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“We should eat somewhere.”
“Eat?” I said, as if I had never heard something so ridiculous.
“Yes,” he smirked, laying his hot lips over me again and again. “We’ve been hiking all day, I’m hungry.”
A series of camera flashes from the corner of my eyes distracted me. Tourists, probably. No, it couldn’t be. William curled his arm around me and roared at man clicking away, screaming something in Italian.
“Vaffanculo!”
The man scuttled away like a roach.
“Fucking paparazzi,” he roared.
I shuddered at the thought that our pictures would be blasted over social media websites. “Aren’t you used to it by now?”
“Never.”
While Will steamed about the run-in with the pap, I looked around for restaurants. Having no idea what was good, I suggested things at random. Will said he knew a great place, so I took his hand and followed his lead. We entered a dingy looking restaurant with a very humble interior and a surly waiter, however, Will assured me that the food was great.
I watched him in fascination as he conversed with the waiter in rapid-fire Italian, picking out only a few words from my mediocre Spanish. “Si prego” was a phrase I heard repeated often, but I wasn’t sure what it meant.
“Where did you learn it?” I asked when the waiter left.
“Italian school on Saturdays until I was about sixteen.” He rolled his eyes. “Never used it except with my parents and grandparents, when they were still alive.”
The waiter returned with a small carafe of wine. He poured me a glass but Will waved him off when he tried to fill his glass. I knew that Will didn’t drink, but I didn’t know why.
“I thought you might like their house wine,” Will explained.
It was dry, like Chianti. “It’s great. Do you want to try it?”
He licked his lips as if he really wanted it, but he shook his head. “I can’t.”
I raised an eyebrow but said nothing. This fell under the category of things Will didn’t like to talk about.
“So much for getting any work done today,” I sighed as I took another sip of wine. Its warmth washed over me like a sleeping spell. My eyelids were heavy.
“Tell me about your family. Your life. You know a lot about me but I know almost nothing about you.”
My face burned under Will’s flattering interest. “Not much to tell. No siblings. My parents are both dentists. They wanted me to become one, but I had no interest.”
“I don’t see you cleaning people’s teeth.”
“Neither did I. Parents were disappointed that I became a graphic designer.”
“They’ll get over it,” he paused for a moment and thought about it. “Actually, they might not.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, feeling suddenly heavy. “I don’t think they will—even if everything else in my life was perfect.”
“Hey,” he said in a soft voice I never heard before. “Don’t be upset. I’m the only person whose opinion matters in your life.” He winked.
We ended up ordering seafood dishes with handmade pasta and ate slowly, talking little. It was enough to sit comfortably in each other’s presence. When we left the restaurant, night had fallen, and the streets were empty. Laughter echoed from the few bars in the tiny village, but we held hands and walked toward our hotel. It was a balmy night, with the smells of lemon trees and the mixed aromas of the restaurants surrounding us.
He’d glance at me and smile and I felt the beginning of something stirring in my chest. I knew that it would be hell when we were separated.I opened my mouth several times to ask him, but I couldn’t summon up the courage.
“Will, thanks for bringing me here. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
We stopped in front of the hotel room and Will used the keycard to let me in. I kept wiping my hands on my jeans.
