Chapter 1.1. - Valentina
1686 Words
New York, United States – September 30th, 2020
We are set to arrive at the hotel the day of the event. It’s only my parents and I since Adrik got to stay home because he ‘wasn’t really ready to deal with a crowded space’. The smirk at the end of his sentence had let me know that he was long over it but was smart enough to use it as an excuse.
This meant that I had to get up at four so we could be on the plane at 6am. By the time we touched down in New York it’s 9am local time, even though it’s late afternoon in my head.
The ball is taking place at The Plaza, but we apparently know the owner and got two rooms reserved just for our family.
I know that there’s a security guard right outside my door, but I am grateful to finally be I out of the house and have a little bit of privacy.
The dress I packed for the event is black and simple, with feathers at the bottom. My mother insisted I wear heels, and I chose the YSL ones with the logo as the heel.
We have a table as usual, together with Raisa and Valerya. Lunch is served half an hour in, and by the time I’m done eating I already feel bored.
All my mother and Valerya seem to be able to talk about it whose daughter is dancing with whose son, and I can’t even pretend that I’m remotely interesting in the topic.
Raisa is only able to talk about her boyfriend from Moscow who studies Law at NYU, and even when the conversation isn’t about him, she finds a way to bring him up.
My eyes drift off around the room in a desperate way to entertain myself by watching other people. There’s a family a few tables away, who seems to be just as bored as I am. The two children, a girl and a boy, look like they would rather be anywhere but here as they lean on their elbows and watch the dance floor with disinterest.
“You could also dance, you know.” My mother pipes up after I sighed for the tenth time in twenty minutes.
“No thank you.”
My father has disappeared after lunch was served, probably off somewhere with his business partners/friends/whatever they are.
I inevitably look around the room again, this time sipping from a freshly poured champagne glass.
The family from earlier is missing the dad and the daughter, and the mother looks like she is telling the boy off for something he shouldn’t have done. It reminds me of my family’s first ‘formal event’, when Adrik and I definitely did not want to be there and mom would have to tell us to behave every minutes in a hushed tone.
I look over at the bar where two queues have started to form, mostly filled with men who want something stronger than bad champagne. There are two guys at the end of the bar, and the already looking at me reminds me of Matteo.
It is Matteo.
I do a double take and we look at each other confused at first; confused as to what the other is doing here. Then he raises his brows and nods in acknowledgement, his signature smirk appearing at the corners of his mouth.
The guy next to him looks at me before turning his head and asking Matteo something.
“I’ll be right back.” I tell no one in particular as I stand up.
My heels are a nightmare to walk in, and the thought of tripping on my way to the bar flashes through my mind.
“Where are you going?”
I roll my eyes. “To the bar.”
Before she can ask me anymore questions, I start walking towards the bar, making sure to place one foot in front of the other.
I watch Matteo’s face as he looks in the direction of my table again and realizing I’m not there anymore. He looks around the crowd then, and by the time we make eye contact I’m close enough to hear him.
Both of them watch me take a few more steps until I’m right in front of them.
“Hi.” I say, my checking him out for a split second. He’s wearing a suit without a tie, and there’s an earpiece with a chord in his right ear. His hair is gelled back, which reveals more of his face and makes him look pretty.
He looks at me for a moment, taking me in, then looks down, shyly smiling. He’s embarrassed about looking so dressed-up, which makes him look cute, in a youthful, boyish sort of way. He looks…ugh.
“You look handsome.” I say and walk closer to him, shamelessly checking him out.
I know he’s trying not to do the same, which gives me pleasure in a sadistic sort of way.
“You look good too.” he sees my face and adds “and I’m not saying it just because you said it.”
I smirk. “I know.”
The guy he’s with says something in Italian before he leaves the two of us alone.
“Who is that?”
He turns his head to look in the guy’s direction. The fact that he smells incredible makes me wonder whether I’m already tipsy from three glasses of champagne.
“It’s my partner. Luca.” He looks back to me, then down at my full glass. “Looks like you’re struggling.”
“I don’t even like champagne. It doesn’t taste so good and it takes liters to get drunk.”
Matteo smiles. “You’re drinking it though.”
“What am I supposed to do? Not drink at these events? It’s the only way I get through them.”
“Do you go to these types of events often?”
“My parents make me go.”
It makes me sound like a child, but it’s the bitter truth. I’m not as independent as I would like to be.
He makes himself comfortable in the highchair he is sitting on, leaning his right elbow on the bar to look up at me. “So what are you doing here?”
“I told you, my family.”
He smirks. “I meant, why did you come over?”
I roll my eyes at him, not able to hide my smile. I can’t deny the fact that mood has shifted since I came over.
“I want to get a proper drink, and to say hello.”
He whistles to one of the guys working at the bar, then waves him over. I notice a new tattoo on his hand as he does so.
“What does the tattoo mean?” I ask.
He replies with a question. “What do you want to drink?”
“Gin Tonic, obviously.”
Matteo motions to the guy to make two of them, then turns back to me. The way he’s looking at me makes me feel naked, like he’s trying to read my mind.
“What?” I impatiently ask.
“How are you?”
The question seems weird to me. “I’m good, why?”
He shrugs. “I haven’t seen you since-“ he stops. “Since your birthday.”
I squint at him in a joking way, to let him know that I can tell something’s off.
“What?” he smirks, mimicking my accent and my words from a few seconds ago.
“How are you?” I ask then, trying my best to do an Italian accent.
“Also good. A little bored.”
“What are you even doing here? I thought this is a Russian event.”
“My dad’s security company was hired for the event a while back.”
“So, you’re supposed to be from security?”
He nods.
“Do you have a gun?”
His face changes. “I do.”
“Have you ever shot someone?”
“No.”
I can tell he’s lying. “Why are you lying?”
“Because it’s not something I like to talk about.”
“I think it’s interesting.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. It’s just interesting. The circumstances, the story behind it.”
“Why do you think there’s a story?”
“There’s always a story.”
“I’m not going to talk about it though.”
“That’s alright.” I say, although now he’s made me curious. It’s the most interesting that’s happened to me in the past month.
I realize that he’s looking at me weird.
“Anything interesting happen to you?” he asks me.
“Not really. We had to stay inside for the past month.”
“Why?”
Shit, now I have to come up with something.
“Covid.”
I don’t care if he can tell I’m lying, I just can’t talk about what happened right now.
The guy, Luca, comes back. He’s tall (not as tall as Matteo but taller than me in heels), has light brown hair and blue eyes.
He talks in Italian once again, completely ignoring me. Something he says makes Matteo’s face change. MATTEO: what does she want? Why is she still here?
I busy myself with the drinks placed by the bartender as Matteo says something to Luca I don’t understand.
My eyes drift towards my table, where my mother and Raisa are watching, obviously talking about me. I see Raisa say something to my mom before standing up and walking in our direction.
Great.
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