Chapter Text
Matteo was sprawled out at the edge of the lake, water lapping at his toes. The sun was warm on his face as he dragged his hand through the wet sand of the shoreline, feeling the slip and slide of the course grains between his fingertips. In the distance, he could hear the shrieks of his friends in the water, who seemed to be battling one another for a spot on the worn, wooden platform that floated in the center of the lake.
After a few more minutes of shouting, he heard Jonas loudly declaring victory. Matteo assumed this meant he was standing solo on the platform, having pushed the others back into the cold lake water. Hanna, sitting next to him, gave a quiet snort as her fingers softly turned the page of the book she was reading.
“Is he standing alone on the platform again?” Matteo asked.
“Do you even need me to tell you?” Hanna replied, and Matteo could hear equal notes of exasperation and fondness in her voice. Matteo laughed and pushed his way up to sit next to her, wiping the wet sand from the side of his face.
“Matteo!” Hanna snapped as he righted himself, “Where’s your sunscreen? Your face is practically the color of my swimsuit! ”
“Oh? And what color is that?” Matteo asked cheekily, turning his face towards the sound of her voice.
“Haha, very funny,” Hanna said, her voice once again tinted with that signature tone of equally balanced annoyance and love. “Hold out your hand.”
He sighed dramatically and held out his hand, waiting as Hanna rustled around in her bag. He heard the click of the plastic cap opening, and felt the cold ooze of the sunscreen as she squirted it into his palm. Ugh. He turned his body more towards where Hanna sat, and plastered a huge smile on his face that he hoped looked as forced as possible. She laughed at him and gently pushed his shoulder as he rubbed it into his face and over his chest. “I know you hate the sunscreen Matteo, but you will thank me tomorrow when you don’t start the first day of classes looking like a tomato.”
Matteo was just about to respond with a half hearted comeback when he felt a shower of water droplets hit him from above.
“Luigi!” Jonas shouted. “She got you with the sunscreen again, I see? Bro, you got most of your face ok but you’ve got a huge section of it here, wait-”
Matteo could feel Jonas keeling down next to him, and a shock ran through him as Jonas’ cold, wet hand came to rest on the center of his chest, softly smearing the section of sunscreen he had clearly missed. A year ago, he would have been floored by this - Jonas’s hand on his chest, the soft scrape of his calloused palm against Matteo’s skin - but that crush was mostly in the past at this point. He knew that Jonas loved Hanna and that was not going to change. It had taken two years of hopeless pining to get that through his head.
So, instead of a soft gasp, he let out a playfully fierce roar, and grabbed a fistful of wet sand, hoping he was angling his arm correctly to hit Jonas right on the -
“Luigi!! Not the hair!!” Jonas cried out as Matteo’s hand connected with his head. He retaliated quickly, shoving Matteo backwards, coating his sunscreen-sticky chest with sand. They wrestled for a few seconds, and Matteo could hear Abdi and Carlos in the distance egging them on - until they were interrupted by a shout of “Gentlemen!
Amira’s commanding voice carried across the shoreline, and Jonas pulled Matteo up with a laugh. Matteo could hear Sam’s loud laughter coming closer as well.
“Sam’s done at the snack bar for the day!” Amira called out. “Do we want to go get an early dinner?”
Matteo laughed to himself - of course Amria would want them to get home early to be well-rested for tomorrow. He called back with only a hint of sarcasm, “Of course, last first day of school tomorrow, gotta get home to start your Abi studying!”
“Bold choice of words, Matteo.”
Amria laughed as she approached him, giving him a gentle shove on the shoulder. “Let’s see how much you’re laughing when I’m saving you from certain failure in Bio.” Her voice was warm despite the threat, and Matteo shoved her back slightly, his sandy fingers catching on the fabric of her sleeve.
“Let’s go!” Sam called out, and Matteo could hear the sounds of their approaching departure: the boys coming in from the water, Mia and Hanna packing up their bags, and Kiki shrieking as Carlos, likely still dripping with water, attacked her with tickles.
Hanna took Matteo’s hand and lifted up his arm. “Oh no, there is no way you are getting in the car like this, you are covered in sand. Take my arm - we are having one final summer dip together.”
