Page 118 of Falling Overboard

“With you or what do I think about it in general?” I teased, and he smiled.

“I had the chance to chat with Maria and she told me about this local restaurant that I think you’ll love.”

“Why do you think I’ll love it?”

“I’ll tell you when we get there.”

There hadn’t been a lot of nice surprises in my life and I loved that Hunter kept finding a way to give them to me.

The restaurant was small but cozy-looking. Definitely a locals type of place, not at all touristy. The smell of bread, garlic, and tomato hitme when we walked inside, making me feel nostalgic for my nonna’s kitchen.

The walls were exposed brick, and strands of white lights had been hung along the ceiling. The tables were covered in white linens and had dark, wooden chairs. We were shown to a quiet spot in the back of the room, drawing the attention of almost everyone as we walked by.

And I wasn’t sure if it was because we were so easily identifiable as Americans or if it was because of how insanely handsome Hunter was.

I completely understood the urge to stare at him all the time.

We sat and were handed menus. I opened mine and asked, “So what’s the surprise?”

“Maria said they have unlimited pasta here,” he said.

I let out a tiny shriek of delight. “Are you serious? All the pasta I can eat?”

He chuckled. “I knew you’d love that. But I’m not sure why you’re so excited about it. Olive Garden has the same deal.”

“Hush,” I said. “Every time you say the words ‘Olive Garden’ in this country, a real Italian restaurant dies.”

That earned me another small laugh.

“They also have pizza, and nothing compares to Italian pizza,” he said. “If you want to try some of their other stuff, maybe you shouldn’t load up on pasta. That’s how they get you.”

“That might be how they get you, but not me. I will bankrupt this restaurant,” I said, going through the menu and picking out what I would eat first.

He grabbed my hand, grinning at me. “Have I ever told you how much I like hanging out with you?”

I heard the wistfulness in his voice. I knew he wanted more, but I didn’t think I was capable of that right now. We were in this limbo state where I was scared of being more serious, we couldn’t be together because of the rules, but we also didn’t want to stay away from each other.

“I like hanging out with you, too,” I said, squeezing his hand in return. It was all I could give him right now.

He started rubbing small circles on the back of my hand with his thumb and returned to reading the menu. “Enjoy your food, but don’t get upset with me when your stomach explodes.”

“Today Giovanna told me that I can eat all the pasta I want while I’m in Italy and the calories don’t count, and I’m not looking for any further nutritional advice at this time.”

A waiter approached and spoke English to us, welcoming us. “Do you have any questions?”

“Besides the unlimited pasta, do you have any other specials? Like, for your pizzas?” Hunter asked.

The waiter blinked at us slowly and looked annoyed. “Sì. You buy two pizzas and you pay for both of them.”

Hunter shot me an amused glance and placed an order for a large margherita pizza. I said I would have the unlimited pasta, asking the waiter to bring out the fettuccine carbonara first.

When he left, Hunter leaned across the table. “I wanted to ask for pepperoni and mushrooms but I was too afraid he’d get mad.”

“He does seem like the type.”

I adored this man so much. It felt like it was flowing out of me and I wouldn’t be able to contain it.

“Penne for your thoughts,” he said. “And that’s the pasta kind of ‘penne,’ not the coin.”

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