Page 4 of Veil of the Past
He breathes in before replying, “Busy as well. We should go out for lunch sometime. We haven’t seen each other in ages. How’s your brother been, by the way?”
“Tristan’s been good. How’s your brother, Nicolo, have you spoken to him? Any new business ventures?”
He doesn’t answer for a couple of seconds, but then he finally says, “I haven’t spoken to him for a couple of weeks; he’s been busy in Italy, you know, business and shit. But he’s alive, last I checked.” We fall into a familiar,comfortable silence as we wait for everyone else to arrive. Both Eli and Val are in the kitchen, probably preparing more snacks before everyone else gets here. But now that I think about it, as I hear Valentina giggle, I doubt that’s what they’re really doing.
Just as I’m about to ask Val where everyone is, the elevator doors slide open again, and Lucio walks in. Lucio is much like his older brother Emiliano—at least in appearance. He has wavy black hair, which he keeps short, tattoos on his neck, a full sleeve on his left arm, and the wordsfuck boytattooed on his knuckles. Piercing blue eyes complete his look that tends to scream pure chaos. “What’s up, mother fuckers?” Lucio shouts, as his younger sister, Mara, stands behind him, shaking her head at his words. They both step in, and Eli comes out of the kitchen, his eyes narrowed at his younger brother.
“Stop being a fucking idiot Lucio. Where’s Ma and Matteo?” he asks.
“They’re downstairs. Ma brought some of her Rhubarb Spritz, and Matteo’s helping her carry the cooler inside,” Mara says as she walks farther into the penthouse. Valentina comes out of the kitchen and hugs Mara, and they exchange a few words before Val goes back into the kitchen. The sound of something popping fills the air, followed by the smell of popcorn.
“Hi, Allie. Romiro. How are you guys?” Mara asks as she settles on the small beanbag sitting at the end of the L-shaped couch.
“Good, thanks, Mara. What about you? How’s college been?” I ask her.
She shrugs and replies, “Good, I guess.” Lucio doesn’t greet anyone; he’s busy staring at his phone screen as he sits on the hardwood floor, his back to the couch.
Soon enough, the elevator doors slide open, revealing Aunt Mariana and Matteo, who’s Mara’s twin brother. Matteo and Mara may look alike, with light-colored hair and blue eyes, but that’s as far as their similarities go. They’re polar opposites. I get up to greet Aunt Mariana, and she pulls me into a hug, pecking both my cheeks. “Aunt Mari, how have you been?” I ask her.
She pulls back and gives me a broad smile. “I’ve been good, thank you for asking, Alessia. How has your residency been?” I’ve recently begun my residency as an A&E doctor at the hospital.
“Exhausting,” I tell her, and her eyes soften as she brushes a stray hair out of my face.
“It’s hopefully going to get better.” Her eyes drift to the side and she shouts, “Val!” I turn to see Valentina standing in the doorway. She makes her way toward us and hugs Aunt Mari. Mara and my aunt are practically twins, except for the fact that Aunt Mari is in her late forties.
“Hi! How are you, Mariana?” Val asks her.
“I’ve been good, what about you Val? Has Emiliano been treating you well?” Mariana eyes her eldest son over Val’s head, and he gives her a brooding look before going back into the kitchen—probably to check on the popcorn.
Valentina lets out a giggle at Emiliano’s expression before replying, “Yeah, he’s been great, actually. Come in, come in. Don’t just stand in the doorway.” Val ushers everyone inside, and we all settle around the big sitting area.
I settle back into my previous seat, making sure to snatch the TV remote back from Romiro, who raises his hands in surrender before giving me a wink and whispering, “Feisty.”
“Shut up,” I mutter back. I watch as Aunt Mariana heads into the kitchen with the cooler and starts assembling her signature summer drink. Matteo settles at the other end of the couch, watching both Mara and Lucio argue about movie genres. I go back to what I was doing before flipping through the movie categories, and Eli walks out of the kitchen, his phone held up to his ear as he heads toward the control panel. Our cousin Dominico’s probably here.
My prediction is confirmed once the elevator doors slide open, and I spot Dominico as he steps in, the bags under his green eyes are clear as day; he’s still grieving the death of his wife, and his usually well-kept hair is a mess, his tie loose, and he looks like he’s barely standing on his own two feet. Both Mariana and Valentina walk out of the kitchen.
Emiliano is frowning at Dom, his lips twisting into a snarl before he asks, “Have you been fucking drinking?Again.”
Dom’s unfocused gaze settles on Eli before saying, “Fucking mind your business.Cugino.”
“I’m not just your fucking cugino, asshole. I’m your Capo. And I fucking told you tostopdrinking. Your liver is begging you to quit.”
“Mind. Your. Fucking. Business. I don’t give a shit what you told me. I’m oflegaldrinking age.” Dominico’s words are slightly slurred as Eli grabs him by his collar and pulls him close.
“Listen. And listenverycarefully. When I fucking tell you to stop drinking, you fuckinglisten. I’m your Capo—your boss. I’m the fucking law, and what I say will be obeyed.”
Dominico yanks Emiliano’s hands off him and shouts, “You can come fucking preach to me about not drinking when you lose your wife and aren’t able to see her before she’s buried. How about that? I didn’t even get to fucking bury my damn wife! So lay off your power tripping bullshit and let me deal with my own fucking liver.Asshole.”
Aunt Mariana holds Emiliano’s elbow and whispers something in his ear. He doesn’t answer and instead stalks back into the kitchen, jaw clenched.
“Why don’t you come in and make yourself comfortable, Dom?” Val suggests, pulling Dom by the sleeve of his suit jacket and trying to diffuse the situation. He begrudgingly lets her guide him, his face not once changing. We all settle back into our previous positions, but Dom goes into the kitchen and comes back out with a glass of what I would assume to be black coffee—the way he prefers to take it—before taking a seat in the far corner, away from the rest of us.
“Have you decided on a movie yet?” Mara asks me.
Shaking my head I say, “No, not yet, so any suggestions are welcome.”
She opens her mouth to say something, but Lucio beats her to it. “Don’t let her pick anything, she’ll make us watch a gruesome horror film.” Mara shoots a scathing glare his way before a sly smile appears on her face. “Not a word out of you,sister,” he warns, and she shoots him a glare.
