CHAPTER 143: LEO’S DAY OUT.

The upper deck was quieter than the rest of the party, the music drifting up in a softer hum.

A faint breeze came off the river, cooling the air around them as they stepped into the open space and stopped near the railing, neither in a rush to speak.

For a moment, they just stood there, letting the noise settle behind them.

Leo glanced around, then found something sturdy to lean against as his hand slipped into his pocket, brushing the edge of his phone.

He almost took it out again out of habit when Vittoria spoke first.

"So... how are you finding Rome so far?"

Leo nodded once.

"It’s nice."

He put his phone away properly this time.

"I’ve gotten a few memories worth keeping."

"That’s nice," she said, though the conversation faded quickly after that.

Then Vittoria reached into her small bag and pulled out what looked like a packet of cigarettes.

Leo watched her without saying anything, his expression unreadable, but she noticed and turned towards him.

"What?" she asked, brows lifting a little.

He shook his head.

"Nothing."

But the moment she slid one out, he noticed the odd shine on the tip.

She lifted it to her lips, pressed lightly, and instead of smoke, a small bubble floated out and drifted into the air.

Leo let out a short, quiet laugh while she grinned and kept blowing more bubbles, the breeze carrying them across the open deck.

"What?" she asked, but Leo couldn’t stop laughing.

After a moment, she held the packet out to him. "Want one?"

He took the stick, curious, and tried it.

A stream of bubbles floated up from his side, too, and that again got them both laughing, and a few people across the deck turned to look at what was the cause of the sound.

Vittoria slowed down and shot him a sideways look.

"You know, you were looking at me with the most judgy eyes when I pulled that out."

He shook his head again.

"I wasn’t judging. I was just caught off guard. You don’t really look like someone who smokes."

She clicked her tongue. "That’s judging."

He only shrugged, still blowing another bubble, the mood between the two getting open enough for teasing.

Then she nudged him with her elbow.

"And you stare a lot. Same as before, same as today. Like back at the Tre Fontaine, when we were in the stands, and you approached with Carlo."

He turned away for a second, then back to her.

"How would you know I was staring if you weren’t staring yourself?"

Vittoria blinked, then smiled to herself as if she didn’t want to but couldn’t help it.

"Wow. Answering a question with a question."

Leo shifted slightly, leaning on the railing again as his voice came from her side.

"Besides, it’s hard not to look at you, though, mine was just... filling curiosity."

She faced him fully now after he said that, with a little smirk on her face.

"And are you done filling it?"

He gave a small nod, thought without meeting her eyes.

"Too much of anything is bad."

Vittoria rolled her eyes, though a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she blew another bubble to avoid giving him the satisfaction of reacting.

The two talked for a while afterwards.

At some point, the topic drifted to his family, and he mentioned the things he still needed to buy before heading home.

"I still have to get something for my aunt and my sister," he said.

"Was thinking about shoes for my aunt. Something she can wear to work. And maybe a bag for my sister so she can flex on her friends."

Vittoria laughed softly. "They must be happy."

"Yeah, well... I haven’t bought anything yet," he said. "And I might not even get the time."

"Why not? When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

She gave him an observant look that told him she had something on her mind.

"I would’ve rescheduled if it were me. But I guess you had a reason."

"Flight’s arranged by the national team," he said.

"Everything’s already locked in. We have the photoshoot in the late morning, and I fly out right after."

She nodded slowly, then went silent for a bit, before she stood up and brushed her hair behind her shoulder.

"Alright. Come on."

Leo lifted a brow as he pushed off the railing.

"Where are we going?"

She turned back toward him.

"You need shoes and a bag, no?"

He blinked once and then let out a short breath through his nose, realising what she meant.

"You’re serious?"

She gave him an unimpressed look, the kind that answered the question by itself as Leo fell into step beside her without saying anything else.

They walked back toward the ramp, the music rising again as they approached.

Vittoria pulled out her phone and hit a contact.

Gianna appeared at the edge of the deck a few seconds later, leaning forward so she could hear.

