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Post by Dante Santino on Jun 13, 2010 0:59:54 GMT -5
Dante was surprised how good it felt to be home again. It was funny the things he had learned to live without; things that seemed so achingly familiar and comforting now. The smell of his mother's perfume as she hugged him, the soft lilt of her voice, the smell of fresh manicotti... there were so many things he hadn't even realized he had missed.
"You don't need to worry about me, mum," he said, although he knew she would, anyway. "I'm fine. And yes... I'm staying. Fr a little while, anyway."
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Post by Gabriella Santino on Jul 18, 2010 18:29:56 GMT -5
"It's about time," Gabriella spoke up as she moved over to hug her brother. She gave him a smile before wrapping her arms around him. She hadn't even told Dante about opening a shop with Sedona. Granted the time she did go eat lunch with him, the shop was still up in the air. Now she was completely serious. The shop had already been bought with money Gabriella saved up. She even had enough left over to start paying a month's rent for an apartment.
Gabriella wished the timing of everything would have worked out better than what they were. Right now, Dante returned, everything was supposed to be happy. She was sure that her father would go from a good mood to a bad one real quick. If she didn't mention it tonight, she would lose her confidence. Everything was set up. She had a bag that was partially packed. Once she told the news, she would gather the rest of her things and leave. She knew that her father wasn't going to like it one bit. That was why she spent so long saving money so that she would do okay on her own should anything like this occur.
Pulling away from Dante she motioned to Declin. "Dante, this is Declin," she said introducing him. Gabriella had met Declin after Dante left. "He's my best friend." It was only right that she introduce them. She smiled as she looked inbetween them and then hugged Dante again. "I'm glad you're back."
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Post by Dante Santino on Jul 19, 2010 18:21:09 GMT -5
Dante hugged his sister tightly. He realized now that he shouldn't have stayed away as long as he had... or at least, he should have visited once in a while. Gabriella had changed while he had been away... she no longer needed her big brother so much anymore. When they had run into each other in Diagon Alley, he thought he remembered something about her starting a fashion line or something like that, and he made a mental note to ask her about it, once they were all settled down to eat.
"I've missed you, Gabby," he said, giving a lock of her hair a little tug. He had always tugged on her curls when she was a little girl, and although she no longer wore her hair in curls, the gesture still felt familiar and comforting.
AS she introduced Declin, he turned to the young man with a polite smile. Looking the boy up and down, he tried to decide whether this boy was just a "friend" or something more. And did he work for Dante's father?
"It's nice to meet you, Declin," he replied. "I'm glad Gabby has had a friend to keep her company since I've been gone."
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Post by Gabriella Santino on Jul 19, 2010 18:28:29 GMT -5
For the time being, everything felt right, like they were all a family again. Part of her didn't want to tell her parents, but she had spent all that time getting over the fact that her designed clothes were actually pretty decent. She couldn't back down now, she would be letting down Sedona as well as herself. However, Gabriella wondered if she would be letting her father, or even her mother down somehow. Pushing those thoughts away for the moment, she laughed as Dante tugged on her hair. It had been a long time since he had done that.
"You know Mum was stressing that our guest wouldn't like cheese," she said with a teasing tone.
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Post by Dante Santino on Jul 20, 2010 1:00:21 GMT -5
Dante laughed at her comment. It might have been the first time he had laughed since the day Shana disappeared, and it felt good; therapeutic.
"Well, mum, you needn't have worried about that," he said with a smile. "I'm pretty sure you couldn't have had a guest who likes cheese more than I do."
It had always been a joke in the family that when he was younger, he used to just eat the cheese and leave the pasta and the sauce behind. Those days were long past now, but in families there were always things that you couldn't quite live down.
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Post by Gabriella Santino on Aug 25, 2010 16:35:55 GMT -5
It felt like they were all an entire family once again, at least for tonight. Gabriella still kept quite that she knew of Dante's return before their parents did. She was going to keep that secret, unless Dante brought it up.
Clasping her hands together, Gabriella smiled. "Well, I don't know about any of you, but I am starving. Smelling mum's cooking throughout the house has made me really hungry." This was the good moment they all had been needing. Sitting around the dinner table and being a family again felt like old times.
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Post by Declin Martin on Sept 14, 2010 11:58:32 GMT -5
"Nice to meet you," Declin said, shaking Dante's hand. Of course, he had heard of Gabriella's brother a lot, if not from Gabriella, then from quick comments from Mrs. Santino, or even the cold silence from Marcello.
As the rest of the family helped bring food into the dining room, Gabriella and Declin were, for a minute maybe, alone in the kitchen. "Hey," he said, bringing her closer to him. She had told him her plan for the evening, that she was going to tell her parents about Sedona and their shop. Declin had almost wanted to not show up for the evening. But he wanted to support his friend, even if he had to sit there with his mouth shut, he'd be there. "are you still going to...?" he asked vaguely, wondering if Dante's arival changed Gabriella's plans.
