They sat wordless for about a minute, Aria unsure what to say.
“Well, enough of me embarrassing myself,” he said, pushing himself up from the sofa and walking back to the shelves that housed her colorful bottles. “Tell me about these,” he continued, holding up a small amber bottle etched with an intricate design.
Not wanting to make him uncomfortable, she sat up and answered, “Oh, I collect those. Some I’ve found in antique shops, some at the beach over the years. I always look inside the dark ones to see if there’s anything in there.”
Amused, he asked, “You mean like a pirate bottle?”
Laughing, she said, “Yeah, something like that. I read a story about a young girl who fell in love with a poor fisherman that her father didn’t approve of. When he couldn’t convince her family to let him marry her, he set out on a long journey to find his fortune. She waited for weeks and months for his return, but to no avail.
“After crying herself to sleep for all that time, she wrote him a note telling him to come back for her, that she would leave everything and everyone behind to be with him. She rolled it up and placed it in a bottle, sealing it with a piece of cork. Standing on the dock where he had left her, she prayed and threw it into the blue ocean, hoping it would make its way to him.”
She didn’t realize she had stopped talking, lost in her own story, until Alex spoke.
“So, did it work? Did her love come back to her?”
Aria’s eyes sparkled. “He did. He came back and they lived happily ever after.”
“I like that story,” he said as he carefully put the bottle on the shelf and sat back down near her on the sofa. “Tell me about your family.”
“Well, my parents still live in Rome. They own a restaurant there. Mama’s an amazing cook. She taught me everything I know about the kitchen. Papa helps run the front of the house. They’re a great team. Crazy at times, but great,” Aria answered as she rested her head on the back of the sofa. “I miss them so much. It was hard being away from them after Nicholas passed. They closed it down for several weeks to stay with me right afterward, but I made them go back after a while. I have Corinna nearby, so they finally relinquished. Same with Santo.”
“That’s what family does. We were the same way after Mama passed. What did you say Santo did in Madrid?”
“He’s an architect. He loves it there.”
Aria picked at the seam of the cushion as she thought back on their last conversation.
“And tell me about your business. What is your typical day like? Do you get to choose what authors to partner with?”
“Nicholas and I made a lot of those executive decisions together, but I’ve turned most of that over to Natalia. Right now, since it’s just me doing the admin part of the job, my days are filled with legal paperwork, insurance and boring stuff like taxes. Being the boss is not exactly glamorous,” she answered, no longer making eye contact.
Alex seemed to pick up on the tightness of her voice and asked, “But you do love what you’re doing though, right?”
Aria blinked a few times and recovered by answering, “Yeah, yeah, of course. It was our dream to have this business.”
She shifted and readied to stand.
“I’ll take these,” she said as she picked up the bowl and her coffee cup, noticing that Alex followed her into the kitchen with his own.
“I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?” he asked, his voice filled with concern.
Setting the items down in the sink, she hung her head and shook it.
“No, you didn’t say anything wrong, Alex. My business has just been the topic of a lot of conversations lately.”
Alex closed the distance between them and leaned over her, setting his cup in the sink. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he gently turned her toward him.
“Aria, if you ever need to talk, I hope you know that I’m here to listen.”
She could feel the warmth of his chest and fought against the magnetic pull toward it. She wanted to be in those arms again.
“I know we’ve just reconnected after a very long time, but I’m a great listener,” he said, his tone less tense. “Just ask Sofia.”
Aria’s smile returned as she looked up at him. “Thanks, Alex. I may have to take you up on that.”
“Promise?”
“Yeah, I promise.”
