“Is that why the sign is made from peony petals?” she asked. “I saw them when I walked in and knew right away.”
I sat beside her, my heart stuttering at how close she was. “I had to keep your essence here,” I said softly. “I always need to keep your essence.”
God.
I had been with this woman. I had held her, slept beside her, known her in every way that mattered. Yet here I was, sitting across from her on a simple date years later, my pulse racing likea boy falling in love for the first time all over again.
She scoffed. “You’re bluffing.”
I took her hand in mine. “Non ti mentirei mai, tesoro mio. Mai.59”
“Lo so,” she whispered. “Lo so.60”
“Let’s go,” I said, getting up.
“Go to?” She asked.
“Getting our date started.”
With a grin, I led Nina into the little gelato shop tucked inside the garden. Warm sugar and freshly pressed waffle cones filled the air, sweet and dizzying.
Her eyes lit up.
“I smell vanilla,” she murmured. “My favorite.”
“I know,” I said, brushing my thumb over her palm.
She glanced at me, a soft blush rising in her cheeks. “Okay then. Let’s see if you still remember my other ones.”
At the counter, her gaze drifted between pistachio and tiramisu. I leaned in, close enough to feel her warmth.
“Fragola,61” I whispered. “Andcioccolato fondente.62”
Her lips parted. “You remembered.”
She ordered them, and when the cup was handed over, she took a careful spoonful. Her eyes closed.
“Oh… wow.”
“Good?”
“Incredible,” she said, stunned. “I can’t believe you still remember. My two favorites.”
“They’re part of you,” I said quietly, watching her like she was something sacred.
She glanced at the menu, brows knitting.
“They’re listed as gelato,” she said. “But only those two.”
I shrugged. “You hate the word ice cream. It felt wrong to call them anything else.”
She looked at me then, really looked at me, and somethingfragile and dangerous passed through her eyes.
“Are you okay,tesoro?”
“I think so,” she said softly.
Her gaze drifted to the TV mounted above the counter. A behind-the-scenesVogueclip was playing, her face on the screen, flawless and distant.
