Chapter 253 Distance

Chapter 253: Chapter 253 Distance

Daisy nodded.

Mateo leaned a little closer, his eyes turning into the biggest, most hopeful puppy eyes she had ever seen.

"Can I call you sister?" he asked, his voice soft and hopeful.

Daisy froze for a moment.

Mateo hurriedly continued, afraid she might misunderstand.

"I mean, you’re always so nice to me and you actually listen to me, and you helped me when I was struggling. I don’t know..." He glanced away, suddenly embarrassed. "It would be nice to have a sister like you."

He looked back at her, his eyes pleading.

"Please?"

Daisy’s expression softened.

She reached up and gently patted his head.

Then she nodded.

Mateo’s entire face lit up.

"REALLY?" he exclaimed, his voice rising with excitement.

Daisy laughed silently at his excitement and nodded again.

He immediately hugged her a second time, squeezing her tight.

"YES! I HAVE A SISTER NOW!"

He pulled back, grinning from ear to ear. "Wait until big brother hears about this!"

Daisy’s smile faltered slightly at the mention of alessio.

Mateo noticed but didn’t question her expression. He was far too happy with his new discovery.

"And from now on, you’re officially my tutor, too. I’ll even pay you," he declared.

Daisy raised an eyebrow.

Mateo reconsidered, his brow furrowing.

"Okay, maybe not pay you. But I’ll buy you snacks!"

She shook her head, laughing silently.

"Deal!" he declared anyway.

Then he picked up his textbook again and pushed it toward her.

"All right, Sister Daisy. What’s next?" he asked, his eyes bright with enthusiasm.

?┈┈┈┈?

Dinner was already being served when Alessio finally joined them.

Mateo was sitting beside Daisy, chatting about something while Rafael and Eva were discussing their plans for the weekend. The dining room was warm and brightly lit with the soft clinking of cutlery and occasional laughter filling the space.

Alessio pulled out his chair and sat down.

His gaze instinctively went toward Daisy.

She noticed him and immediately gave him a small, welcoming smile.

He nodded in response.

It was such a simple exchange, barely lasting a second, but Alessio found himself momentarily forgetting everything else. Her smile caught him completely off guard. He looked at her for a fraction longer than he should have before lowering his gaze to his plate.

He picked up his cutlery and began eating, maintaining his usual composed appearance, though he had barely registered what was on his plate.

He was supposed to be getting used to this distance.

Apparently, even a simple smile from her was enough to make that difficult.

Across the table, Mateo was unusually cheerful. He kept glancing at Daisy while eating, his eyes practically sparkling whenever she said something through her gestures. He had apparently decided that having Daisy as his tutor and sister was the greatest achievement of his life.

Rafael noticed his expression and raised an eyebrow.

"What happened to you? Why are you looking so happy?" he asked, his tone suspicious.

"Nothing," Mateo replied, trying to hide his grin.

"That doesn’t look like nothing."

"Just eat your food."

Rafael chuckled, while Eva turned her attention toward Daisy.

"By the way, Daisy, do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Eva asked, her voice warm.

Daisy nodded while continuing to eat.

"What’s the plan?" Eva asked curiously.

Daisy glanced at her, then tried to explain through gestures. Unfortunately, her fingers were slightly greasy from eating and she couldn’t use her phone to type just yet. She made a few movements with her hands, trying to communicate that she would be meeting her friends and going somewhere for a photoshoot.

Eva watched carefully, her brow furrowing.

Mateo leaned forward, trying to understand.

Rafael paused with his fork halfway to his mouth.

There was a brief silence.

"Wait, what?" Eva asked, tilting her head. "Photo?"

Daisy nodded enthusiastically and continued gesturing.

"Is she saying she’s going to take photographs?" Rafael asked, his brow lifting.

Mateo squinted at her hands. "I think she’s saying something about going somewhere."

Eva looked between them, completely confused.

Before Daisy could try again, Alessio spoke.

"She’s saying she’s going out with her friends for a photoshoot tomorrow."

He hadn’t even looked up from his food.

His voice was calm, almost casual, as he continued eating elegantly.

Everyone turned toward him.

Eva blinked, her eyes widening. "Oh! A photoshoot?"

Daisy immediately nodded.

Mateo stared at Alessio, his mouth slightly open.

"How did you understand that?" he asked, his voice full of disbelief.

Alessio cut another piece of food. "It wasn’t difficult."

"Really? Because none of us understood a single thing."

"Perhaps you should pay more attention."

Rafael laughed under his breath.

Mateo looked offended, his brow furrowing. "I was paying attention!"

Daisy covered her mouth, smiling at their exchange.

Eva leaned toward her again. "So you’re going with your friends? That sounds lovely. Are you excited?"

Daisy nodded enthusiastically.

"Who’s taking your pictures?" Mateo asked, his curiosity piqued.

Daisy picked up her phone after wiping her fingers with her napkin and typed a quick message. She turned the screen toward them.

My friend Annie is a photographer. She’s taking my pictures tomorrow.

"That’s nice!" Eva smiled warmly. "I hope you have a wonderful time."

Mateo immediately added, "Make sure you send me some pictures! I want to see!"

Daisy nodded.

Alessio remained quiet for the rest of dinner, occasionally listening to the conversation around him while keeping his attention on his plate.

He knew how to take photographs, too. In fact, he had a good eye for composition and lighting. If Daisy had asked him to take her pictures, he would have happily spent hours behind the camera, clicking one photograph after another until she was satisfied with the results. He could already imagine her looking through the pictures on his phone, smiling whenever she found one she liked.

But she hadn’t asked him.

And tomorrow, rather unusually, he would be staying home for the entire day while Daisy would be going out with her friends.

The thought made him feel strangely disappointed.

He almost wanted to ask her to stay, though he knew he had no right to do that. She was free to spend her time wherever she wanted, and he was the one who had decided to create distance between them.

Distance.

He reminded himself silently.

He needed to maintain it, even if every little opportunity to spend time with her made him want to forget that decision.