This is love

THIRTY

Italy was somewhere I was always going to hold so close to my heart. It was somewhere I had always wanted to experience and Jason was the one that made that happen. It held, already, so many amazing memories for us and now we get to experience it even more with our home away from home. 

The sun was just rising and the sight of the creamy orange haze that was starting to appear over the harbour made me giddy. It reminded me so much of our wedding morning. I lean on the balcony, my hands cupping the hot cup of tea I had made while Jason was still cuddled between the sheets. He hadn’t looked so peaceful. The lines that were creasing along his forehead when I arrived home from London was now well on their way to disappearing for good, and the worry frown between his brows were long gone. 

We were in our haven, thousands of miles away from home and any sort of reality. 

“There you are.” I hear his sleepy groggy voice appear behind me. I immediately smile as his arms slip around my hips and he kisses the back of my head. “Why are you up so early?” 

“I didn’t want to miss this.” I tell him, nuzzling my head next to his. “You should go back to bed.” 

“I will when you do.” He tells me. We were quiet for a bit longer, soaking in the glorious sight that brought an overwhelming amount of relaxation. “I have another surprise for you later.” 

“I don’t think I can cope with any more surprises.” I joke. 

I was so excited yesterday when we arrived at the jet and Captain Tom tells us that the flight to Italy was looking like a smooth sailing journey, almost jumping Jason’s bones on the tarmac. He laughed at my sobs when my mood did a complete flip from shrieking elation to literally wailing overwhelment. 

“Just one more.” He says, kissing beneath my ear. “Come on, lets get another hour or two sleep.” 

I allow him to pull me back to the bed, setting the cup of tea on the dresser on the way and shedding Jason’s t-shirt before climbing in beside him and snuggling close to his bare chest. I didn’t realise how exhausted I was until I reawoke over two hours later to the smell of freshly buttered bread and amazingly cooked bacon. 

“Good morning.” Jason grins, kicking the bedroom door open with his foot. He carried the tray and nodded his head towards the veranda, allowing me a second to gather myself and pull on his t-shirt before following him outside. “Fabio sent us some breakfast down.” 

Fabio was the head chef at the Villa we got married in, just at the top of the hill from us. He also cooked our wedding breakfasts, dinners and made sure our honeymoon was filled with the best foods we could have. I immediately snatch a piece of the thick, buttery, hearty Italian bread and moan with pleasure. 

“I should get that shipped in when we’re home.” Jason says, pouring us a glass of orange juice. “I think it would go well in the restaurant.” 

“Oh, and get a case of the vineyard's wine!” I exclaim with bright eyes. “People would love it.” 

“I’ll see what I can do.” He said, snagging a bite of the bacon. “So - your last surprise. We leave at twelve, you’ll need to bring a bag with spare clothes too. Just in case.” 

“Are we going to the beach?” 

He makes a screwed up face. “Partly. You’ll see soon. Anyway - I was speaking to Julian and Adam before we left.” 

“I spoke too Julian too. He wished me a happy birthday and told me that he was meeting up with Adam again for dinner.” 

“They told me that too. Poor Adam was besides himself with nerves. I can’t believe Julian thought his brother was his new boyfriend.”