25. Chapter 25
Jinx
Mason reaches next to me and lifts the blind covering the plane’s window. “Look down there, Precious.”
I shake my head, determined never to fucking fly again.
He chuckles and kisses my hand, which he’s been holding for most of the flight. I couldn’t even sleep a wink, though I tried to watch a couple of movies.
“Look,” he says more firmly.
With a sigh, I stare out the window at a world of orange rooftops surrounded by mountains shorter than those in Durango. The buildings are so clustered together, and the closer we get to the ground, the more I can see how old they are. “Beautiful,” I whisper.
“I wish we had time to spend there,” he says.
Julien cranes his head to look back at us, smiling. “Oh, we’re totally going to visit. We only have one day, though, when we drive up from Siena back to Florence. We’ll take the train from there to Vernazza in Cinque Terre. Too bad it’ll be too cold to swim, but it’s supposed to be stunning.”
Mason smiles wistfully. “Even though my parents came from Italy, I’ve never been. I think one day I’d like to come back and visit my home city, where my parents were born. Maybe we’ll see Rome while we’re at it.”
“I’d like that. Just don’t make me fly.”
He laughs and kisses my temple as we stare out the window, dropping lower and lower, and way too fucking fast. “We must. A ship will take too long, and they have zero appeal to me.”
“I suppose…”
Julien looks back at us again. “Hey, at least we have our own personal Italian translator.”
Mason smiles and nods at him. “Happy to.”
As we reach the airport, I slam the blind closed along with my eyes, clinging to Mason’s hand. I can hear Aleks whimpering in front of me, and Foxy and Tink doing the same behind me. It’s clearly our first time on a plane.
My stomach drops, and I feel a little nauseous as the plane races down the tarmac after we touch down in Florence, Italy. The engines scream, and I’m terrified they’ll fall off the wings, and we’ll all die in a fiery explosion.
“Why’s the plane shaking so much?!” I say too loudly.
Mason holds my hand tighter. “It’s a big plane.”
“We’re all going to die!”
“We aren’t going to die, Precious.”
Soon we’re going slower and steadier. My heart is still racing, but I’m calmer.
“Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Mason says, wrapping a comforting arm around me.
“It was hell. We’re swimming next time if we have to.”
The drive to Castello di Tornano is stunning, even in the brown of winter.
There’s no snow, but it’s said they get some once in a while.
The rolling hills, dormant vineyards, and tall cypresses make the landscape so pretty.
Combine that with the ancient buildings we drive by, and I’m in awe.
I’ve never seen anything like it except in pictures online. They don’t do the real thing justice.
Meanwhile, Mason, sitting in the front seat, and our driver are talking a million miles a minute in Italian. Rusty at speaking it, my ass. He sounds fluent to me. It’s also turning me the fuck on. Who knew languages would do that?
Mason turns to face us and says, “According to our driver, Roberto, the original structure of Castello di Tornano was built in 790 AD and was expanded on in the 11th century or so. Amazing find, Julien.”
I can’t even imagine anything so old. It’s almost unfathomable.
“Thanks, Aleks and I spent a good six months trying to figure out where to get married. Once we settled on Italy, we started a more in-depth search.”
“I didn’t want hot, which is why we chose January, unlike our lives from living in LA,” Aleks says.
LA wasn’t that hot, but it was sunny and dry all the time. We didn’t really have a winter. No snow, and it didn’t rain enough.
Julien kisses Aleks’ head. “I just happened to stumble onto the castle, and Aleks was all over it. So, it was decided.”
“It’s like a fairy tale,” Aleks agrees. “I never dreamed something like this was possible. None of us believed we would ever find happiness.”
The mood shift in the van is tangible and heavy.
We grow quiet, no doubt getting lost in our pasts.
We’re only here because of Julien. We really have lived the fairy tale life.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget, especially when nature, a beautiful home, and gorgeous horses surround you.
You almost feel normal… until your past decides to taunt you and remind you of where you came from in the worst fucking possible way.
Shut up, Jinx. Only good thoughts. Life is good. You finally love someone, and he loves you back. You have money in the bank, a sweet horse, great friends and family, and a piece of heaven in Colorado.
I hope one day all the good will finally outweigh the bad until my past is nothing more than a pesky mosquito buzzing around.
As soon as we pull up onto the castle grounds, all of us are staring, looking up at the tower, jaw-dropped.
You can tell it’s fucking old. Ancient old.
