Matthew’s heart plummeted. ‘It’s ok. I’m here,’ he said, nuzzling into the back of her neck.
Knowing that the tears represented more than a sleepless night, he chose to soothe her with his touch rather than with words. Eventually, after half an hour or so, Sarah fell asleep. Matthew gently released his hold, allowing her to find her own space to rest. He watched her sleep peacefully, staying close beside her.
Sarah began to stir and slowly rolled over in the bed. Now facing each other, just inches apart, Matthew could smell Sophie’s talc on Sarah’s skin, delicately entwined with the scent of Sarah’s perfume. It was an intoxicating combination, and one he hadn’t expected to respond to. However, between the warm sheets, in their dark bedroom, Matthew found this greatly comforting. His eyes explored Sarah’s face, half expecting her bright brown eyes to open and beam at him.
They didn’t. Instead, deeply asleep, Sarah snuggled her way back into Matthew’s secure embrace.
It was at that very moment that Matthew knew he had fallen for her.
ventinove
Afew weeks later, Matthew was pottering around the kitchen late at night when the music playing through his AirPods suddenly stopped for an incoming FaceTime call. It was NonnoAndrea.
With a beaming smile, Matthew accepted the call. ‘Got nothing better to do than bug me while I’m trying to work, hey? Nothing’s changed.’ He sat down by the kitchen bench and propped his phone up against a bowl of fruit.
‘You’ll miss it when I’m gone.’ His grandfather’s cheeks, though hollow and drawn, were rosier than the last time Matthew had seen him.
‘You’re looking good, Nonno.’
‘That’s nice to hear, because I think I look like shit.’ He drew the phone closer to inspect how he looked on the picture-in-picture view in the call. ‘Was I always this skinny?’ he asked, tugging on the skin dangling from the underside of his jaw.
Matthew couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes. ‘What’s on for your day, then?’ He deliberately didn’t give the comment any airtime.
‘Nothing much. No one will let me go anywhere or do anything.’
‘That’s because you’re meant to be resting.’
‘Resting for what? What am I saving my energy for?’ He dropped an exasperated sigh, and Matthew could see the melancholic flame light behind his eyes. ‘Talk to me about something beautiful, Matteo. Anything. I’d rather be anywhere but here.’
‘I wish you could be here. We’ve done such a great job of the renovation.’
‘I believe you. Is it as beautiful as Palazzo D’Adamo?’
Matthew exhaled. ‘Very different from the palazzo. No shiny bells and whistles here. Small details. Natural finishes. Very . . . earthy.’
Andrea smiled. ‘Do you remember all those summer holidays we spent in Firenze?’
‘Some of the best times of my life.’
‘You always studied on the plane. Almost the entire journey over. You said you had to get all your schoolwork done so that you could enjoy yourself and relax. But I always caught you doing extra work in the weeks that followed.’
‘So what? I was studious.’
‘You needed to let go a little.’ His lips tightened and he tilted his head sagely to the camera. ‘Even now.’
‘I knew I needed ridiculous grades to get into uni. It was time well-spent.’
‘I just wish you’d have let loose a little more. Maybe I should’ve pushed you to go and socialise, get out and explore more on your own.’ He retreated into his own thoughts for a moment.
Matthew’s eyebrows raised, and he cockily said, ‘YouthinkI didn’t head out and do my own things, Nonno. But I did.A lot.’
‘Che dici?’
‘Every day. You would go to your morning meetings and I would duck out. Almost all the staff knew, and many helped me escape for those few hours.’
‘You little . . .’ he snipped, laughing as heartily as his oxygen tubes would permit. ‘Where did you go?’
‘Here and there. I just liked walking around, really. Like a lion on the prowl.’
