"Tell me about your past relationships," she says.
"There's not much to tell," I say. "I've never been in one."
"I'm so shocked," she says.
I glance over at her. “My work keeps me busy.”
"Yeah, I'm sure that's the reason you've been single for forty years," she says.
I place my palm over my chest, acting hurt. "I'm thirty-four.”
“What about casual lovers?” she asks.
“Why?”
“No reason, I’m just curious.” She smiles up at me sweetly.
I’m momentarily arrested by that smile.
"Are you hoping that someone will come steal me from you?" I ask. "Because that won’t be happening. There's not a single force in this universe that can take me away from you."
She takes a deep breath, rattled by my words.
I'm starting to let my obsession with her show. This infatuation is sinking its claws so deep inside me that I'm starting to lose my composure.
When we reach the Vespa, I help her into the helmet. She studies me with those brown eyes.
It feels like fate. I think I would have found her anywhere. Something in me wouldn’t have rested until I found her.
The sun is lower in the sky now. Everything is a muted shade of gold as we drive through the winding streets. I stop when we reach the bakery. Once inside, I order a warm blueberry muffin for her and a coffee for me. I didn't get any sleep last night, and I'm starting to feel it now.
We sit by the window. The early evening light illuminates her, making her look like an angel.
She tears off a piece of the muffin and brings it to her mouth. I'm hypnotized by the way her rosebud lips part open. My cock jerks at the way her tongue slides over her bottom lip, licking the crumbs off.
“There’s something else,” I say. “Nobody can know that this marriage will be a temporary arrangement.”
"Why?" she asks.
"Because I said so," I say.
"And he wonders why he's still single," she mutters under her breath. She tears another piece of the muffin and pops it into her mouth.
"I'm sorry it has to be this way," I say. "I wish things could have been different, but this is just how things are."
"You don't look sorry about anything," she says.
The bell above the door chimes as Enzo enters the bakery. His skin looks red from too many hours under the sun. His hair is still wet under the baseball cap he’s wearing.
He walks over to us and places the diamond ring on the table.
"I knew I could count on you," I say, smiling up at Dante.
He looks at Grace. "Next time, throw your fiancé into the ocean. He'll be easier to find."
Grace's face is pale as she stares at the ring. She's staring at it like it's the end of the world. I start to feel something, but I kill it before it spreads through me.
I take her hand. It's sticky from the butter and blueberry compote, but I don't mind. I slide the ring down her finger again and bring her hand to my lips. I lick the blueberry off her fingertips as a blush spreads across her cheeks.
