Page 31 of Noticing Natalie

She hisses and enlarges the pictures on her screen. “I needed to find out that my granddaughter, my one and only granddaughter, is dating a superstar, from Elaine at my water aerobics class! Do you know how embarrassing that was for me?”

Her face is beetroot red and I can feel humiliation pouring off her.

“Yia-Yia, let me explain…”

“No!” Her head shakes violently. “No explanation can excuse this. Have you been hiding this boy from us?”

“Mamma, let the girl answer one question before you shoot another at her.” I throw a grateful smile at my mum, who has entered the room armed with a bottle of wine and her ability to be a peacemaker. She’s played that role many times.

“Stella, do you forgive her for keeping her boyfriend, her famous boyfriend, a secret from us?”

Mum bites her lip, sending me a pitying glance. “She’s obviously got her reasons.”

I nod, about to share everything with them, when I snap my mouth shut. Is there a way to use this ‘famous boyfriend’ as a distraction to get Yia-Yia off my case? To stop her meddling, matchmaking ways, even if it’s just for a week?

What are you thinking, Natalie? Surely, you’re not going to go ahead with this charade?

Except that I am. The minute Matthew told me he needed me, I was in. It just took my brain longer to catch up with my heart.

“It happened quickly,” I hear myself explain as if from far away. “We reconnected when he came into the ER as a patient and we’re just seeing where things go.”

The lies taste bitter on my tongue and I refuse to make eye contact with either of them.

“So, it’s true?” Mum looks shocked and who can blame her? The situation definitely belongs in the fiction category.

“Of course it’s true, Stella,” Yia-Yia scoffs. “Look at these photos. The man is in love with our Natalia.”

Mum takes the iPad from her mother and puts her glasses on to get a better view. “He does look…smitten with you, darling. But it’s all so sudden.”

You’re telling me!

“It’s new. And it’s not serious. We’re just dating. Remember, we were friends in high school?”

They both nod, matching sour looks on their faces. Oh, they remember! They remember the days of howling tears that erupted after Matthew’s betrayal. His made-up betrayal, as it turns out.

“That boy hurt you then. Why should we trust him now?”

I flounder. How much should I tell them?

“We cleared the air.” I go with as much truth as I can. “He explained what happened back then, and it turns out it was all a lie made up by some very petty jealous girls who wanted him for themselves. Matthew was never a part of anything that was meant to hurt me.”

They absorb this in silence. “So, he’s a good boy?” Yia-Yia asks like he’s ten years old and wanting to mow her lawn.

“He’s the best.”

Mum gapes at me and Yia-Yia grins. Excitement is now replacing her annoyance at being left in the dark.

“Then this is wonderful news! Our Natalia is going to marry a celebrity! A good-looking, rich celebrity!”

Marry? How did we get here?

“Calm down, Mamma,” my mum chides her mum, while I gulp in air. “They just started dating.”

“But see how good they look together!” She holds up her screen proudly. “Such a beautiful couple. They’ll make beautiful babies.”

Babies!

“Yia-Yia, one step at a time. Let us get to know each other, then we’ll see what next.”

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