Matteo grabbed her arm, like they had done a million times before. She led them down the beach into the water, carefully directing him as the cold water surrounded them on all sides. Matteo loved the feeling of the wet sand, impossibly soft under his feet, and he held Hanna’s hand as he dunked himself under the water. He took one last second to soak it all in - the hot sun on his face, the cold bite of the lake water, Hanna’s soft hand in his.
“Come on, Matteo - time to go home,” Hanna said, gently tugging him back up. Matteo turned towards her and smiled, a genuine one this time, and they walked together towards the shore.
…
Sometimes, when people, rude people, find out that Matteo wasn’t born blind, they ask him the same question: “What do you miss seeing the most?”
A few years ago, when he lost the last bits of shadowy vision he had left, he would have screamed at them, or hurled something across the room, or just retreated from the world and cursed everything. Curse the genetic fluke that left him with a disease that slowly stole his sight, the father who couldn't even be bothered to stick around as his son went blind, the mother who tried to take care of him but who could sometimes not even take care of herself.
He felt so alone, literally alone in the dark like a fucking sad cliche.
Now? After years of pulling himself out of that hole, after years with his therapist and doctors, learning Braille and mastering screen readers, leaning hard on his friends and finding a path to some sort of tentative peace with himself?
If he had to answer honestly, really honestly, he would just laugh. How can you miss something you’ve never seen? How can you miss the face of a person you’ve never met, a person you hope is out there looking for you, a boy who will love you despite your flaws, despite that fact that you will never see him?
…
Last period, last first day of school.
Matteo’s cheeks were still stinging from sunburn as he sat in German, trying to concentrate on taking notes, the rhythmic click clack of his braille typewriter the only sound besides the teacher droning on.
Hans had fussed over him when he got back to the flat the night before, while Mia was helping him unpack his things from the lake. His face had been thoroughly slicked up with aloe, but he was pretty sure his skin was still bright red. He was also sure that Hanna, who was sitting next to him, was silently laughing to herself at his predicament. He placed his hand on his cheek, just to cool it down for a second, when he heard the click of the latch on the classroom door.
The door creaked open, and he could sense everyone in the room shifting.
“Hello? I’m not sure I’m in the right room…”
The voice of the boy standing in the doorway was quiet, but it was like music to Matteo’s ears. Low, soft, a hint of hesitation. The sort of voice Matteo would search for late at night to listen to as he fell asleep, audiobooks and podcasts filling his head so the creeping anxieties of the day did not chase him into the night.
“Yes!” the teacher called out. “David, right? The office said you would be coming in late. Hm, why don’t you take the free seat there, behind Matteo?”
“Ok, thanks,” David said, his voice still so soft. Matteo could hear the muffled swish of his pants as he walked closer, and as David passed next to him, Matteo caught a whiff of some sort of cologne - smokey and warm, like a campfire on a cool autumn evening. Matteo heard a whisper from the other side of the classroom - Leonie, probably, talking to her best friend Sara: “Who is this - he must be new? He’s so cute!”
David settled into the seat behind him. Matteo focused in on the quiet sounds of David unpacking his bag, the slow drag of his pen across the paper as he started taking notes.
Matteo did not start typing again for a few minutes, just listening to the in and out of David’s breathing.
At the end of class, Matteo could hear David quickly shoving his items in his backpack and walking away, his scent lingering in the air. Matteo shook his head, trying to clear away his cloudy thoughts, and then forced himself to get up. His face was still burning, but if he was being honest, it had almost nothing to do with sunburn anymore.
The rest of the week passed by in a blur. Every day in German class, Matteo focused on catching a few words of David’s voice before everyone settled down for class, just snippets of small talk as Leonie and Sara tried to learn more about him. Not that they were getting far. Matteo could sense David’s hesitation to share in the tone of his voice, in his somewhat evasive answers, in the almost imperceptible sigh of relief he let out when the teacher finally called the classroom to order and the girls walked away. Matteo had never felt like this before - something about David’s voice, the way he smelled, the physical presence of his body as he settled into his seat - was intoxicating.
On Thursday, halfway through class, David tapped on Matteo’s shoulder. Matteo felt it like a punch to the gut, but he stopped typing and took a quick breath to compose himself.
“Do you have an eraser?” David asked softly.
Matteo’s breath caught in his throat, but then he laughed just a bit, scrunching up his face. “Umm...I don’t use erasers?”
“Oh - right!” Matteo could hear the note of embarrassment in David’s voice, and he quickly added, “Sorry!”