This isn’t some fairy-tale castle. It’s a castle that has withstood centuries of battles.
It’s a reminder that no matter how much suffering you go through, you can come out of it still standing with the proper care.
A building isn’t a human, but it’s also a good metaphor for hope.
After we grab our things from the van and check in, we head to our rooms. Julien and Aleks get a special house separate from the castle.
Our room is really a suite, but small. It’s cozy and comfortable but kept up in an old-world, traditional style.
I set down my bag and suitcase and walk around the room, touching fabrics and antique woods.
There’s only a small window, letting in only a little bit of natural light.
The bed is plush, covered with white linens.
The bed looks like it’s hand-carved wood.
I glance up at the ceiling, loving the ancient wooden beams as if holding up the structure by sheer will alone.
“Why are the windows so small?” I ask. “I mean, the view is gorgeous. Why hide it?”
Mason stands behind me and holds me as we stare out the window.
“Well, for several reasons. Back then, it was mostly for security and temperature control. This castle most likely didn’t have glass windows as it does now.
It was considered expensive. Castles are not palaces.
Palaces were luxurious. Castles were like forts. ”
“Oh, that’s cool!”
“Would you like a glass of Franciacorta? There’s a complimentary bottle here for the wedding party. It’s Italy’s version of champagne.”
I look behind me and smile. “Maybe later. I’m really jet-lagged.”
“We have several hours before we meet downstairs for dinner. How about we have a bath and a nap? There’s a cast-iron tub in the bathroom that should hold both of us.”
I turn to face Mason and wrap my arms around his neck. “That sounds really nice, actually.”
He lifts my chin, leans down, and kisses me. “I’ll run the water.”
When he walks off, I dig into my suitcase and pull out fresh clothes.
We haven’t been here long, and already, I’m falling for Italy. There’s such a warmth to the area, filled with so much charm and authenticity. So far, the people have been really nice, too.
I stare out the window again, loving how the area isn’t filled with strip malls and gas stations. Durango is pretty, but it has all those annoying things. LA was rampant with them.
“Come, Precious. The water’s ready,” Mason says after several moments.
We strip out of our clothes, and he gets in first. Once he’s seated, he helps me in. The water is perfectly hot, filled with the scent of lavender. I sit between his legs with my back to him. I didn’t realize how filthy I felt from flying until I started soaking in the tub.
Mason lathers a wash rag with soap, then gently scrubs my skin, starting with my back and working my arms. My eyes droop closed, and my body sags in relaxation. I yawn loudly as he chuckles.
“My poor, tired pet.”
“Aren’t you tired?”
“Very, but apparently not as much as you.”
Mason then uses the hand-held showerhead and drenches my hair. He dribbles some shampoo into it and gently massages my scalp.
“God, you’re gonna spoil me.”
“As well as you should be.”
My world vanishes, and all that’s left is the man I love and his amazing fingers.
Once my hair is rinsed of soap, Mason quickly washes his body, then pulls me against him. My head rests on his shoulder, and I close my heavy eyes as his fingers travel up and down my arms soothingly.
“Come on, Precious. We need to get out.”
I’m startled awake, not realizing I’d dozed off.
“Yeah, okay.”
I shiver because the water’s gone cold.
Mason quickly dries off, then he helps me out of the tub, drying me off, too. He lifts me into his arms, and I feel fucking loved and protected. I love being carried by him. It’s the only time I don’t hate being smaller.
We climb underneath the covers, and I roll over, my back facing him. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me close, kissing my head.
“Get some sleep,” he whispers.
“I love you,” I tell him because I can never tell him enough.
He kisses my head again. “I love you, too.”
I smile sleepily. Mason can never tell me enough, either.
I climb out of bed, careful not to wake Mason, and throw on some clothes and a hoodie. When I look out the window, I see familiar silvery hair roaming the grounds below alone and checking out the strangely shaped pool, as if they’d built it as an afterthought or something.
I’d planned to talk to Aleks privately on this trip before he got married to Julien, so now’s as good a time as any.
With a quick peck to Mason’s cheek, I head out of the building and go searching for Aleks, my best friend of nearly ten years.
I find him taking some pictures of the castle on his phone.
“Hey,” I say, shoving my hands into my jeans.
Aleks beams a smile my way. “Hey!”
I swear to fuck, I never deserved a friend like him. But this is my chance to right some things… I hope.
I rub my neck and look out over the rolling hills. “Can we… talk for a minute?”