by Jude Ouvrard
I didn't think it was possible for me to smile bigger. I nodded and kissed him again, because every second I spent away from his lips were a waste of time.
“Can we go back home now, Mom?” We both chuckled as we heard Clara in the background.
“Not that I don't enjoy kissing you, but I think we can continue in the privacy of our bedroom later tonight.”
“Absolutely.” I flushed, my heart hammering on my rib cage with excitement.
“Come on, girls, let’s go home.”
“Yeah, he loves this way too much. You’ll understand, Lia.” Beverly rolled her eyes. What was I missing? “Men and their toys.”
I assumed Teo had gotten a new car, which surprised me. He never complained about our car. We had a Volkswagen Golf, and it worked just fine. It must be something else, but he had gotten me curious. I was dying to find out.
His fingers found my cast as we headed outside. He looked at my swollen hand and gave me a concerned look. “How long has it been swollen like this? It should have been back to normal by now.”
He knew me well enough to know what happened. “I played piano yesterday.”
“Geez, how long did you play?”
“Two hours, maybe.”
He signed before kissing the top of my fingers. “I know there is nothing stopping you, but you weren’t supposed to play for at least two or three weeks.”
Thankfully he hadn’t seen my hand yesterday, because he would have freaked. The swelling was almost all gone now.
He took his car keys out of his pocket and I noticed it wasn’t the Volks key. He pushed on the unlock button with pride, I watched attentively to see which car it would be.
“Holy crap, you got a Range Rover? Are you insane?”
He laughed out loud, unsurprised by my reaction. “I can afford it, trust me.” Of course it was black, his favorite color, and the windows were also tainted dark. I had to admit it looked pretty good, and yes, part of me was jealous.
“Why didn’t you talk to me about this?” As soon as I said it I remembered that we really hadn’t been talking.
“I had been thinking about it for a while, and I got a good deal. Plus, it’s a safe car. It’s yours too.”
“Can I drive it?”
“Not today.” His tone was serious. “Let me get you back home in one piece, it’s all I need for now, okay?”
I agreed.
Beverly nudged me in the ribs. “Men and their toys, now you understand.”
I laughed. “I do.” I sat in the front passenger seat and I couldn’t stop smiling. We never had owned anything that expensive, even the apartment, which was nice but nothing luxurious. This was a first for us. We all had great jobs, but we were all happy with what we had. His change of mind was unexpected.
“Do you like it? Look at the leather seat, the stereo!” His eyes illuminated with joy. Beverly and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Should I be jealous now or what?” I teased him.
He pulled me by the chin, meeting my lips halfway. “Never be jealous. You are my one and only priority. You are my heartbeat.”
I heard Beverly sigh. “Are you guys always so cheesy?”
I give Teo a chaste kiss on his lips. “That’s why I love him so.”
We rode home quietly. The new car was so smooth, far different from our Volkswagen, where we felt every little bump on the road. Teo kept peeking at me until he gave in and took my hand into his, a simple gesture that made me the happiest girl in the world. I remembered our conversation before I left and how much he’d been hurt. We’d been so far apart and scared. All the unknown emotions we had been through separately saddened me.
What about his hair? The car distracted me from his new look. Why did he get rid of his longer, curly hair that I loved so much? I didn’t have to search for an answer much longer. I was gone, and I’d told him he looked like shit. He did this because of me. I was the reason and my heart sank just a little.
“Hey. Whatever it is you are thinking about, it will be okay.” How he knew of my sudden realization I couldn’t imagine. He held my hand a little tighter and kissed the top of it.
“I love you.” I could never tell him enough how much I loved him.
... O ...
The apartment was all cleaned up, everything in its place, not a single toy in the way. Nothing felt as good as the feeling of being home.
“Clara and I are going to the restaurant, and then the movies. So you'll have to evening to yourselves.” She winked and waggled her eyebrows, letting me know what she was referring too. I laughed at her lack of subtlety.
