Page 62 of Mine Again

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“Great. First I break a chair, now my card fails on me. I’m really nailing this first impression thing.”

The second card works.

We both stand, and he offers to walk me to my bicycle. Andrea kisses me on the cheek, and this time we manage to avoid the headbutt.

We make plans to see each other again in a few days.

And I smile… wholeheartedly. I do want to spend more time with him.

Today was imperfect in all the right ways.

Once Andrea disappears around the corner, I unlock my bicycle and push off slowly, the afternoon sun warming my back.

My thoughts drift as I pedal.

About the butterfly. The drink I didn’t order. The collapsing chair. The buzzing phone.

All the things that went wrong.

And somehow, those exact things made the date more real. Like I wasn’t in some gilded cage anymore.

Like this was mine.

Chapter Twenty-One

Luca

Not happy, Isabella.

Not happy.

Though… I have to admit, this was kind of fun.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Isabella

Ipick the café for my second date with Andrea a few days later.

It’s small, tucked beneath the curve of a stone alleyway with vines creeping up the walls and mismatched furniture scattered beneath wide umbrellas. It’s quirky, low-key and has the added benefit of being close to home.

I choose a table near the edge, where I can watch the street. I’m not nervous, exactly, but more excited to see how today’s date is going to go.

The more I replay our first meeting, which, really, was my first real date ever, the more I convince myself that he’s exactly what I need for this next phase of my life.

Someone simple.

Someone easy-going.

Someone whose smile reaches his eyes.

Talking with Andrea was easy, like the banter I share with my sisters. Luca was different. More intense. More beautiful, yes. But more all-consuming.

Andrea is attractive in a more grounded way. Less Greek god, more guy-next-door.

I won’t have to worry about women throwing themselves at him or constantly wonder who he’s texting.

And I loved laughing with him. God, I missed that. I haven’t really laughed like this since Luca.

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