shoulder. The taller teen let out a laugh only to suddenly wince at the pain that came from his cheek.
“Ah that fucker…” Alberto spat as he held his cheek.
“Are you okay?” Luca asked worriedly. He slowly reached out towards the bruised cheek.
“Don’t worry I’ll survive.” Suddenly a mischievous grin spread on the tan teens face. “But I think I know what will make me feel better.”
“What?”
“Un bacio.” Luca let out a tiny squeak as his face went through a dozen shades of red.
“But it’s okay if you don’t want to.” Alberto sighed dramatically. “I can just push through the pain by myself."
Luca stayed quiet for a moment. He looked up with a face full of determination. "Okay."
"Wait wha-" He was interrupted by a soft pair of lips that brushed against his cheek that quickly flushed red.
"Better?" Luca looked up with a playful grin.
"Heh. Y-Yeah..." Alberto nervously chuckled. However, Luca's devious grin only widened. The brunette slowly traced his thumb down Alberto's cheek until he reached the corner of his mouth.
"Looks like you got hurt here too." Without missing a beat, Luca leaned in, slowly placing a kiss on the spot he'd chosen. Alberto quickly turned beet red as a shiver ran down his spine.
"L-Luca?" Alberto swallowed thickly.
"Hm?"
"I think- You should maybe- I think I also need here-" Alberto stammered, shyly drumming his fingers against his own lips. Luca giggled as he dragged his other hand up Alberto's arm until it rested around his neck. He then moved other hand to lift Alberto's chin up, then slowly swiped his thumb near his bottom lip.
"Oh yeah I see…" Luca fluttered his eyes closed as he leaned in until they were a lips distance away then-
"ALBERTO YOU IDIOTA!" Giulia screamed as she kicked down the front door of the house, startling the pair like deers caught in headlights. Alberto fell backwards from his chair hitting his head harshly against the floor, while Luca jumped up, hitting his knees against the kitchen table. "You're going to be the death of me! Why did you get in a fight?! Why- Uh what are you two doing?"
Alberto sighed irritatedly as looked over and shot her sister a glare from the floor. "Nothing anymore now that you're here."
Luca helped the other stand up sheepishly clearing his throat. "So you heard what happened huh…"
"Yeah I was at a shop when I overheard the news-"
"What you were eavesdropping? Typical." Alberto said as he dusted himself off.
"Yes- Wait no! Ugh that doesn't matter!" Giulia over and began to tug at Alberto's arm. "We have to go! Like right now!"
"Go where? I'm not going anywhere, especially with my face looking like this." Alberto joked as he pointed at his bruises.
"Alberto please!" Alberto quickly picked up on the desperation in her voice.
"Whoa hey. What's wrong Giulia?"
"I'll explain on the way but right now we-" Suddenly a loud knocking on the front gate was heard.
"Oh no." Giulia looked up with genuine fear in her eyes. "He's here."
"Who's here?" Luca spoke up as he stood up, looking out the open door intently. Alberto was about to head towards the gate when he was stopped by Giulia.
"Don't! Just go out the back way! Come on we can still get out of here-"
"Alberto Scorfano Marcovaldo." A voice bellowed as the knocks on the gate grew louder. "Get your ass out here and fight me like a man!"
"Is that Signor Ricci…?" Luca said as he held onto Alberto's arm protectively.
"Yes! He's pissed and he's here with too many sharp knives at his hand. Please let's go now."
"No." Alberto said as he made another attempt to move forward. "I can handle it."
"No!" Giulia shouted, trying to hold her brother back. "Bad idea! Bad idea! You're just as hot headed as he is! Plus what part of sharp knives aren't you getting?!"
"Beto," Luca gently touched his shoulder. "Please. Remember what you just promised?"
Just as Alberto was going to give in, the gate broke in half. The trio quickly turned towards the angry man, trying to break down the gate.
"Fight me coward! Don't you dare think that hiding behind your little sister will keep you safe after what you did to my son!"
