They positioned themselves with the magnificent view as a backdrop. Simone with her arm out, trying to catch the shot. It felt awkward, stilted like this. He guessed it would look even worse if it was ever shown to the public.
‘My arms are longer, how about I take it?’ he offered.
‘Sure, why not.’ She handed him her phone, warm from her touch. He purposely didn’t think about how that warmth seeped into his palm as he held out the phone and they moved close. Her smile didn’t seem genuine, her lips a little tight, which wouldn’t do. He could give a winning smile, a money shot, on muscle memory alone.
‘Say, Taleggio.’
‘Why would I say that?’
‘Taleggio’s my favourite cheese.’
Her eyes widened and then she laughed. It was such a bright, joyful sound. Like birds waking at dawn. He smiled at the thought and took the photograph, then a few more for good measure.
The bare skin of her arm was soft against his own. She smelled like the citrus blossom that flowered everywhere at this time of the year. He didn’t want to move, but they couldn’t stand here like this any longer.
‘I think that’s enough to work with. Take a look.’
He handed back the phone. Simone scrolled through the pictures, looked up at him with a soft smile on her face.
‘They’re fantastic. Honestly, I don’t think there could ever be a bad photograph of you.’
Leo rarely thought about his own looks, despite his stratospheric modelling career. His face was nothing more than an accident of DNA. However, Simone’s simple comment sent a curl of pleasure through him.
‘Why Mrs Zanetti, are you handing me a compliment?’
‘It’s my job as your wife to keep you grounded, so I’d never do that.’ The corner of her lips tilted into a sly smile. ‘You get far too many anyway. One more would be superfluous.’
‘I don’t like the way you keep imposing gravity upon me.’
‘You’re a highflyer. I’m just trying to keep your feet on the ground occasionally. Remind you what life’s like, being a mere mortal like me.’
Her comment was an innocent one, said in a moment of fun, but it took him back to a time when he’d felt all too mortal. One he didn’t want to remember, not today. The breeze changed and the sound from before became louder. Unmistakeable.
‘What’s that noise?’ Simone asked, looking up the hill in its direction.
‘The real wonder of this place,’ he smiled, his heart rate picking up with anticipation. He wanted her to enjoy this, be struck by the wonder of it as he’d first been. ‘Come on, this way takes us through the arid garden which is a bit rocky.’
He held out his hand to her and she slipped hers into it with no hesitation. They moved upwards, through the gravel paths and boulders, passing succulents and cactus, then onwards as the atmosphere began changing. Tree ferns dotted the space, the undergrowth lush. The air here cooler, more humid, almost like they’d been transported into a rainforest. The rush of water became even more pronounced as they rounded a corner.
Simone turned to him, her mouth open in wonder. ‘Is that what I think it is?’ Her voice was louder because the sound was now unmistakeable. The rush of water turning into a roar.
Ahead the hillside rose to their left and the path led through a grotto cut into the rock. But the wonder of it was that at the right time of the day, the mist that came from what was in the cave caught the light and a rainbow illuminated their way.
She let go of Leo’s hand and hurried forwards, laughing as she took another photograph of the beauty and simplicity of white light shining through water droplets. He’d been all but forgotten, although that didn’t matter. Her joy was all he’d craved to see and here he had it. He could take out his own phone and snap a picture of her smile, which would capture something more vibrant and beautiful than the misty rainbow ahead of him.
She disappeared into the dark fissure in the rock and he jogged to follow, not wanting to miss her reaction. He entered the space just behind her and she squealed. ‘Oh my…look at this. Look. At. This.’
A waterfall cascaded through the rocks from above them, rushing under a stone bridge and away down the hillside to the lake. Simone stopped at the perfect vantage point, looking up from where the water roared over the hillside into the grotto where they stood, carefully placed artificial lighting accenting the space.
‘It’s so beautiful.’ She shouted to be heard over the sound, far louder than when he’d been here before, clearly because of recent rains. ‘I can’t…’
Right now, with her smile as natural as the wonder surrounding him, she was the most beautiful thing here, without compare. She stood, gripping the railing. The mist from the waterfall drifted all round them and made their clothes damp the longer they stood here. Simone’s pretty shirt began to cling to her body. Her nipples tight under the fine fabric. It was cooler here, that was all. Nothing more. His own polo was sticking to his body too. After a few more moments, Simone moved on, which was sensible because they were at risk of becoming drenched if they stood there too long.
‘People should see this. Peopleneedto see this,’ she said.
‘Yet we’re only two of the privileged few.’
‘It pays to know you then, I guess.’
