The Big One (Second Chance Romantic Comedy)

by Katherine Hastings

  “Cheers.” He lifted his own glass and we bumped them before taking a sip. “I brought lunch, too.”

  “Well, you thought of everything, didn’t you?”

  Smiling, he pulled over the miniature cooler. After opening the lid, he pulled out some cheeses and meats, crackers and two little sandwiches.

  “You had a cooler with ice in there? No wonder it felt like it was full of bricks!” I laughed and popped a piece of cheese in my mouth.

  “And a couple bottles of wine.”

  “A couple? Are you trying to get me drunk and take advantage of me?” I arched an eyebrow and peeked at him over the rim of the cup I sipped from.

  “I was thinking you could get me drunk and take advantage, actually.” He matched my raised brow and sipped his own wine.

  Laughter spilled out, and I shook my head. “You haven’t changed at all.”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “Nope. Good thing. Me? Have I changed a lot?”

  “Not even a little, which is also a good thing.”

  “And this?” I pointed out to the views surrounding us. “It’s amazing. I love that you’re still so romantic. It was my favorite thing about you.”

  “It’s easy to do when I’m with you.”

  I caught his softened gaze and sighed. “How did you never get married? I’d think every woman in Europe would have been throwing themselves at your feet.”

  His eyes dropped and the way his face stiffened caused my heart to flutter.

  “I did get married, actually. A few years ago. But it didn’t work out.” Biting his lip, he shifted his gaze and I wondered if he was going to tell me more. But after a few moments of silence, he took a deep breath and stared out at the sea.

  “Oh.” Jealousy and heartbreak ripped through me, and I struggled to chase the vision of him saying “I do” to another woman. Even though it was irrational to think he’d been alone all these years, the reality felt like a slap in the face. “What happened?”

  Shaking his head, he rolled over onto his side. “She wasn’t you.”

  The look in his eye soothed the wound his words had caused, and I let the happy sigh drift through my lips. “Oh.”

  “And you? You never married?”

  “No. Lots of failed relationships between then and now, but never tied the knot.”

  The flash of jealousy in his eyes mirrored the one I’d had just a minute ago. Maybe talking about our exes wasn’t the most romantic topic in this magical place. I changed the subject.

  “So, tell me about your life now. Are you happy?”

  He shrugged. “I suppose so. It’s hard, with my mom in poor health and running a company I’m still learning about. I find myself wishing my dad or grandfather were still here to help me, but I’m finding my way through. I’ve had no time for things like this in a very long time, though.” He gestured around us. “This feels good. Really good. Especially being here with you. I needed this more than I realized.”

  “Then I’m glad I came and dragged you out of your life.”

  “It’s a good life, don’t get me wrong. It’s just a lot to handle by myself. It’s not soccer, of course, but it’s the next best thing.”

  “I’m sorry you lost that dream. You were so good at it. I know they expected you to go all the way.”

  Pursing his lips, he nodded. “I replay that last game over and over again; each time trying to go back and tell my young and stupid self to listen to the doctor and not push it. I was invincible, though... until I wasn’t.”

  “That must have been a huge adjustment for you.”

  “Huge. I crawled into a bottle for a while, pulled away from all my soccer friends since seeing them was too painful, and just fell apart. It wasn’t pretty.”

  “I can’t imagine.”

  “It took my dad dying and my mom needing me to snap me out of it. The move to Italy was good for me, and my grandfather slapped me back into shape and gave me a new focus. He wasn’t one to wallow in regret. If life gave him lemons, he whipped up a mean batch of limoncello.”

  “I love limoncello!”

  “I have his actual recipe. It’s to die for. I’ll make it for you sometime.”

  “Deal. He sounds like he was an important man to you.”

  Liam nodded and took another sip of his wine. “He saved me. And then when he died, he made sure I stayed focused and left me the company. It’s been all-consuming, so I haven’t had a lot of time to do anything for myself lately. It feels good to get out of the suits for a little while. I think I’m making a new rule at the office and its board shorts and tank tops from here on out.”