“It’s ok,” Matteo said quickly. “Wait-”
Matteo poked Hanna, who sat next to him in the double desk, and she quickly pressed her eraser into his hand. He grabbed it and held his hand back. David’s fingers were soft and quick as they brushed against his, deftly taking the eraser. Matteo tried to suppress another shudder and keep his face neutral.
“Thanks!” David whispered back, and Matteo wondered if he was smiling.
As class wrapped up that day, Matteo lingered as Hanna finished up her assignment. David lingered as well; Matteo could hear his pencil dragging along in soft strokes. Hanna tapped him on the shoulder when she was done, and he grabbed her arm as they walked out of the classroom.
Hanna walked towards the doorway, but then stopped for a second and turned them back around.
“Hey, David?” she asked. “Do you walk home down the main road? Or do you take the bus?”
Matteo was confused for a second, what was she doing? But then he thought about how lonely Hanna had been last year, after her falling out with all her friends, and how she must see a bit of herself in being the new kid, in David’s quiet hesitation to open up.
David was quiet for a second, like maybe he was mulling over his response. “I normally take the bus. But it’s so nice out today - why?”
Matteo could hear the smile in her voice when Hanna replied. “Want to walk home with us?”
...
Matteo isn’t sure when, exactly, the walks home from his friends started, in the grand scheme of things.
Before his father moved out, his mother would come for him every day after school. She would call out his name and they would head home together - or they would take a longer adventure - walking through the park, stopping for ice cream, taking the bus on a surprise trip. After she stopped coming for him, and stopped leaving the house at all, Jonas would walk with him every day, instead. More often than not, they would head right to Jonas’ house and avoid Matteo’s. Back then, right after he had lost the last remaining vision he had, the prospect of walking home alone had been terrifying.
Things had been harder, in many ways, since moving to the flatshare, but in a lot of ways they were simpler. He learned to navigate the flat, and Hans and Linn were more than happy to help him when he needed it. His mom was doing better, his father sent money for his rent and food, and his friends walked him home from school every day. While he could now easily manage the walk home on his own with his cane, he had gotten used to the routine and the company.
Monday was Mia’s day, and had been since he moved into the flatshare last year. They mostly walked together in quiet contemplation, or shared bits and pieces of gossip about whatever Hans had gotten up to over the weekend, or what kitchen experiments Linn was planning for the week ahead.
Tuesday was Amira’s day - she would allow him to talk about any topic as they walked home, but as soon as they got upstairs for their study session it was strictly talk of genetics and cells and mitosis as they studied for Bio.
Wednesday was best friend day with Jonas - they would take the long way home, stop at the river and throw breadcrumbs to the ducks, sit in the park and smoke a joint, just catching up on the good things and the shitty things. Every other Wednesday they skipped the joint, and instead Jonas walked him to his therapist’s office, gently chastising him on days he tried to make excuses to skip out.
Thursday was Hanna’s day. When he was feeling sad she would hold his hand, and they would focus on the good things happening now, rather than the somewhat uncertain future after this last year of school. Sometimes, on a better day, one or two of the girls would join them - Kiki and Sam, if Hanna was shopping after she dropped him off - Mia if Hanna was coming over for dinner at the flatshare.
Friday was his day with the boys - Jonas by his left side, Abdi and Carlos bouncing around with all the restless energy of a weekend ahead of them. Often they were not even walking him home - they headed to Jonas’ to smoke and eat snacks, they headed to the park to play ping-pong (with Matteo as verbal scorekeeper and official resolver of disputes), they headed to parties at basements and flatshares and backyards. Matteo often stayed on the sidelines there, as well, feeling a bit uncomfortable in the crowd, but sometimes it was enough just to be surrounded by his friends and know they were there for him.
....
David joined them on their walk that day, laughing along with Hanna about their classmates, about a bird pecking at a sandwich on the sidewalk next to them, about the ridiculous outfit their teacher had on the day, describing it to Matteo in full, vivid detail. He walked next to Matteo, just far enough away that their bodies did not touch, but still, Matteo felt like every inch of his left side was attuned to David’s presence. After weeks of nothing but quiet classroom conversation, Matteo got to hear David’s laugh for the first time. It burst out of him so suddenly, musical and warm, and Matteo wanted to bathe in the sound of it, wanted to coax it out of him a million times over.
