Page 58 of Red Queen
I love my mom and dad, but these couple of days were hell. The first day was okay, but as soon as the others left, from then on, they interrogated Mateo like he was a criminal, asking every single thing you could know about a person.
I’m so happy that now they know which kindergarten Mateo went to, and that he has a big birthmark on his left thigh, right under his ass. They also know that his aunt lived in Texas, but now she has moved back to Spain, because she split with her husband, because she met a woman. Good for her
Not at all freaked out that they know every detail about my boyf—my fake boyfriend. And I’m definitely not mad at Mateo for complying and answering all their absurd questions.
We finally manage to get in the car and head to Barcelona where we hop on Mateo’s yacht, and sail all the way to Monaco.
As soon as we set foot in Monaco, we’re greeted by a driver waiting for us with a Jeep. At least now we won’t be late. I got ready on the yacht, somehow managing to put some makeup on, and chose a decent outfit. Mateo didn’t change; he didn’t even need to.
Now that he doesn’t have to wear mandatory team gear, he dresses in formal clothes. I don’t see him in these types of clothes a lot, but when he puts them on, it’s really hard to focus on anything else.
Mateo lets go of my waist as we sit in the car, then my phone starts ringing. Damn it, it’s the bridezilla. What else could she want for the wedding?
“Hey, Missy!” She almost shouts into the phone, her voice filled with happiness. That’s weird. Something’s up.
“I prefer Rosalia, actually.” At least she greeted me. What a rare occurrence.
“Yeah, okay, whatever. So we know this is quite last minute, but does your boyfriend have plans for August 17?”
“No, I don’t think so, but let me ask.” I put the phone lower, then whisper over to Mateo. “I’m doing a wedding in two weeks, and I think they want to invite you too, but please say no because she’s an awful person, trust me, you won’t want to be there.”
He nods, then I lift the phone back up, putting it on speaker. “Hi, dear bride, Mateo here. I don’t have any plans for that day yet.”
“Oh my gosh! So awesome! Because we just had a guest cancel on us, so we thought we should ask you. We’re big Formula 1 fans, so we’d love to have you at the wedding.” Formula 1 fans, my ass. I bet she just discovered that my boyfriend is famous and she wants to invite him to pretend they’re good friends. It’s going to be a nightmare.
“Of course! I’d actually love to be there. Thank you for the invite!” I slowly turn my head toward Mateo, my eyes shooting daggers at him.
“I hate you,” I mouth to him, but he just smirks. Just when I thought he couldn’t get more annoying.
38
ROSA
We arrive at the restaurant, give our names, then step inside once they check us in. I look around and see that the place is now more decorated, going for a modern and elegant look. It feels more girly now.
I hear a woman shriek from upstairs, and then I notice Delilah rushing down to us with a big grin.
“Hi! You’re finally here!” She almost shouts, then pulls us into a big hug.
Ever since we’ve met in Monaco, we’ve kept FaceTiming, chatting, we even met a couple times during bigger breaks. We became good friends, even with Isa.
“Yes. We made it. More or less survived the family gathering,” I say, and we share a laugh. And I’m not even exaggerating.
“Oh my, meeting the parents? You’re getting serious then?” She smirks, pointing her fingers at us. I look over to Mateo, and a blush spreads on my cheeks as he looks back at me, waiting for my answer.
“I guess we can say that, yeah,” I answer finally. A guy approaches us, cradling Lilah’s face, then leaves a kiss on her cheek with a loud smooch.
“Della, darling. You made it.” He pulls her into a hug, then turns to greet us. He’s about to kiss my cheek, too, but Mateo quickly puts his arm around my waist, keeping me close to him, like he’s marking his territory. Is he really that stupid that he can’t see the guy’s more into him than me?
“Hi. I’m Rosa, a friend of Lilah. And this is my boyfriend, Mateo.” He smirks at Teo’s actions, protecting me from him, when it should be the other way around. That man has some naughty thoughts going on about my boyfriend.
“Nice to meet you guys. I’m Rio. I hope to see you around.” Just as quickly he came, he walked away. Lilah rolls her eyes and then lets out a chuckle.
“Rio… Rio is my cousin. He can be a handful at times, but he’s the sweetest guy. Ladies always ask me to set them up with him, but…it’s no use.” Mateo clears his throat, and when Lilah looks at me, we burst out laughing. So she noticed his obvious jealousy.
“Is that a photo wall?” I ask enthusiastically as I spot the fancy-looking background where people are waiting in a line for their turns.
“Yeah! You can take some photos there and post them on social media to promote the restaurant. I’d be forever grateful if you’d do the same.” She looks at me with hopeful eyes, and then I turn to Mateo, who nods. “Yes! Thank you. I love you guys. Tag the restaurant and me! I’ll see you later.”
