Be Brave With Me

Chapter Twenty-Five

Not yet. There still was time.

Not yet. Their futures could wait a little longer.

Not yet. He wasn't ready to let her go. Not yet.

Not yet. Not yet. Not. Yet.

The combination of those two simple words, repeated over and over in his head as a mantra, was the only thing that had kept him going since the night of their bed time story two days ago. The only thing that had kept him from loosing it and freaking the fuck out.

Not yet.

They had to return to their lives at some point, but... not yet. Aura had to get back to her career and the life she was destined for, but... not yet. She had to face her parents and make them understand that she would accept nothing less than to be one of The Carmichaels, but... not yet. He had to figure out if he'd ever find the courage to face his Dad and crush all of his dreams, but... not yet.

They both clung to these two simple words that promised nothing short of more time together. They had taken over their days and sneaked into their bed at night. Not yet. No need to rehash what they had confessed to each other the other night. It was fine. There was still time to figure out all of that stuff later. Not yet. Every kiss, every peak, a desperate attempt to press pause.

It never worked.

Every morning, the sun rose anew. Every morning, the light filtered through the old shutters of their window a bit earlier than the day before.

And Theo couldn't help it. Every morning, the first, unchecked thought that filtered through the hazy fog of his half-asleep brain was: Soon.

The truth had a way of sneaking up on you first thing in the morning, with your mind defenseless and your heart wide-open from sleep.

The only remedy?

(1) Kiss Aura, (2) keep busy at work to distract yourself, and (3) chant your mantra under your breath. Not yet. Not yet. Not. Yet.

Apply as needed throughout the day.

Today, they'd head to Sorrento instead of prepping and serving breakfast. Nonna had asked Aura and him to take over the run to the market since Uncle Giuseppe's hip was acting up again and Romeo had an appointment at the bank down in Amalfi.

With Aura trailing behind a few minutes, Theo crossed through the garden on silent feet with his canvas shoes getting a half-decent cleaning in the fresh morning dew that clung to the grass. He opened the terrace doors as quietly as possible so not to wake up the guests sleeping upstairs.

Then, he crossed over to the Wall of Books and indulged in the only secret he kept from Aura these days.

Not an easy feat considering their days spent together at work, their nights spent together between the sheets, and the one dresser they shared for the few clothes they'd brought with them. More than once, he had seen Aura running around in one of his button-up shirts. Although he had begun to suspect that she liked-

As soon as he pulled the book out of its spot, he knew.

The slight crack in the pages where her phone used to take up space was gone. The phone was gone, too.

Everything inside him caved in, all at once. His lungs, his stomach, his heart.

Soon.

If Aura had reclaimed her phone, it could only mean she'd contacted Jess or her godparents. It could only mean she was ready to leave. It could only mean that their time was running out... and soon. She'd return to her life, and he'd have to let her go.