Sofia yelped in surprise, knocking her knees into her desk. With her hand to her chest, the realization of who had made such a loud disruption had her leaping out of her seat, throwing folders everywhere and causing her assistant to squeal with fright.
He grabbed her when she tore away from her desk and spun her around twice, something he would do no matter how old she got. Her wide, light brown eyes shone with tears as she held him.
“Alex! You nearly gave me a heart attack, you idiot,” Sofia said, her words muffled in her brother’s tight hug.
He had now pulled her off her feet, and her much shorter body dangled like a little girl in his embrace. Leonardo looked on lovingly at his two children as Sofia’s assistant fled the scene clutching the folders. She was not amused.
“I finished up early and wanted to surprise you both,” Alex said with a mischievous gleam in his eyes as she made him put her down.
“We missed you.” Her words were tangled with the emotion of seeing him after so long. “It’s so good to have you home. Do you still plan to stay for two weeks? I know you’re waiting to hear about the next project, but you’ve got to stay for at least that long.”
Nodding his head, Alex answered, “That is definitely the plan. I need some downtime before heading out again.”
“I can only imagine,” Leonardo said as he joined them in the room. Alex went to say something but was interrupted by his dad’s secretary reminding him that he needed to leave for the airport.
“This is what happens when you don’t share your plans,” Sofia scolded playfully. “But I’ll cancel everything for tonight so we can have dinner together at Papa’s.”
“I’ll bring the wine,” Alex promised as he reluctantly said his goodbyes.
“See you in a few days, son. I’m excited to hear more about your trip. I’m sure you have some stories you haven’t told us yet. You heading home?”
“I’m stopping by to see Adrian at the gallery first.”
Hugging them both once more, Alex headed out of the building toward the parking lot.
Sliding into his car, he headed to the address Adrian had texted him earlier. He’d tell Sofia about meeting Aria when they met for dinner. He knew she was going to be shocked.
Alex entered the gallery in search of his friend and spotted him in front of a large painting of a seascape, pacing and talking on the phone.
Adrian Kosono was a gifted artist and had been commissioned to paint various landscapes of the Amalfi Coast area.
He had met Adrian Kosono at the university in Athens, Greece, where Adrian was from. And when Alex switched his major from business to photography, Adrian was a great influence on him as he found his creative path. He was a brilliant artist and was highly sought after. He had a gift that rivaled some of the greats of their generation. His eye for detail could make you feel as if you were immersed in the scene.
Adrian grinned when he saw Alex and held up his finger, gesturing for him to wait. Alex walked around the gallery, reflecting on how proud he was of his friend. The paintings were colorful and realistic. Sunflower yellow and deep azure blues filled the frames.
“Alex! Man, it’s been too long,” Adrian said when he hung up and quickly closed the gap between them. The two men embraced in a bear hug, affectionately slapping each other’s backs, the loud noise reverberating in the expansive, empty room.
“Brother, it's good to see you,” Alex said, his smile wide and genuine. “I can’t believe my luck to be here in time for the opening tomorrow night.”
“Really stoked you’re here for it. Are you free for dinner tonight? We can call Enzo and make a night of it,” Adrian said as he held on to Alex’s shoulder.
“No, I can’t tonight. Papa had to make a trip to Milan, so Sofia and I are having dinner. Let’s plan for dinner after your show.”
Alex gestured to the paintings he had seen. “I love these pieces, Adrian. You’ll have to make more room on your award wall.”
Adrian dipped his head in humility as they stood looking around the gallery.
“I’m trying to catch up with you. I see you’re embracing the wild look, huh? Your albatross nickname makes even more sense now. Flying far and wide for months at a time, going on wild adventures around the world,” Adrian joked, scanning Alex from head to toe and gesturing with his hands.
“Well, I spent close to a year in the wild, so there’s that.”
“Looks good on you.”
“Even an albatross has to come home at some point.”
“I remember. It comes home to mate, right? How’s that going?”
Alex didn’t realize that the smile from earlier was back until Adrian cocked his head sideways with a smirk.
