Occupation: fashion designer/owner of Rubino del Mare
Place of birth: Catania, Italy
Neighborhood: Claret Park
Sexual/Romantic orientation: Lesbian/Homoromantic
Relationship status: Divorced Married
Languages: Italian, English
Length of time in Providence Peak: 16 years, moved away after the divorce, recently moved back to town to open up her business
BIOGRAPHY
( trigger warning: grief, child loss )
Growing up in Catania, Italy, Giada was the only child of Luca and Alessa, a beautiful yet clumsy girl. Growing up near the ocean, Gia developed a love for the sea and all things water. When her parents got divorced, it crushed Gia to have to move away from her first love and to the states, landlocked in a country that couldn't bother to learn her language. The only upside was getting to spend summer vacations in Italy with her papa.
School in the states was hard. it was a struggle to understand English in a way her teachers wanted. She'd learned watching TV shows and listening to the tourists on the beaches. Gia vowed that wouldn't stop her and by the first year of high school, she was getting straight As in all of her classes.
Getting into the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in California was one of the hardest things Gia had ever done, but it was her dream and her mother always told her she could make her dreams come true no matter what. She worked hard, studied where the greats studied and strove to be the very best at what she did.
After graduation she accepted a position at a design company in LA, her dream job (aside from being a mermaid that got to swim in the sea all day). She never expected a grounded company flight and a small accident would lead to her meeting the love of her life and completely uprooting her whole career.
Meeting Sage was one of the best things to ever happen to her. Their marriage was filled with ups and downs and after a long fertility struggle, they finally were blessed with Ruby. Gia was in love from the moment she saw their little gem on the ultrasound.
She wasn't prepared for that gem to be taken from them six years later. Ruby's death was incredibly rough on the married couple and while Sage chose to wallow in that grief, Gia used it to strengthen herself. She couldn't bare to watch Sage waste away, so she decided to leave, go back to LA and start again. There was discussion of divorce, papers served, signed, and sent back.
Quickly she became a stylist to some of the most well known faces in the world. Her life was splashed across tabloids and her designs were featured in some of the foremost magazines. Her design work took her all around the world, finally living out her dream. Summers in Italy were no longer just about family, but also about fashion, recharging, and finding her muses.
But fame and fortune weren't everything and soon she found herself missing the slower pace of Providence Peak despite the grief and anger that came with thinking about the town and who lived in it
Sending her assistant ahead to get everything set up, her house and new business eagerly await her return, as does the box that contains unsigned divorce papers and, unbeknownst to her, a child that looks eerily similar to her big sister.
It was how they always worked, she remembered. Sage was the one that loved to be outdoors in a way that was more than just taking a walk around the neighborhood or going to the beach to relax on a towel and sunbathe. She loved to be in the thick of it; climbing mountains, kayaking, exploring nature in a way that a lot of people didn't dare to see it. Gia was the sunbather, the sitting in a hammock on a summer's afternoon, the walking through a flower meadow type of person. When they had Ruby, the older blonde had finally gotten a partner to tag along on her more extreme adventures and for the short six years they had together, it was perfection. Now, so many things had changed, but what amused Sage most was that Giada hadn't really changed at all. Sometimes, if she blinked for just a second too long, she could imagine that they were standing there seven years ago and everything that had happened was just a really bad nightmare.
"And I see you haven't learned, huh?" Sage couldn't help but gently tease, assuming that if the other's only option was to follow her and put on clothes that would be slightly too short on her, that she hadn't learned to pack that extra set in her own car. "I left Floyd to go return the paddles to the office — it'll be more fun if he comes out and can't find me anyway." She tried to push everything else out of her mind as they walked along. The stuff with Yasemin, the fact that she was currently walking alongside her ex-wife, the fact that they'd somehow already slipped up and slept together... it was all a mess and she was already a missed step away from spiraling again by the time they made it to her SUV parked among others in the grass. She popped the trunk and had to reach behind the stroller she'd forgotten to take out to get the bag she kept in her trunk with an extra outfit and some necessities if she ever needed them. "It's, uh, just a pair of joggers and a crewneck, but it should do the job."
