You pause in the doorway, and Mattheo and Theodore fall silent for a moment. Theodore is lounging on the sofa, one ankle crossed over the other. Mattheo leans forward on the edge of his seat, his hands on his knees.

Theodore says to Mattheo, “Say what you want, but she likes me. She is just trying to deny it.”

Mattheo scoffs, “You wish… she has enough of your Italian babbling.”

Theodore’s smirk deepens. “Babbling - my words are poetry.”

Mattheo snorts. “More like a hearing loss if you ask me.”

Theodore tilts his head. “And you? Puppy eyes until she takes pity on you?”

You let your coat fall from your shoulders and toss it to the nearest hook without ceremony.

You chuckle, “What did I miss this time?”

Theodore smirks. “Only Mattheo who claims he has a chance with you.”

“And Theo who wants to prove the opposite with zero success,” Mattheo replies.

You fold your arms. “Oh great, a contest where no one wins.”

Theodore’s voice softens. “You’re almost breaking my heart, principessa.”

You raise a single eyebrow at him. “You mean the one you don’t have?”

Mattheo’s mouth tightens into something almost like hope. “Be honest… who would you choose?”

You let the silence breathe and then, deliberately casual, answer. “None of you.”

For half a second, the world tilts and both of them blink. Then Theodore leans forward. “Oh come on, bella… there must be something you find attractive about us.”

You smile in the way you always do when planning to reveal as little as possible while enjoying every reaction in return. “Okay. I like your hair, Mattheo… and Theo… your smile is unfairly charming.”

Mattheo lets out a constrained laugh. “She knows how to keep us busy, Theo.”

Theodore’s eyes crinkle at the corners. “Then we should make her life a little harder.”

“Make my life harder?” you echo. “You two are barely competent at making tea, let alone making my life difficult.”

Mattheo puts his hands up. “Hey, I’ll have you know I make an excellent cup of tea when I’m not distracted by your face.”

“And I think the phrase you’re looking for is ‘disastrously charming,’” Theodore offers.