Like Hurricanes

30. Fire my skin

When we entered the bar, the warm atmosphere melted our bodies. We would have stayed at that beach for the rest of our lives, but the rain became too heavy and all we had at our disposal was a broken umbrella. Plus, I hadn't had breakfast yet, it was 1 p.m. and I was hungry as hell. I ordered a sandwich and a coke, while Noemi ordered a cup of green tea and a croissant.

''I think we might have fever tomorrow,'' Noemi said as she looked at the raindrops on the window pane.

''Yeah, I think we might. But it was worth it, right?''

''Yes, it was.''

Andrea and Matilde walked into the bar. I secretly hoped to never see that girl again, yet there she was. And now she was holding Andrea's hand. Once he saw us, he waved his hand and smiled. As he talked to the barman, Matilde walked towards us.

''Hey guys!'' she grabbed two chairs and put them next to our table. ''Mind if we join?''

Noemi smiled. ''Hey! No, of course. I'm Noemi, by the way. Nice to meet you.''

They shook hands and Matilde studied her with a fake smile. Once Andrea came, they both sat down and took off their jackets, spreading the cold they brought from the outside. As Matilde ate her sandwich, her eyes bored into me, making me feel uncomfortable.

''So,'' I said. ''I never got the chance to apologize. I'm really sorry, for uhm... well, for everything.''

She nodded her head and smiled sheepishly. ''Yeah, I'm sorry too, for slapping you in the face.''

''Yeah.''

She glanced at Noemi. ''So you're like dating, right?''

Andrea played with his fingers and decided to reply for us. ''Yes, they are. They're the cutest couple in class.''

Matilde awed, in the most fake way possible.

''So what are you guys doing here?'' Andrea asked. ''With this kind of weather I thought everyone would be at home.''

''It's my birthday so we wanted to go out. The rain doesn't really bother us.''

''Uuuh, it's your birthday? Happy Birthday then!'' Matilde exclaimed. ''How old are you now? Fifteen?''

''Sixteen,'' I corrected.

''Oh, so what did you buy her?''

I bit my lip, ''uhm, nothing actually.''

Matilde looked at me wide-eyed, exaggerating her shocked expression. ''What? I've heard you were a romantic guy.''

''Yeah, I guess you can't trust everything you hear.''

''Well then, you're even a worse boyfriend than Andrea!''

She giggled, she was the only who did. Andrea cocked an eyebrow and looked at me with irritation. As if this awkward conversation was all my fault.

''So, Valentine's dance is next week!'' Matilde said. ''Are you guys coming?''

I looked at Noemi. "Are we?''

She nodded her head and smiled.

Matilde smirked. ''I can only come if Andrea invites me. That's a stupid rule, isn't?''

I shrugged. ''Well, the dance is organized by our school, so...''

''Do you know who else is coming? I mean, from other lyceums. I go to the Cassini and I've heard that Gaia hasn't invited Diego yet.''