" i... do sometimes. " giada gave a small pout. sage had always imparted the importance of having an extra set of clothes in cold weather, one never knew what could happen and given how they met, she was keen to agree on that fact. however, she just hadn't had time to put things back into her car since moving back to providence peak. she'd been focusing on moving things back and forth between her business and her home more than the idea of falling into a lake in the middle of spring. with a soft huff, more annoyed with herself than anything else, she followed the blonde to the suv, her heart gently clenching as she thought about the last time she'd followed sage to a vehicle, the memories of ruby flooding in.
" do you remember one of the first times you met him and we snuck off to go make out? " gia laughed. " he was looking for us forever. " leaning against the side of the car, gia avoided looking at the stroller currently occupying most of the trunk, taking the clothes offered to her. " thank you. anything is better than this right now. " seeing no one around the car, she handed sage her phone and keys from her pocket, kicked off her shoes and striped the wet denim from her legs before pulling the joggers on.
They couldn't believe their eyes at first. How Hero thought they were imagining Giada roaming around the farm, how in spite of the years that have passed, she still looked the same as ever. While the twins were on a hot air balloon ride with friends and Meg was with her own friends at the petting zoo, the writer quietly made their way to their old friend. They couldn't help the flurry of emotions that coursed through them: happiness to see her again, frustration that she left in the first place, confused as to why she left. Hero had tried to be there for Gia and Sage after what happened to Ruby, wanting to return the favour after they were there for them after their husband left. Yet, it had stung when Sage (understandably) iced them out and then Gia left town. With the awkward run-ins with Sage over the past few months, Hero was admittedly nervous that Gia would ice them out as well. "H-Hey," they breathed out, having made their way to her. "Y'know, I thought you were a ghost at first." They tried to place their admittance off as a joke. Yet, the longer they looked at the older woman, the more they wanted to hug her and chew her ear off for disappearing the way she did.
giada always loved the spring extravaganza and had taken in the new events happening through the city. meandering her way through the farm, the italian was happily munching on pieces of apricot when she spotted a familiar face. hero had been a big part of her life before she'd left the city, their kids and ruby playing together often. most people she'd seen in town didn't have the warmest feelings towards her return and she hoped the other wouldn't have any animosity towards her. " hi. " she gave a small, but warm, smile before laughing softly. " sometimes i feel like a ghost in this town. so much has changed since i was here last. " gia took another bite of the apricot in her hand. " i uh... it's good to see you again. i have to admit, i'm sort of at a loss as to what to say... i've missed you. i'm sorry i- " she cleared her throat. saying sorry wasn't really going to cut it, not when hero had gone through the same situation she'd put sage through. " i'm sorry. "
Despite the nature of their last encounter, full of angry words and heartbreak and the bitter taste of regret and desire on their tongues, Sage couldn't help the chuckle that slipped from her lips, as though this were just any other day and it was completely normal for her to be helping the woman out of the lake. Frankly, she thought she looked adorable, but when she tuned back into the reality behind the moment, the older blonde realized it probably wasn't wise to start thinking her ex-wife was anything in relation to adorable. "Well... normally people don't plan to go kayaking and expect to end up in the lake," Sage started, her grin fading to a soft smile and only dropping entirely when she remembered that Gia's hand was still in hers. Flushing slightly, hopefully hidden behind the already pink and slightly sweaty tone on her cheeks, she finally pulled her hand back and finished tugging her kayak to shore before motioning toward the crowd of cars parked in the grass nearby. "I, uh, have an extra pair of clothes in the car. If you..." She turned to the side, intent on leading Giada to where her Rover was parked. "They're dry, at least, and probably a lot better than a towel."
for just a second she could pretend nothing was wrong, that she hadn't broken them and they were just a family on an outing, everything picture perfect. and then sage pulled her hand away and the moment was over. she cringed as she remembered her phone in her pocket, instantly pulling it out. luckily it didn't seem water logged or damaged in any way. " i am not normal people, you remember that, surely. you always told me to pack an extra set of clothes in my car no matter the weather. " she chewed on the inside of her cheek before giving a small nod. " that would be nice, thank you. i don't want to miss the rest of the activities because i had to go home to get new clothes. " the thought of being wrapped in sage's scent crossed her mind and for a moment she moved to protest before her body shivered at the prospect of remaining in wet clothes.