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Post by Gabriella Santino on Sept 14, 2010 15:06:53 GMT -5
Once Declin pulled her closer to him, she knew what he was going to ask. Biting on her bottom lip, she nodded. Just because Dante was now here wasn't going to change her mind. She had to do it tonight and she was sad that the timing wasn't going to be any better, not that in her father's case that it was going to ever be a good time.
She knew that she couldn't really say too much at the moment because she wasn't sure if her father was going to be hanging back a little. Gabriella let out a quiet sigh. "You don't know anything," she said with a whisper, making sure she was really quiet, but loud enough for only Declin to hear. She had already gone over the plan with him about her things already being ready and that he was supposed to pretend that he didn't know anything. Gabriella didn't want Declin to get into any sort of trouble with her father, after all Declin needed the job and she wasn't about to ruin that for him.
Before anything else could really be said, Gabriella started to pull Declin out to the dining area so that no suspicions would arise. She was glad that he had come over for dinner, even though he knew what was going to happen.
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Post by Clarice Santino on Oct 26, 2010 18:15:59 GMT -5
Clarice had no idea that anything unusual was going on. As far as she was concerned, her family was whole again. Dante was home, Marcello was no longer angry at him, Gabriella was here, and Declin was like a second son to her. She couldn't have been happier.
She gave her husband a hug, the smile on her face stretching from ear to ear. "Isn't this wonderful?" she said happily. "My beautiful family, together again. Everyone, please sit down and we can start dinner. Dante, you must tell us all about your time in America."
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Post by Dante Santino on Oct 30, 2010 0:26:00 GMT -5
Dante's smile slipped just a fraction at this question. He wasn't ready to talk about New York, or about Shana, just yet. He had come here to forget about all of that, to put it all behind him. And yet, he felt guilty as well, like he shouldn't have given up on Shana. What if she came back and found that he had given up on her?
"We can talk about New York later," Dante said, trying to sound casual. He helped himself to some manicotti, as an attempt to avoid eye contact with her. "But right now, I want to hear what's been going on back here. I feel like I've missed so much."
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Post by Gabriella Santino on Dec 23, 2010 10:27:41 GMT -5
Gabriella wanted felt like she should wait before she mentioned anything, after all, dinner just started and she didn't want to ruin all of dinner. Noticing Dante's desire to change the subject, she knew there was something else there. Once she placed some manicotti on her plate and passed the dish on, she looked back to Dante.
"Nothing around here has changed too much," she spoke up. "Nothing ever really changes anyway. The lady that lives right down then road married her fifth or sixth husband while you gone." Gabriella gave a grin in Dante's direction. The lady had always been a little crazy and went through marriages and divorces like no other.
"But other than that, nothing really."
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Post by Declin Martin on Feb 22, 2011 4:18:10 GMT -5
Declin wouldn’t lie; Gabriella’s plan made him very nervous. Even if he supposedly didn’t’ know about her future plans, like they had discussed, he was going to get in trouble. His job was to watch over Mr. Santino’s family, wasn’t it? Shouldn’t he have noticed if Gabriella was “fraternizing with the enemy?”
Suddenly, Declin wasn’t very hungry. He sat at the table with a filled plate, thanks to Mrs. Santino, but didn’t touch a thing.
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Post by Clarice Santino on Mar 4, 2011 1:03:49 GMT -5
"Oh, that's not everything," Clarice cut in, smiling at her daughter. "You're just being modest. Dante, remember how Gabriella used to sew dresses for her dolls, and how she liked to draw dress designs in all her notebooks? Well, your sister has become quite an accomplished dress designer. I keep telling her that she should think about opening her own business. Maybe after dinner you can model some of your dresses for us?" she added, beaming at her daughter proudly.
Right now, everything was perfect in Clarice's world. She had her family back together, and she couldn't have imagined that anything would spoil that moment.
"Declin, don't be shy. Eat up. If you get any skinnier, you'll be invisible."
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Post by Gabriella Santino on Mar 4, 2011 1:18:24 GMT -5
Gabriella noticed Declin not touching his plate. She reached under the table and touched his arm. She squeezed it gently, a silent meaning to that he should eat. Declin's nervousness was rubbing off on her, but she pretended to still have her own appetite.
Once her mother mentioned her dresses, there was a light pink blush on Gabriella's cheeks. She highly doubted that she would be there after dinner. "I have actually bought a shop," Gabriella spoke up. "The inside still needs a little cleaning and maybe some more paint and that sort of thing, but it should be ready to open soon." She didn't look at Declin as she said this. She couldn't look at him, so instead she looked to her mother. "And I actually have a business partner." Gabriella figured she might as well spill everything before her parents found out some other way.
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Post by Clarice Santino on Mar 5, 2011 12:40:39 GMT -5
Clarice probably should have been concerned by the sudden announcement from Gabriella. Clarice hadsuggested to her daughter many times that she should consider opening her own business, and had even offered to be her partner in the business. Marcello could finance it for her, and Clarice would make sure that the shop was not used as a front for her husband's less-than-legal business dealings. It would be Gaby's shop, and once she started making enough money on her own, she could pay off her father's loan. It all seemed a reasonable plan to Clarice, but Gaby had always refused. And now, with no warning, Gaby was announcing that she was opening a shop on her own, and she aready had a business partner.
