"Huh? I've never been on an airplane before," He said, mostly to himself. Also he didn't really get it, why would a kid kick a seat on an airplane? Something about being in the back with Frenchie gives him the nerves, excitement really. His ears were beginning to get warm.
"Oh! Now, I wasn't the one who came up with that. Blame my ancestors I guess," He chuckled. Opening the door, he slid in then shut it. "Or the Spaniards, probably them. We just like to take things slow, and enjoy the moment."
"And I never said that, I just said that the stores will close for lunch break. Hey, Mrs Russo, she keeps…what's the word again?" He stopped, his brows furrowed as his index finger rested on his lip. "Hărțuirea? Acoso….Bullismo…Ah, yes! She keeps bullying me."
Lina simply laughed as she started the car. "So sorry Adone but you chose to sit with her so these are the consequences." She hummed, looking at him in the rear view mirror. Frenchie stuck her tongue out at him with a smug grin like she'd gotten away with something. She felt like she was back home with her mom and brother, teasing and messing with each other just because they could. The reminder made her stomach twist. She needed to call her mom, it'd only been three days and she already missed her so much.
So Frenchie settled into her seat, staring out the window as she thought of home. She left her hand empty in the middle seat, not thinking much of it. She just watched the country pass by, amazed by the beauty of it all.
"Oh how unfair this is," He whispered. To himself, he laughed a little before sighing. As he rested back into the car seat, his eyes looked over at Frenchie. A small smile just sat on his face as he watched her, even though she was sticking her tongue out at him.
Keeping his head straight, his eyes closed. While the car ride could he short, he still wanted to take a little nap. It isn't even noon yet, but he feels tired already. His left hand fell off his lap and on top of Frenchie's. He felt fire or fireworks, is that normal? Slightly opening his eyes, he looked before shutting. His fingers delicately interlocked with hers.
She jumped a little when she felt his hand cover hers but quickly relaxed. She helped lace their fingers together, giving his hand a gentle squeeze before focusing back out the window. Knowing that she was holding his hand and her aunt had no clue made her blush, her cheeks tinting a light pink. She'd never get used to having this much affection outside of her family.
Frenchie didn't mind the quiet, it helped her relax and appreciate the beautiful scenery. So she watched until they entered the city, ready to start their shopping adventure.
Butterflies fluttered in his stomach. Adone was not able to resist the urge to smile. His heart squeezed and squealed with excitement. Opening his left eye, he gazed over at Frenchie for a quick second then over at Mrs Russo. The fact they are holding hands in secret practically piled on top of all the excitement. He does worry about getting caught before being able to tell Mr and Mrs Russo, and yet he pushed it to the side for now.
As they got closer and into the city, he eventually woke up. Yes, even if it was a short nap, Adone was a little bit disoriented for a moment or two. By the time he will step out of the car, he should be fine. Should be at the least.
When her aunt parked the car, Frenchie slowly pulled her hand from Adone's. She didn't want to but they had to keep this secret. "Alright you two. We've got some shopping to do. Time to make my niece the prettiest girl at the ball." Frenchie rolled her eyes with a smile. "You're so over the top. The only ball I know belongs to sports."
Frenchie got out of the car, her face absolutely lighting up at the city around them. It was so pretty, she couldn't believe such a place was even real, let alone that she was standing in it.
Adone held his hand for a second. Despite his heart dropping a little, his hand felt light and weird. A good weird. One that make him hold it up against his warm cheek to see if this was reality. Spoiler: it is.
He laughed a bit then leaned over to whisper into Frenchie's ear. "My bella, you already know that you are the prettiest, even if it is at sports." Afterwards, he hopped out of the car, carefully closing the door. The city looks just about the same as it has since he was born, but he knows that's just his perspective.
By the look in her eyes, he just wants to know hers. Adone shook his head then linked arms with Frenchie. "Come on Farfallina. I can take you sightseeing later."
She was jolted out of her staring by Adone, laughing to herself. "I'm going, I'm going, there's no need to pull." Her aunt led them into the first store, greeting the people inside before disappearing into the racks of clothes.
Frenchie just looked around for a second before humming. "Looks very…feminine. And while my style is a lot of things, I don't think feminine is one of them."