It was a disaster she couldn't look away from, even if the person involved hadn't been her ex-wife (the same ex-wife she'd just had sex with a few weeks prior). One moment the person was steering toward the embankment at the edge of the lake and the next, the kayak wobbled just enough to tip sideways, sending the person into the shallow water. Sage couldn't help but stifle the laugh that bloomed on her lips, getting lost in how funny the moment would have been had it happened a decade ago. Giada was never nature-inclined and she couldn't help but wonder why the woman was even attempting to steer a kayak in the first place. With nothing but a soft grin on her lips, the blonde finished pulling her kayak to shore and closed the distance between her and the woman half-covered with lake water. Holding out her hand to help the other up, she questioned, "I didn't think swimming was part of the race?" Her gaze glistened with amusement as her grin grew ever so slightly.
she wasn't sure what had possessed her to make her way to the lake on a monday just to find herself in a kayak, alone, on a lake. she'd never been one for outdoor things, hikes with sage and ruby had turned into gia finding spots to sit and sketch while her two girls went on without her, inevitably coming back for snacks and water that gia had at the ready. in any instance, she really should have listened to that voice that told her getting into the boat alone was a bad idea, but she'd caught a glimpse of her ex-wife and hadn't wanted to seem afraid. of course it backfired. her nerves causing her to over-correct, landing her in the cold water, and of course it was sage who came over after seeing the whole ordeal. " funny. very funny. " she sighed, taking sage's hand if only so she could get out of the cold lake that much sooner. for a moment she contemplated using her strength to pull sage into the water next to her, though she doubted she could get the jump on the blonde. " i hate being wet. i didn't even think to bring a towel with me for the drive home. "
Of all the years they've known each other, they've experienced quite a lot together. So much heartbreak and pain, so much joy and celebrations, so much happiness and sorrow. Yet, no matter every experiences they've had together, they tugged at her heart in unspeakable ways every time. She knew that she loved Gia and would do anything for the other. And that the Italian beauty would do the same. The only thing that they couldn't do was take away each other's pain. They could soothe each other and help each other emotionally, but they couldn't take the pain for themselves. No matter how much they wished they could. Such as now. Asli held her best friend close, feeling herself struggling to breathe slightly yet tried to keep herself together. "Eli and I got everything prepared for you," she whispered after a moment. Kissing her cheek, keeping her close. "Whenever you're ready, we can head up. I'm not going to leave your side. I promise." ||📜@giadamoreno
the last thing she wanted was to scare asli's kids. gia loved them more than anything and never wanted them to see her upset, not when she was fun auntie g who brought them toys and goodies when she came to see them. gia hid her face against asli's neck, taking a deep breath and trying to stabilize her breathing. " th-thank you. both of you. i'm sorry to... " she swallowed thickly, closing her eyes trying to fight off another wave of tears. the last thing she'd expected to encounter as she came into town was sage with another child. they'd struggled for so long to even have one, but apparently it hadn't been that hard for sage to quickly replace her. taking a few deep breaths, gia was finally able to pull herself away, long enough to give a small nod to asli indicating she was ready to go inside.
Receiving Gia’s email stirred a whirlwind of emotions in Mei—a blend of excitement and apprehension. The prospect of reconnecting with her old friend after a prolonged absence both delighted and unnerved her. Following the upheavals surrounding Ruby, Mei had withdrawn into herself, finding solace in solitude. But Gia’s invitation to meet up reignited a spark of hope, coaxing Mei out of her self-imposed isolation.
Upon entering the diner, Mei’s eyes eagerly scanned the room, searching for Gia’s familiar face. Spotting her friend, a wave of relief washed over Mei, dispelling any lingering doubts. Gia’s infectious smile greeted her, prompting Mei to return it with equal warmth as she made her way over to the table. The embrace they shared felt like a long-awaited reunion, erasing the distance that had separated them.
