“Aria, I know I said this the other night, but I am so sorry. I can't even imagine what you’ve been through. I lost touch with Nicholas after moving to Athens for college, and I wasn’t sure until you told me that you two actually did get married,” Alex said as he leaned in and wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb.
He kept his hand there, cupping her cheek and she felt herself lean into it involuntarily. It had been so long since she felt the strength of a man’s hand comforting her.
Taking in a stuttering breath, she looked up into his kind eyes, grateful to see no evidence of the pity she saw in so many others. When he moved his hand away, she felt the loss of his warmth and strength immediately.
“It’s been the most painful experience of my life losing him. I don’t think I mentioned it the other night, but I was in the car, too.”
“No, I didn’t know that. Are you, are you alright? I mean, were there lingering injuries?” he asked, his eyes moving over her body before meeting her gaze again.
Aria turned her arm over, and she saw when his eyes slid down to the exposed scar on her wrist. His hand immediately moved to hold her arm, his thumb swiping over the marred skin.
Her breath choked in her throat at the contact. The metaphor of him holding her scars was one that eased her pain unexpectedly.
“What happened?” he whispered.
His eyes stayed on her wrist.
“Manufacturer called it a catastrophic engine failure. Freak accident. No one’s fault. We went over an embankment. Everyone said I was very lucky to have survived.”
“Aria. I don’t know what to say.”
She pulled her arm back, straightening a nonexistent wrinkle in her dress. She took a deep breath in and let it out before continuing.
“We were married six years. We built this business together and dreamed of so many things we wanted to do, places we wanted to see. Dreams that will never happen,” she said softly, the last sentence trailing off to a whisper.
“Aria, youwillsee an albatross and visit those places you both dreamed of seeing. And you’ll write your novels all while bringing Nicholas with you, in your heart.”
“Thank you, Alex. What a sweet thing to say. Have you been able to do that with your mom?”
“I have. I talk to her in each new place, thanking her for believing in me. I bailed on my obligation to my dad’s business when I discovered photography, and I was lucky to get both of their blessings. She’s a part of me in everything that I do. She’s right there with me.”
Slowly, Aria put her hand in his, wanting desperately to return the comfort he had so freely given her. She saw his eyes flutter closed, assuming he was feeling the heaviness of their conversation.
“I remember these cookies she always had ready when I came to study.”
“Chocolate chip espresso cookies,” Alex said, looking back at her. “Those were her specialty. We haven't had the heart to make them since we lost her.”
“Grief changes you,” Aria said. “You realize what’s important in life. At first, losing Nicholas brought so much fear and doubt to my life. Who was I without him, you know? What was I supposed to do now that he was gone? I have a wonderful counselor who’s helped me talk through so many of the emotions, like regret and guilt, anger, and disappointment. For the first year, though, I was just numb.”
Alex began rubbing his thumb over the top of her hand, making her relax even more.
“Same here,” Alex said. “After mom passed, I questioned every decision I made up to that point. Second guessed my choices for a long time. But in the end, what I know to be true is that she would have wanted me to be happy. And I’m certain Nicholas would say the same about you.”
Aria looked down at their joined hands, making him follow her line of sight. He pulled his hand away slowly and sat up, taking a few cookies from the bowl.
“So, you didn't end up working for your dad, then. I remember that he worked a lot of hours when we were all in school. I think I only met him once.”
“Yes, he still does. It’s called Aura Cosmetics. They moved their headquarters to Positano a little over a year ago, so we all ended up moving here.”
“Tell me more about your work. I saw some of your work online and it, it really moves me. It makes me want to go see all these places. What’s it like being out there, experiencing the world through your camera?”
Alex let go of her hand and turned to face her fully.
Lifting his eyes to the ceiling, looking for the right words, Alex said, “I want people to feel what I’m feeling in the moment.” Tilting his head back toward her, he continued. “I want to inspire people. Saying my photographs made you want to travel? You couldn’t give me a better compliment.”
Aria listened intently, leaning more toward him as he spoke, mesmerized by his words.
“When I take pictures of the beautiful people I’ve met, I want others to see into their eyes, their souls, and feel what they’re feeling in the moment. The conversations I’ve had with these incredible people made me want to be better,dobetter. What some of them have lived through…” His voice trembled, and he paused for a moment before continuing. “I don’t know how they had the strength to survive widespread loss and wars. They want me to tell their stories to others. They want someone to see them,reallysee them.”
