Page 27 of Bella Rosa
We stop at a few booths to buy some supplies for one of her surprises later. I gather up our bags and take hold of her hand once again, directing us through the thinning crowd to a nearby booth that's overflowing with lemons. "Do I get to know the story now?"
She smiles as a blush sweeps across her face, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
We browse the stand, searching for the perfect lemons for later. I can tell she's trying not to look at me, embarrassment written all over her face. I lean my back against the stand so I can look at her, careful not to disturb the display. "Oh, I think you do."
She turns to face me, trying to keep a smile from forming on her face. "It was just a silly dare in college. Not a big deal. A few other girls skinny dipped with me. There, you know the story. Now, answer my question. What's your biggest fear?"
I move closer to her so I can grab the lemons from her hand. Our fingers touch for the briefest of moments and I choose to linger there for a moment longer than necessary. "Losing someone I love. What's the top item on your bucket list?"
I pay as she speaks, quieter than before. "I want to visit all seven continents. What was your first impression of me when we first met?"
I grab her hand and gently pull her out into the main walkway so we can start walking back to the car. I'm silent for so long we have enough time to make it back to the car. I walk with her to the passenger side door, but neither of us make a move to get in. She leans back against the door and looks up at me with apprehension in her eyes. I crowd her against the car door as I place our bags on the ground at our feet. I reach out and set both hands on her waist, pulling her towards me. "You floored me, Rosa."
She surprises me by reaching up and grabbing the back of my neck and pulling me down for a kiss.
The moment our lips touch, I know last night wasn't a fluke. I thought maybe tensions were just high because of our situation. I've been trying to find the right time since picking her up this morning to test out my theory.
The kiss lasts only a few moments before she breaks away. She looks up at me and smiles. "I knew I didn't make it up."
I brush my thumb over her lips as I stare into her eyes. "No making that up, Rosa."
17
You're Blushing
Rosalie
IknewIdidn'tmake it up. I laid in my bed all night tossing and turning, wondering if I somehow made up my connection with Matteo.
Did we just get caught up in the heat of the moment? Was I just frightened because of the storm and I chose someone to bring me comfort? Did I actually make up the entire thing and I'm actually in a coma right now? 3 a.m. Rosalie is not fun to be around.
I was half convinced he wasn't going to show up this morning. I thought he must have gone home last night and changed his mind. Come to his senses. Realized he wants nothing to do with me. But no. He's here.
We're currently driving to the next mystery location—with the top down—listening to some awesome Italian music. I can't believe he put this much effort into this date. I was expecting to maybe walk around downtown and go to lunch, but he thought of something creative and outside-of-the-box for us to do.
He turns down the radio after the song ends. "So, what do you think?"
"He was really awesome! I can't believe you got to see him in concert. His name is Fred… what?"
He laughs, "Fred De Palma."
I grab his phone and search for my pick on his music app. "My turn!" I hit play and the main song fromThe Phantom of the Operastarts to play. I look over to gauge his reaction.
He takes his sunglasses off and hangs them on his shirt collar and grins at me. "I call dibs on Christine!" No freaking way. He starts the first line at the perfect time. He doesn't hold back, and neither do I. I know I've met my match when he starts playing imaginary instruments and finishes it all off with a horrible high note at the end. I feel like I'm getting a glimpse of the Matteo no one else gets to see, and oh man, I'm in trouble.
We're both laughing so hard we can't breathe when we pull up to a restaurant a few minutes later. He puts the car in park and turns to face me with disbelief written all over his face. "There's no way you've seen the Broadway show that many times. That must have been so expensive."
I wipe the tears from my eyes and shake my head. "My boss gets tickets all the time. She never uses them, and I'm the only one brave enough to ask for them."
"Clever. I've seen it once a few years ago, but I put the movie on for background noise a lot when I'm working." He points a finger at me with a mischievous grin on his face. "Wait right there."
He gets out of the car and comes over to open the door for me. I accept his hand as I step out of the car and curtsy. "Why thank you, sir."
He continues to hold my hand as we start walking to the front door of the restaurant. I pull my phone out and snap a few photos of the stone building. It's set back a bit from the road and is surrounded by shops and other locally owned businesses. There are five tables out front.
He pulls my seat out for me before going around the table to take a seat, then hands me a menu. "They have the best ossobuco in town. Save some room for dessert though." He gives me a wink before looking down at his own menu.
The waiter comes by and we place our order. After he leaves Matteo leans closer to me. "Show me your blog."