  “I love it. Bring a little bit of Liam into that new company.”

  “Now that things are settling in, I feel like I’ll have more time for me again... and you. Lots of time for you.”

  Another happy sigh and I tipped on my side as well, reaching out to brush his hand. “I’m glad you found life after soccer. Now I need to find life after teaching.”

  “Are you sure you can’t make it work? Maybe it was just one class of horrible students. I hate to see you give up your dreams.”

  “I know,” I said, gazing back out to the little white boats that cut through the turquoise waters and looked the size of peas from this height. “I’m just not sure what my new dream is yet. Maybe there is still teaching I can do. I just practically have PTSD from those monsters. I panic at the thought of stepping into another classroom.”

  “I just don’t want to see you have any regrets. Life is too short.”

  “Do you have any regrets?”

  “I’ve done a lot of stupid shit in my life. A lot. But I only have two regrets. One was going back onto the field before I was fully healed.”

  “And the other?”

  He reached up and stroked my cheek. “Leaving you.”

  “Liam,” I sighed and pressed into his hand. “We were so young. And I didn’t exactly fight to keep up our communication. I was young and dumb, too.”

  “Do you regret it?” His eyes pushed deep into mine.

  “I did buy a ticket to Italy and show up on your doorstep, so I think it’s safe to say yes.”

  A proud smile pulled up his lips. “Then no more regrets after today. You and me. We’re not letting this go again.”

  “I couldn’t if I tried.” I sighed and he leaned over, a soft kiss brushing my lips. Pulling back, I pressed my forehead to his. “I don’t know how we’re going to do this, but I’m in. No more regrets.”

  “We will figure it out. I promise.”

  I really didn’t know what we were going to do. But right now, and possibly for the first time in my over-analyzing life, I wasn’t worried about the details. All I wanted to worry about was the taste of his tongue. I leaned back in and let my lips have their way with him.

  When we finished our lunch, he packed up the bag and led me back down to the lift. Once again, he stayed by my side until the little chair swept under me and pulled us apart. I turned around to watch him and caught his smile as the chair lifted him up and he floated after me.

  Knowing he was on, I turned back to take in the incredible sights surrounding me while I hovered over Anacapri. Chicago had nothing on views like this and I let my mind drift for a moment to a life here in Italy with Liam. Could I really pick up and move across the ocean? I peeked back over my shoulder and his eyes captured mine. For the first time I let the idea loose in my head, though fears and realities still joined the grand ideas in their assault on my mind.

  When we landed, I hurried off the chair and waited for Liam to join me. He reached me and slid an arm over my shoulders, pulling me in for a kiss on my forehead. I closed my eyes and wrapped an arm around his waist.

  “Your chariot awaits,” he said, guiding me forward. I saw our little pink scooter waiting for us, and when he climbed on, I couldn’t stop the giggles from slipping out.

  “If you’re going to force me to drive a pink scooter, the least you can do is keep your laughte
r to yourself.”

  “I’m sorry. You just look so...”

  “Pretty?” he said, puckering his lips and batting his eyes.

  Laughter rolled out of me while I climbed up behind him.

  He fired up the engine and pushed us back out onto the road. The weight of his backpack tugged against my shoulders, but it was lighter now missing the food and wine we’d devoured on our picnic. I wrapped my arms around him, and the feeling of those washboard abs sent another one of those shivers snaking down my spine.

  We drove aimlessly around the island, stopping at overlooks to take pictures and gasp at the breathtaking views. A street artisan passing by caught my eye and Liam insisted on buying a bottle of limoncello made from the island’s famous lemons, and perfume for me that held all my favorite scents of Capri inside the little bottle. I knew every time I smelled it, I would be transported back to this moment.

  This perfect moment.

