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He stares into my eyes as he delivers these words… so sincere… so loving? My heart leaps and races away. I hear the beat in my ears.
Tiero has put so much thought into this, and I don’t think I’ve ever received a more meaningful gift. He clearly considered each part of this necklace. I’m so touched, so lost for words, unshed tears glistening in my eyes.
I try to open the clasp, but seem to need an engineering degree to work it. It’s not your standard necklace closure, but something rather complicated. Why would anybody create something so impractical?
“Here, let me,” Tiero offers, and takes the necklace from my hands to put it around my neck.
It sits lower than the sapphire necklace and can be worn with pretty much anything. Though it looks expensive, it’s not over the top. That’s a good thing because I want to wear it every day. A giddy grin threatens to split my face.
Leaving him is going to be even harder now.
Water sloshes between our bodies as I turn around to face him. I kiss him deeply.
“Thank you,” I whisper against his lips.
Then Tiero does what he’s so good at… he takes over and shows me with his body how much I mean to him.
It’s just after five in the morning on Saturday, when I wake up because I’m a little cold. As I reach over to Tiero’s side of the bed, it’s empty. Where could he be at this hour?
I sit up and look around. There’s no sign of him anywhere.
Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I grab Tiero’s shirt off the floor and lift it to my nose, inhaling deeply. It smells like him.
God, I will miss him.
I resolve to steal his shirt, take it home, and never wash it. It will be a reminder of the best time of my life, of the man who raised the bar incredibly high for any other… a reminder of Opposite Ella.
Maybe Opposite Ella is here to stay. I want her to—I like her.
Sadness takes over at the thought that this is our last full day together. In a few hours, we will leave this paradise, and before I know it, I’ll be sitting on a plane returning to my normal life.
A life without an Italian god making me succumb to his advances multiple times a day and spoiling me rotten in between.
I guess all good things come to an end.
In my search for Tiero, I check the house first, but all is quiet and untouched. The colors of pre-dawn tint the sky in soft hues, slowly pushing the darkness away. The moon is still visible above, mixing its light with that of the rays of the soon-to-rise sun. And the stars? They are fading from sight, taking the last of the magic they cast on us last night with them.
I spot Tiero’s silhouette sitting on the beach and make my way to him. The sand is cool under my feet, and the gentle breaking of the waves is all there is to hear.
Even though I make no sound, Tiero seems aware of my presence, turning around and watching me approach. An air of melancholy swirls around him like a vortex and grows in me the closer I get.
Tiero pulls me down to sit in between his legs on the sand. Wrapping his arms around me, I snuggle my back against his chest. We sit in silence, watching the glittering waves roll peacefully to shore.
With his chin resting on top of my head and encircled in his powerful arms, I feel safe and content.
We sit like this for a long time and watch as the sun rises like a giant red balloon out of the sea, transforming the sky from the silvery black of the night to deep violet.
“I don’t want you to leave,” Tiero whispers into my ear, finally breaking the silence. “Stay a while longer here with me.”
Chapter Thirty
Ella
Stayafewmoredays?
My heart leaps at his suggestion, and my stomach somersaults.
Welcome back, butterflies.
