07

« Sadly, I didn’t see the fine man you ran into last week, who happens to be Matteo’s brother, » she adds with a smirk.

« Yeah… about that, » I chuckle and tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. She raises a brow at me.

« Oh yeah, you never told us his brother was hot ? I want to see pictures, » Zoe whines.

« How hot are we talking about ? If he’s Matteo’s brother, it must run in the family, » Charlie smirks.

« He’s alright, » I shrug, not wanting to discuss it any further.

It feels wrong to talk about Roman like that, especially considering he’s Matteo’s brother and my professor.

« Buzzkill, » Charlie says, and I glare at her.

« Find your own person to drool over, » I retort and she shrugs.

« Will do. »

Ignoring her, I turn to Zainab. « Anyway, when are you inviting me over for dinner again ? »

« I don’t need to invite you, you invite yourself, » she responds dryly.

« True, » I shrug, « but when’s the best time ? I’m craving your mother’s cooking skills. »

« You always are. And you’re always welcome, too. You know that. »

Moroccan cuisine is one of the best, in my opinion. And seen as Zainab’s house is practically my second home, I eat a lot of it.

Did I ask Zainab’s mother to adopt me multiple times so she can feed me, for she considers me one of her own already ? Yes, yes I did.

Just don’t tell my parents.

I spend the next two hours in the library with my friends and Violet, who is quiet as usual but engages in conversation as much as she can.

My phone buzzes with a text.

Matteo : Are you free, pretty girl ?

I’m cuddled up with Matteo on his bed, enjoying the stroking of his hand over my back and the sound of his soft breathing.

Our lips are still a bit swollen from kissing, and I can feel his body’s heat beneath mine.

« How was your day ? » I ask him and tilt my head up on his chest.

He half-shrugs. « It was alright, nothing special. How was yours ? »

I’m wondering if I should tell him that his brother is my professor, and I’m about to tell him about my day when he starts to plant kisses down my neck.

The hand that was stroking my back slides underneath my shirt and the other one goes to the front of my pants.

« Matteo, I’m not in the mood, » I murmur and pull away a bit. My stomach drops at the disappointed look on his face.

« Why ? » he whines and strokes my hair away from my face. « I want you so bad right now. »

« I’m just not feeling it, » I reply, and feel a sliver of guilt go through me.

But I refuse to let him fuck me while I’m not into it.

I’ll only regret it later. And miss me with that shit.

What also plays a big factor, is that Roman is in my mind as well, being that he’s my professor and I haven’t told Matteo about it.

« Please ? » he tries once again and pouts. I clench my jaw together.

« I said no, Matteo. »

I rarely call him by his name, but he’s getting on my nerves right now.

« Okay, then, » Matteo sighs, and I can feel him slipping a bit away from me even though he’s still cuddling me.

« Well, I actually have a class I need to attend, » he says after a few minutes and starts to untangle himself from me. « If you want to stay, you can. »

The bite in his voice doesn’t go unnoticed by me, and so I narrow my eyes at him, getting up as well.

« No, I’m good, » I snap and grab my stuff. « Call me back when you’re done acting like a little bitch. »

With that, I exit his dorm and slam the door behind me.

The rest of the week is very uneventful.

I’ve rarely spoken with Matteo, and I’ve been dry to the texts he’s sent. He didn’t ask to see me again, and if he’d text me, he was dry as well.

I’ve had classes with Roman two more times, both those times he ignored me and left class as soon as he could, so I never bothered to approach him since he’s made it clear he doesn’t want to be associated with me.

My cheek still tingles from the time he merely brushed it with his fingers, but I ignore it and start my way home, alongside Zoe and Charlie.

Zainab is at our apartment already, and I’m going there to pick up some stuff before going home to my parents.

« So, Matteo has an older brother ? » Charlie questions and I nod, getting tired of the same topic already.

« Yes, Charlie. No, I can’t hook you up with him. »

« Why ? » she pouts, her blue eyes staring at me from underneath her dyed red bangs.

« It wouldn’t be appropriate, » I shrug and keep the fact that he’s a professor at our university to myself. « And he’s very closed off, » I add.

Charlie rolls her eyes, and Zoe pouts.

« I would’ve loved to see him, » she sighs, « we’re deprived of some good-looking men and dick. Your brothers are the only hot guys around. »

I cringe and gag. « Please, don’t talk about my brothers. »

I’m glad when I arrive at my apartment and bid the girls goodbye as they continue their way to their homes.

Slipping inside the building, I go upstairs and step inside, deciding to freshen up before heading home and shouting to Zainab I’ll be showering.

Once in the bathroom, I strip out of my clothes and look into the mirror, gathering my curls into a bun on top of my head.

I share a lot of looks with my mother, but my hair color and curls are thanks to my dad and the same goes for eye-color, hazel-brown.

Whereas Alessandro and Dante even have a lighter color than I do.

I have full lips, though my bottom one is a bit fuller than the top one, and an upturned nose with some freckles on it, but they’re very light and few. My eyes are turned up at the corners, giving me a cat-eye look.

What I don’t have in common with the rest of my family, is their appreciation of the gym. I absolutely hate exercising.

I’ve always had the extra body weight. My thighs are thick, resulting in a very round and shapely ass.

Making it very hard for me to find the right size for pants.

I nearly don’t have back pains from my breasts, which are full and very generous.

When I was younger, I found comfort in the fact that my mom has a lot of curves as well even though she’s slimmer than I am.

That meant that she was just like me, and I wasn’t alone in having a lot of curves. Growing up, I grew more and more comfortable in my own skin and grew to love my curvy body.

I don’t care about my belly that’s a little pudgy. Or a few love handles on my side.

I love food, and there is just no way that I’ll give it up to achieve a body that society decided was pretty.

Because as sappy as it sounds, all bodies are beautiful and should be appreciated.

I never hesitated to appreciate and love mine.

My mother always told me that it’s all about confidence, so, confident is how I grew up to be.

Stepping into the shower, I quickly wash myself before stepping back out again and wrapping my body up in a towel.

When I’m done freshening up and having put on fresh clothes, I decide to head home and leave the mess with Matteo behind for now.

When I get home, I see Alessandro heading upstairs with his girlfriend, Amber.

Amber is a childhood friend as well, and she’s had an off-and on-relationship with Alessandro since begin college.

She’s always been in love with my brother, and there’s always been these unspoken feelings between them that everyone noticed.

She’s nice enough, and we’ve obviously spent a lot of time together for me to consider her family.

Dante is over at Valentina’s place, so I won’t be seeing them this weekend.