After that first walk, it became somewhat of a Thursday habit - David joining them on their walks and saying goodbye at Matteo’s door.
Soon, it became somewhat of a Tuesday habit as well. Amria and David hit it off instantly after she joined them on a Thursday walk one day, and they traded off opinions about schoolwork and religion as they walked. It even happened on the occasional Friday - David had joined some club that Jonas was active in, and they would talk rapid fire about politics while Matteo tried to distract himself with Abdi and Carlos’ antics. But no matter where they were headed, no matter Jonas’ repeated insistence that he join them, David would always excuse himself from the activity and head home alone.
Matteo had a file by now, right in the center of his mental desktop - THINGS ABOUT DAVID. The boys lightly teased David one afternoon for always wearing black - noted. Hanna asked him what he’s always drawing in class, and David laughed but didn’t really answer her - noted. Amria asked about his family, and David mentioned he lived with his older sister - noted. David mentioned his Advanced PE class - he’s got to be strong, flexible, fast - noted.
Matteo had never experienced such a deep and persistent current of desire. When he touched himself at night, he focused on the low, steady tone of David’s voice in his memory, and how it might crack as he broke apart, a soft moan or a low whine. He woke up in the morning stiff from dreams of David’s hands skimming over his skin, winding around his waist, fingers warm and deft. He’d replay his dreams over and over in the shower, water streaming down his body, back pressed against the cool tile wall.
Even after weeks of gathering intel, Matteo still felt like he knew so little. David was so spare with details, so guarded about anything from before he came to their school. Matteo was constantly on alert, soaking up every little piece of David that he could. But every time he thought he might be getting somewhere, he was in front of his flat and David was saying goodbye.
After a few weeks of amassing this mental catalogue, on a quiet Wednesday walk home with Jonas, Matteo gathered his courage.
“Jonas? What does David look like?”
Jonas stopped their walk, and shoved Matteo a little in the shoulder. “Why so curious, Luigi?” he asked, a hint of teasing in his voice.
“I just! I mean…” Matteo knew he was blushing, he could feel the blood rising in his cheeks, but he tried to push it down. “I mean, I knew most of you guys, you know….before. And we are sort of friends with him now, right? So, I want to know, but it feels wrong to just go up and ask him, and I don’t want to -”
Jonas interrupted him, laughing again. “No, no, I get you bro, it makes sense. Umm… he looks pretty good, to be honest? I hear that Leonie is all over him in class, so since we dated before, he’s clearly as good looking as me!”
Matteo punched him in the shoulder.
“Ok, ok. Uh….he’s got this curly black hair? It’s cool, man, it’s like curly and wavy all at once, I need to ask him whatever product he’s using in it. Olive skin, brown eyes....Hanna has commented to me more than once that his eyelashes are crazy long? Oh, yeah, and he’s got a septum piercing in his nose, you know what I mean? Right in the middle? Very badass.”
Matteo’s thoughts were racing, and his fingers twitched slightly at Jonas’ words - now all he could imagine was running his fingers through soft, curly hair, the press of a nose piercing against his cheek as they -
He shook his head a little to clear his mind, and turned towards Jonas, tapping his fingers to his head. “Got it saved to images, man, thanks.” Jonas laughed along with him, and they kept walking home.
Later that night, when Matteo was alone, he ran through the file in his mind over and over - David’s laugh, the careful way he thinks before he talks, the warm, autumn smell of his cologne, how soft his hands had been the one time they touched.
...
“Hanna?”
“Yes, Matteo?”
Matteo rested with his head in Hanna’s lap outside on the steps of the school, waiting for Jonas to finish a meeting of…debate team? Students for climate action? Whichever of Jonas’s many causes took place on Thursday afternoons.
He took a deep breath, trying to seem like this was just a light question, not one that had been somewhat privately nagging at him the past few weeks.. “Am I…attractive?”
Hanna snorted, and stopped the motion of her hands, which had been running soft passes through Matteo’s hair. “What? Like, to me? I think you know I’m taken -”
“No!” Matteo interrupted. “Like....just to other people. Like in general.”
“Oh?” Hanna asked, her voice suddenly turning sly. “Other people? Any people in particular?” She poked at his side, teasing and tickling at him.