Adone decided to stay with Frenchie. While partially out of his liking and infatuation for her, he also does not know what he is doing here. Isn't he supposed to convince her to get a white dress? Is it at this store? He has no idea, but he found an olive green pantsuit that looked nice for the summer. At least he knows his colors and the value of pockets.
He just started picking up clothes that he thought Frenchie would like. Her comment did greatly influence (not to mention help him) what he randomly grabbed. "Doesn't have to be," He shrugged. "But if you find something, give it to me, I'll carry it." He picked up some sort of light long sleeve shirt, probably for chilly evenings.
"Aw, how sweet of you." She teased, rolling her eyes. She stuck by Adone's side, pointing out a couple of pieces that she liked as they made their way through. Eventually, they made their way to the back where the changing rooms were and they met up with Lina.
Lina had a knowing smile, looking to Adone almost expectantly. "Oh, Francesca, have you seen these dresses? I like this white one, what do you think?" It was indeed the white dress she'd pointed out to Adone earlier. Frenchie raised an eyebrow at it. "Really? That?"
"I know, I am the best." He sighed. "If only I had someone to share my sweetness with." Adone looked around at things as they passed by. Anytime she did point something out, he would stop, carefully take it, add it to the pile, then catch up to her. Thankfully there was no tripping, falling, or dropping anything throughout the process.
The moment his eyes laid on the dress, he froze. Right, that's the one. His face flushed as he shifted his weight on his right foot. Quickly, he went to find an empty dressing stall then placed all the clothes in there. He went back and took the dress from Mrs Russo, putting it close to Frenchie. "White suits you, you should try it. The dress cut is nice, not too feminine, and it looks breezy. Try it."
She took the dress, considering it for a minute before sighing. "Fine, I'll give it a shot. But if I feel dumb, it's going back." She marched into the dressing room and closed the door. Lina's face split into an excited grin. "Thank you." She whispered to Adone. "I'm gonna go find a hat, I'll be back in a minute."
Lina went off to find a hat to go with the dress, leaving Adone to wait for Frenchie. She came out a minute later, tugging at the hem of the dress, her face a light pink. "I haven't worn a dress for myself in so long, this feels weird."
Looking over his shoulder, he nodded at Mrs Russo. His head lightly bopper to the music the store was playing. It wasn't until he heard the door open when he snapped back into reality. "Dio mio," He breathed. The seconds flew by as he stared at Frenchie then at the dress; he wasn't really sure what to focus on really.
"Weird as in it makes you feel not good, or another kind of weird?" He asked, stepping towards her. Gently, he undid the ponytail then fluffed out her hair. "Cause I like the way it hugs your body. It makes me jealous, but it's another dress that you are making it look beautiful." He rolled the hair tie onto his wrist. "What do you think?"
Her face flushed darker, ducking her head to hide her burning face behind her hair but she couldn't help smiling. "I don't know, I guess it just makes me feel…more like a girl than usual. It's cute, don't get me wrong, it's just odd to see myself as such a girl."
Frenchie peeked up at him with a grin. "And what exactly are you jealous of, hm? I'm sure we could find the dress in your size if you so insist." She teased with a giggle.
Adone sighed, watching as her face was turning red. He ran his fingers through her hair then went and adjusted the sleeves and collar of the dress. "You don't need a dress to be all girly and pretty if that's what you're getting at. This one is nice, I like it, but your aunt is hoping that you do the most," He said. "You were such a girl when we danced last night and the same when you had that orchid behind your ear."
His hand settled on her cheek, cupping it. He rolled his eyes at her tease. "What exactly am I jealous of?" He asked. Adone bit his bottom lip as he went behind Frenchie, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I think that I look better on you, that is all, my Farfaillna," He whispered.
Frenchie's breath caught as she felt his arms wrap around her waist, shuddering slightly as his words. "You're so dramatic." She sighed, even as she pushed back into his chest. "Is this even comfortable? I know I'm small, you're gonna have back problems by the end of the summer."
Was she saying it just to avoid confronting the fact that she wanted to absolutely melt? Yes indeed. She had never thought to be one for guy's attention but she was basking in Adone's. Maybe that was all she needed.
