20. Matteo
Chapter 20
Matteo
I saw Amelia walk out of the room and I knew I had to follow her. I’d been watching her talk and laugh with Oliver all evening and I couldn’t stand it anymore. I hated seeing her with another man. I hated seeing them whisper in each other’s ears. The level of intimacy between them irked me.
I walked into the hallway and grabbed Amelia by the arm. She turned to face me and her eyes widened slightly. She didn’t seem entirely surprised to see me. It was as though she’d recognized me from the moment I touched her.
“What the hell was that back there?” I asked.
Amelia pulled out of my grip and folded her arms. The movement exposed more of her cleavage. “What the hell was what?”
“Why have you been inseparable from that guy all evening?”
“That guy has a name,” she said. “His name is Oliver.”
“I don’t care about his name. I care about how close the two of you have been since the moment you walked in here.”
“Why?”
Her question caught me off guard. “What?”
“Why do you care, Matteo? What does it matter to you if I’m here with Oliver? You’re here with Ivy. You have no right to be jealous!”
“I only agreed to be Ivy’s date because you told me you already had a date! The only person I wanted to be here with was you. But then you told me you were going with some guy called Oliver.” I hadn’t planned to admit that much but it was out there now, and I couldn’t take it back.
Amelia was going to respond but then we heard the restroom door open. I pulled her into the room beside us so we could have some privacy. Thankfully it was empty. I walked away from her once we were inside. I wasn’t sure I could stand beside her without kissing her.
“This is all becoming incredibly confusing,” she said.
I couldn’t help the scoff that escaped me. She was right. It had all become one absolute mess and neither of us was sure where to go from here. All I knew was that I hated watching her with another man. The very sight made my fists ache to punch the man.
I’d never been a violent person and yet here I was tempted to punch someone over Amelia. That was the power she had over me.
I walked back to her and stopped only a few inches away from her. “I cannot even begin to tell you how frustrating it was to see you with him,” I said. “I hated seeing you with him.”
“I hated seeing you with Ivy.”
Her confession was all I needed to abandon my inhibitions. I leaned in and claimed her lips right there in the empty room. I pulled her into my arms. Amelia came willingly and with that, all the space between us was gone.
Our bodies pressed against each other as I allowed myself to satisfy the desire I’d been harboring for weeks. I didn’t want things to end here. I wanted to take her back to the penthouse and make her mine.
I pulled away slightly so I could look at her. Her beautiful green eyes stared back up at me and I lost myself in them. I lifted a hand to stroke the smooth skin of her cheek. Amelia’s eyes fluttered closed as she leaned into my caress.
“Let’s go home,” I said.
Her eyes opened again. She looked at me for a drawn-out minute before nodding slowly. We didn’t bother saying our goodbyes to anyone at the gala. We walked out of the building and I drove us straight to the penthouse.
The elevator doors slid open on our floor. I took her hand in mine as I walked into the living room. Once we were standing outside my bedroom door, I turned back to look at her. I needed to know if she still wanted this. Amelia gave me a soft nod, a silent answer to my silent question.
I pushed my bedroom door open and walked inside, taking her with me. As the door shut behind us, I pulled her into my arms and kissed her. My hands ran over her sequin-covered hips. The dress looked stunning on her but I looked forward to getting it off her.
I reached behind her to unzip it and a pile of sequins fell to her feet. Amelia stepped out, her long legs clad in a pair of strappy gold heels. She wore a black strapless bra and matching black underwear.
Her hands rose to pull off my tie while I took off my suit jacket. Soon most of our clothes lay on the floor. Amelia was left in her black underwear and I in my gray briefs. We fell into bed together. I held her tightly as I kissed her.
Tonight, I would make her mine again.
***
The next morning, I woke up with Amelia in my arms. She was still asleep which meant I had time to admire her before she woke up. I stared at the delicate structures of her face, her high cheekbones, her long lashes, and her slightly pointed nose. She was so beautiful. I could look at her forever.
Her eyes slid slowly open. The sun rays that poured into the room made her eyes gleam. Her eyes mesmerized me. I wanted to drown in them. “Morning,” she said quietly as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Morning.”
Five years had passed since we woke up in each other’s arms but in that moment, it felt like no time had passed at all. It felt like she’d never stopped being mine. I kissed her forehead gently and pulled her even closer.
It was a Sunday which meant we didn’t have to get up just yet. Amelia and I spent another hour in bed before we finally stood up. We showered together in my bathroom. Then she left to put on some clothes.
We walked to the kitchen together, pausing on the way to kiss and laughing about absolutely nothing. It felt surreal. A part of me was waiting to wake up from this dream. I had to constantly remind myself that this was really happening.
I made us breakfast and we sat in the living room to eat. We spent the entire day together and when the day ended, I wished we could do it all over again. Unfortunately, we both had to go to work because it was Monday.
I kissed her goodbye when I dropped her off and from there I headed to the office. I couldn’t stop the smile that played on my lips as I went about my day.
