Less talking | Maneskin |

Neighbors in hell

We spent the evening taking and I didn't even notice when every other guest left. 
— Well, it's pretty late, - Brandon stood up from the swing, - I think it's time for me to go.
I nodded and escorted him to the front door. Seeing my mom in the kitchen, smiling wickedly, we went outside so she wouldn't pry on our conversation, even though it was nothing secret.
— Can I be honest with you? - I smiled, looking at him.
— I think so? - he looked back at me smiling questioningly.
— I didn't think I would enjoy your company as much as I did today, - I said and immediately regreted, because it sounded a little harsh. 
— I think that was a compliment, but I'm confused, - he laughed and I joined him, - Well, it was really nice to catch up with you, Sky.
— Yeah, I guess I'll see you more often now that you're going to be their neighbor, - I pointed at my parents' house.
— I don't know if I'll move here full time.
— What do you mean? - I looked at him confused.
— Well, I have some work related business in New York so that's where I was staying until I decided to buy that property. I can work from anywhere in the world for the most part, but I'm not sure if selling my apartment there would be a smart decision.
— Oh, a place to live in New York may be a good investment, - I nodded.
— Yeah, so I'll have to make up my mind. I would love to live here though, it feels so much more like home.
— Because it is.
— You know... - he paused to collect his thoughts, - Would you like to, let's say, have a dinner at my new house some time this week? It doesn't have to be a date, we can just hang out as old friends.. - he added, seeing my hesitation.
— Well, we haven't opened that fancy wine of yours, so why not? - I agreed.
— Nice, - he smiled, - Is Wednesday good for you? At about 7 PM?
— Yeah, sounds good, - I smiled.
— On that note, I'm gonna go, it's getting cold out, I don't want you to freeze, - he chuckled and hugged me. 

I fell in my bed full of mixed emotions. I was happy to reconnect with Brandon and I felt excited to visit his childhood house and see if it changed during the years. But I was also mad at myself for agreeing to that dinner, because he might take it as a false hope and I really didn't want any misunderstandings to happen. I took my phone and called Damiano. I figured I would tell him about today and ask his opinion about the dinner. If he dislikes the idea, I will just cancel.
— So he invited me to visit the house and have a dinner as friends, - I finished my recap of tonight, - What do you think about that?
— You don't have to ask for my permission, Sky, - he chuckled.
— I know, but I'm a little lost if I made the right choice, - I smiled too.
— Well, if you're having doubts, you can always cancel, other than that I'm completely fine with it, I trust you, - he said, and my heart ached because i missed him so much already.

I woke up pretty late because yesterday was quite an eventful day to say the least. I stayed in bed for a while, watching my friend's stories on instagram. Once I was all caught up, I forced myself to get out and change. I was lucky River was in the kitchen already making himself some coffee, so I didn't have to lift a finger to get a cup for myself. 
— What's the plan for today? - he asked me, pouring me a cup.
— We're going to visit grandma, - I answered, warming my hands on it.
— By saying "we" you mean...
— You and me, - I nodded.
— Be careful with your demands, because I can run away and leave you alone for the birth givers to enjoy, - he pointed at me.
— Like you have anywhere else to go, - I laughed at his attempt to intimidate me.
— Spencer said I can crash at his if my little sis gets too annoying, - he winked at me.
— Spencer Lawrence? How is he? - I jumped hearing that name.
— Still remembers you being into him, - he chuckled, mockingly and I punched his shoulder.
We had a little breakfast and loaded River's truck with some italian goodies to bring to grandma. I hopped in and River quickly ran to lock the front door.

We hit the road and I looked out the window, knowing we will pass Brandon's house on the way.
— Did you forget about your man yesterday? - River asked, seeing my interest.
— Of course not, why? - I looked at him confused.
— Well I saw you had a lot to talk about with Brandy boy, - he chuckled.
— A lot of time passed, a lot of things to fill each other in on, - I shrugged.
— Oh I'm sure that guy would like to fill you...
— EWW, what's wrong with you! - I slapped his hands even though he was driving.
— Careful, or we're not going to make it to grandma's alive, - he laughed at how annoyed I was.
— With thoughts like this at least I can be sure you wouln't bother me in heaven, - I shot back.
— Oooh no no no, we would be neighbors in hell, sis, you know it, - he laughed again and I joined him.
— So, when are you going to bring him over for us to meet? - he changed the subject.
— I don't know, the whole relationship is very fresh still, but I'm basically waiting for his divorce to be finalised and as soon as he's cleared of the mariage I will start thinking about that, - I rested my head against the window.
— Are you sure he's actually going to leave his wife? - he asked, looking at the road.
— Of course, they have been living separately for a long time now, it's just formalities. Although she doesn't want to admit that and keeps on stalling things... - I rolled my eyes.
— At least that's what he's telling you, - he was sceptic.
— What are you trying to say now? - I looked at my brother annoyed.
— Don't get offended now, I'm just looking out for you, - he lifted one hand in the air, - Just... he's a celebrity, he has a lot of options and... I don't want you to get hurt, Sky, - he struggled to voice his thoughts.
— I appreciate your concern, but I know him and I trust him, so you will have to do the same, - I swallowed my initial anger and answered calmly.

I felt a strange nervousnes while entering my grandma's house. Maybe it's because I didn't want to dissappoint her and I felt like my accomplishments in life were so minor now. She sat on the couch in the living room, with her leg bandaged up tightly. 
— Skyyy! - I heard her sweet voice when she saw me come in. 
— Hey, gran, - I hugged her happily.
 Her house was a lot smaller than my parents' and full of pastel yellow, as it was her favorite color. Even though she wasn't a typical grandmother, that spent all her time baking and knitting, every surface of her house had a hand made runner on it and she was really proud of them. I was sad to see a few new wrinkles on her face, indicating I haven't seen her for a long time. 

We spent a few hours catching up and drinking tea, but she didn't feel good so I cleaned her place up a little, River took care of her garden and we went back to the car. We stopped at "Walmart" and I couldn't resist buying a bunch of junk food.
— I'm gonna have to buy a gym membership back in Milan, - I chuckled, looking at my shopping bag.
— You've been slacking? - River raised his eyebrows.
— Oh yeah, I didn't have time for that when I was working at the ofice, and you know... It's a habit you lose pretty quickly, - I bit my lip, knowing I will get lectured. And I did. We put our groceries on the back seat and drove back home.

*THREE DAYS LATER*

Time with my family passed quickly. I felt like I was in a whirlwind of events, shopping with my mom, driving around the tow with my brother or going on  walks with my dad. It looked like I did so much over the past days, but there were no evidence of that left to me. I spoke to Damiano everyday, he filled me in on their life back in Italy. Today was going to be the first day we might not be able to talk, because of the major time difference and the fact they're performing at a local event in the evening. I silently wished them luck, knowing it's going to be a few events one after another and performing so frequently may be quite stressful.

After lunch I went upstairs to relax a little. I felt nauseous the whole day and I tried to figure out if it was because I was worrying about "Maneskin" performing and me not being able to watch it or because it was wednesday already and I knew tonight I'm going to have dinner with Brandon. Either way, I tried not to puke out the delicious meal I just had.