As they placed their drink orders, Mei felt a surge of gratitude for Gia’s thoughtfulness. Her waving morning sickness was like a rollercoaster these days. Mei thought after the first trimester was over it was going to pass, yet that wasn’t the case. “Water sounds perfect,” she agreed with a grateful smile. “How Have you been? “ Mei asks genuinely eager to catch up with her after not seeing her for a while.
she had a lot of regrets after ruby’s passing. one of those regrets was pulling away from her friends, people who had always been there for her in the years she was married to sage, people she trusted, had grown with. one of those people was mei. the other woman had been experiencing the joy of becoming a mother so closely to when gia was losing the experience that the designer had pulled away, not wanting her sorrow to take away the other’s joy.
as they embraced, gia felt a small part of her soul was healing. there was still a lot to make up for, but shoe hoped she could start that path, making amends with people in the town she’d hurt with her own way of grieving.
“ i’ve been okay. traveling, working, growing the business. ” she’d been featured in magazines all over the world and never knew what to tell people when they asked questions such as that. did she bring up work? her personal life was severely lacking these days unless one counted sleeping with their ex-wife as having a personal life. “ how are you? how’s the family? you have... two kids now, si? ”
Thea waited patiently, watching Giada go through the photos but she hadn't really noticed until now that the woman wasn't wearing a wing. It was hard to really know if that was just a choice or if there was more to it. Leaning over to see the photo, she automatically recognized who was next to her. "Wait is that...Sage?" She had clearly not put two and two together until this very moment and did not realize that the woman she'd been speaking to also was Sage's ex-wife. "They're both super stunning dresses you both look beautiful." She ended up adding on, not knowing how else to go about rectifying the moment now that she had possibly made things extremely awkward. Thea placed the phone back onto the table and thanked Giada when she handed her the bottle of water. She took a sip, feeling the silence not helping the weirdness. "So um, yeah definitely think that a fuller skirt could be fun and then if I do a dress for the reception something a little sleeker."
as soon as her ex-wife's name was spoken aloud, she winced slightly. " ah, yes. it is. " of course the younger woman would know about sage. it seemed everywhere she went someone knew sage, though no one seemed to know of her previous marriage, which worked in her favor... most of the time. " thank you. i... a lot of work went into those and i'm very proud of them. " despite the circumstances, her wedding day would always be one of the best days of her life, following only ruby's birth. " sorry, i did not mean to make things awkward. we can definitely do a fuller skirt. are you thinking princess style or something like a prom dress that's not, " she put her hands out next to her sides, puffing out with a slight giggle.
their relationship was one he would never lose, despite him hating being apart from her when she decided to leave town. though, he couldn't blame her for that. she'd been through a lot and he didn't want to make her feel worse for grieving in a way she thought was best. "well, i wish you would have told me sooner that you were bad. you have no idea how much i've missed you. i mean, shit. it's been too long." she knew that. either way, he was just happy to have her back. "what do you mean things happened? what's going on, gia? you can't leave already."
" i know, i know. i'm sorry. i just... needed to adjust to being back before i was really back, you know? " she sighed softly. the last thing she'd wanted to do was leave him, but being away from the town meant her business and her brand grew. she grew as a person and as someone who could handle their grief in a healthy way. " i... " gia groaned loudly and looked up to the ceiling of the record shop. " i slept with sage and... i liked it. i mean obviously i liked it. i was married to her, but i really liked it and... i kind of want to do it again. " gia covered her eyes with her hands, looking down at her lap.
the last person that floyd expected to see was gia but the look of surprise that managed to take over his face was sure to be what she expected. "-what the hell?!" he started and immediately moved around the counter to engulf the other in a hug. he'd missed the woman. they'd been friends for quite a while and it'd been forever since the last time he'd seen her. he pulled away, hands resting on her shoulders. "when did you get back into town? i mean, are you here to stay or what?"
