Page 48 of Have To Be Mine

We’d reached the edge of Spianada Square. It opened up in front of us. People were everywhere. A vendor nearby was turning something on a small grill that smelled incredible. We both took a second just to soak it all in.

We got gyros from a cart near the far edge of the square. I paid before Krista could reach for her wallet, which earned me a look, but she let it go. I didn’t know if that was progress but I would take it.

We found a spot near the fountain at the center of the square, sat down on the stone edge, and dug into our food. It tasted as good as it had smelled when we walked by.

“It’s funny,” I said, my mouth a little fuller than was technically polite. “Back home, I like high-end restaurants, but when I’m traveling, nothing hits quite as good as street food.”

She nodded as she tore off a mouthful and chewed. I liked that she didn’t pinch off tiny bites and nibble like a dainty mouse. She was savoring every bite just like I was, once again proving she was who she was and didn’t give a shit about trying to hide anything.

Krista had finished half of her gyro before she pointed across the fountain with her chin. “See those two?”

I followed her eyeline to a couple on a bench. The man was talking. He’d clearly been talking for a while. The woman beside him had the serene, slightly vacant expression of someone whose mind had left the conversation long ago.

“She’s thinking about holding his head underwater,” Krista said.

I nearly choked. “In the fountain?”

“Right there. She’s mapped it out. She knows exactly how long it would take.”

“That’s dark.”

“That’s marriage.”

I laughed. She looked pleased with herself and we both kept going. The older man feeding pigeons near the colonnade was definitely a retired widowed professor who talked to the birds because his colleagues had stopped listening. The teenage girl checking her phone every thirty seconds was waiting for a text from a boy who was absolutely going to disappoint her. The little kid dragging his father toward the ice cream cart was a future CEO.

I went along with all of it, adding my own details. She had a sharp, dry wit that she kept mostly hidden behind the tactical exterior. Every time I got a glimpse of it, I felt like I’d been handed something special.

I didn’t know how much time passed. Darkness fell. The younger families drifted away, leaving couples and tourists.

“What story do you think they’d make up about us?” I asked.

Krista turned to look at me. She looked thoughtful for a few seconds.

“They could imagine anything they want,” she said softly.

I was imagining plenty. Like what it would feel like to close the space between us. What would she do if I reached up and touched her cheek? Would she lean in or pull back? My eyes drifted lower before looking back at her. She was looking at my mouth. I was almost certain she was looking at my mouth.

A man materialized out of nowhere at the edge of my vision, moving slowly through the square with a bucket of white roses, offering them to passing couples. I raised my hand before I could think about it.

He came over. I bought one and immediately handed it to her.

She took it like I had just handed her a million dollars. She looked younger. Uncertain. Almost shy. She looked down at the rose and then back up at me.

“Why?” she asked.

“You’re beautiful,” I said. I hadn’t planned to say it. It just came out.

Her eyes went wide. She brought the rose up and inhaled, her eyes closing. When she opened them again, there was a new look on her face. She seemed confident and at ease. The armor was gone. She didn’t look vulnerable, but like she was comfortable in her own skin.

Fuck it. If she slapped me, it would be worth it. I’d take my lumps. But I didn’t want to go to bed without at least trying.

I closed the distance between us, slid my hand to the back of her head, and gently pulled her to meet my lips.

Her lips were soft and careful at first, and then they weren’t. The fountain splashed quietly behind us. Somewhere nearby a woman laughed. My focus was on the plump lips under mine and the intoxicating woman they belonged to.

16

KRISTA