“I have. We've been spending some time together during his visit.”
Aria picked at the fringe on one of the decorative pillows now in her lap.
Aldo asked, “So he does live here in Positano?”
“He has a house here, so he calls it home, but he travels a lot. He's a professional photographer. A famous one at that. His dad and sister own a cosmetic business here in town called Aura,” Aria answered, trying to ease into telling them about their blossoming relationship.
She could see her parents exchanging looks she couldn’t decipher. She shifted in her chair, crossing and uncrossing her legs.
“Will he still be here while we're visiting? We wanted to stay until Sunday. Maybe we could meet him,” Maria said, watching Aria closely.
“Actually, I invited him over for dinner tomorrow night.”
Maria sat her glass on the table in front of her and beamed. Aldo sat frozen.
The silence was deafening, and Aria knew it was now or never.
“He, he would like to meet you as well.”
Clearing his throat, Aldo spoke, his words cautious. “Are you, are the two of you dating?”
With a quick inhale, she nodded.
“We are, Papa. I wanted to tell you in person. We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks now. We knew each other back in school. We weren’t exactly friends, but I spent time at his house with his sister Sofia. You remember her, right? We studied together a lot.”
Aldo nodded. “I remember her, but I don’t think you mentioned Alex back then.”
Aria went to answer him, but Maria interrupted.
“I knew it! I knew it the day I saw that bouquet. My bones are never wrong.”
Aldo chuckled as he regarded his wife before moving to the chair next to Aria.
“Is Alex the reason for the smile on your face?”
“Yes, he is. Him, and the fact that I’m finally facing some of the things I’ve been holding inside. His reappearance in my life has forced me to dig a little deeper. I’ve discovered some things about myself that I want to heal, change.”
“Aria, this is wonderful news. We can’t wait to meet him,” Maria said, her hands in the air as if praising the heavens.
“You’re not upset? I know how much you loved Nicholas.”
Aria looked between her parents, her eyes filled with vulnerability. With his eyebrows pinched tightly, Aldo held her hand firmly.
“Aria, yes, we loved Nicholas. And we have grieved his loss but more than anything, we want our little girl to shine again, laugh again, and even find love again.”
Wiping a tear from her cheek, Aria nodded, laughing through her tears.
“Have you? Found love again, angel?” Maria asked, joining Aldo next to her, sitting on the ottoman in front of her daughter.
“He told me he’s in love with me. He confessed that he had a crush on me in school but didn’t ever ask me out. Said now that we’ve met again, he doesn’t want to miss the chance to see what could be. It’s all happened so fast, it’s left me breathless.”
“And are you in love with him?” Maria asked, leaning in to lay her hand on Aria’s shoulder.
Nodding, she answered, “I haven’t told him that I love him yet. But yeah, think I am. We share this connection that’s hard to explain. Like we’ve known each other all our lives. He’s patient and understanding. It’s overwhelming. I’ve fought it, but I can’t seem to convince myself to do that anymore. I like how I feel when I’m with him. We just, we just fit. So perfectly.”
Aria was smiling, though a few tears fell, and both Aldo and Maria joined in with happy tears.
“Then take all the time you need. If he’s a good man, he will wait.”
