A shy, hopeful smile curves her lips.
“Yes,” I murmur, my hand sliding to her knee. “I want you to smile every time you think about our future.”
“I love you,” Cecilia says.
She sets her glass on the table and moves toward me, straddling my lap. Her hands rest on my shoulders. “I love everything about you. Every. Single. Thing.”
She looks at me as if she’s choosing me all over again.
“I won’t let my intrusive thoughts steal our days anymore.”
I cradle her face, holding her as carefully as if she were made of something irreplaceable. And she is.
“Ti amo.When I speak to you, Cecilia, it’s always from my heart,” I murmur. “Everything I tell you is born from what I feel. Remember that. Stay with what you’re feeling right now… not with what you think you should be feeling.”
She leans in and kisses me.
This kiss feels different from the others. We’ve moved past that desperate rush we had on the rug, and the intense hunger from the shower. This kiss is soft, lingering as I pull her closer. I feel her body sink into mine, every last bit of tension finally draining away as I touch her.
When we pull apart, I keep my forehead resting against hers before leaning back.
“So,” I say lightly, “this might be a good time to tell you that I bought the house across the street from yours.”
Cecilia gasps, pulling back to look at me. Her wide eyes search my face, looking for the telltale crack of a joke.
“You didn’t.”
I hold her gaze, my smile widening as I nod.
“You did—Alexander!” She laughs, the sound a mix of shock and joy, before burying her face in my chest, shaking her head “Soyou’rethe one who’s been making all that noise in the neighborhood for the past two weeks? That endless renovation?”
I furrow my brow, pretending to give it serious thought.
“Well,” I say solemnly, “now that you know it’s me, I can finally send out gift baskets apologizing to the neighbors for the disturbance.”
My thumb brushes her spine as I add, “Don’t worry, I’ll deliver yours personally. With a special touch.”
She lifts her face. “We’re really doing this, aren’t we?” she whispers.
I tighten my grip on her waist, feeling her warmth through the thin fabric of her shirt.
“Yes. We are.”
I drop a quick, reassuring kiss to her lips.
“The house will be ready next week. But I’ll only move in when you’re comfortable with it. I won’t intrude on your space, Cecilia. I just wanted to be as close to you as possible.”
She laughs, shaking her head in disbelief. “This building is barely thirty minutes from where I live, Alexander. Wasn’t that close enough for you?”
I pull her fully against my chest. “Sometimes,” I murmur, “even when we’re like this... it still isn’t close enough.”
She brushes her nose against mine.
“I feel the same.” When she opens her eyes and pulls back to look at me, the decision is already there. “Move in next week. Or whenever you want.”
I smile, and kiss her again.
“I’m going to make a quick trip to Pisa, five days at most. Just to see the family, pick up a few things, and finalize the move.”
