[ Alberto looks up at her with almost doleful eyes, for how touched it always makes him feel when she does stuff like that. He's always liked it but even after all this time, isn't used to it. After a beat, he puts another lopsided, bittersweet smile on — this one much warmer, though... In his own way, he opens up — while also making a quick save to... avoid opening up. His mental gymnastics are so impressive... ]

Well— Luca's party was a lot of fun, we were so happy, but... it was a couple days after Bruno left. So— my party is automatically gonna be great, cuz I'll be happier, and it'll be easier to focus on the fun, heh — y'know...?

[ He tries to put as positive a spin on this as he can, but it's obvious now what that blip was. A pang of grief. They come up a lot between these two, sure, those sudden remembrances, unexpected connections, but some are harder to hide than others... And even after all this time, Alberto still seldom talks about Bruno. He talks around Bruno, usually — this being a prime example of this dodgy way of mourning he's developed. But even with all his weak positive spins, still trying to make like he's totally okay and has been this whole time, despite how much he betrays his true emotions in every way but his words, Alberto still won't talk about Bruno. ]