All except Corinna who was still looking at her phone.
Chapter Forty-Two
Alex continuedto find ways to show Aria how much he cared about her. They saw black-and-white movies at the theatre, took walks on the beach at sunset, and had dinner at their favorite restaurants. Their evenings and weekend were spent together and at times, Natalia would push her out the door to go spend the day with him.
On one of their dates, they tookThe Albatrossout to Sorrento. Once there, they boarded a smaller private boat that took them to the island of Capri.
“Look, Alex. It looks like my painting,” Aria exclaimed from the boat.
Alex looked where she was pointing and pulled her in close.
“It does. Look at how the colorful villas reflect in the water,” he said before taking his camera from its bag.
“Feels like we’re in a postcard,” she answered, her hair whipping behind her as the boat made its way around the coastline.
Alex finished taking a few photos of the area before turning his attention to Aria.
“Stop! Take some of the water. I never get tired of seeing this. I love how you can see the different variations of blue.”
“You’re a much better subject,” he answered.
The constant click of his camera could just be heard above the boat’s motor.
He pulled her in for a quick kiss before tucking a piece of hair behind her ears.
“I love seeing you smile,” Alex said as she leaned up to kiss him again.
Dropping them off on the island, the tour guide suggested they take the chairlift up to the top of Anacapri.
“Have you ever done that?” Alex asked as he helped her out onto the dock.
“No, we always said we would but never did.”
“Are you game?”
“Absolutely,” Aria answered as they walked hand-in-hand toward the building where they would buy their tickets.
As the individual chair lifts took them up, Aria took in the breathtaking view.
“Alex this is amazing!” she called to him. “You can see the marina and the citrus groves. Oh, look, there’s a goat!”
Their chairs were just close enough to see and hear each other.
“I’m looking, I’m looking,” he said teasingly, twisting around in his chair as he took endless pictures of her.
Covering her face and kicking her feet, she called out, “Not me. Out there!”
When they made it back down to the bottom, Aria jumped into his arms.
“That was incredible. I’m so glad we went,” she said breathlessly. “I like playing tourist with you.”
“Seeing you like this, free, giddy. It’s everything.”
She pulled back to look at him, her eyes filled with wonder.
“Feed me, Alex.”
She took off running, giggling at his look of surprise when she looked behind her.
