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I smiled at him. “Anything?” I asked playfully, running my fingers along the buttons of his shirt.
“Anything,” he said, giving me a wink.
I kissed him goodbye and got in my car to drive away. He stood on the pavement and watched, waving at me until I was out of sight.
My bed felt as amazing as I had hoped when I finally reached it. I stretched across it and sighed. There was something beautiful in the simplicity of a bed that didn’t rock on the water. Feeling more comfortable than I had in a couple of weeks, it didn’t take much for me to drift off to sleep.
The next morning, I woke up with an epiphany and reached for my phone to text Matteo.
Me: Can I come over? Need to talk.
Matteo: Please do. 4212 Skyline Avenue #5. Are you coming now?
Me: Can I?
Matteo: Any time :)
I changed clothes quick, smoothed my hair in the mirror, and took off out the door in a hurry. I found the address to his AirBnB easily and sprinted to the door. He was watching for me and opened the door with a smile before I even had a chance to knock.
I leapt into his arms, planting a firm kiss on his lips as he carried me inside.
“You’re out and about early!” he smirked. “Did you miss me?”
“Of course, I did,” I said. “But that’s not really why I came over here so early. I really do want to talk about something.”
His expression turned to concern as he sat on the bed beside me. “What’s that?” he asked. “Is everything okay?”
“I think so!” I said. My palms suddenly felt sweaty as I wiped them dry on my jeans.
“Are we okay?” he asked. The concern in his voice was enough to break my heart.
“We are great!” I said, smiling at him. I took a deep breath and clicked my tongue, working up the courage to tell him what I wanted.
“Say it,” he said. “No thinking. Just say it.”
I nodded and took one more deep breath.
“I’d like to apply for Esme’s job,” I said, wincing as the words came out, prepared for him to laugh in my face.
He was stunned into silence.
“You want to work on the ship?” he asked. He seemed to be equally shocked and amused by the declaration. “Is this a joke?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No,” I said. “I mean yes. I want to work on the ship. It is not a joke.”
“To be with me?” he asked.
“Not just that,” I said. “I want to be with you, but I also want to do something I enjoy. And I want adventure, and I want to be on my own and exploring new things! I love to cook! I want to learn more about cooking, and I loved just being in the kitchen with you. Even sweeping the floor was fun! I have no idea what career path I want to follow, and right now, I don’t even care. I just know I want to learn more about myself, and I learned more about me on that cruise than I have in a quarter of a century leading up to it. Please, give me a chance.”
He smiled at me, reaching for my hand and giving it a firm squeeze.
“Lo e te tre metri sopra il cielo,” he said.
“What does that mean?” I asked, giggling nervously.
“It means me and you exist above the heavens,” he said. “You are my passion, Heather.”
“And you’re mine,” I said. “Didn’t you tell me to find my passion and chase it?”
He nodded, pulling my hand to his lips for a kiss.
“I did,” he said, smirking. “And so it shall be. Welcome aboard, bellissimma. You’re hired.”
