Bitter & Sweet
The Part 50

Chloe really can't remember any more, that Matteo's friends from overseas are coming to visit, and it's likely that they've arrived at Matteo's house this afternoon.

So does Matteo's ex-lover, who may be taking turns with other Matteo friends, shake hands with Chloe.

While Chloe is acquainted with Matteo's friends who speak a language mixed with a foreign language, Matteo looks as if he feels proud to show Chloe off there.

Matteo could hardly stop smiling, and clasped Chloe's hand tightly, as her friends seemed to tease her who was currently with Chloe.

"What are you doing?" chloe asked Matteo.

To be honest, Chloe was currently feeling uneasy, as she was unwilling to make an impression on Matteo's friends, as if she was Matteo's lover.

And after Chloe asked her question, Matteo seemed to notice that Chloe was disturbed by the situation, so Matteo then said,

"I'm sorry ... I'm too excited to introduce you to my friends."

Seeing that Matteo seemed to be sincerely regretting his actions, Chloe felt moved and did not bother about Matteo's behavior too much again.

"Tsk!" Chloe clucked.

"I'll let you this time. But, please don't make your friends to be misunderstood by my being here. Okay?!" chloe said, raising both eyebrows.

"Okay!" matteo looked excited again, then brought Chloe to sit next to him, and continued saying,

"I'll explain to them that I like you. While you're still not interested in being my lover."

Chloe shook her head, in disbelief at what she heard from Matteo. "The sir! ... You don't joke."

While putting on a serious look, Matteo then looked at Chloe fixedly, then said,

"I'm not kidding. I do hope that you will become my lover, because I really like you ... No ... More precisely, I love you!"

Chloe was wide-eyed, but she could soon regain consciousness.

"You haven't known me for a long time" said Chloe, smiling and almost laughing.

"I guess, you're just misinterpreting your feelings for me. Feeling comfortable when we spend time together, doesn't mean that you've fallen in love with me."

However, Chloe's next words, it doesn't seem to be something that Matteo wants to hear.

From the look on his face, Matteo who kept looking at Chloe fixedly, furrowing his brows deeply, revealed that he did not agree with Chloe's opinion.

And it's true.

Because in the end, Matteo immediately denied it by saying,

"I'm not a child who can be confused with my own feelings. Do you think I can't tell the difference between being comfortable with love?"

"I'm sorry sa—" Chloe didn't have time to finish her sentence, as Matteo immediately interrupted her by saying,

"Chelle! ... Please don't apologize! It just makes me feel like you're going to reject me."

Matteo exhaled a heavy-sounding breath, while holding Chloe's hands tightly.

"Please consider becoming my lover!" matteo said in a clear voice, then continued to say,

"If you still feel hesitant, you should not answer immediately. I'll wait, until you're sure of what you want."

Chloe should be a happy woman now, because a handsome man with high social status, has just expressed love for her.

Hm ... If Chloe could be honest, she would be happy, but not 'so happy.

Because for some reason, Chloe could not believe the expression of love from Matteo just like that, and just felt burdened made.

Thus, Chloe simply fell silent, and looked at Matteo who had already looked at Chloe first, with that male look that looked adorable.

As if she could read Chloe's hesitant thoughts about anything to do with romance, Matteo suddenly looked anxious, and seemed to be forcing herself to smile.

And after a while passed, then they both just stared at each other, in the end Matteo seemed unable to hide his worries anymore.

"Oh, gosh! ... Please! ... What am I supposed to do?" matteo said, like a panicked person.

A visibly agitated Matteo stood up from his seat and walked up to the bar table, where one of his friends was making a cocktail.

Chloe, who was left alone on the sofa, almost left, because Matteo left without saying anything to her.

However, Chloe had not been able to stand up, when one of Matteo's boyfriends then approached her, and thrust out a can of soda.

"Take it! ... My hands are starting to hurt." Eustache, a friend of Matteo's, seems forced to have Chloe accept the gift immediately.

"Thank you" said Chloe, taking a can of soda from Eustache's hand.

"Can I sit down and talk to you?"

Although Eustache still has difficulty speaking the language used by Chloe, but it seems he is quite trying to be able to talk to Chloe.

Chloe nodded, as if to be a sign for Eustache, who then took a seat near Chloe.

"I have not seen Matteo so excited in a long time" said Eustache, with a thick accent from his native country.

Chloe, who did not understand the direction of Eustache's conversation, just fell silent and looked at him.

"Hm ... I might look like a hypocrite. But, to be honest, I'm happy that Matteo can find someone who's right for him" Eustache continued, then sipped a cocktail from his glass.

Chloe smiled faintly in response to Eustache's seemingly mistaken words, and assumed that Matteo was dating Chloe.

"I wish she could find her happiness, and she stopped blaming me for dating her ex-boyfriend."