gia laughed, wrapping her arms and legs around floyd as he hugged her. that was the reaction she was hoping for. no matter how long she and floyd went without seeing each other, the love she had for the man never went away. kissing his forehead, gia pulled back. " i got back about a month ago? i've been setting up my shop and getting unpacked. i wanted to be settled before i came to see you. " floyd was a breath of fresh air. someone who didn't judge her, someone who had known her since she was a teenager, stumbling through the world just trying to carve her tiny piece out. " i was here to stay.... and then things happened and now i need you to convince me to not leave again. " g pouted.
the vinyl countdown was where floyd spent most of his time when he wasn't working. that, or sage's bar. he'd been trying to get out of the house more and that was mostly because he didn't like being alone with his thoughts. that was a worry for another time. he was about thirty minutes until closing when he heard the chime of door indicating that someone had walked in and he held back his need to sigh. it'd been a long day and he was ready to go home. he paused his work at sweeping the floor, "we close in half an hour, just so you know," he paused, leaning against the broom in his hand. "is there anything specific you're looking for? we just got a new shipment of some classics, if you're interested."
she felt bad, leaving just as he was arriving in town. but it'd been for the best and they'd kept in touch, damn near texting daily. she hadn't, however, told him she was moving back into town, hoping to be able to surprise him with the news. hopefully he wouldn't be too mad at her for not saying anything the last time they'd spoken to each other. she noted the time on the door before walking into the store and waiting to see if floyd would come out to greet her. as he emerged from the back room, she smirked. " hai un aspetto di merda. " gia teased before walking to the counter and hoisting herself up on top of it. " sorpresa. "
Elijah saw Gia’s words as a challenge, spinning on his heel to stare at her with a lifted brow as if to say, ‘Oh, really? And you’d bet money on that?’
He didn’t want to admit that she would be right to, all things considered, but he’d like to believe for at least a moment that he more than earned his right to his own bedroom under any dire circumstances should it ever be up for debate — even though he was pitted against Aslihan’s best friend, his biggest rival in this playful competition.
Instead, he spewed, “Whatever. Bullshit.” And the smile that poked through his features was enough to signify that the harshness in which he spoke was only intended to be banter, having recognized that he likely fell directly into Gia’s trap of riling him up.
He went back to settling in, shedding his coat and tossing it atop his bag while he toed off his shoes. The sound of her sigh behind him caused him to turn around once more and his features softened as she began to speak. While he didn’t understand Italian, he was able to pick up on enough context clues to recognize the gist of what she’d been saying — and he felt bad, truly. Not only because he felt bad for her, but because he felt as though she didn’t need to stress about overstaying her welcome on top of everything else. Underneath the thick layer of jokes that he easily threw around, he had absolutely no issues with Gia’s presence in the slightest. He wanted her to know that.
“You can stay as long as you want,” he admitted, knowing that Aslihan would have no issues with such a thing either. “Honestly, I mean that. I like to bust your balls about it, but that’s as far as it goes — I don’t mind that you’re keeping my side warm.” He padded over towards the bed, plopping down by Gia’s feet. “That being said, y’know . . . I’m not As, but I’m a pretty decent listener. If you ever need another pair of ears . . . I’m here, just as she is.”
eli was a good man. she hadn't known him long but she knew asli loved him and anyone asli loved, gia loved. he was good to her and that's all she could hope for her best friend. " cazzate. " she winked at him with a grin on her face. eli was like the slightly older brother she never got after her parents divorced. having him on her side made the world feel easier to navigate.
as he sat in front of her, she looked up from her lap, offering a small smile. " i... i missed... life here, i missed being here with people and places i knew. " gia swallowed thickly as she considered her next words. " i missed her. " words whispered, spoken only in her heart for so many years. it wasn't fair, she knew that. she'd walked away from their life and hadn't looked back. but the ache for sage was still very present.
" i know, i know. i... it doesn't make sense. i walked away from her, from our family but... eli, she was so broken. i've never seen her like that. i tried everything i could to get her to come back to me. nothing worked. if i stayed i was afraid i was going to ha- " gia took a shuddering breath, covering her face with her hands before she could calm herself down.
