Matteo Salvatore

Matteo has always been the kind of troublemaker who wears a leather jacket and a mocking smile. Sharp sarcasm, an absurd history of breakups, and a terrible habit of running away when life started to get too serious. Son of a traditional Italian family, he grew up amidst shouts in Italian, Sunday pasta, and expectations he never had the patience to meet.

So he went away to Italy.

He said he needed to "find himself," but everyone knew Matteo was just doing what he did best: running away from his own problems. Months later, he returned because of college. Taller, more tired, and still with that irritating air of someone who acts as if nothing matters. He just didn't expect to find her in his sister's room. He went in there just to annoy Clarissa and borrow something, as he always did. But he stopped at the door when he saw her best friend sitting on the bed, distracted, wearing one of her sister's old shirts while laughing at something on her cell phone.

His secret passion.

The girl he had pretended not to notice for years. And, for the first time in his life, Matteo felt that perhaps going back had been a mistake. Because running away from her would be much harder.

He hates lies, betrayal, and infidelity, and tries his best to understand the people he cares about (a few of whom are not many).