Alberto broke away from the other two and stared down at the angry man. He stood tall and did not let the other man's demeanor intimidate him. "Enough. You're destroying my home. And you're scaring my family." He held out an arm defensively in front of a shaken up Giulia who was holding onto a worried Luca.
"After I'm done with you they should be, you filthy mostro marino!"
“Who do you think you are?!” Luca shouted angrily as he stepped forward only to be stopped by Alberto’s arm. “Get out. Now.”
“I guess I’ll be gutting not one but two fish tonight.” The older man cackled, causing Alberto’s face to be filled with pure rage. Giulia's eye darted between the two teens. She quickly reached out with her trembling hands holding the other two teens by the back of their shirts.
"S-Stay back or I'll call-" Giulia shouted trying to keep a strong face.
"Call who? The authorities? Your brother should consider himself lucky! He committed a crime against my dear son! Trust me the beating I'll give him won't be as long as the years in which he'll rot behind-"
"What is going on?" A stern voice interrupted. Massimo stood behind and stared down at the man that had broken the wooden gate.
"M-Massimo?" Suddenly the man's confidence and anger simmered down at the sight of a furious Massimo, towering above him. "Well you see-"
"It's Signor Marcovaldo to you." Massimo coldly stated. "I see you broke down my gate and frightened my children. Explain yourself. Quickly. Before I lose any more patience."
"Ah yes! You see that mostro marino-" Massimo shot him a cold glare. "I mean y-your eldest! He got into a scuffle with my own son and gave him a bad beating."
"Is this true figlio?" Massimo asked as he raised a bushy eyebrow. Alberto shamefully looked to the side and gave a curt nod.
"Yeah."
"Very well." A smug look began to grow on Signor Ricci's face, however it quickly disappeared. "How does that justify the gate and your threats against my family?"
"Well he committed a grave crime against my own!" He said as he angrily pointed a finger towards Alberto.
"Have you not done the same?" Signor Ricci tried to open his mouth but said nothing. "Let's solve this issue right now. You will pay for the damage you did to my gate. Then you and your son will then stay far from my family. Understood?" Signor Ricci was seemingly trying to find an argument but none came.
"Fine." Before he turned away, he shot a final glare at Alberto. "At the very least we deserve a proper apology."
"He has nothing to apologize for." Luca suddenly spat out surprising everyone, furiously returning a deadly glare back to Signor Ricci. The younger teen reached out to the older one, protectively holding onto his arm. Signor Ricci turned away, finally leaving the scene.
The tense air that hung over the Marcovaldo household was lifted. Giulia finally felt like she could breathe once more as he slumped against her brother's arm. Similarly, Luca relaxed as he tested his head on Alberto's shoulder. Alberto then let out the breath he had been holding in, as his shoulders relaxed, slowly wrapping a shaky arm around Luca.
"Are you three alright?" Massimo said as he approached the trio, returning to his usual calm tone.
"Yeah we're okay I think." Alberto said. Giulia quietly sniffled, quickly catching everyone's attention. Alberto looked over his shoulder, finding a teary eyed Giulia.
"Alberto you…" Large tears rolled down her freckled face. "I swear I'm going to kill you if this happens again." There was no trace of anger or threat in her voice. Alberto's face softened. He put his arm around and pulled her into a hug.
"Hey Giulia, it's okay. I'm fine, see? I'm completely stab free. No stab wounds here!"
"Don't joke about that shit idiota!" She cried as she buried her tearful face into his shoulder that soon changed into scales. Luca lightly hit his chest.
"Why would you even say that?!" Luca then followed Giulia as he too bursted into tears.
"Luca not you too- I'm fine okay? We're all fine!" Alberto looked up to meet Massimo's gaze. He half expected to meet a harsh stern stare but that was not the case. Suddenly they were all pulled into another hug.
"Figlio, are you really okay?" Massimo said as he gently patted Alberto's back.
"No." Alberto sniffled as he looked teary eyed as his lip trembled as he spoke. "I thought everyone was going to get hurt because of me." They all stayed like that for a while until the cries became quiet hiccups.