Vittoria said a few words into the phone, but Gianna didn’t respond with words.

She only sent a slow, knowing smile toward them as they reached the bottom of the ramp while Leo pretended he didn’t notice.

Vittoria ended the call and slipped her phone back into her bag as the two of them stepped onto the solid walkway.

....

[An hour later]

"You really are that well known," Leo said as they stepped out of the last shop with the streetlights stretching their shadows along the pavement.

Vittoria shrugged and then nodded toward the glossy bag in his hand and the shoe box tucked under his arm.

"You really are rich, huh?"

Leo pulled back a little, almost like the word hit him in the ribs, letting out a small laugh after a beat.

"I’m not, and I’ve never been rich. Not financially. I just... do alright for myself now."

He glanced at her then.

"But you? They treated you like you were made of gold. I don’t think the attendants even blinked while you looked around."

"Everything comes with a tradeoff," she said, tone softening at the end.

"Now I can’t even go outside without someone taking pictures. Someone probably has a camera on us right now."

"That’s scary," Leo said dryly, recoiling a bit as she nudged him with her elbow.

"Please. You’re one to talk. You’re a football player. You have fans who’d probably die for you."

Leo shook his head.

"Nah. I’m nowhere near that level."

They turned the corner, and the noise from the riverfront returned, low and scattered with the night settling into its quieter hours and the party winding down.

Carlo and the boys were already off the boat, speaking with Gianna and the others.

They looked up as Leo and Vittoria approached, and just as they got close enough, Carlo raised a smirk.

"Where did you disappear to? With her?"

Leo looked at the bag in his hand, then shoved it toward Carlo’s face.

"Souvenirs. My sister and my aunt."

Carlo lifted a brow, impressed, then nodded.

"Are you done?" Leo asked him. "Can we head out?"

Carlo tapped him lightly in the chest.

"Bro, don’t shout it to everyone that we have a curfew."

Udogie, Ruggeri, Ricci, and Fornella all laughed quietly as they joined in, each of them nodding along.

"It’s late anyway," Ricci said.

"Yeah, yeah," Carlo replied, already drifting toward Gianna.

Leo stayed where he was for a moment, then turned to Vittoria, who hadn’t moved from his side.

"I didn’t get the chance to say thank you," he said.

"Don’t," she replied.

"I’ll ask for a favour when you’ve got the time."

He held her gaze for a second, unsure what she meant, but she gave nothing away.

With the party almost done, the girls began drifting toward their rides.

The four who came together slipped into a waiting hatchback, chatting quietly as they shut the doors.

And after them, a black sedan rolled up alongside a moment later, its lights washing over the riverbank.

Gianna headed straight for it, pulling the door open as Vittoria slowed beside her. Before getting in, Vittoria glanced back toward Leo and gave a small wave.

He returned it with a brief lift of his hand.

The boys waited until the cars pulled away, making sure everyone was off safely, before they turned back toward the road.

A few minutes passed before an Uber XL crawled up to the curb.

The same driver from earlier leaned over his seat as they opened the doors.

"You guys again," he said, laughing. "I swear, it’s your fault I haven’t gone home. My shift ended ages ago."

That got a round of quiet snorts from the boys as they climbed in, and the driver kept chuckling as he pulled away from the river.

Leo settled into the corner seat and pulled out his phone.

The bag rested on his lap as he opened his gallery and found the picture he’d taken in the store, then sent it to his sister.

But then, after doing so, he realised that she might not see since it was too late.

He was about to pocket his phone when a notification slid across the top of his screen.

He paused and brought it closer.

[Vittoria Fiorelli D’Averna has started following you]

His brow lowered a fraction as he tapped the notification, which opened his follower list, then her profile.

Her page loaded slowly, the screen glowing soft against the dim interior of the car.

He clicked her icon and scrolled through a few posts.

Most of them were pictures.

Clean shots.

Some candid, some clearly from events.

He followed her back after he was satisfied with the little picture watching.

Then he closed the app and slid his phone into his pocket, letting his head fall back lightly against the seat as the car turned onto another main road.