Page 76 of Abundance of Obsession

But he seems a little flustered, looking down, rubbing his neck.

Hoping it will calm him down, I place my hand on his cheek. Immediately, his blue eyes meet mine.

“Eli, it’s just me. Your Raven. Are you okay?”

A short laugh escapes him. “I don’t know. Jesus Christ. Even when I was fifteen, I didn’t get nervous in the presence of a girl. But with you, everything changes; everything’s new.” He takes a deep breath and exhales sharply. “Okay. I thought we could take a walk along the beach and talk about whatever you want. And then we’ll have dinner.”

Now, I see Eli in a completely different light. Yes, he’s older than me, but it seems the opposite. Here he is, as insecure as a teenage boy on his first date. It’s adorable. He is adorable.

Who would have thought this is the man who can kill someone in cold blood, a member of a secret society, with the intelligence of a damn computer genius.

I glance down at myself briefly, but of course it doesn’t escape his notice, and he frowns.

“I should have told you to swap your heels for something comfortable,” he says.

“It’s fine. I’d be happy to take them off. It’s no problem.”

“You look hot. You should definitely wear them when I drag you to bed.”

The playful Eli is back, and we grin at each other like fools.

“Aren’t you jumping the gun a bit? Hold your horses. I’m not that easy,” I say between laughs.

“I didn’t say you were easy. It’ll be a challenge, but I believe we’ll get there by the end of the night.”

Playfully, I slap his hard chest with my hand, and my fingers itch to linger there a little longer. So, I turn away and walk toward the beach.

We do what Eli planned. We stroll along the beach, the cool water lapping at my bare feet. It’s such a wonderful evening. The sun is slowly setting, creating an orange glow on the horizon. The sea’s calm today. And so am I.

Holding my high heels in one hand, Eli wraps his other arm around me. We're taking our time walking.

Our conversation about everything and nothing. I laugh so much my stomach hurts. I can’t remember the last time I laughed this much. It seems like Eli has made it his purpose to make me laugh until I cry. And after the initial nerves, there’s no trace of them left.

It’s only the two of us now.

Zoe and Eli.

“I love your laugh,” he tells me happily, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. Then he turns me so my back is to him, wraps his warm arms around me, and rests his head on my shoulder. Now our faces are level, our cheeks touching.

We watch the sun set behind the horizon.

This moment, I know what has changed between us, but I can’t bring myself to say it.

I’ve broken one of his rules.

Il Cielo is one of the most romantic places I’ve ever seen. Did Eli choose it on purpose, or was it pure coincidence?

We sit down at a round table, and thousands of lights shine above our heads, casting a warm glow. Music plays softly in the background. On the snow-white tablecloth, a vase holds peonies in shades of white and pink.

What surprises me most is that Eli orders a dish for me based on the preferences he asked me about. Let me clarify a bit. He orders fluently in Italian.

When the waiter leaves us, I can’t resist my curiosity. “How do you know Italian?”

“Surprised?” He grins.

“Intrigued. You’ve impressed me. It’s such a beautiful language.”

Eli flashes a row of white teeth. “I’ll keep that in mind. Later.” The temperature in the room rises a few degrees. “Seriously, though, I’ve always had a knack for foreign languages.”