" she was killing herself and i couldn't stay to watch. i had to leave, for both of us. i never stopped loving her. "
Thea let out a laugh, already knowing she would be getting a lot of input from her stepmom since it was just in her nature to give it. And she had a feeling Ava would have a bit to say about some of the choices that they were going to be making. Especially about what was important to Thea and Elliot. "Oh yeah, I'm already anticipating that, don't worry. I'm pretty confident in my choices usually though and a bit stubborn so I think I won't like budge too much. And I'm great at listening to my gut." She shared with a grin before she listened to Giada share about her own wedding experience. "Do you have a photo of the dress? If you don't mind showing?" Thea was now curious with such high superlatives on the dress's name. She smiled in relief as she heard Giada share that they could definitely set up another appointment. "Okay that'd be great, thanks so much. I think I do want to go with a white or a white variation. I think like the most color I would do is a baby pink." Thea shared, wanting to stay traditional in at least color. "Um a water would be great!"
gia had seen it all in her years. brides, clients, models, refusing to stand up for what they wanted and in the end none of them walked away happy. she was glad to see that thea was going to stand up for what she wanted, and if need be gia was always there to step in and lay down the hammer. her bride's word was law. " oh... i think i have a photo somewhere in one of my albums. " that was a whole other can of worms she didn't really want to think about, but she'd brought it up and now she had to produce the goods. opening her phone she went to one of her locked photos and scrolled to the bottom, the one photo she kept of her and sage's wedding day, and showed it to thea. " i... designed both dresses actually. " gia gave a small smile, thinking about all those nights she and sage spent in bed as gia sketched different designs, excited to see which one sage would choose for their wedding. " anyway. " she handed her phone over for thea to take a closer look before going to grab a water from the mini fridge.
location: the teacher's lounge
availability: closed starter for @meicarrillo
it was nerve-wracking, emailing mei that she was back in town if the other woman wanted to catch up. after ruby, gia had pulled away from so many people. she'd tried her best, but her friends trying for a family at the same time as she was losing hers was simply too much for her. they'd kept in touch over the years and gia had gone to see the family occasionally but she still felt bad about leaving so abruptly.
gia had gotten in touch with the doctor and offered to take her out to lunch, picking a casual spot with food that g had missed while she was gone. there was something about good, greasy diner food that hit the spot.
glancing around the diner, she smiled at a few familiar faces before the waitress came up to take her order. " ah, i am still waiting for my friend, but can i get a chocolate milkshake please? " a friendly face appeared over the woman's shoulder, bringing a smile to gia's face. " you're just in time. do you want something to drink? "
gia could barely think as she drove her car, lucky speech to text didn't pick up on her rage and tears. pulling over to the side of the street, she let the tears flow down her cheeks as the call came in. taking a breath, the italian answered the phone, instantly soothed by her best friend's voice. " no, i'm in the car already. " gia took a breath, wiping her cheeks free of salty tears. " i stopped by the house... i don't know what i was expecting, but i wasn't expecting her to walk out of the house with... she looks so much like r-ruby. " her breath caught in her throat as she spoke her daughter's name out loud for the second time that day.
"Okay," she breathed out. Her other hand running through her hair while her thoughts swam rapidly in her head. "Okay, I'll see you soon. Oh, Gia..." Maggie had always appeared as Sage's perfect mini me every time Asli saw her. However, she'd always stopped herself from researching more on Ruby after learning about her. It hadn't felt like her place to learn more about the daughter of the woman she wasn't close with. Yet, she's always been curious about Gia's Ruby. Knowing now that they were the same girl, it felt torturous to breathe. She couldn't imagine the pain both women have been experiencing. Asli had been ready for Gia, instantly opening the door and her arms stretched out to hug her once she got closer to her. "I love you," she whispered. Kissing her cheek and hugging her tight to her. "I love you so much, Gi."
the drive to asli's was slow, gia could barely see the road through blurry eyes. it probably would have been smarter for her to have the other woman come get her but she wasn't thinking straight. nothing else mattered except getting as far away from sage's place as she could. pulling into the driveway it took a few moments for gia to get out of the car, being pulled into warm arms as she approached the door. that's all it took for the flood gates to completely open, tears spilling freely now that gia knew she was in safe company. the italian didn't dare speak just yet, not knowing what to say in the first place.