"Alberto. Stay here and look after everyone." Massimo said as he let go. "I'm going to try and get a replacement for the gate."
"But what about Signor-"
"Bah. Marcovaldo never waits around idle. They pick themselves up and fix the issue. I'll be back before dinner, okay?"
"Um P-Papa?" Despite the many years Alberto had been staying there, saying that word always made him nervous. "About the fight- I'm sorry. That was reckless of me. I promise it won't happen again. I just-"
Massimo raised his hand. "After the many years that I’ve known you, I know that you don't act out without a good reason. But please do keep out of trouble. At least for Giulietta's and Luca's sake."
Alberto nodded and turned his attention back to the other two teens clinging onto him once Massimo left. He reached one hand out, ruffling the fiery red curls of his sister, while his other hand slowly rubbed circles on Luca's back.
"You guys feel better now?"
"If you buy me tons of Gelato, maybe." Alberto chuckled, happy to hear Giulia’s retort back.
"Fine. Tomorrow I'll get you all the Gelato you want." Giulia looked up with puffy eyes. She swiped her at her face with her sleeve before a large grin was plastered on her face.
"Great! No takesies backsies though!" She yelled then quickly ran towards the house.
"Where are you going?" Alberto asked as he arched a brow.
"Well seeing as I've been through enough today I will go into the kitchen and stuff my face with whatever sweets I find. Then I'm going to binge watch all the romantic classics I got and you both have to watch all of them with me!"
"And why would we do that?" Luca finally spoke up as he looked over Albertos shoulder, letting out a final sniffle.
"Because we're underdogs duh! And-"
"-underdogs always stick together." They all said in unison before setting out into a fit of giggles.
"Plus," Giulia continued. "Cheesy romances are a great way to forget about all the dumb drama and rumors I've had today. So are you guys coming or what?"
Alberto turned to look at Luca for a moment. "Sure, we'll meet you inside in a second."
"Okay! Just don't take long! Cause I'm not explaining what you missed out on!"
"What do you think she meant by rumors?" Luca asked curiously.
"Dunno. But knowing Giulia, it probably means she's going to try and embarrass us with whatever inside knowledge she's gotten." Luca sighed as he finally held Alberto into a full hug.
"Hey Luca?"
"Yes?" He leaned back to look at the older teen.
"Thanks, for sticking up for me back then."
"Well," Luca looked up with a soft smile. "I can’t just stand around when someone hurts or insults the person I love, right?"
Alberto smiled sheepishly before turning it into a full grin. "You know, my lip still hurts from before. Probably because we didn't um…" He stops as his face flushes to the point where the tips of his ears are bright red. Luca giggles as his cheeks darken.
"Oh right. I almost forgot about that…You sure it still hurts?" He teased.
"Y-Yeah! Yes. Mhmm. It hurts. Please. Go ahead."
Luca began to lean in then pulled back. "Because if it doesn't then I don't really see the point in-"
"Luca!" Alberto whined with pout.
"I'm sorry but after the scare you gave me today, I deserve to tease you just a little." Alberto frowned.
"Okay Beto." Luca cupped the side of Albertos face. "For real this time."
The pair slowly leaned in and met with a sweet, chaste kiss. It didn't last very long but that didn't stop the two from feeling completely dazed afterwards. They almost didn't notice a pair of watchful eyes staring at them.
"You lovebirds done?"
"G-Giulia?!” Alberto spluttered out as an angry blush covered his face. “How long have you been standing there?"
"I came to look for Machiavelli but instead I found sweet young looooove."
"Couldn't you have walked away?" Luca said bashfully covering his face.
"And miss out on this summer romance? Oh my! No wonder your love is the talk of the town!"
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Nothing really. I’ve just heard a lot of interesting things around town.” Giulia said with a wicked grin as she ran back inside.
"Giulia, get back here! Don't tell me you've been gossiping about us again!"
"It's not gossip if it's true!"
"Giulia!"
The underdogs have certainly been through a lot together. So Giulia knows that even with all the rumors, drama and romance floating around Portorosso, they'll manage to get through another summer.