Chapter 12 - THE FIRST DINNER WITHOUT FEAR
Z
Their first date took place at a small restaurant in Greenwich Village.
No private dining room.
No armed men beside the door.
No photographers.
Just two people sitting across from each other beneath soft yellow lights.
Derek arrived early.
Isabella arrived exactly on time.
She wore a navy dress and flat shoes.
Her silver hair was loosely pinned back.
Derek stood when he saw her.
“You look beautiful.”
She smiled.
“Thank you.”
He looked unusually nervous.
She noticed.
“Are you afraid of me?”
He laughed.
“A little.”
“Good.”
They sat.
For the first hour, they didn't discuss the Russo or Costa families.
They talked about books.
Music.
Travel.
Food.
Isabella told him she'd once wanted to visit Lisbon.
Derek admitted he'd never traveled anywhere without a business agenda.
She laughed.
“That's depressing.”
“Apparently.”
He asked about her childhood.
She told him about summer trips to the ocean, her mother's terrible singing, and Lucia's obsession with ceramic animals.
Derek told her about Leo stealing his bicycle, then his motorcycle, then an entire weekend's worth of his patience.
They laughed.
And for a while, the past felt less like a prison.
Eventually, Isabella grew quiet.
Derek noticed.
“Everything okay?”
She looked down.
“Sometimes I feel guilty.”
“For what?”
“For being happy.”
He waited.
She continued.
“My parents died. People were hurt. I spent years trying to survive.”
Her eyes filled.
“And now I'm sitting in a restaurant laughing.”
Derek reached across the table.
Then stopped.
“May I?”
She looked at his hand.
Then nodded.
He took hers.
“I don't think your family would've wanted you to stop living.”
Her expression softened.
“No.”
He smiled sadly.
“Neither would Leo.”
She laughed through her tears.
“He definitely wouldn't.”
After dinner, they walked toward Washington Square Park.
The evening air was cool.
Derek kept his hands in his coat pockets.
Isabella walked beside him.
For a long time, neither spoke.
Then she asked, “Do you ever miss being powerful?”
He looked at her.
“I still have businesses. Resources. Influence.”
“That isn't what I asked.”
He considered.
“Yes.”
She nodded.
“Why?”
“Because power made me feel certain.”
“And now?”
He smiled faintly.
“Now I ask more questions.”
She laughed.
“Sounds exhausting.”
“It is.”
He looked at her.
“But I think I prefer it.”
At the park entrance, they stopped.
Derek looked at her.
“Isabella?”
“Yes?”
“May I kiss you?”
She smiled.
“Not yet.”
He nodded.
“Okay.”
She stepped closer.
Then kissed his cheek.
His expression softened.
“Good night, Derek.”
He smiled.
“Good night, Bella.”
She froze.
He immediately looked concerned.
“I'm sorry. Leo calls you that. I shouldn't have—”
She shook her head.
“No.”
Her eyes filled.
“It's okay.”
She smiled.
“I'd forgotten how much I missed hearing it.”
Then she walked away.
May you like
Derek watched her disappear into the crowd.
And for the first time in years, he found himself looking forward to tomorrow.