“Is everything okay sir?” Kayla asked me. I gave her a confused look and she said, “You seem different.”
“Must be the change in the weather.”
Kayla nodded and returned to work. She was working from my office because she’d planned my schedule for the week, and she wanted to run it by me. I nodded in agreement to everything and she left soon after.
Once she was out of the office, I reached for my phone and called Amelia. “I was thinking we could dine out tonight,” I told her when she answered.
“That sounds like a plan.”
“Wait for me at your office. I’ll come pick you up by six.”
“Okay.”
As promised, I showed up at Phoenix Consulting at six. I sent Amelia a text to let her know I was here. She walked out of the building and I got out of the car to greet her. My arms wrapped around her waist as I pulled her in for a hug.
Her scent was welcoming and comforting. I couldn’t help sinking my nose into her neck to breathe her in. There were several voices in my head telling me this was a mistake. Voices that constantly reminded me of what happened the last time we were together.
I worried about going down this path with her again but my feelings for her were greater than my worry. I pulled away so I could kiss her, not caring that some of her coworkers might see us. Amelia didn’t seem to care either. She kissed me back.
I opened the car door for her and she got in. Then I walked around and slid into the driver’s seat. I knew the perfect restaurant to take her to. It was an Italian restaurant that was located a few blocks away. Amelia loved Italian food so I knew she would love this place.
When we got to the restaurant, I pulled the chair out for her. “Thank you,” she said as she took her seat. She looked around at the fairy lights dangling above us, the dark luxury decor, and the gorgeous aesthetics of the entire place. “This place is beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
The waiter brought our menus. Amelia scanned hers but I already knew what she’d pick. Her eyes brightened as they landed on what I assumed was Cioppino. Her favorite.
Amelia turned to the waiter. “I’ll have the cioppino,” she said.
I was right. I couldn’t help the small smile that spread across my lips with that realization. The smile remained even after I placed my order for braciole and the waiter left. I could feel Amelia’s gaze on me. When I looked up, she had a frown on her face. “What’s so funny?” she asked.
“Nothing. I just… I knew you would order cioppino.”
Her cheeks tinged. “It’s my favorite.”
“I know.”
Our food was served and we talked as we ate. It felt good to talk to her without the memories of our past weighing us down. In that moment, we weren’t thinking about everything that happened between us last time, we were only thinking about the future and what it had in store for us.
An hour, two delicious meals, and a few desserts later, Amelia and I walked out of the restaurant. We held hands as we walked to my car. And even while I drove, my hand remained entangled with hers. My thumb absentmindedly stroked the back of her hand while I maneuvered my way down the busy New York streets.
We stumbled into the penthouse, drunk on the revival of everything we once had and maybe a few glasses of wine. We’d yet to define our relationship but one thing was clear, we both cared about each other deeply. I pulled her into my arms and held her close to me, allowing myself to savor the feel of her body pressed against mine.
My head lowered to her lips but I paused when I saw something move in the dimly lit living room. I lifted my head and squinted.
Agnes coughed awkwardly as she stepped into the light. An amused smile tugged at her lips but she remained mostly professional. “I dropped by to grab a few things. This was the only time I could come because the baby just fell asleep. She’s been incredibly fussy recently.”
“Oh,” Amelia said as she stepped away from me. She fiddled with her fingers before remembering herself and rushing over to give Agnes a hug. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, dear,” Agnes said. She returned Amelia’s hug with equal affection. “But it seems you’ve been quite busy while I was away.”
Even with the low lighting, I could still see Amelia’s red cheeks. She chuckled lightly and said, “Matteo and I are… ”
Her words drifted off. She wasn’t sure how to define our relationship and neither was I. We hadn’t had that conversation yet. We knew we had to at some point but postponing it had allowed us to live in a blissful paradise without the weight of expectations.
We hadn’t defined our relationship, but I knew what I wanted from this. I wanted her. I met Amelia’s gaze as I finished her sentence. “We’re together.”
“That’s lovely!” Agnes spoke first. Her excitement clouded the brief moment of uncertainty that had hung in the air. In that moment, I didn’t know if Amelia agreed with my definition of our relationship. There was no time to find out because Agnes was already gushing about the whole thing.
“I knew you two would end up together,” she said proudly. “I’m really good at detecting things.”
Amelia laughed. “Oh really?”
“Yes, dear. From the moment you walked in here, I knew there was something special between you and my boss.”
“Why don’t you tell me all about that while I help you get what you came for?” Amelia asked as she led Agnes out of the room. She’d deduced from the older woman’s empty hands that she’d yet to collect the items she came to get.
As they walked out of the room, Amelia sent me a glance. It was brief and there were no words spoken but somehow I understood what she was telling me.
We needed to talk.
We needed to know if we both agreed to go down this path again. Were we truly ready to commit to each other like we’d done five years ago? I’d had my doubts at first but they were all gone now, leaving me with only one thing. Blinding clarity.
I wanted to be with her.