Yes, Clarice should have been suspicious. But she was too excited for her daughter to see the warning signs. She assumed that Gaby had decided to open the business on her own terms, with no help from her family, and Clarice couldn't help but feel proud of her independent daughter.
"That's wonderful, honey!" she said enthusiastically. "Tell us all about it. Who's your business partner?"
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Post by Dante Santino on Mar 5, 2011 12:52:00 GMT -5
Dante, however, was very suspicious. He saw all the warning signs that his mother had missed--the way Gabriella seemed to be avoiding everyone's eyes, the way she seemed nervous, the almost defiant tone in her voice. He noticed, also, that the kid called Declin seemed nervous as well, and Dante wondered whether he knew what was really going on here.
If he could have, Dante would have pulled his sister aside right now to find out what was going on. But sitting at the dinner table the way they were, with all eyes on Gaby... there was no escape. He could only sit there and helplessly hope that the answer to his mother's last question was one that wouldn't make their father angry. Dante had just come home to his family... how ironic and sad would it be if Gaby were to leave on the same day?
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Post by Gabriella Santino on Mar 5, 2011 17:04:50 GMT -5
Gabriella knew that her father and Dante would pick up the warning signs. For a moment she didn't care what her father was going to think. She was old enough to do things on her own. Gaby glanced to her mother. She wouldn't judge her for going into business with a Rossi. Her mother was probably more than happy for her to just have her own shop, finally. "Sedona," she said with confidence. She knew her father was going to probably explode at her next statement. "Sedona Rossi. We bought the shop a few days ago. There is an apartment we also rented." Gaby looked from her mother to Dante, just waiting for her father to explode.
She was also preparing herself to leave when it was time to just leave. Of course she hoped that things went smoothly, but knowing her father there wasn't any such thing as smooth.
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Post by Marcello Santino on Mar 11, 2011 11:21:23 GMT -5
Marcello had only idely been listening to his family's conversations. They were usually the same. Clarice talked about her day, Gabriella talked about her clothing. Declin was being picked on by Clarice because he wasn't eating enough. Gabriella starting a business with that Rossi girl. Dante being quiet at the table as he always had been...
The spoonful of food that was inches from his mouth suddenly dropped with a clang to the table. Gabriella...HIS Gabriella...was working with a Rossi?
Obviously, he must have heard her incorrectly.
"What did you just say?" dispite his absolute certianty that he heard her wrong, Marcello had a white knuckle grip on the arm rests of his chair and his ears were growing warm- big signs that his temper was quickly rising.
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Post by Gabriella Santino on Mar 11, 2011 21:39:47 GMT -5
Gabriella did her best not to flinch when her father's fork clanged against the table. She knew it was coming. There was no reason for her to start becoming shy. She knew very well that this would probably not go over well with her father. Gabriella never understood why they didn't get along with the Rossis, but then again she wasn't really included in the family business.
Finally, she made eye contact with her father. Although she probably should be a little intimidated by her father, she wasn't at the moment. "We've been best friends since third year at school," Gabriella admitted. "I design the dresses and other clothes, and Sedona designs the shoes along with a few other things." Even though Gabriella knew she should be positive and stand her ground, the white knuckles that her father had started to make her feel upset. Sure, she wasn't expecting him to be completely okay with it, but she was old enough to make her own choices and he was her father. He was supposed to be supportive right? She started to feel her confidence lower as she looked at him.
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Post by Clarice Santino on Mar 19, 2011 0:09:44 GMT -5
Clarice was speechless for a moment, her eyes wide as she stared from her daughter to her husband and back again. Like Gabriella, Clarice had nothing to do with the business, but she did know a little about it. She knew of the rivalry with the Rossi family, but she hadn't been able to convince Marcello to tell her the reasons behind it. But it had been going on a long time, almost as long as Gabriella had been alive. Once or twice, Clarice had held secret meetings with Marta Rossi, Niccolo Rossi's late wife, trying to come up with ways to end the rivalry. She had found the woman to be warm and caring, but tough, and she liked her very much. But without knowing the reason for the rivalry, neither of them had ever been able to figure out how to end it. And then the woman had died, so Clarice had never been able to do anything about the rivalry.
And now, it seemed her daughter had done the same thing, in a way. She had made friends with Sedona Rossi. Clarice knew well that Marcello would not approve of this, any more than he would have approved of her secret meetings with Marta Rossi, if he had ever known about them.
But if he even tried to throw out Gabriella, or disown her... well, Clarice was prepared to spring into full mama bear mode. She had just got Dante back, she was not going to lose her daughter.
"Marcello," she said in a warning tone, fixing her eyes on her husband. "Stay calm and hear her out."
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