Page 106 of The One
I’m met with only silence. Tiero gets what I’m talking about.
Déjà vu hits. This isn’t so different from the conversation we had after he met Ella.
“When? Where?” he asks.
“Not when and not where. Weren’t you listening to me? She’s been right under my nose the entire time.”
“Who, Teo?”
“Mariella Accardi.”
“What?”
“I know!”
“She’s ten years younger than you. You were at her christening.”
“I know!”
“Are you sure? How could you not have realized she is your One?”
I run my fingers through my hair. “Tiero, I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.”
Another long pause. If it wasn’t for the long breath my brother is expelling, I might have thought we’d been disconnected.
“Then that’s all I need,” he finally says.
And that’s one of the many reasons I love my brother. He trusts my judgment without question.
“Tiero, she’s something else. Beautiful, kind, warm-hearted, passionate and so freaking talented,” I gush, not recognizing myself. But I can’t help it. “A total surprise given who her father is. You should hear her play guitar.
“I never expected my One would be from our circle. I always imagined I’d meet her outsidela famiglia, look into her eyes, and know. That waspapà’s story and yours. I assumed that was the pattern.”
Tiero sighs, undoubtedly remembering the moment his life changed forever.
“Yeah, I get it. That was my expectation too. And it was confirmed when I first looked into Ella’s eyes. That connection with her, it was like being sucked into outer space in a pile of pieces, and returned to earth in one. I’ll never forget that moment for as long as I live.”
“Yes! That’s what it was like! It was like a trip to the stars and coming back realizing the earth isn’t flat but this incredible, breathtaking sphere of possibilities. I’ve just been too much of a dumbfuck to see it.”
I shake my head, still stunned by what’s happening. I’ve wasted so much time!
“Did you never look into the girl’s eyes until now?”
“Not meaningfully,” I admit. “Besides, she was always so shy, her gaze seemed glued to the ground.”
“Was?” Tiero questions.
“Yeah, we’ve gotten past her shyness.” I smile, the memory of Mari’s chocolate-brown eyes vivid and warm in my mind. “Now, when she looks at me, it’s like the sun rises every single time. If someone had told me that before, I’d have dismissed them as utterly pathetic,” I add with a chuckle.
“It’s love, Teo. Perhaps it’s meant to be a little pathetic.”
“But how can it be like a switch that’s suddenly flipped?”
“Beats me. I never questioned it, just enjoyed it.”
I sigh. “I’ve been waiting for my One sincepapàtold us about her when we were little. I can’t believe she was under my nose for twenty years!”
Tiero chuckles. “And you didn’t have any inkling before?”
