There was one with me on his back, Dante looking back at me as I threw my head back laughing as he made a joke.
One where I’m between his legs, laying on the grass, looking out towards the highway seeming lost in the moment and maybe I was a little lost in him as well.
We had a crash course in being a couple but I feel like we’ve aced it.
“I have time before I have to go.” Dante says it softly like he thinks I’m going to tell him I’m too busy for him. “I can buy you lunch or do you just drink two coffees for that meal too?” I laugh as he says this, standing up as the photographer walks over to us.
“Two cups a day keeps my Demon away.” He smirks at the way I joke about him, embracing his nickname but he doesn’t get a chance to respond.
“I can send pictures to you in a couple hours for the engagement announcement. But do you want me to text you some pictures to post now?”
It takes me a second to think about it but it makes sense if we start laying the ground work. There is going to have to be some social media presence from us with this engagement.
I don’t have a huge following but I do know a lot of people.
If Becca reposts some of these pictures a quick million people will see it. And of course my best friend will do that for me.
I’m sure Dante has an aesthetically pleasing Instagram account, with all the pictures placed and taken strategically. Maybe all black and white shots to make him seem more man and less mafia heir.
Suddenly, I’m yearning to creep all his socials to find out more about this man I’m going to marry.
I exchange numbers with the photographer, thanking her and telling her I’ll be in touch with her about the wedding in a couple weeks. A couple weeks feeling like a shorter timeline than I imagined.
Everything feels more real now.
“We should probably add each other on social media.” I’m opening the photo sharing app, surprised to see not only did Dante already add me to social media but he had tagged me in several stories he posted.
The first one is from last night.
He took it as I walked towards Justin’s building. It’s taken at an angle and my face doesn’t show but you can see my outfit and the inky Atlantic moving in silent fury behind me.
He had captioned it ‘she walks on water’.
Something about it feels romantic and I take a second to appreciate it.
The next picture, I’m tagged in is of a tray of coffee in his story as he walks back to the penthouse.
A third picture of me at brunch, sipping my coffee, with half my face showing, my eyes locked ahead of me at whoever is talking to me, unaware of him snapping it.
A fourth photo of me shopping with my back to him, Dante’s legs in the photo with bags around him captioned ‘For her I’ll spend Saturday’s shopping’.
It’s such a typical guy picture.
The last picture was from when we had been walking on the cobblestone and my shoe had come off, I was turning to look for it and thought Dante had been texting. Instead he had posted the picture of me as ‘Cinderella’.
I scan my eyes over him, trying to make sense of all of this.
What is he playing at?
No one had ever cared about me enough to make anything public and for some reason Dante doing it almost hurts.
Was he doing this to just make sure that he covered his ass with the engagement or was he doing it for another reason?
I didn’t think I could handle the idea of him having feelings for me but I wasn’t sure I could handle him not having feelings either. The way he looks at me complicates everything.
“I think I actually rather go back to the penthouse and lay down. You’re close to Inferno. Go check in on everything.” I push him away softly, needing some space so that I can freak out in peace.
Trying to give him a reassuring smile but he’s looking at me like he wants to transplant himself into my mind and it makes me uneasy as I try to step away from him. I’m trying to retreat into my own mind to process everything.
I’m so used to having space that when he demands my attention I clam up.
“Ilaria.” The rumble of his voice seems urgent. His hand is on my wrist and he’s forcing me to look at him again.
All I can think about was how I spent the afternoon kissing him and pretending to be a happy couple in love. A normal couple who didn’t have to sign a marriage contract to make their parents happy. Just a couple of fools who are happy to be with each other.
It had been so good to pretend that we were normal but it was time to face the truth we would always be smoke and mirrors.
“Give me your phone number. I’m going to send a car for you at 4:30 and I want to have your number.” I hand it over and watch him type on it before he sends a text from my phone to what I assume is his phone.
My mind is spinning and I just want to crawl under the covers and hide.
“Are you done?”
His dark eyes look at mine and I see him bite his tongue before handing the phone back to me.
I fake a yawn hoping he sees I need space and frowns when Dante wraps his arms around me, bringing me against his body and making me melt against him.
“I don’t know what’s going on in your head, little principessa but when we get home tonight we can work out whatever monsters you have in your mind.” He kisses my forehead and I frown at the softness of it, stepping away from him again.
