Chapter 168 - Like a Horse in a Race Track

Milan, Italy

It was noon the day after Alianna was back in her place and she was currently sprawled in bed talking on the phone with Caleb. She didn't have any plans that day except catching up on her sleep. She was surprised but elated that he called her as soon as he woke up. So, for the past thirty minutes, they updated each other about yesterday's events – Alianna being on the same flight with Matthew, and Caleb showing Katherine some establishments.

As though they were two old friends, they held the conversation pretty well minus the mentioning of their feelings.

"Aren't you going to start preparing for work yet?" Alianna asked.

Caleb checked the time on his nightstand and sighed. He was having a good time talking to her but he needed to get up lest he'll be late for work. "Yeah… I guess I do. Have you visited your mom already?"

"No… I don't know… I don't want to."

"I'm sure she misses you, Li. Why don't you surprise her later while you still don't have work?"

Alianna softly chuckled, "You know very well that's not possible, Cay. For all I know she is out with her new boyfriend somewhere and forgot about her own mother's birthday."

"I'm sorry…"

There was a few seconds of silence before Caleb spoke again, "I'm gonna take a shower now. I'll call you again later?"

"Sure. Have a great day and take care…"

Alianna breathed out an upset sigh thinking about what Caleb just said. Her mother, Julianna, rebelled because of daddy issues when she was a teenager and got pregnant during college. She raised Ali on her own and left several years later and pursued her passion for modeling. Without a father and having barely known her mother, Ali dreamed of becoming a model too, thinking that her relationship with her mother might improve and her mother might notice her more.

Growing up, that was all that she wanted so she walked a straight line and lived like a horse in a race track – focused and driven. She was happy, especially now, that she had achieved the things that she had only dreamt of when she was younger.

Except for the fact that nothing has changed between her and her mother. Apart from their occasional phone calls, her mother would only visit when she gets her heart broken. It would only be for several days until she finds another man and then she would disappear again.

The beeping sound of her phone interrupted her train of thoughts. Checking her phone, she read a text from Matthew.

[Matthew: Hey… That restaurant you told me is closed. I'm kinda hungry. Any other recommendations?]

[Alianna: Really? I didn't think they would close this year. Sorry about that! Where are you?]

[Matthew: I'm literally standing in front of the place right now. Any chance they might open if I beg?]

Alianna laughed as she typed her response, simultaneously grabbing her keys and bag before heading out of her place.

[Alianna: They might... if you do some Michael Jackson moves!]

[Matthew: wtf! Seriously? Coz I will try anything! You're not kidding about this place being a ghost town.]

[Alianna: Save your dancing for later. I'll meet you at the park around the corner in twenty minutes.]

Sure enough, Alianna arrived at the park and found Matthew sitting on a bench with his head thrown back and his eyes closed.

"Hey, MJ!" she called. "Want some burritos?!" Ali raised a bag in her hand and watched as he turned his face towards her, his eyes widening in surprise as though he just heard the best news ever.

"Sh*t! You're a lifesaver!" He jumped to his feet and hurriedly met her halfway. As soon as he stood in front of her, he rummaged through the bag and took out a burrito. "Where did you get these?"

"There's a Mexican diner in my building." She ushered him towards the bench and the two of them sat, each holding a burrito in hand. "I brought you some food, don't I get to see your MJ moves?"

Matthew was already munching on his wrap when he turned to Ali and raised a brow. Earlier he just thought that she was calling his initials Matthew Jeong but she was actually referring to Michael Jackson. He shook his head, chewing the food in his mouth hurriedly before swallowing. "I don't know what to tell you, lady, but only special people get to see me dance."

Alianna's hand flew to her chest and faked gasp, "Are you telling me that I'm not special? I brought you food! I'm insulted." 

He only chuckled at her statement and the two of them began talking about what he did in the morning. He was sightseeing around the city and was far from the hotel when he felt hungry. Remembering her recommendation, he searched the place and ended up texting her after seeing the 'closed' sign.

Despite the season being summer, the weather was bearable and the surrounding trees gave them enough shade from the glaring sun. After they finished eating, they moved to the grass and sat there for a couple of hours as they gossiped about random rumors that made it to the tabloids. 

Ali being Ali, she couldn't help but ask Matt about another actress that was linked to him last year. "Oh my god, so you really dated Sara? But… WHY?!"

Matt burst out laughing at her epic reaction. "What's with the exaggeration?"

"I mean… What did you even see in her? She's like all boobs and no brain."

He shook his head and couldn't deny what she said. "Hey, she was hot, okay? I only went out with her three times until she told me to stop drinking Gatorade because it's hurting the alligators."

Alianna's mouth hung open. "No, she didn't…" she muttered, having a hard time understanding that the model named Sara believed the beverage was made from alligators. However, the look on Matt's face told her he was not kidding.

Their enjoyable conversation was suddenly interrupted by the ringing of her phone. When she glanced at the caller ID, she straightened up and contemplated picking it up.

"Are you going to answer that?" he asked before taking a sip of water from his bottle.

Ali was a bit hesitant but there was no way she could ignore the phone call. "Yeah… I'll have to take this."