WHAT IF...

La cura - The cure

Day by day, Carina is getting better. It is already been four weeks from her brother's death and she is starting to regain her smile. She's getting enough sleep every night and she started cooking again. Maya knows that cooking is therapeutic for Carina and she enjoys watching her singing and dancing in the kitchen. At night, Carina hears her brother's voice singing 'Avrai' and a tear streams down her face.

Though, she feels guilty in the morning. Waking up in Maya's arms make her forget about her little brother... her half. She feels protected in her lover's arms, protected by the guilt, the pain, the sadness... Then she leaves the bed, and the guilt comes back. Mornings and nights have been difficult but Maya wants to change it... just for today.

Their first-year anniversary was two weeks ago, but, of course, they didn't celebrate.

Maya has been thinking about it all day though. She wants to do something special for Carina, nothing too romantic or 'too soft'. They will both be home for dinner tonight. Maya's shift will end a little earlier than Carina's, so she decides to go to their favorite Italian restaurant and buy some food for dinner.

At home she puts the food in the oven and sets the table. Two candles and a bottle of red wine...

She goes to their bedroom and opens one of the drawers to take out the necklace she has bought her. It's nothing too garish. A simple silver necklace with a white gemstone shaped as a heart. The pendant is not too big and if she decides to wear it at work it won't be too noticeable. Carina is not much of a fashionista. She mostly likes comfy clothes and the most luxurious thing she owns is her car (which is definitely a nice car).

With the necklace there's also the letter that she wrote. She'd never been good at expressing her feelings, but she tried in that letter. She wanted it to be special so she asked Andrea to share with her some of Carina's favorite Italian songs. Andrea had met her at a park to help Maya pick one and after he had translated all the songs she chose 'La cura' by Franco Battiato. The day they met for that song, Andrea had told Maya that he was happy that her sister had finally found a person to share her life with.

Maya hears the door open and puts the gift back in the drawer. She walks to the door and looks at Carina who has a wide smile on her face.

"Hey babe" Maya says hugging her

"what's this for?" Carina asks looking at her lover in the eyes

"I wanted to do something special for you, love. You deserve a night out... I mean we'd be out if there wasn't a pandemic."

"Thank you, love" Carina replies kissing her softly "Let me change and I'm all yours"

Maya poured the wine and took the food out of the oven.

They sit together and Maya finally feels relaxed. She takes Carina's hand in hers and looks into her eyes. There's the spark... the light that she'd been missing for a while now. The spark that makes her fall in love with the Italian more and more every day.

"a penny for your thoughts" Carina says

"I'm just thinking that... I'm so helplessly in love with you"

"oh, bimba. I love you. Thank you for always being by my side" Carina gives a sweet squeeze to Maya's hand

They eat dinner talking about their day at work and after dessert Maya gives her the necklace

"Babe, I know today's not our anniversary, but I bought you this for the occasion and didn't have the chance to give it to you" she hands her the box and Carina opens it. A huge smile spreads on Carina's face.