“Thanks, but it’s not allowed.” I sighed. “For at least three weeks.”
“Damn. You guys won’t make it that long.”
I flushed. “I guess we'll see.”
“Are you girls really talking so openly about what I think you are talking?” The look on Teo's face cracked me up. We had been caught.
“Maybe we are,” I replied, laughing at him.
He rolled his eyes, took my suitcase and brought it to our room. I followed him, still laughing.
When both of us were in the room, he closed the door behind me and slid his arms around me waist, pulling me closer to him.
“You have no idea how much I missed this and how scared I was to lose you.”
He kissed the base of my neck softly multiple times, making his way across my shoulder. “I know exactly how you felt because I was never in my life as miserable as I was without you next to me. The first time we argued, I turned my back on you. I left you, Ophelia and I’m so very sorry.”
“I’m sorry, too.” I tried to convince myself not to cry. “I thought you hated me for being so careless while carrying our child. It’s my fault if...”
“Stop right now,” he ordered me. His face tensed, I knew he wasn't happy with what I was about to say. “It’s not my fault or your fault, it’s called an accident. A very shitty accident, but it wasn't under our control.”
“I’m sorry.”
He embraced me, his arms holding me against him. “I’m sorry too. I’ll never say it enough.” His lips softly murmured against my hair. “It killed me to see you getting hurt, to see you in pain, unconscious. Never again, I couldn't bear it.”
We stayed like that for a while, standing in the middle of our room, enjoying the feel of each other. When we stared in each other’s eyes, I finally admitted to myself that I could no longer be away from him. Travelling around the world didn't interest me at all unless he was coming with me. “Every morning, I want us to have breakfast together. I want us to have a normal life. A happy couple life.”
“We always have, in our way.” He tucked a brand of hair behind my ear. “When you were away in Australia, Brazil or wherever you were,” he chuckled, “every small thing coming from you made my day. Whether it was a short text message, a postcard or a package, it made me the happiest guy. When you called, it sent me directly to seventh heaven. Any ways, I could get a piece of you, you made me happy.”
He had a way with words, and each of them touching my heart deeply. “I’m the luckiest girl. You waited for me when I didn’t deserve you, when I was selfish and going after each of my dreams.”
“Don’t, you were never selfish. You were on a mission.” He smiled. “You did it and now, you are mine. Mi sei mancata.” His lips found mine again. “Ti amo, Ophelia.” The Italian rolling off his tongue make my inside tighten in a hormonal frenzy. “I love how you react when I speak Italian.” My breath quickened. “You’re incredibly pretty.”
I ran my fingers through his short hair. “It reminds me of the seventeen-year-old Teodore.”
“You like it?” I heard the anxiety in his question.
“Yeah, it’s different. I’ll miss playing with your hair, but it’ll grow back.”
His closed his eyes and, for a brief moment, sadness appeared in them. “I shaved it when you left. I missed your touch too much.” Teo avoided looking at me. Was he ashamed?
<
br /> “I’m sorry I left, and I’m sorry I said... Look at me, Teo.” I lifted his chin with my finger. “You are perfect for me, short or long hair. It gives you some edge.” It added a bad boy allure to his features. His beautiful brown eyes stared at me at last.
“Are you saying I lost my edge?” He furrowed his brow.
I didn’t know what to say anymore. It seemed that whatever I was saying, it only got worse. I kept hurting him.
“I’ll show you some edge.” He started tickling the good side of my ribs, but it still hurt. I laughed and I screamed.
“Wait, stop... Stop. It hurts.” I laughed. “And don’t tease me like that, we can’t have sex.”
“I know, doctor’s order. I’m not even sure the doctor would’ve approved flying to Brooklyn. Don’t you have medication to take?”
“Later. Tomorrow is the last day, actually.”
