"To the room, little troublemaker, you've terrorized enough nuns for today!" I smile at her and pat her head. She revels in the gesture and readily agrees.
"And you?"
"I..." I'm about to say I'll join her when I spot Mother Superior and Sisi going toward the unknown male. My curiosity is piqued.
"Go first! I'll come shortly." She's about to pout, but I urge her forward, and she gives up, joyfully skipping towards our accommodation.
Intrigued by the unknown figure and his connection to Sisi, I stealthily make my way towards an arch that allows for better visibility. Once my spot is chosen, I strain to make out the stranger.
And Lord, is he beautiful. Wait... can men be beautiful? I frown a little at that. I'd never thought about it, mostly because I'd never interacted with any males that weren't family. My brother, Enzo, could be considered beautiful, but he is too perfect. No, this stranger is beautiful in a different way. If I were to cast him in a biblical play (technically I'm only allowed to read those), he'd be Lucifer. Bright, yet with hidden depths. His dark blonde hair is messy and falling down his forehead in unruly strands. His skin has an olive hue, and his features look as if they've been chiseled in stone.
Ahh... I release a dreamy sigh. I guess you can tell how deprived I've been of male eye candy. Enzo had sneaked me a phone with an internet connection, but Lord is it slow. Even now... in this day and age. The images are the worst to load. But considering the fact that I'm breaking the rules just by owning that phone... well, I'll just take what I can get.
For now.
But I do have my celebrity crushes, like Marlon Brando... (the young version, of course). And this man... well, he could give Marlon Brando a run for his money, if he doesn't become obese in old age.
As usual, I start thinking about something, and I lose the thread... My brain really must have gone into overload mode. I'm even feeling a little flushed, and as I fan myself, I imagine what it would be like to be kissed by such a man.
I sigh out loud.
Probably better than kissing Marlon Brando... and I have imagined that quite a bit. I mean, have you seen that clip where he bites his lip? I rest my case.
It must be because I've never been kissed. I've fantasized so much about it that every slightly attractive male becomes my next fixation. But this is the first time I see someone that appeals to me in a non-digital format.
Since that incident, years ago, I've given up hope that I will ever experience that type of feeling in the flesh. But no one can take my fantasies away.
Honestly, even if it happened in real life, who is to say I wouldn't react badly to it, given my trauma?
It's better to admire from a distance. And that man will be the protagonist of my dreams until I get a better internet connection.
I'm once again so lost in my thoughts I don't realize both Sisi and the stranger are now standing up, looking as if they are saying goodbye.
I wait around until both him and Mother superior are gone, before I dash to Sisi's side, ready to get more answers.
"Who was that?" Sisi's startled by my words, and I have to stifle a chuckle at her expression. She puts one hand up and one on her chest, indicating she's catching her breath.
"I told you not to sneak up on people." She shakes her head with a smile, and taking another big gulp of air, she proceeds to tell me all about the foreign male.
"He's my brother."
"Your brother? That?" I ask, my reaction a bit too telling. Sisi narrows her eyes at me.
"Yes. That." She laughs. "He came over to give me some updates regarding the family. My other brother, Valentino, committed suicide."
"I'm so sorry." I add immediately, feeling a little silly over my previous gushing when Sisi received such bad news.
"Apparently he was already ill. It doesn't matter now, does it? It's all water under the bridge. I feel bad about it, but it's not like we ever had a close bond... He was essentially a stranger."
"I know what you mean." I take her elbow and we head towards our room. We'd managed, against all odds, to stay together in the same accommodation for years now.
"It's sad. But it is what it is. Marcello promised he'd visit again, and maybe even bring my sister with him." Sisi says and I can see the longing on her face. She's always had a problem with her family abandoning her at the convent. Over the years, I'd seen her overcome some of her issues, but that doesn't mean she's stopped hoping that at one point she'd be reunited with them. While she's now resigned to taking her vows soon, it doesn't mean it is what she wants. And I know that better than anyone. She's just making the best out of the hand she's been dealt.
"Marcello?" I ask. Is that his name?
"That's my brother."
"I've never heard you talk about Marcello before." I add. She's talked about her family in vague terms, and I know Valentino visited sometimes.
"He left the family years ago... it seems he's back now to get the affairs in order." He left the family? That's interesting. It also paints him in a much more positive light. Sisi knows very little about our families, having been raised in the convent since birth. And I'd never had the heart to tell her they are criminals. I've also had enough interactions with men within the famiglia to know that we are both way better off without them. My brother is the only exception I can think of. Ever since I was a child, he's protected and shielded me from our father's wrath. He'd even prepared a suitable match for me before the incident. After... he promised to get me out of Sacre Coeur when he inherits. It's been ten long years now, but I still have not given up hope. I trust Enzo, and I know he will keep his promise. When my father is no longer a concern, Claudia will finally be able to enjoy the outside world. Just thinking about that makes me smile. It's the only thing that's been keeping me going all these years.
"And what did he do?" I probe. I'm a little too curious about the man, I admit.
"He was a lawyer. He put away criminals." Sisi smiles, pride reflected in her gaze. That's definitely a commendable profession. He's earning even more brownie points.
"He's very good looking." I add shamelessly, and I can feel my cheeks immediately redden.
"Lina!" Sisi exclaims in outraged amusement. "So that's why you were so curious." She teases, and I blush even more.
"It's not as if I see a handsome man every day." I argue, but she's having none of that.
"Maybe next time you can meet him, too."
"And do what? Swoon at his feet?" The mere thought of that is hilarious. A scene slowly paints itself in my mind. Me tripping unceremoniously and landing on Marcello's lap. Meeting his eyes for the first time, and him realizing that we're meant to be. All of it ending, of course, with a kiss. I'm so lost in that scenario, that it takes Sisi physically shaking me to get me back to reality.
"You were really gone this time." She chuckles.
"I'm sure he'd want nothing more than a semi-nun with a child." I mutter drily, the reality of it being rather depressing.
"Hey, don't sell yourself short! You are not a nun, and you are beautiful. And I mean really beautiful. Any man would be lucky to have you." She tries to comfort me, but I shrug it off. So what if I'm pretty? My circumstances are decidedly not.