  Liam looked at his watch. “Well, looks like we need to get our scooter back and grab a bus to the Blue Grotto so we can catch the ride to our boat.”

  “Boo.”

  “We’ll come back another time and spend a few days here. I promise.”

  “Okay.” I smiled at the thought. “Do you need to get back to your mom?”

  “Actually, I got my cousin Alfonso to stay over for a couple nights, so I’m free to come and go and spend time with you. But I’m not allowed to leave my boat moored there overnight.”

  With those words, the realization he was free to spend the night with me settled in. My stomach tightened with a potent mixture of excitement and nerves. I had no time to respond before he twisted the handle and we sputtered off toward Marina Grande.

  After returning our scooter and the quick bus ride back to the grotto, Liam piggybacked me down the steps again, even though I insisted I could walk. I didn’t protest much though, because the feeling of wrapping my body around him was far from unpleasant and kept flooding my mind with other ways I would like to wrap my body around him.

  “Hello, Lorenzo!” Liam called when we reached the steps outside the grotto’s entrance. Our previous guide spotted us and smiled widely, rowing back over to pick us up.

  “Right on time!” he said, helping us back into the little boat. We settled into our seats and I felt the pang of disappointment while he rowed us away from the magnificent little island. I would be making Liam keep his promise to bring me back here again.

  After reaching our boat, we thanked Lorenzo and Liam handed him a sizable wad of euros. Lorenzo thanked him profusely before rowing away.

  “That was an amazing day,” I said, tucking my things in the berth beside his backpack and pulling on my life vest.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Next time we’ll fight the crowds at Marina Grande and stay a few days. There is so much more I want to show you.”

  “I can’t wait to see it.”

  “Want to see something else amazing?”

  I nodded.

  “Good. Then ready the sails.”

  I went to work while he started the engine and pushed our bow into the wind. Repeating the same process as before, I raised the sails and settled back down beside him. He cut the engine and trimmed the sails until we launched forward, the wind taking us away from Capri and back the way we came.

  The sail home was more leisurely than the heart-pumping ride over. With the slower speeds, it gave us time to talk again. I listened to the stories about his life, and he laughed at the stories that made up the decade without him. I’d forgotten how easy it was to talk to him. With Liam I could just be myself, and I was amazed at how much of my soul I poured out into his waiting ears.

  When I saw Naples get close enough I could make out the buildings and colors, he released the sails and the boat slowed until we just bobbed along the waves.

  “What are we doing?” I asked.

  “Patience. Let’s take in the sails.”

  Together, we lowered them and rolled them up. He moved to the bow, and pulled out the anchor, dropping it into the water. After tugging to be sure it was secure, he climbed back to the stern and pulled off his life jacket.

  “We’re gonna be here for a while. Go ahead and get comfortable.”

  While I slipped off my life jacket, he disappeared inside the cabin, emerging with those plaid cushions from the couch and a blanket.

  “What are you doing?” I watched with curiosity when he tossed them on the bow, ducking back in and coming out with two more. A moment later he climbed on the bow and pressed them together, laying the blanket over the top of the scratchy material covering the cushions.

  “Come on up.” He waved me toward him and I smiled, then climbed up to where he’d plopped himself down on the make-shift bed. “Pretty nice, huh?”

  “Very clever,” I said, taking a seat beside him. “These views are incredible.”

  “My grandpa used to sleep in the cabin, but on hot nights like tonight, I would pull out the couch cushions and sleep up here. There’s nothing better than the fresh ocean air under the stars.”

  The sun was still out, but it was setting fast. “Are we sleeping out here?” I swallowed hard.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t hold you hostage. I can get you back to your hotel tonight. I just wanted to show you something.”

  “Oh,” I said, though I wasn’t sure if it was relief or disappointment. Sleeping with him would strip me of any ability to leave his side again. I knew that already. Not that I was sure I wasn’t already too deep in to get back out, or even that I wanted to. But connecting with him in that way would seal my fate and I’d lose that last little protective shield still wrapped around my heart. It braced for the other shoe to drop, because being this happy and having things work out like this just never seemed to happen for me.

