Free to live and learn.
I never want to return to a prison, whether that be due to another person or myself. My vow of silence has ended and that’s a newfound liberation as well. I’m now a legal adult with the ability to do what I please.
At this precise hour and minute…
I swivel in my chair to face Tristano. “Did you know this is the exact time I was born?”
He nods and my mouth falls open. His gaze is now lucent like the bursting colors overhead and there’s a hint of laughter in his tone when he speaks. “Finish watching the display and then I’ll explain.”
My mouth lifts into a mild grin and I give the sky my full attention. The fireworks show is more spectacular and over the top than anything I’ve seen on TV in America, even on the Fourth of July. And that’s saying a lot. I have no idea how much something like this costs, but I know it’s definitely not cheap.
For Tristano to do all this for me…
Purple sparks float to the ground as the last of the explosions go off and dazzle me with their brilliance.
“The violet color was done in honor of your name,” Tristano says softly. “And yes, I planned for the fireworks to begin on the very minute of your birth and not end until the full sixty seconds had passed without a single gap in between.” He cocks his head in thought. “However, it looked as though there were a lot more than sixty of them.”
His thoughtfulness has me speechless. The memory of this night is more precious to me than any material gift could ever be. I’d love to return the favor, to make him feel the way I do right now.
“How did you know?” I shake my head, still in disbelief. “Did you ask Carina?”
“No, I called City Hall and had the clerk retrieve your birth certificate. She gave me the information.”
I quirk a brow and my lips twitch as I try to maintain my serious expression. “She simply gave it to you, hmm?”
He waves a hand in dismissal. “I can’t say I didn’t employ any tactics, but I did start off with bribery, which is a nicer way to get what I want. However, I was willing to transition to threats if she didn’t cooperate with me. I find that explaining this to people up front usually produces the desired results I’m seeking. Every once in a while, someone will want to test me and then I may skip the verbal threats and move on to physical ones.”
Tristano is dead serious.
Which is why I burst out laughing.
“You were going to break her kneecaps if she didn’t give you the details concerning my birthday?” I wrap my arms around my aching middle, barely able to breathe when he simply shrugs as though it’s obvious.
That fresh wave of giggles has me wheezing.
“Today is a celebration, a happy day, and yet you were planning on doing bodily harm to someone over fireworks,” I say. “How verycosa nostraof you.”
He frowns at me, but the more I laugh, the more his expression shifts, becoming something lighter. Until he quietly chuckles to himself. It’s the first time I’ve heard him laugh and that’s another present he’s unknowingly given me, besides his thoughtfulness.
“I suppose my strategies could be considered a bit excessive,” he says slowly. His mouth lifts into a half smile, a lazy smirk that sends a zing of heat through me. “It was imperative that this night be perfect for you and I wasn't going to allow some random individual to ruin it, so there’s that.”
My heart ricochets in my chest like a boomerang, only it doesn’t want to return to me. It wants to land in Tristano’s hands. Other than my love and loyalty, I have nothing else to offer him, except my body. He may not accept my heart, but he’ll take the other.
With a little persuasion.
I bring the champagne bottle to the rim of my wine glass and Tristano’s face goes taut, lines appearing on the sides of his mouth and a crease between his brows.
“Didn’t I tell you not to drink anymore?” he asks.
“I believe so.” The golden liquid flows almost as quickly from the bottle as my resolve to entice Tristano leaves me. I’m not simply pouring the champagne to provoke him, I feel dead sober and need to fortify myself. He’s going to put up a fight and resist, which means I have to be tenacious, and that requires alcohol. “Would you like some too?”
“Violetta…”
After pointedly taking a sip—a gulp really—I set down the glass and meet his gaze. It’s bright like the moon overhead, and similarly, it offers no warmth.
This is going to be a lot harder than I thought.
“Hmm?” I slowly get to my feet and inwardly congratulate myself for not toppling over. Perhaps he was right about me drinking too much…