He was right, I didn’t think flying to Brooklyn was a good idea, but I’d just had to do it. My head hurt a little, my wrist and ribs were sensitive ,but manageable.
“I would like to take you to the restaurant tonight, if you feel up to it.”
I wanted to stay home, but I couldn’t say no to him. My only desire was to be by his side.
“Okay, are you asking me on a date?” I bit my lip seductively.
“Yes, and please stop doing that. It’s human cruelty. I’m about to combust here.”
We kissed again. I had missed those perfect lips.
“Now, get out. I have to get ready for my date” I ordered him, trying to sound bossy, which I failed at miserably.
He kissed me one last time, leaving me lightheaded. I took a couple of minutes to regain control of my overstimulated body. He knew how to kiss me, how to make me bewildered. I believed he knew my body and my weakness better than I did.
I had two options; short little black dress or an even shorter midnight blue dress with a deep neckline. I didn't even know why I asked myself. Of course, I had to go with the midnight blue one. With that dress on, it gave my hair the illusion of a deep copper red shade. Now that I knew what I was going to wear, I hopped in the shower real quick. My body needed some attention. It had been neglected in the past week.
Chapter FOURTEEN
***
His smile, his lips, his words
Everything about him made me feel alive.
Love will do that to you.
***
“Jesus! When did you get that dress?” His eyes undressed me with such intensity that it was embarrassing me.
I turned around in a runway model-like way, trying to distract him, but his eyes remained on me.
“I got it in Paris. I’m pretty sure I showed it to you.” Maybe not, I got so many clothes when I went to Paris. My shopping spree turned into a frenzy.
“You didn’t.” He ran his hand through his short hair. “I would’ve remembered if you had. Look at you, so sexy.”
“Thank you, you aren’t bad yourself.” He wore his usual black straight leg jeans with a fitted shirt, exactly like I love him. “Come here.”
His arms tucked me to his chest. I placed my hand over his heart, my fingers feeling every beat, each of them going faster.
“You see the effect you have on me?” I nodded against his chest. “I could never live without you.”
I blew him a kiss and he ran a finger down my cheek.
“Come on, before you get me all riled up again.”
To my surprise, we weren’t taking his new car. He wanted us to walk together, get some fresh hair. Maybe he needed to cool off. I chuckled at the thought.
Teo took me to his restaurant for dinner. He said he wanted to show me the new ambiance, something he had been working hard on with his partner. First thing that caught my attention was how full the restaurant was. I couldn’t even see a free table. People were eating, talking and having a good time. It made me proud. His hard work was paying off. Then, I saw, in the middle of the dining room, a shiny black baby grand piano.
“I don’t want you to play tonight because I’m not sharing you yet, but when you’re completely healed, I would love to hear you play here.”
Emotions got to me. Even while we were apart, he included me into his plans. He never gave up believing in us. “I would be honored to play here.” Tears filled my eyes. “Thank you, baby.”
“You have talent, Ophelia. I don’t know what you’re planning yet, but here you’ll always be welcome.”
He reached for my hand as we started walking again. In a quiet corner, there was a table for two reserved for us. He pulled out my chair like a gentleman, and I sat smiling like a lottery winner. I had won the jackpot with Teo, I had no doubt about that.
“I know you can't drink alcohol, but you would like something, babe?”
Now that he had mentioned it, I craved a glass of wine. “I’ll have sparkling water, a Perrier.”
“Did I tell you how gorgeous you are tonight?” He gazed at me through his eyelashes.
My cheeks reddened yet again. “You did quite a few times.”
“I know, I just like to be the reason for your constant blushing,” he teased me.
“Good evening, Mr. De Luca. Would you like something to drink?” The waitress had her eyes fixed completely on Teo.
Hum... Hello? I’m right here. I rolled my eyes. Couldn’t she be more obvious?
“We’ll have two Perriers, please,” he said politely, his eyes on me.
“I’ll be right back.”