I don't know what Eustache thinks, so he can be as open as that about his personal affairs and Matteo, to Chloe who incidentally just known to him.

"You don't have to pretend to be surprised. Matteo must have told you that I, one of his friends, betrayed him behind his back" said Eustache.

"True to my guess," chirped Eustache, sounding excited.

"Ugh?" Chloe was confused.

"I can see that Matteo has really fallen in love with you" said Eustache, as if to explain something.

"Matteo is not someone who wants to tell people about his personal affairs. Even my friends don't know that I betrayed Matteo, ...

... by dating a woman who is still her lover. But he seems to want to tell you" continued Eustache, putting the glass he held onto the table.

"That makes me sure that you're not a random person to him. Therefore, frankly, I became interested in getting to know you further."

As Eustache spoke to him right now, according to Chloe, Eustache was a sweet-mouthed person in the beginning.

And for some reason, Chloe suddenly shuddered in horror, when she saw the gaze and smile that Eustache showed, which Chloe thought was very strange.

"Eustache!"

Matteo's voice reprimanded him, making Eustache who had been slightly leaning toward Chloe, then so sitting upright.

Matteo then took a seat between Chloe and Eustache, then turned towards Chloe and said,

"I'm sorry ... I didn't intentionally intend to leave you alone."

"Pffit...!" Eustache then seemed to laugh in suspense, until Chloe and Matteo simultaneously looked towards him.

"You should take good care of him. Because compared to Marrie—, Matteo—'s former lover still seems a lot more interesting," said Eustache, with a strange smile.

"Of course" said Matteo, firmly.

"I already know that ... Not only is she attractive, she is also much better than Marrie. I don't regret letting you date that woman....

... But, Eustache ... Shouldn't you know yourself better too?! Aren't you ashamed of trying to get close to Chloe with your dirty mind?" matteo continued, with his cynical tone of voice.

"Mattel...." Eustache who chuckled as he mentioned Matteo's name, as if he was mocking Matteo there.

"Are you hallucinating? Your love for Chloe claps one hand. Do you think I can't see it?" said Eustache, who seemed convinced by what he said.

At that instant, Matteo looked agitated and immediately stood up from his seat, then while extending his hand towards Chloe, Matteo then said,

"Can you accompany me for a minute?"

Chloe was speechless, because in truth, Chloe currently preferred if she returned to the pavilion alone.

But....

"Please...!" Matteo looked softly at Chloe.

"Haha...! How pathetic!" eustache said with a laugh, as if he felt satisfied for having successfully teased Matteo.

Chloe then welcomes Matteo's hand and walks with him, away from Eustache, who appears to have a cynical look on his face.

Before they stepped out of Matteo's house through the back door, a bottle of alcoholic beverage on the bar table, was struck by Matteo, and carried the object with him.

Thus, Matteo stepped foot while holding Chloe's hand tightly, and next to her hand again brought the alcoholic drink she had taken earlier.

Matteo took Chloe to sit next to him on a bench by the pool in his house, then began to gulp down a little bit of alcoholic beverages that had been opened.

Chloe's wide-eyed.

Looking at Matteo at the moment, Chloe felt a little worried, because Matteo would definitely get drunk soon, if the man continued to drink it irresponsibly like that.

"The sir! ... You've been drinking it too much" Chloe said, admonishing Matteo with caution.

However, even though Chloe had already reprimanded him, Matteo only stopped for a while, then continued to gulp the alcoholic beverage directly from the bottle.

"Sir...!" Chloe tries to stop Matteo, taking the bottle and keeping it away from Matteo.

Matteo looked at Chloe.

"You're drinking alcohol in a hurry, your chest is definitely hurting, isn't it?!" said Chloe, who was really worried about Matteo.

Chloe shook her head as she watched the bottle full, and now the rest of the liquid was not half that.

"I know that you may be very upset because of Eustache and your ex-lover. But in my opinion, this is not the best way to deal with your disappointment" Chloe continued.

Chloe then stood up and intended to get rid of the bottles of alcoholic beverages to a place a bit away from the bench where they were sitting.

When Chloe came back to where Matteo was sitting, the man seemed to bend down while holding his head with both hands, like someone who was frustrated.

Feeling pity for her, Chloe tried to help calm Matteo down, gently rubbing the back of the man, saying,

"I'm sorry that might not be able to help you much. But maybe you will feel calm, if you convince yourself that you will find someone better later."

Matteo suddenly sat up straight, then looked at Chloe fixedly, with his eyes looking dull.

"You think I'm jealous of those two douchebags?" matteo asked, furrowing his brows deeply.

Chloe fell silent.

Without changing the slightest expression on his face, Matteo then said,

"No, Chloe! I don't feel jealous of them at all."

"I was frustrated, because I felt like you were going to refuse me to be your lover....

... I really love you, until I'm so scared that you're in love with someone else" Matteo continued.