Chapter 55
Chapter Fifty-Five
Leaving the cafe with his arm snugly around Aria's shoulders, Alex led them out into the street, waving to the crowd in the cafe who had just been given quite a show.
Aria’s cheeks were still crimson red.
“Don’t be shy, cara mia. I want the whole world to know you're mine. Cancel everything you have the next few days. I'm not letting you out of my sight.”
They walked to a nearby seaside cafe, knowing they couldn't eat at the cafe after that spectacle. After finding a quiet table and ordering, Alex held her hand and kissed her palm.
“Tell me everything,” he said gleefully.
Moving her fingers along his jaw, Aria leaned in for a quick kiss on his lips before sitting back and speaking.
“At first, I was devastated. I still believe I did the right thing for both of us in the end, but those first few weeks were painful. But when I wasn’t annoying Santo, I was writing. Have you been to Madrid? It’s an amazing city.”
“I have and you’re right. I didn’t spend a lot of time there, but I remember the architecture was spectacular.”
Rolling her eyes, she answered, “Yes, I had to watch him geek out about it every time we went sightseeing. But it was beautiful. I spent a lot of time outdoors and wrote for hours every day. I could see my journal entries were becoming a cohesive story before I left, but something significant and wonderful shifted in me while there.”
Frowning, he asked, “You realized you didn’t need me in your life?”
Reaching for his hand and taking it in both of hers, she answered, “No, no, Alex. That’s not why I left. I realized that I needed me in my life. Does that make sense?”
“I think so.”
Pulling her chair closer to him, she continued, “You knew what you wanted to do back in university once you were introduced to photography. Honestly, I did as well. Nicholas didn’t and never would have kept me from writing, from my passion, but there was a silent understanding that it would have to wait. ”
“So, you pursued his dream.”
Nodding her head, she said, “Well, at the time it was our dream, so it felt right. But I recently discovered there had been resentment building for years. Feelings I pushed down and was ashamed to admit I felt.”
Pulling her into an embrace, Alex said, “I’m so sorry you felt that way. That must have been so hard to navigate.”
Nodding again as she leaned into his chest, Aria answered, “I, I also faced what my counselor calls ‘survivor’s guilt’.”
Alex sat back, his face contorted.
“Oh, cara mia. I know you told me that you were in the car that day, too. That makes so much sense.”
“I, I had so much guilt building in me, and I thought I had faced it all. Guilt for wanting more than running the business, guilt for surviving the crash, guilt for falling in love again,” Aria answered, her eyes soft with emotion.
His heart sped up and he feared what the answer to his next question would be.
“How do you feel about us having a future together?”
Aria’s face lit up as she answered.
“Alex Rossi, I’m in love with you. I was coming to tell you that the day we last met.
But when Corinna told me that you weren’t going to leave for the well project, all that I had been dealing with came to the forefront.
I couldn’t let that happen to us, to you.
I knew that you would come to resent me later on, and I couldn’t live with that. ”
“But don’t you understand? I’ve been searching all my life for a love like I have for you.
I want a future with you. We can go on adventures together, but if that never happens, you need to hear me and understand my words and my heart.
Aria, you are my life, my adventure. You’re the one this lonely albatross has been searching for.
You’re more important than any photography assignment ever will be. ”
“Do you really mean that?”
Her eyes were pooling with tears.
“Yes! Yes, Aria. With all my heart,” he answered, his last word being silenced with the kiss she pulled him into suddenly.
Tears mixed with laughter filled his ears, and they whispered promises to each other between kisses.
“I love you, Alex. I want to go on adventures with you. I also want to build a life with you here, with our families and friends. Building our own family one day.”
Alex closed his eyes and with a stuttered breath, he answered, “You’ve made me the happiest man in the world.”
Seeing that they were once again gaining an audience, he paid the bill and walked her hand-in-hand out to a bench near the water.
Aria looked up at him with pure love.
“I saw the garden, Alex. It’s, it’s beautiful. When did you do that?”
Chuckling as he pulled her in close, he replied, “I built it for you. The day you left, the day I left, I called a friend of Enzo’s to have it done.
I was heartbroken, but I couldn’t fight the feeling that I needed to do it.
It was an urgency that I still don’t understand.
Just like the one that brought me home two days ago instead of flying to Mumbai. ”
She squinted as she looked up at him, the sun in her face.
“I had a similar experience when I got home from Madrid.”
“Really? What was it?”
Shaking her head, she answered, “It’s silly. I’m too embarrassed to tell you. Although, my prayer was answered somehow, so...”
Looking up at the clear blue sky, Alex knew what he had suspected was true. Adjusting her as he lifted up, he reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out the bottle.
“Do you mean this, by any chance?”
He held it out in his hand for her to see, a smile overtaking his face when Aria gasped.
“No, that's not possible. Let me see the note,” Aria said, taking it from him while he watched her face go from surprise to absolute shock.
Unrolling the parchment, her hands shook as she skimmed the words.
“Alex,” she whispered.
Kissing her cheek, he asked, “When did you do this?”
“Right after I got home. I knew you wouldn’t be back for a while, but I couldn’t shake this strong feeling that I needed to go there and throw this bottle into the sea. I prayed for it to find its way to you. When did you find it?”
“This morning. When I got up, I felt drawn to the water. I walked out there, thinking of you and wondering what my next move should be. I felt something hit my foot and there it was,” Alex chuckled.
“That's the reason why I came by the office. I felt like it was my sign to not give up.” Alex kissed her forehead. “I went straight to your office. When I saw you in Gio’s arms, I thought I’d lost you. ”
Pulling away slightly and letting his thumb wipe away a tear that tracked down her face, she said, “It looks like something beyond ourselves has been drawing us back together.”
“Yes, it does. But know this, Aria Bianchi, I never plan to leave your side ever again,” he said as he kissed her softly.
“Never,” she answered as she leaned into his warmth. “So, you forgive me for hurting you? Alex, I wanted to tell you I loved you so badly that day, but I knew if I did, you’d never leave.”
“It brought up my trust issues for sure. I’m glad I did the project, even though I was miserable.
The look on the villagers’ faces when those wells burst forth was the only joy I felt during our time apart.
I kept wishing you were there with me. I need you to understand what I tried to tell you that day.
I want you by my side. Always. I’m not giving up my career.
I’m adjusting it. I want to take you with me to see the world, the way you’ve always dreamed.
I don’t want either of us to give up our dreams. I just want our dreams to become one. ”
“Is that even possible?”
“I think so,” he answered confidently as he held her hand. “I know you’ll need time to pursue getting your book published. And when you’re ready, we can go somewhere together. This love we feel is real and true. We just need to trust in it.”
“I can do that,” Aria said with hope in her eyes.