SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW ➻ DEMETRI VOLTURI

V E N T I S E T T E

"Sooo?" Nessie asked as she pulled a red dress from the rack in the store. She barely looked at the dress, staring at Cecilia instead, who was looking with a rather bored expression on her face at a denim skirt.

Ignoring the skirt, her eyes found Nessie's. The girl's brown eyes had a curious glint in them and the way the corners of her mouth curled into a sly smile had Cecilia's skin crawling with fear. Not the same fear as when Aro looked at her like that, but close enough. She tried to hide her horrified expression and focused her eyes on some other piece of cloth. "So what?" she asked, playing dumb.

Nessie let out an exasperated sigh, hanging the dress back rather aggressively. "So, how's everything between you and Demetri, obviously?" the girl asked, giggling after.

"Oh, that's what this shopping trip is about, huh," Cecilia said, rolling her eyes. "I thought it was about the clothes."

"Of course not," Nessie replied, smiling smugly. "But I had to get you out of the castle for one reason or another."

"Somehow, you've just made me hate shopping even more than I did before," Cecilia sighed, hanging back a red shirt. At least now she could stop pretending to look at clothes, while secretly counting to hundred and back in her head, wishing Nessie would be done already. "We should at least go to some nice restaurant if you're going to torture me with your questions. You pay."

"Deal," Nessie said without a moment of hesitation. She linked her arm through Cecilia's, pulling the girl out of the store at a speed that made Cecilia's head spin. "I think that place will be just fine."

Cecilia followed Nessie's finger, a soft smile coming to her lips as she recognized which restaurant she was talking about. It had been the one Demetri had taken her to as well, where she'd been amused the whole night by his horrible facial expressions alone. She nodded and Nessie increased their pace until Cecilia almost had to run to keep up. "We've got the whole afternoon, Ness," Cecilia said, chuckling. "Calm down."

"Sorry, I just can't wait to get the tea," Nessie excused herself, though she didn't sound sorry at all.

"Ah, miss Cullen, such a delight to see you again," the host spoke as soon as she and Nessie arrived at the terrace. She'd forgotten his name, but she remembered him as the one making sure she and Demetri got seated at the best place and had the best service. "Where would you like to be seated today?"

"Buon pomeriggio," Cecilia greeted the man with a polite smile, ignoring the way Nessie's eyes were burning holes in the side of her face. She looked across the terrace, noticing it was packed already. "I was wondering if you had a place for two outside, but if not, inside is fine as well."

"Oh, no worries miss Cullen, follow me please."

They followed the man inside the restaurant as he lead them through the private area out two doors and onto another terrace of which one table was only occupied. The host turned to them, gesturing to a table that was placed partially in the sun, partially in the shadow. "Will this suffice, miss Cullen?"

"Yes, thank you very much," Cecilia said, nodding as she took the seat in the sun. She watched with a smile as Nessie took the seat opposite of hers, an unbelieving look in her eyes.

"When exactly did you become a celebrity around here?" Nessie asked in a low tone as soon as the host walked away. "He treated you like you would end his life if you didn't like his service."

Cecilia's widened and she gave the girl in front of her a soft nudge with her foot under the table. "Don't speak so loudly," she hissed back. Still, Nessie continued to stare at her, demanding an answer. Letting out a loud sigh, she shrugged. "Demetri took me to dinner here once. I didn't know he would remember me."