Roccia and Carlotta, for some reason that I couldn't quite understand, ended up getting on very well, which consequently led to them becoming closer and becoming great friends. This probably all happened because of that book.
But if their relationship was going very well, the same couldn't be said for Sid and Carlotta's relationship. For some reason, in Carlotta's view, Sid was "very arrogant and very rude". But he did the same thing he did with everyone else in the room: he simply ignored them.
On the one hand, I felt a bit bad for them, but the person I was most worried about was Camellya. After all, I could see the effort she put into trying to get close to Sid. She always looked at him strangely and I thought that was because he always ignored her while she tried to get close to him.
I was at home, lying on the sofa like I wanted nothing, watching television, until the sound of my cell phone caught my attention.
You know those moments when you don't want to do anything, just rest, and the last thing you want is to be interrupted? That was exactly my state. But even so, I got up from the sofa and dragged myself over to the desk where my cell phone was. Looking at the screen, I saw Roccia's number.
When I saw Roccia's number on the screen, a feeling of curiosity came over me. It wasn't often that she called me, especially at that time of night. I took a deep breath and, with a slight sigh, answered.
"Hello?"
I said, trying to hide the laziness in my voice.
"Are you all right, Astrid? I can feel your voice getting a bit low, as if you were tired. Have you caught a cold?"
Roccia asked, in the softest voice in the world, as if she hadn't literally just pulled me out of my rest.
"Everything's fine, you little thing, I'm just a bit curious as to what you want with me so late at night... and on a Sunday?"
I asked, settling down more comfortably on the sofa.
"Do you know what day it is tomorrow?"
Roccia asked, her voice a little distressed.
I was silent for a moment, trying to remember any important events, but nothing came to mind. I was really tired and confused, which only added to the feeling of frustration. Roccia, on the other end of the line, seemed to be waiting for a clearer answer, but I was completely clueless.
"Any birthdays of friends of ours that I'm not aware of?"
I asked, with a sincere tone. If it was something like that, I'm sure she would have mentioned it beforehand, but the silence on the line made me uneasy.
"No, it's not that."
Roccia replied with an audible sigh.
"Well... I was wondering if you could teach me how to make homemade chocolate."
Roccia asked embarrassedly on the other end of the line, and I could tell she was really embarrassed, because I could see the cracks in her voice.
I was surprised for a moment. That was definitely not what I had expected to hear. At the same time as being surprised, I was also curious, trying to guess why. After all, Roccia wasn't very good when it came to cooking. Actually, "not very good" is a weak word... the right one would be terrible.
While I was trying to figure out why Roccia wanted to make a chocolate out of nothing, it was then that it hit me... tomorrow was Valentine's Day. So, this chocolate could be for Brant.
"Don't tell me you finally decided to do that?"
I asked, already slightly excited, not even remembering that a few minutes ago I had almost complained to her about how tired I was.
As soon as Roccia heard what I said, the other end of the line was silent for a few seconds, probably because she was embarrassed.
"Yes... I've decided to propose to Brant."
Roccia whispered embarrassedly into the phone.
When Roccia said those words, a strong wave of joy washed over me, to the point that I got up from the sofa.
"But of course I can help you, can I? No, I will! Tell you what: leave your house now and come here, and I'll be tidying up until you get there."
On the other end of the line, the silence lasted another second, and then Roccia's voice sounded timider, but also relieved.
"Are you really going to help me? I... I don't know what to do properly, I'm so nervous! And the chocolate... I'm terrible in the kitchen..."
"Stop worrying!"
I practically jumped for joy, barely able to contain my excitement.
"Don't worry, I'll teach you everything. And don't worry about the chocolate. We're going to do something very simple and, in any case, you'll delight Brant with just the gesture. Now hurry up and get over here before I get too excited!"
I could hear Roccia's laugh, low and embarrassed, but relieved at the same time. As if she was beginning to believe that maybe it really was possible.
"All right, I'll get my things and come over."
Roccia replied, still a little uncertain, but I could see the shy enthusiasm in her words.
"But I'm very clumsy, so if it goes wrong, you can't laugh at me, huh?"
"Of course not! It'll be an experiment, maybe we'll become experts in homemade chocolate after that?"
I joked, but deep down I knew that the most important thing was for her to feel supported.
"Now go, and don't keep me waiting!"
I heard the sound of Roccia laughing again, but this time it was a looser laugh. It made me smile too, knowing that my friend was feeling more at ease.
"Okay, okay. I'll be right there! You won't be waiting long, I promise."
Roccia replied, before hanging up the phone.
As I tidied up, waiting for Roccia to arrive, I found myself wondering what had happened to make her so brave. But unfortunately, nothing came to mind. After a few minutes, Roccia finally arrived at my house.