Chapter 13 - THE FIRST REAL DATE
Alessandro asked me to dinner on a rainy Thursday.
Not at an expensive restaurant.
Not at a private club.
At a small Italian place near the river.
I wore a green dress.
He wore a navy sweater.
No bodyguards at the table.
No business calls.
No interruptions.
We talked for hours.
About childhood.
Family.
Mistakes.
Regrets.
The future.
At one point, Alessandro looked at me.
“Can I ask you something?”
I smiled.
“Depends.”
He laughed.
“Why weren't you afraid to stand up to me that night?”
I thought about it.
“I was afraid.”
He looked surprised.
“Really?”
“Terrified.”
He stared.
“Then why did you do it?”
I looked down.
“Because I'd spent too long being afraid of everything.”
I told him about my mother's illness.
The bills.
The exhaustion.
The feeling that life was becoming a series of emergencies I couldn't control.
He listened.
Then said quietly:
“You deserved better than a man throwing a cup at your head.”
I looked at him.
“Yes.”
He nodded.
“And I needed someone to tell me that.”
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Alessandro reached across the table.
“Emily.”
“Yes?”
“I'd like to see you again.”
I smiled.
“Then ask.”
He laughed softly.
“Will you go out with me again?”
May you like
I squeezed his hand.
“Yes.”
