Salomé stepped out of her room dressed in a navy-blue sweater tucked neatly into high-waisted jeans, her blue hair pulled back into a low ponytail with just a few strands framing her face.
She looked polished, in a quiet kind of way. A small silver pendant rested at her collarbone, delicate.
The kitchen still held the warmth from earlier, the scent of tomatoes and garlic faint in the air.
She saw Giovanni already there, early, as usual. Shirt sleeves wet near the wrists, busy scrubbing something in the sink.
Salomé hesitated before murmuring "Morning," quieter than she meant to.
He didn't look up. Just replied, "Morning," in a voice so even, it could've been a placeholder.
She wanted to say something else, about last night, but the moment didn't offer any openings.
She sat at the kitchen counter, and just a minute later, he handed her a plate.
Toast with eggs, bacon, and tomatoes.
Salomé blinked, surprised. "Thanks."
Giovanni didn't answer, but she noticed he smiled a little before turning away.
It was almost like her eyes were deceiving her.
It wasn't until she wiped the plate clean that she realized he was no longer in the kitchen.
She glanced toward the hallway. No sound. No presence. Only the soft hum of the fridge and the distant trickle of water remained.
She stood up and cleaned the dishes, before grabbing her bag, but lingered by the door.
"Well... I'm off... to school," she called out, half-hoping he might hear her, but not truly expecting a response.
It was the kind of thing you say when you're not even sure it matters.
Inside the bathroom, Giovanni paused, water still running. He heard the door click shut and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth before he even realized it.
It started small, barely a twitch, but then it widened. He tilted his head back under the stream, letting the water wash over his face, and gave a quiet laugh. Not mocking—just surprised by himself.
It was one of those moments, the kind that shouldn't matter but somehow did.
He repeated it under his breath, amused:
"I'm off… to school."
He turned off the water and reached for a towel, wiping the steam from the mirror as he glanced at his own reflection.
His hair was plastered to his forehead, and his jaw was rough with stubble. Also, he didn't usually smile like that.
*
Salomé glanced at the time on her phone, her last class of the day was ten minutes past its start time, and the lecture hall was still half-empty.
She stepped away from the crowd and into the open air, pulling out her phone and scrolling to her mum's number.
Julie picked up on the second ring, her voice warm and instantly familiar. "Sweetheart!"
"Hey, mum," she said quietly.
"Honey, are you good? You don't sound okay."
"Nothing much. I just... miss you, that's all."
"Oh, my sweet girl." Julie said. "I miss you too. It's been what, four days?"
"Feels longer," Salomé murmured, drifting toward the quieter side of the courtyard.
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah. Just felt like hearing your voice."
There was a rustle on the other end, and then the faint babble of a baby, like soft bubbles popping.
"Liam's trying to eat my hair again." Julie said with a sigh.
Salomé laughed. "Tell him I said hi."
"His eyes are wide open. He probably remembers your voice."
Salomé smiled. "How's Austin? Is he treating you well?"
Julie laughed. "Of course. Better than well, in fact. You know, he's been really sweet of late. I'm starting to suspect he did something and doesn't want me to get mad about it. This morning, he made me breakfast in bed. In bed, Salomé."
Salomé chuckled. "Well, that's good."
A silence stretched between them.
"You sure you're okay?" Julie asked.
"I'm okay. Just overwhelmed...I guess."
Julie hummed. "School?"
"Partly. And life, you know."
"Have you been eating okay?"
"Yeah. Actually..." Salomé exhaled through her mouth. "Giovanni's been cooking. He's really good at it too."
"Oh?"
"He made minestrone soup last night. Minestrone, mum."
"Giovanni's the temporary roommate, right?"
"Mhm. That's him."
Julie was quiet for a second. "You like him."
Her spine straightened. "What? No. I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to. Your voice did. You got that soft thing going on."
"What soft thing? I don't have a soft thing."
Julie laughed. "Sweetheart, I invented the soft thing. I know it when I hear it."
Salomé rolled her eyes, not realizing she was smiling. "Come on, Mum. It's not like that with Giovanni."
There was a long pause.
Salomé leaned against the courtyard railing, biting on her lower lip. A bird flew low over the trees, and she followed its path absently.
"I think I like him," she said finally. "Kind of."
Julie didn't respond right away.
"You sound surprised."
"I am surprised," Salomé admitted. "He's not even my type. He's so… unreadable. He doesn't try to be charming or anything, he just is. And sometimes he's cold, or too quiet, and other times he does something that feels-"
"Intimate?" her mother offered gently.
Salomé blinked, caught off guard. "Yeah. Yeah, exactly."
"Well, liking someone doesn't mean you have to do anything about it right away. Sometimes, you just let it be there. Sit with it. Watch it grow, or fade."
Salomé closed her eyes, letting the words settle. "I keep trying to forget this moment we had… something he said that kind of caught me off guard."
"What did he say?"
Heat rose cheeks her cheeks, as the events of that day played in front of her like a movie. "He said he wanted to... do bad things."
Julie coughed. "He what?"
"No, no-it wasn't like that. It was...context. It was just one moment. And it's like, ever since, I've been trying to delete the whole scene from my head. But I can't. And he hasn't said anything about it either."
"Maybe he's trying to forget it too," Julie said. "Or maybe he's waiting to see if you bring it up first."
"Well... I don't know anymore. I barely know him."
Julie's tone softened. "You don't have to know someone for them to mean something to you. It just happens."
"That's what scares me, I think," she said. "It feels… fast. Unreasonable, even. I don't know what he likes doing or his favourite colour or...Mum, I don't even know what his program is. Yet we go to the same school, stay in the same house... it doesn't make any sense."
Julie hummed softly. "That doesn't make what you're feeling any less real. Sometimes it starts small. But you notice it because it's different."
"It's not even a full crush or anything. It's more like…" she paused, not knowing the right words to use. "Like I notice when he walks into the room. Like I remember things I don't mean to."
"I'd describe like an itch behind your ear, you don't know it's there until it won't go away."
Salomé smiled faintly. "That's… oddly accurate."
"You don't have to name it," Julie added. "You're allowed to just feel weird and unsure and curious. That's all part of it."
"Okay," Salomé whispered.
"You're good, honey. Just keep being honest with yourself."
Salomé nodded. "Thanks, Mum."
"Always. And remember, if you ever need to talk, I'm just one call and a bottle-wielding baby away."
Salomé laughed. "Give Liam a kiss from me."
"I will. Love you, my baby girl."
"Love you too, mum."
As she ended the call and tucked her phone back into her bag, Salomé wasn't any clearer about her feelings, but she didn't feel quite as confused either.
It was just a scratch. A small one. But it had her attention.