“Stop! Stooooop!” he begged, twisting around in her lap. “I mean it. Just, objectively? I know you know the answer.” His voice trailed off, fingers twisting nervously around the straps of his backpack. Softly, he added, “The last time I saw my face properly I was only like eight, Hanna...I know my hair is blonde, I know my skin is pale, I know how my...but, but...that’s not what I mean and you know it.”
Hanna trailed her fingers down his cheek, just for a second, and then she tugged at his shoulders, pulling him up to a seat, gently turning his face to the sound of her voice. She gripped his face firmly between her hands, and squeezed it. “You, Matteo Florenzi, are extremely cute, and I know that anyone you might like is going to agree with that sentiment. And if you don’t believe me, ask Sara, she literally cannot keep her eyes off you this year.” Hanna laughed at that, while Matteo groaned and pulled his face out of her grasp.
“Ugh, fine. Cute. ” He huffed, pushing away from her. “I believe you.”
“Any hints, then, as to who you like? Have you noticed Sara’s flirting?” Hanna teased.
Matteo groaned again and fell forward into Hanna’s lap. “Ugh, no, it’s not her, her perfume reminds me of my grandmother, it’s so flowery and overpowering.”
Hanna laughed. “Ok fine, keep your secrets....for now.”
“Hanna? Are you ready?” Matteo heard Jonas calling out, “Ready to be...swept off your feet?”
“Yes!” Hanna said. “That’s why we waited so long here for you today!”
Jonas sounded flustered. “Yes, yes, I’m sorry, the meeting ran long today - and we’ve got to go now, if we want to have time to eat beforehand.”
“Damn! Right, right.” She gently pushed Matteo off of her, and he grabbed for his things and stood up. “Oh no, wait!” she exclaimed, “Matteo, walking you home - if we have to leave now for the concert there’s no time…”
Matteo sighed, throwing his hands up. “Guys, I’m fine to walk home without you! Go!” He did his best to sound assurring. He loved catching up with his friends on their afternoon walks home, but sometimes he worried they thought he couldn't make it home without their help, which was more than a little insulting. ”I have my cane in my bag, I’m fine!”
“I can walk you home, Matteo.”
Matteo turned to the sound of David’s voice, the sound of his careful steps walking towards them.
“Perfect!” Jonas shouted, grabbing Matteo’s hand and placing it on David’s arm. “Luigi, we are running, I trust that David will deliver you safely. David, take care of our little Luigi here,” Jonas said, pinching Matteo’s cheek.
“Danke, Mama!” Matteo said, flipping him off.
As Jonas walked away, Matteo became instantly aware that he was suddenly alone with David for the first time ever, that the smooth skin of the wrist he was holding belonged to David, and he did his best to keep his breathing normal and voice measured while his brain short circuited.
David took Matteo’s hand and gently hooked their arms together. “Shall we?”
Despite Matteo’s initial terror at the prospect of solo time with David, he was shocked how easy it felt to be alone with him. They took the long way home through the park, swapping stories about their day, complaints about their latest German assignment, and a hilarious retelling by David of Abdi’s attempt to climb a rope ladder in PE class. David’s descriptions of every last thing were so vivid, full of exacting detail, and Matteo hung on every word.
As they walked, Matteo’s thoughts were interrupted by the beeping of the crosswalk. Fuck. They were almost home. Today he did not want David to just drop him off and say goodbye. So, fuck it.
“Umm…David?” he asked softly, interrupting David’s story. “Do you want to come up and eat with me? I make a mean cheese toastie, if I do say so.” He smiled at the thought of David in his kitchen, David laughing as they cooked together, David winding his arms around Matteo’s waist as he made them a snack, warm and domestic.
“Oh…” David paused for a second. “Well, I’m hungry for sure - but I was just going to grab a kebab quickly? - There’s a film showing I wanted to go to in about an hour....it’s actually perfect that I walked you home, it's right down the way here - actually, would you maybe want to come with me? It’s one of my favorite films.”
Matteo was not sure whether to laugh or cry that the first time he’s asked out by a boy he likes, it’s to see a movie . He didn’t have the heart to reply, so he just turned towards David, shrugging with what he hoped was a bemused expression on his face.
“Oh, damn.” David laughed, and he took Matteo’s hand and smacked it onto his own face, literally facepalming. “So I'm a idiot, yeah. Sorry.”
Matteo paused for a second. Technically, there was nothing actually stopping him, and he was not going to blow this already. “I guess, why not though? I want to - I don't even know the last time I went to the theater. I want to.”