Our fingers interlaced on the table. I didn’t want to break the moment, our good mood but I had a question that I had been dying to ask.
“Can I ask you something?” I asked hesitantly.
“You seem nervous... I’m not sure I should agree, but go ahead. You should be comfortable enough with me to ask anything, Ophelia.”
I nodded. “Okay. If you don’t want to answer now, I understand.” I waited a couple of seconds, trying to think of how to get started. “When you went to Jarrod and Misha’s house to... hide, the night you decided to change your name, what happened with your father?”
He blinked. “Not really what I expected, but it’s okay. Changing my name was something that I had been thinking about for a while. I knew if I didn’t leave I would have ended up in trouble, jail or whatever. My dad and his gang were dealing with a shit load of crap.” I gave him a look. I wanted details. “Ophelia, it’s nothing you need to know. Drugs, guns, illegal transactions. They weren’t afraid to use their guns.” He paused. “My dad decided that I should learn the ropes. I was the newbie doing the dirty jobs. My fresh young face served them well. Nobody knew me, so I was able to spy for them. I was their little bitch. That night, my dad was away, and they told me to find a man in a bar, and after that, I had to get him to follow me outside. I did it, I was too chicken shit not to. As soon as we were outside, they gave him a beating. I don’t even know if the man is alive or what he did to deserve it. He kept begging them to stop, but they didn’t listen. I stood there watching them, helpless. I didn’t want to do that for a living. My mom and even my dad had raised me with good values, respect and love. When my mom was hospitalized, my dad freaked out and reached out to his old friends. I’ve always known my dad used to be on the bad side of the tracks, but since I was born, he did everything to be a good father.”
“I don’t understand why he changed like that.”
“I don’t either. It happened fast. One day, he was home crying, missing my mom, and the following day, he had turned into a bum. That night I decided to cut every tie with my dad and the rest of the family. I had to think of my future. I did it for my mom, you and me. I didn’t want to let you down.” He reached for my hand. “My dad probably thinks I’m dead by now. I’m guessing that’s why he got my name engraved on the gravestone.”
“You were only seventeen.” My heart hurt for him. What kind of father does that to his only son? He’d never said anything to me about this until now.
“You too.” His word hit me.
“We both had a rough start in life, but what hurts me right now is that you never told me anything. All these years, you must have been sad, in need of a shoulder to cry on. I didn’t give you what you needed. You were the one supporting me, all the time.”
“You had to deal with enough already. You didn’t need to know about this and I was fine. I missed my mom, but I never missed my dad. The man he was the last time I saw him was a complete stranger.” He held my hand tighter. “Now, please, don’t let’s this ruin our evening. You gave me everything I needed. Around you, I was never unhappy.”
“Okay. Thank you. Enough with my questions for tonight.” I pushed the sadness away. “What are we eating?” I asked, looking at the menu.
“I’m going to have the filet mignon. It’s very good. What do you feel like eating?”
“Pasta, maybe.” I was too tired to eat, to be honest. Meat didn’t sound appetizing tonight.
“We have pastas. Would you like the seafood with linguini? Or maybe the Italian sausage with grilled veggies on fusilli? You can have whatever you like. They’ll fix it for you.”
I felt bad, but I had to tell him. It all sounded tasty but I wasn’t very hungry. “I’ll just have a grilled chicken garden salad. I’m not that hungry.”
“Are you feeling okay? Do you want to go home?” His conscientious sweetness touched me deeply.
I didn’t want to ruin our date. He was obviously hungry. “Don’t worry about me, I just had a long day.”
In the past, we had eaten at his restaurant many times, but not since they had revamped the whole place. The tables, the wall colors and decorations were more up to date and vibrant. The vibe of the restaurant had changed completely, and apparently the customers enjoyed it.
“I’m impressed by everything you've done here. It’s young and fresh.”
“We're pretty excited as well. There will be an article in the local newspaper this weekend. We expect even more people by then.”
