Adrian whispered in his ear again. “She’s got your name already, buddy. Move on.”
Recovering again, Alex said, “Sorry, yes. We went to Rome International School together. You were a few grades behind me.”
He hoped she remembered him from le superiori, what his American friends called high school.
Luckily, he caught sight of Sofia in his peripherals as she entered the gallery. When she got closer, Alex could see her smile falter as she realized they were all staring intently at the woman in the red dress.
Recognition filtered through her face as she exclaimed, “No way. Aria?
Aria turned at the sound, her face flashing with recognition moments later.
“Sofia?” Aria asked.
“Girl, it’s been years. Wow, you look amazing. It's so good to see my old study partner again.”
“I can’t believe you’re here. You haven’t changed a bit,” Aria exclaimed, her eyes wide.
She leaned over and kissed Sofia’s cheeks before reaching to hug her, making Aria’s wrap fall off her shoulders.
Alex felt his breath catch at the sight of Aria’s exposed back. He thought his knees might buckle. She was a beautiful girl back in school, but over a decade later, Aria had become a dazzling woman.
“Sofia, do you remember my friend Corinna? She transferred in during our last year,” Aria asked when Alex saw another woman in blue turn toward the group.
“Yes, I remember!” Sofia answered excitedly as she greeted her.
“What in the world? What are you doing in Positano?” Corinna asked as she looked around at the group.
“Enzo, Alex, and I live here now. Enzo owns a gym nearby and Alex lives here when he's not working, I should say. But why are you two in Positano?”
“I moved here several years ago, and Corinna followed not long after. She lives in Ravello. I can’t believe we’ve never run into each other,” Aria answered.
“Well, my dad and I work very long hours. I have to admit, I haven’t had time to socialize much outside of work functions since we moved,” Sofia explained.
Finally remembering his manners, Alex started to make more introductions.
“I don’t know if you remember him from school because he was in my grade, but this is my friend Enzo,” he said to Aria and Corinna.
Corinna’s eyes widened when Enzo took her hand in his, causing Alex and Aria to look at them both with questioning looks. Enzo and Corinna let go as if they had been burned.
Enzo cleared this throat and said, “Nice meeting you.”
“Y-you too,” Corinna said, making Aria look at her with furrowed brows.
Putting his hand on Adrian’s shoulder, Alex continued, “And this is my friend Adrian, the artist featured tonight.”
“It’s so nice to meet all of you. Thanks so much for coming out,” Adrian said with a warm smile.
When the rest of the group began a conversation with Adrian about his work, Alex saw Aria glance up at him several times. He wanted to find a way to get her alone, away from the group so they could talk. He couldn’t believe that she lived in the same city.
He opened his mouth to speak to her, but his sister fumbled his chance.
Turning back to him and Aria, Sofia asked, “So, Aria. Is this the first time you've seen my brother since school ended?”
Alex hoped his grumble wasn’t audible as Sofia poked the proverbial bear. He started to confirm his sister’s question but stopped when Aria answered, “Uh, your brother?”
“Yeah, you remember Alex, right? He hung out with us a few times at the house,” Sofia explained.
“That’s your brother Alex?” Corinna asked loudly. “He didn’t look like that in school,” she muttered, her eyebrows high, a wicked smile plastered on her face.
