My heart is thundering in my chest as she runs her fingers over my shoulders, fingers nestling into the hair at the back of my head as she leans in before sitting down to whisper to me.
“My friends came here to kill you because they thought you had kidnapped me. Don’t worry, I saved your life. Add it to the tally of things you owe me.”
She is teasing me as she pulls away, sitting down and looking at me with flirty eyes.
Her good mood is gorgeous.
I think I like my fiancées friends.
This playful side of her is wonderful, the tension she had been holding is looser and I reach for her hand, taking it in mine as I carry it to my lips, kissing her wrist, pausing as she looks at me, daring me to say something to her.
Naughty girl.
The smell of tobacco on her hands and I’m suddenly back to thinking about how I want background checks on her friends and to know who she is with at all points of the day.
That possessive monster filling my gut as she talks with everyone, making conversation and laughing with her soft ease.
It’s a rollercoaster of emotions.
“We’re going to come to dinner tonight at Inferno. Monday the 10th you’re closed, we should have the engagement party there on that night.”
Plans are being made around me and I nod in agreement to whatever my father is saying because Ilaria has my head so confused as she floods it with unfamiliar emotions.
All I want to do is get Ilaria home so that I can ask her about her friends but I can’t think of an excuse quick enough because my mother is jumping into the conversation and drawing back my attention to it.
“Your engagement photos are at noon today. We need an image for the paper.”
This catches my attention because I have a ribbon cutting at my restaurant at 5PM which means I need to be there by 3PM to talk with everyone and make sure that it is all going okay and we will be okay to open.
I don’t have time for all of this.
Ilaria seems to think about the time as well because I see the shadow cross her eyes, a flint of annoyance before she is looking at me and giving me a smile that lets me know she has a plan in place. It’s reassuring how she can get behind something and figure it out.
“We should get going. I need a dress for Dante’s opening tonight and we should coordinate a few outfits for the engagement photos.” She looks at my mother, this smile plastering on her face that lets me know she is trying, “We should make sure to get a photo of all of us tonight. The joining of families only happens once and it’s an occasion that I want to share with our children someday.”
I don’t know if she is spoon feeding them shit or if she believes it.
Hell, I believe it.
Ilaria is planting these seeds, an idea of a future together, and I can feel the way it makes my heart burst in my chest, wishing I could kiss her right now.
But she’d hate being kissed in front of our families for the first time, especially how I wanted to kiss her.
“You kids run along. I’ll text you the details, Dante.” My mother leans down to kiss me, “Ilaria. What a treasure you are.” My mother is kissing her and I can see the way she’s looking at Ilaria.
She’s that daughter my mother never got to have. And for some reason I feel this surge of pride like she hadn’t been picked for me but I found her.
Mine.
As Ilaria goes to hug her father goodbye my mother hugs me close, wrapping me in her arms and the familiar scent of her Jean Paul Gauiter, warm vanilla and rum scented. It’s the scent of my mother and home.
Flashbacks of hugs before school and being tucked in before she went out with my father for dinner. It’s Saturday morning cereal in front of the TV as she leaves a smear of lipstick kiss on my cheek before heading to whatever exercise class she signed up for.
It’s familiar and safe.
“She’s special, Dante. I hope you see that.” It sounds like a warning.
Don’t let a treasure go.
Pulling away from the hug, I follow her gaze to where Ilaria is straightening her fathers shirt for him, the daughter playing the mother hen.
She loves him and has taken care of him for at least the last two years. I’m sure she’s worried about him now even though he is the one who wanted to arrange her marriage.
Maybe I should have waited to talk to her about moving in but after her show this morning I couldn’t think straight.
I just want her close to me. Even now I’m itching to touch her.
Ilaria’s eyes lift and she sees me waiting for her.
Something about the way she is staring at me makes my heart beat faster and I know without even having to think about it that I’m going to end up in love with this girl.
She is my destiny, mine for the taking.
Her hand finds mind, weaving our fingers as she looks at me, a soft nod letting me know it’s time to go.
We walk in silence to the garage until I’m opening the door to the white Maserati MC20 for her, trying to see if she’s impressed that I also like cars but not reading anything from her face. I hide my disappointment as I slide into the driver’s seat.
What am I? A teenage boy just trying to impress a girl?
