*Caterina*
“Caterina, come down, dinner is almost ready!” my mother called out.
“I’m coming, Mom!” I shouted back.
I picked myself off my bed and tucked my phone into the back pocket of my jeans and began my descent down the stairs. I was only a day into my Thanksgiving break and already I was feeling the effects from being back home again. I hadn’t expected to feel so normal about it all.
The weight of school, although temporary, was lifted from my shoulders and I could finally take a real breath. I loved my classes and the campus I lived on, but something about being back home with my mother gave me a deeper, warmer sense of security and I didn’t realize I was missing.
And Elio… well, I wasn’t entirely sure where I stood with him.
Of course, I knew I was bound to run into him at some point while on break. But I certainly wasn’t anticipating my body’s reaction to seeing him after so long.