David was quiet for a second. “Ok, let’s go.”
They grabbed kebabs and ate them on a bench, juice running down Matteo’s fingers as David tried to help him wipe it up with sticky fingers of his own. They walked to the theater, the night air getting chilly around them, and Matteo let himself get lost in a world where this was a date, where he’s here with a boy who likes him, a boy who wants to see a movie with him despite his obvious flaws. And it’s perfect.
David told him not to worry, that he had seen this movie a dozen times. Told him it was called Only Lovers Left Alive, and it was about vampires. The film started, the music swelled, and David spent the entire film whispering every scene to Matteo, describing every detail - the vivid costumes, the abandoned buildings, the look of pain and longing in Adam and Eve’s eyes. Matteo could barely concentrate on anything with David so close to him, with his voice low and soothing in Matteo’s ear, but he did his best to keep up. He could sense that this film was important to David in a way he couldn't exactly place. But his love for this film, for the craft of filmmaking in general, became more evident with every word.
David walked him home after the movie, grilling Matteo on what he thought and expounding further on his favorite parts of the film.
“Do you want to do this after school ends?” Matteo asked. “Make movies, I mean? I’ve never met someone so interested like you are.”
David laughed a bit self-consciously. “Yeah - I mean, sometimes I'm still unsure of what I want to do. But it’s always been my dream to make films.”
“That’s amazing.” Matteo replied. “It's funny, that I'm asking you this, because I used to hate that question - like sure, ask the kid who just went blind what the hell he’s doing if he manages to graduate? But a few months ago my, um...my therapist found a training program in Berlin where they teach coding and computer programming to the blind? So, I think we’re working on that, for me...maybe someday I could even make accessible games.” Matteo smiled to himself - this new somewhat positive feeling about his future, about doing a job he might actually be good at, was still pretty unfamiliar.
“That’s great,” David interjected.
“I mean, I hope so. Nothing near as cool as making films, for sure.” Matteo swallowed and turned away from David’s voice a bit. “I’m sad I'll never get to see your films, though, I bet they would be great.”
Matteo could suddenly feel warm fingers gently brushing his jaw, turning his head back up towards David. They lingered for just a split second before falling away, and David said, “Don’t worry - I’ll make sure to be there to tell you everything.”
Matteo smiled, and he could feel the blush rising up on his cheeks - he just hoped David would mistake it for a reaction to the cold wind that whirled around them.
“Sounds like a deal,” Matteo replied. He started walking again, shaking off the feeling of David’s hands on his jaw. “It would be so amazing - to have a dream and then actually do it, I think. Like you, making a film that millions of people can see. I spent so long just figuring out...figuring out how to just exist again, you know? That I wasn't worried about actually living . So that’s the next step - just learning how to be a part of things again. To let myself want things. I don’t...I don’t really know if that makes sense, I-”
Something about talking to David calmed him, made him feel like he could slit himself open and spill out everything - and David would understand, and be there to sew him up again.
“No - it does.” David interrupted, “I know exactly what you mean.”
Matteo felt like there was something David was leaving out, and he was greedy, he was so greedy for every little thing he could learn about this boy, but the last thing he wanted was to scare him away by prying too deep.
“Oh - Hey, Matteo, we’re back at your place.” Matteo heard David reach into the small back pocket of Matteo’s bag for his flat keys, and the audible click as the door popped open. “You got it from here?” David asked. “I would walk you up, but it’s getting late and my sister is expecting me back.”
“Yeah, I’m good,” Matteo replied softly. As much as he wanted David to follow him upstairs to his apartment, to follow him into his bedroom, to finally touch David’s face, his body - he couldn’t be so greedy, he couldn’t be so foolish as to think this was anything more than a night of fun with a friend. He smiled, and hoped that David could see on his face how much tonight meant to him, how sorry he was to let David go. “It was nice, tonight, with you - thanks.”
David quickly grabbed his shoulder, and his hand lingered for a second - it seemed to Matteo like he might feel unsure, hesitant. Finally, he ran his hand slowly down Matteo’s arm, fingers dragging on the fabric of Matteo’s quilted jacket. He squeezed Matteo’s hand and handed him the keys. “Anytime, Matteo - really. Good night.”
Matteo stood there in the open doorway of the apartment building for what felt like hours, the sound of David’s footsteps moving further and further away.