Page 50 of All's Fair in Love and Pizza
“I am always cool! You are the moony one. You have starry eyes, and you don’t think I see? Ay, Mateo. I was not born on yesterday.Ciao.”
And with that, she sashayed toward Amber and Rob.
Okay…that could only be trouble.
“Your mom knows about us.”
I stirred theBolognesesauce simmering on the stove. “Yeah, she thinks you’re hot for me.”
Rob’s blush was instantaneous. “Should I be alarmed?”
“That’s up to you. If you’re worried, you should know my cousins are on to us too.” I set the spoon aside and filled a pot with water.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, but it’s ’cause you laugh at my jokes, and I’m not exactly funny.”
“Laugh at—what?” Rob sputtered. “I don’t laugh. I wouldn’t?—”
“Relax. I’m teasing you. They know me, Rob. They know I’m gay, and they know we’re friends. They’ve also noticed how much time we spend together. It’s just a matter of simple deduction.”
“Oh. Right.”
“In fact, one of them probably saw you come upstairs with me thirty minutes ago, and might think thatBologneseis some kind of ‘hanky-panky’ code. Does that bother you?”
“No.” He answered quickly as if he didn’t have to think about it.
“Are you sure? It’s okay if you?—”
“I’m very sure.”
“Then what’s bothering you? Maybe I shouldn’t have said ‘date,’ huh? I made it weird. It’s just dinner…and Ma made the sauce, so it’s not like I was slaving over the stove all day for this. I didn’t even clean up. Okay…I did change the sheets, but I was gonna do that anyway. And you’ll notice, I didn’t light any candles or buy flowers. I don’t even think I own a single stupid candle, for fuck’s sake.”
Rob’s lips quirked in amusement. “Are you finished?”
I scrubbed my stubbled jaw, embarrassed by my outburst. “Yeah. Just…tell me what she said.”
Rob moved into my space and leaned on the counter. From this spot, he could view my entire apartment. My place was literally a fraction of the size of Rob’s. His house was lightand airy, decorated with the beach-themed prints and ocean-inspired colors a high-end designer had deemed appropriate, while mine was filled with family lore. The sturdy furniture had once belonged to my parents, and the walls were decorated with action photos from ski trips and parties my mom had hung years ago.
I never invited men here. This was a family space. My cousins were downstairs working, my grandparents’ wedding album was on a bookshelf lined with lace my mother had brought with her from the old country. Lace. In a grown man’s apartment. It was hard to explain to most booty calls, but Rob was different.
He understood family and respected traditions that weren’t his own. Which was why I wasn’t overly concerned that my mom had scared him off earlier.
“She discussed herbs with Amber and…uh, she may have given us a few spice tips for our marinara. That’s it.”
My jaw dropped. “She did not.”
“Did too,” he singsonged.
“My mother turned traitor? I don’t believe it.”
Rob snickered. “No, no. She pretty much said I’d need a bigger commitment from you before she’d give up the good stuff.”
My face was on fire. I opened and closed my mouth, then gave up and shook my head mournfully. “My family is the worst.”
“They’re the best.” He lifted my chin with the pad of his thumb. “So are you. Dinner smells amazing and I appreciate the invitation, but you didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”
“Don’t get excited. This is all about sex.”
