Page 74 of The Pass Protection
“Could have fooled me,” she mumbles as she scans the vacant street. A brown wooden door is ahead, with a dumpster further down thealley. Ivy runs up the red brick exterior where a small, lit sign above saysOsteria Bella.
Ushering Bret inside, we are met with a dark hallway, light from the outside illuminating the space. The floors are lined with worn carpet, and the smell of fresh-baked bread and garlic permeates the air.
“Italian?”
Crew smiles down at me as he places his hand on the small of my back. The warmth from his large hand grazes my exposed skin, and I melt into his touch. Since we clearly entered the back door, I follow the worn carpet down the hallway.
What is it with this man and finding hidden gems?
An older woman sees us from where she’s standing at the front. We watch as she gathers menus in her hand before waddling toward us.
In the small, quaint space, tables sit close to each other. Each one is covered in a red and white tablecloth, giving the restaurant a family-style theme. In the center of each table is an LED candle and a small bouquet.
“Welcome, welcome,” her thick Italian accent greets us. “Two?”
“Please,” I say with a warm smile as I reach for Crew’s hand. I can’t get enough of his touch now that we aren’t on a busy college campus. My body craves his constant connection.
The woman leads us to a booth in a corner. She places the plastic-covered menus and napkin-wrapped silverware on the table. Soft Italian music plays from above as chatter from other patrons creates the ambient soundtrack for the night. Taking our seats across from each other, I glance around at the dimly lit room cascaded by the warm glow of lamps and candles.
“I’m Nina. First-timers?”
We nod.
“Welcome to my restaurant. My papa started Osteria Bella when I was six in 1954. All of the items on our menu are authentic family recipes. If you have any questions, please ask away, but in the meantime, what can I get you to drink?”
“I’ll have a Coke, please.”
Crew asks for the same as Nina moves away from our table before visiting with another.
“This place is so cute.”
“So is the view.” Crew’s husky voice has my attention turning across the table, where he winks at me.
“Charming, Crew.”
“Why, thank you, Rebel.”
Opening the menu, I take in the multitude of items listed. I’m grateful when I see that the descriptions are in English since the names are in Italian, which wasn’t one of the languages I studied in school. A comfortable silence falls over our table while we both browse the extensive menu. Reaching my leg out, I feel Crew’s leg and run my sneaker-covered foot up and down his leg in slow, soothing movements.
I still can’t believe I blurted out that I loved him. At first, I was going to brush it off with a generic, ‘I love you for buying me coffee,’ but the way my cheeks heated, I knew he knew it was more profound than that.
A few minutes later, Nina returned to drop off our drinks, basket of breadsticks, and house salads. Both Crew and I laughed as we ordered the same dish—lasagna bolognese.
“Are you excited for next week’s game?”
Next week is Veterans Day, and to honor our servicemen and women, there’s a rumor that CTU is releasing new jerseys and thatthere will be a ceremony at halftime. No one has seen the new uniforms yet. I’m sure the athletic department is waiting until next week so the media can run wild with coverage leading up to the big game.
“Yeah, it should be a good time.” His voice is low, and as he glances to the side, I can tell the topic is making him uncomfortable. I didn’t even think about what this would mean for him. Not only was his dad a veteran, but his brother is also currently serving. I’m sure the stress of the day weighs heavy on him.
Crew sits with his elbows on the table, his head resting on his folded hands. He almost looks comically large in this booth. I can’t help but take in his sharp jawline, which he keeps trimmed into a very close-cut beard that nearly resembles stubble. The scratch of the hair always feels delicious against the sensitive skin near my center. Just the thought has me clenching my thighs as heat pools in my belly.
“Thank you for taking me to dinner.” I blurt the words as his head whips in my direction.
“Anytime, Rebel. I know it’s hard to find time to steal away, and it’s going to be even harder the closer we get to December between the games and assignments I have coming up.”
I sip Coke from my straw before placing the plastic cup down. “Seriously, don’t sweat it. We’ll make it work. It’s not like we don’t live together or anything.”
“That’s true.”
