Page 18 of The Young & the Sinner

Mason smiled at me and I smiled back. I liked that he smiled at me. I liked how nice he was, even if he didn’t look it.

A shadow fell over me then, and I jumped, turning back. Then I blushed. Hard.

“What the… Lorenzo? Hi.”

I saw Max and Mason share a look from the corner of my eye, but I couldn’t pull my gaze away from Lorenzo.

“I thought that was you. How are you, Olivia? I’m surprised to see you here.”

“I’m good. And you?” Lorenzo Vitelli was talking to me. Talking. To. Me. I reminded myself to breathe, otherwise I might pass out, and how embarrassing would that be?

“I’m doing great. I’m glad to see you here.”

“Yeah?” That was surprising. I didn’t even think he knew who I was.

“Oh, yeah.” He turned to Max and Mason then, his hand outstretched. “Hello. My name is Lorenzo Vitelli. I go to school with Olivia.”

“Oh?” Max said, taking his hand in a firm grip. Max didn’t look all that impressed with Lorenzo, but then again, Max was never keen on me dating. He could be a tad overprotective. “Are you friends with Olivia? She has never mentioned you.”

I looked away, wanting to find a hole big enough for me to crawl into. Lorenzo didn’t seem fazed with the question, however.

“No, sir. I am not fortunate enough to have Olivia call me her friend. I don’t think she even notices me at school.”

I gasped. “Of course, I notice you.”

Lorenzo brightened at that. “Yeah?”

I realized too late that I should have said that with a little more apathy. Now everyone knew I had a crush on Lorenzo. Max looked like he wanted to drown himself. I knew the feeling. “Yeah,” I said, a little calmer. “We share a few classes together.”

“I know.”

I bit my lip to hide the pleased smile threatening to show.

Lorenzo then turned to Mason. He winced a little when they shook hands, and I wondered if Mason was gripping his hand a little too hard. My excitement about seeing Lorenzo here, and finally having him talk to me, dimmed somewhat when I took in Mason and Lorenzo side by side.

I always thought Lorenzo was so handsome and so cool. With his styled auburn hair, bright green eyes, and a natural tan that showed his Italian heritage, he was easily one of the best-looking boys at school. But standing next to Mason, I found Lorenzo lacking somehow.

His green eyes were nothing compared to Mason’s intense blue ones. His hair didn’t look effortlessly put together like Mason’s did. Lorenzo suddenly seemed like the kind of boy who would spend hours in front of the mirror, talking to himself about utter nonsense. But that wasn’t fair to him. For all I knew, he could be one of those boys who spent a reasonable amount of time in the mirror.

And even though Lorenzo was standing and Mason was sitting down, I could tell Lorenzo wouldn’t even reach Mason’s shoulder. But height shouldn’t be a contributing factor to the level of attractiveness I find in a person. It was shallow to think so, yet the thought came, and wouldn’t leave.

I looked away to hide my disappointment. How could this be? If this happened last week, I would be over the moon with his attention. Yet…

I spent close to three years crushing on Lorenzo and only Lorenzo. No other boy would do. As if anyone else could ever catch my attention when Lorenzo sat three desks ahead of me in math class.

I realized I missed a question when all three men turned my way expectantly. “I’m sorry. My head was in the clouds. Did you say something?”

Max gently tapped his knuckles over my chin affectionately. “Lorenzo asked me if he could take you out on a date next week. I said yes, and now we’re just waiting for your acceptance… or rejection.” He added the last part quietly, but I knew it was loud enough for Lorenzo to hear.

Lorenzo asked Max for permission to take me out on a date? That was such an old-fashioned thing to do. And I always had a thing for old-fashioned. “Yes. I would love to go out with you next week.”

Lorenzo brightened at that. “That’s great. I’ll catch up with you at school and we can work out the details then. I’ll let you guys get back to your dinner.”

Just then our server came back out with a large tray filled with our food. Lorenzo shot me a lingering smile, said goodbye to Max and Mason, and walked to the back of the restaurant.

Our server was quiet when she laid our plates down, and I got the feeling that she was purposely avoiding my eyes.

“Is there anything else I can get for you?” she asked demurely.

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