Chapter 32
It was Emilia.
“Are you okay?” I asked worriedly as soon as I picked up.
She sounded surprised. “Yes, I’m – I’m fine.”
“Nothing’s wrong?”
“No, I’m – I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have called…”
“Wait – so you just wanted to talk?” I asked, a big smile on my face.
“…is that okay?”
“More than okay. It’s great.”
“It’s alright that there’s no emergency?”
“I couldn’t be happier. So, what’ve you been doing since I saw you?”
We talked for a long time.
At first, it was just simple things… what she’d eaten for dinner… what she’d watched on Netflix to occupy her time…
I told her about my conversation with Bianca and Lucia after I got back to the dress shop, and how they’d totally conspired to set us up.
Emilia laughed.
We joked around a bit… and then talk turned to her life back in Milan and how she’d grown up.
It was very late by the time I finally said, “As much as I’d like to keep talking, we should go to bed.”
“You’re right. Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. This was the nicest evening I’ve had in ages.”
I could hear the smile in her voice. “Me, too.”
“Alright… well, I’ll see you very soon.”
“Okay. Goodnight, Giorgio.”
“Sogni d’oro, Emilia.”
Sweet dreams.
I hoped she dreamt of me…
Because I absolutely dreamt of her.
I showed up outside her apartment the next morning at 5:45 AM on the dot.
She looked incredibly happy to see me.
We chatted as we walked through the deserted cobblestone streets. It felt like we were the only two people in all of Florence, like the city had been made just for us.
When we got to the shop, I kept her company as she set up. When I left, I told her to call me if there were any problems at all. She promised she would.
I went about my day, counting down the hours until I could see her again.
When I walked her home, we talked outside her building for almost 15 minutes.
She invited me in. I told her I had to get back to work.
“But I want a raincheck,” I said.
She smiled and nodded.
I asked if it was alright if I called to check on her later, and she agreed.
That night, we stayed on the phone for another two hours. We talked about our school days… about the dreams we had for our lives… about everything and nothing… until she yawned she was about to pass out, and we said goodnight.
Then I got to see her the next morning, looking even more beautiful than I’d remembered.
We kept that pattern going – me walking her to work, walking her home, both of us talking late into the night –
Until everything came to a head three days later.