“Okay, then. I'm sure he won't even notice.”Corinna’s sarcasm was tiring.
“I've got to go finish dinner, so I'll call you tomorrow, I promise. We can maybe meet up somewhere after work?”
“I don't think I'll be able to wait that long, but if you promise to tell me everything, every single little detail, I'll wait.”
“Well, I could always video the dinner for you if you'd like,” Aria said, walking back to the kitchen.
“Could you?” Corinna screamed.
Laughing, Aria ended the call.
“What am I going to do with that crazy girl?”
Whirring the pesto in her mini food processor, being sure to add extra parmesan cheese for extra richness, Aria glanced at her phone. Racing to the bathroom to freshen up and dress, she smoothed her dress down in an attempt to calm herself.
When Aria finished setting the table, Alex rang the doorbell right on time. When she opened the door to greet him, he took one look at her and swallowed. She followed the rise and fall of his throat, more than a little flustered.
“Wow. Aria. You look... you look beautiful,” he stammered.
“Thank you. You, you look nice as well,” she replied, moving out of the way to let him in.
Once inside, they both stared at each other for an awkward moment. Her palms suddenly felt clammy as she gazed into his passionate, almost burning eyes. They were so intense that she felt flustered. It seemed he was looking into her soul.
And he did look nice. Not nice. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Words seemed to fail her. Who knew a plain white shirt and black leather jacket could look so good?
Ugh, Aria. Try not to drool.
“Ah, sorry. Please come in and make yourself at home,” she said as she let him in and closed the door behind him.
“I’ve been looking forward to this all day. We have so much to catch up on,” he said as she took his jacket from him and followed her into the kitchen. “Smells amazing in here.”
“Thanks. It’s one of my favorites. I hope you like chicken pesto pasta,” she answered.
Seeing his warm expression, she started to relax.
“I love it. Tell me how I can help,” he answered as he clapped his hands.
“Why don’t you open the wine and pour us a glass?” she said as she motioned to the counter where the bottle was being chilled, and where two wine glasses waited.
“I can handle that.”
As she squeezed the lemons into a jar and added the olive oil and spices for the dressing, Aria noticed his smile broaden when he saw the bunch of flowers from his bouquet. He turned around and handed her some wine, their fingertips grazing on the handoff.
She hoped she could hide her reaction by continuing to talk.
“I’m a little casual tonight after a long day. Sorry about the bare feet. It’s my usual when I’m home.”
“You’re beautiful, Aria. Dressed up, dressed down. It doesn’t matter. I love seeing you comfortable in your own space.”
They stood there in her kitchen unmoving, unable to break the spell, until Aria took a sip of her wine before turning back to the dressing. Shaking it up quickly to mix it, she hoped the motion would hide how badly her hands were shaking.
“I think you’re making me a little nervous, Mr. Rossi,” she said, her back still turned to him. “But thank you for the compliment.”
“Mr. Rossi?” Alex asked as he laughed and leaned his back against the counter giving her some space. “You make me feel like my papa’s here and not me.”
“You mean to frighten me, Mr. Darcy, by coming in all your state to hear me, but I won’t be alarmed,” Aria spouted before the filter in her brain stopped the words.
Setting down the dressing loudly, she whipped her head up to see Alex’s amused expression, and she started stuttering.
