chapter 7

He looked great in a suit and I was dressed the wrong way, even though he hadn't said so, it was still a date and I was wearing jeans and a white shirt and a pair of white wedges.

even though he told me anyway that I looked good ...

I only realised my mistake later we spent almost half an hour together and then he

then he took me back to the bus stop and asked me: "Will I see you tomorrow too?

"no tomorrow" I tell him and he asks me in amazement

"why?"

"we're going shopping with sara and lilly!"

"then I guess I'll be home from work sooner than you".

"Come on, we're not that exaggerated".

"You think so? Let's see what time you get there tomorrow night!" he replies seriously.

"OK, I'm in, but what if we get back first?"

"It seems impossible, but let's do this: if I win, we'll see each other every day for lunch for a month!"

"and that would be a penance?

"But I didn't say it was bad".

"Alright then, but if I win ..."

"what should I do?"

"I don't know ... I'll think about it tomorrow ... I have to run now, the bus has arrived".

we say goodbye and I go back home, on the way I was thinking about what I would say the next day to my friends, I couldn't keep everything completely in the dark ...

On my way home Lilly called me, it was definitely a busy day.

"Lilly, tell me..."

"Are you home?"

"No, I'm on my way home."

"Where from?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow"

"Why tomorrow?"

"Because there will be so I'll tell you together."

"OK, come by Cada, I want to show you something!"

"OK! I'll be there soon".

I call my mother and tell her I'm going to see Lilly.

when I arrived it seemed that there had been an earthquake in her room

There were clothes and shoes everywhere.

"What have you done?"

"Don't mind me, I was going to throw some things away".

"But they're new!"

"I know, but I got tired of seeing them in the wardrobe."

"And why did you call me?"

"I want your advice...I'm keeping all these, but there are some", she said, pointing at the pile of clothes on her desk, "that I don't know what to keep or what to throw away".

I looked one by one at the folded clothes, they were shirts, jumpers and fulard jumpers there was even a satin waistcoat" but they're all beautiful" she exclaimed and she replied confused

"yes I know but ..."

"ok I get it you can't make a convincing match"

"yes" I went through all the clothes carefully and even dug out some of the items she had thrown away I completely renewed her wardrobe.

I didn't realise how much time had passed or how late it was until my mother called me "but aren't you coming home for dinner?"

"Yes."

"If you're still at Lilly's, I'll send Dad to pick you up."

"Yes, that's fine."

"Okay, I'll be there soon!"

I look at the phone, it's eight o'clock...

and he thinks he's already won the bet.

"I'm going. "

"Why?"

"Look what time it is, your brother will be here soon and we bet he'll make fun of us when he sees this mess" I say looking at the room where a bomb seemed to have exploded.

"who Mr. Perfect...of course he's going to say something but I don't pay attention" he says shrugging his shoulders and almost as if he was behind the door we see him opening the door he looks at his sister's room with his eyes wide open he asks

"has there been a tsunami in here?"

"no I did some cleaning in the wardrobe "he replies indifferent to her sarcastic tone

then he turns to me smiling "and how long have you been here?

he was definitely better at it than pretending that there was nothing between us....

I answer almost shyly

"I got here at 2:00, 2:15 at the latest, you tell me.

"but did you go shopping?" he asked again

"No, we're going tomorrow!" answered Lilly.

"and come back in the evening or do you want to rent a room because you won't have enough time for one day!" she teases us.

"You know you can be really obnoxious," Lilly replied, not in the mood for jokes.

"And you can blame me! If you've been here all afternoon just looking at old clothes and you still have to put them away, let alone when you're going round the shops..."

It's not that he was wrong,

but I didn't want to hear any more about shopping the bet he had made in the afternoon seemed to me to have already lost it ...

luckily

I hear the doorbell ring

"I'm going, see you tomorrow bye" I say hurriedly

"Do you want me to take you home?" he asked me

"No, if I'm not mistaken, my father has arrived".

I hear his mother calling me.

"Anna!"

"Yes ma'am!" I answer

"Your father has come to pick you up.

Yes, I'm coming!"

"Not bad!" I thought.

I couldn't resist being teased after an afternoon of talking about clothes.

"Good work" I say to Lilly pointing at the mess and then turning to him "good evening".

"good evening to you too" he replies and as I pass he extends his hand and for a moment our hands touch.

After dinner my mother asks me what happened today and without pretence I tell her everything " well I think things are going well!"

"yes only I don't know tomorrow what to tell lilly and sara I don't want to tell lies but with him I'm left that for a few more days I won't tell them "all this story was sending me into a tailspin

I'd never been one to keep secrets, especially from my friends...

"you can always tell him you're seeing someone and as soon as you're sure you'll tell him who and anyway you'd better warn him "

Just when we were talking about him, he called. By now I was getting used to the evening calls, we talked about everything and at the end I broached the subject of tomorrow and he answered very calmly.

"For me, you can tell him everything.

"but at this point it would be more correct to tell Lilly first, since you are her brother".

"so what do you want to do?"

"maybe tomorrow I'll tell him, and then as soon as you're free, we'll tell him together, at least to her".

"Alright then, let's do that"

"I'm going to bed now, I have a bet to win tomorrow", I said seriously.

I would have done anything to win it ...

"It sounds as true as you say it ...I told you you'll lose" she replies knowing very well the obsession for shopping we had

"and I say no".

"alright then I'll let you go to sleep anyway I know what I'm saying" this confidence of hers was so unpleasant ...

we say goodbye and I go to sleep the next day when he sends me good morning instead of sleeping again I send him a message to Lilly and Sara "at half past eight at my house".

In the meantime I get ready but since I notice that Lilly didn't see the message I call her and she answers sleepily "Hello".

"Come on, let's get up."

"Where?"

"Shopping?"

"but let's go later"

"No, let's go now. I sent the message to Sara and she agreed to meet me at 8:30."

"But that's only half an hour away!"

"Get up and be quick or I'll tell Sara what I did yesterday and tell her not to tell you".

"OK, I'm coming"

in her haste to know, she arrives early

"You're in turbo!"

"No, I came on my bike to go faster"

"out of curiosity to know"

"Yes, indeed"

"Alright, I've been seeing a guy for five days".

"Do I know him?"

"mmm ....ni"

"Won't you tell me who he is?"

"I want to be sure of what I'm doing first" I explain

"Do I even know him?"

"yes!"

"is he someone from the group?"

"yes, but don't I tell you more?"

"What if I tell you I might know who he is?"

"Even if you say the right name, I won't tell you it's him!"

"What a nuisance you are!" she exclaims, snorting.

we were at this point when we hear a horn blow .... it will be so we'll go out my mother had given me the credit card she had advised me to spend sparingly but when I went into the shops I got excited I bought everything from underwear to clothes to shoes to cosmetics