  “Do you know what we need?” His voice shook me from my thoughts. “The limoncello!”

  He hopped up and dropped back down into the cockpit, digging out his backpack and the glass bottle of limoncello we’d wrapped up in the picnic blanket. Hoisting it triumphantly, he ducked below me before emerging with two plastic cups. With him came the sounds of American music from the speakers down below.

  “My grandfather had a sound system put in I can Bluetooth to, and I hacked my phone last year to listen to Pandora. I still love American music the most. This station is my favorite... American Top Hits. It plays everything.” He paused to listen to the song.

  “Oasis. Wonderwall,” I said. “Good tune! I haven’t heard it in years.”

  “Now we’re ready!” He climbed back onto the cushions. When he sat behind me, he pulled me up against him, and I leaned back against his chest. Reaching his arms around me, he handed me the two cups which I held while he poured in the yellow liquid. The sounds of the music blended with the lapping of the waves on the hull and creaking of the boat as it bobbed beneath us.

  The sky started to darken and the blue swirled with hues of pinks and oranges that deepened with each drop of the sun.

  “This is what I wanted to show you.” He leaned forward, his warm breath ghosting my ear. I closed my eyes and took a breath before opening them to see nature beginning to paint the skies around us.

  We sat in silence, sipping our limoncello and watching the colors erupt as the sun slipped farther and farther behind Mount Vesuvius. Naples glowed in the soft pink light, and the ripples of waves reflected the colors causing every inch of the world surrounding us to illuminate in colors no painter could ever hope to capture.

  “It’s beautiful, Liam.” I whispered.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  The last strip of light slid beneath the towering mountain and I turned my head back, catching the last reflection of colors in his pale blue eyes. They lit up when the song drifting up from below changed.

  “Listen!” he said, tipping an ear.

  Doing the same, I closed my eyes and smiled when I heard the familiar melody of Into the Mystic.

  Liam pulled out his phone and wh
en he pressed the buttons, the sound in the speakers amplified.

  “You planned this,” I said, my smile growing as I remembered the night we danced on the boat to this song.

  “I swear on my mother’s life... I didn’t.” He placed his hand over his heart. “But now that it’s on...” He stood up and held out a hand. “Dance with me.”

  After a moment, I reached up and let him tug me to my feet. His hand slid around my back and he pulled me in close. Our bodies swayed to the sound of the music, each note bringing with it the memories of the night I lost my virginity after we danced to this song. Every time I’d heard it since that day it would stop me in my tracks, transporting me to the night I’d spent in his arms. When it ended, I would be filled with agony, wishing I could go back in time. This time, I wasn’t dreading the end, and I didn’t need the song to transport me back. This time, I was right where I wanted to be.

  He sang the chorus into my ear, and I giggled as he twirled me in his arms.

  “Do you remember dancing with me to this?” He twirled me again.

  “Of course, I do.”

  “Then you’ll remember how we ended?” I squealed when he spun me into his arms and dipped me backward as the last of the notes faded out to sea.

  He held my weight, and we exchanged a smile, but my face dropped when I heard another familiar song creeping up beneath us.

  “Now I know you set this up,” I said in disbelief. “Is this a CD you made?”

  His smile grew, and he shook his head. “I swear to you. It’s just Pandora.”

  Our star-crossed lover’s anthem that week had been Aerosmith’s I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing. We’d played it on repeat, made love to it, and I’d sobbed every time I heard it for almost a year. Now I heard it again, and the feelings bottled up inside me screamed for release when the song wrapped around us and ripped open the walls surrounding me.

  “I missed you, Ellie. I don’t want to miss you anymore,” he whispered, leaning closer while I exhaled a breath and with it exhaled all my reservations and fears that this would end badly... that he’d break my heart and leave me longing for him even more than I had for a decade.