Being comfortable was not what he really had in mind. On the other hand, having Frenchie in his arms does make him feel fluffy, happy, and of course, comfortable in a sense. Adone tightened his arms then rested his chin on her shoulder. It was not long until he hid his face in the side of her neck.
"What do you mean back problems?" He asked. Removing his face for a second, he shrugged. "Or are you saying that you are going to put my back out? Because if so….let me take you out for gelato or dinner first please. And plus, the back problems will be worth it." He returned to hiding his face in her neck, only to end up kissing it a few times.
Frenchie turned bright red, swatting at Adone indignantly. "Be civilized, you animal. We're in public." She huffed. Just the thought of it made goosebumps erupted over her body. But she had to stay focused, at least one of them had to be mature.
Though she couldn't say she hated the idea. But definitely not so soon, she'd just met the guy! Some people may jump the gun but she wasn't about to be one of them.
Adone stepped away once she was swatting him so. His faced turn red as it became blank. "I'm sorry. I should've asked." He tapped the side of his khaki shorts in order to make a mental note of it. His excitement needs to tone down, so that's what he will do. "You can kick me in the shin for that, if you want to."
He went through the other clothes. Randomly picking up two, he went and held one in front of her then the other. His mind wasn't on clothes though. "Farfallina, what do you look for in a boy….boyfriend? What do you like?" He asked. "I'm sure I'm not the first boy you are into."
She couldn't look at him, still red in the face. "No, it's fine. You just caught me off guard is all. I wouldn't…mind. With that kind of thing. Just…not so soon." She sighed softly as she looked up at him. Hopefully that made sense. She was more talking about his comment than him kissing her neck. That part she hadn't minded. She'd actually found it kinda thrilling.
She thought for a minute about his question. "Well…there's been guys I think are cute and such, sure. But I don't think there's ever been one I've really liked. Well…before you, I guess." She mumbled the last part, too stubborn to truly admit it.
Off guard and not so soon. Adone tapped his side again. Giving an assured nod, he grinned. "I get that. You must tell me these things always, okay?" He moved the one outfit to his other hand, using his right one to brush her cheek. "Your contentment is my happiness and I want every moment you have in Sicily to be better than the last."
"Ah, is that so?" He wondered. Going back inside the dressing room, he placed the outfits back and returned with two more. "What were they like? Were they into sports, or were they as terrible as me?"
She leaned into his touch with a soft smile. "I didn't mind the…the kiss. Just the comment caught me off guard. It's my third day, give me some time." She laughed aged against the doorframe to the dressing room. "Never thought you'd be so into women's fashion."
Frenchie thought about his question for a minute. "Yeah, they were kinda like you I guess. If you put all of them together, they'd make a watered down version of you."
Adone nodded again. "No comments like that. I will try to do my best," He promised. Lowering the clothes he held, he shrugged. "If I want to be a Renaissance man, shouldn't I have some knowledge about fashion? Clothes go beyond our genders, that's what my Nonna said. Plus, you get more fun clothes to wear. I only have plain stuff."
"They must've been boring. Luckily for you, I am not," He assured. "I am not your average American boy because I am not American at all nor average. Wouldn't you agree?"
Frenchie rolled her eyes with a grin. "No, I wouldn't describe you as boring. Crazy, maybe. Boring, not really. But not all American boys are boring. You may have an advantage but they're not out of the running."
She ran her hand along the doorframe to the dressing room. "Y'know, it's a common rumor in America that couples go shopping together only to end up making out in the changing rooms. I don't know how true it is here but it definitely happens over there."
His finger rested on his bottom lip. Well, at least he is not boring to her. He can work with crazy; actually, his family would agree with that too. But…"Not until I am done with them. They will be, eventually," He laughed. "They are going up against me, they will give up because they are not as cute or smart as me."
To be honest, he was not sure sure how to react to what she just said. Was Frenchie saying that they are a couple now? Cause if so, he's going to explode; in a good way though. And what does she mean by making out in the dressing rooms? Adone stepped up to her. "Are you suggesting we do that? Making that rumor true, over here?"
