"Good." His face softens. Just slightly. His thumb wipes under my eye. He’s holding me like he never wants to let go. And I’m perfectly okay with that.
…
My back is against his chest, his legs wrapped loosely around me. We lean against the back of the little wooden bridge like it’s our damn castle or something.
I can feel his breath on my shoulder. I run my fingers along his arm where it circles me. "This night’s insane." He hums.
"You think?" I smile.
"Did you expect to cry your guts out on a bridge next to the guy you swore you wouldn’t fall in love with?"
"Fuck off," he mutters.
I can feel his smile against my neck. I tilt my head to look at him. "Be honest."
"I’ve been trying not to tell you since Spain happened."
I laugh, impressed.
"Don’t laugh. You know how hard that shit was? Or how hard it was to keep a straight face when you’re wearing those stupid-ass glasses, reading in a corner like a fucking romcom librarian? I wanted to eat you alive."
"Charming," I deadpan.
"You’re lucky I didn’t combust."
I’m fully giggling. And he’s grinning behind me, proud of himself. He shifts, just enough to press his nose into my hair. "I hated keeping it quiet," he mumbles. "I wanted to yell it. All the time. Every time you walked in a room."
I turn fully in his arms and cup his face. "You could’ve said something," I whisper, teasing. He rolls his eyes. "And what? Risk losing you before I even had you?"
"So what now?" I ask.
He shrugs. "Now I stay right here. And if you tell me to move, I’ll cry again. Your fault." I laugh and kiss his cheek. "Deal." He leans in until our foreheads touch, and we stay like that for a while. I don’t feel like I have to be anywhere else. I suddenly feel him shift slightly, then his hand slides into his pocket.
"Wait," he says. "I almost forgot."
He pulls out a tiny bracelet made of colorful beads. Pink, green, blue, way too many sparkles. "What’s that?"
He clears his throat. "A gift. From Emiliana."
My eyebrows shoot up. "The girl from the beach?!"
"Yeah. She made one… for you. Said I had to give it to you if I ever grew a pair and told you how I felt."
I reach for it slowly, and Gio gently places it in my hand. It’s a little crooked. The letters are mismatched.
But there it is: GIO?RAVA
Spelled out in tiny plastic beads. I bite my lip.
"She made two," Gio adds, quietly. He turns his wrist, and I see his, already on him, snug against his skin. The same beads. Same crooked heart. I stare. "You’ve been wearing it?" He looks defensive immediately. "Don’t start." I laugh. "You, you Mr.'I scare people for fun'Fontana, walking around withthison your wrist?"
"Hey," he says, raising a brow.
"It’s a limited edition. One-of-a-kind Emiliana original. Very exclusive. You gotta be someone special to earn it."
"Oh, I’m honored," I say, grinning. "You should be. I had to pass six emotional boss levels to get the damn thing."
We both laugh. Then I adjust mine, twisting it gently around my wrist. "I love it," I say. "I’m never taking it off."
