The past week and a half has flown by. Once Damien and I made it out of bed, I was able to fill Isabella in as she had many questions after the night at the club. I spend some time with Isabella, enjoying her friendship. But I spend most of my time with with Damien, spending almost every night together. Ever since that night at the club, things changed between us. I have embraced the possibility of us, wanting to spend more time with him.
Reality that I leave in three days sets in. I'm not ready to face this. I'm not ready to leave Isabella. But more importantly, I'm not ready to leave Damien. Not ready to leave us behind, the possibility of what we can become.
I'm currently on Damien's bike, holding onto him as he weaves his way through the streets of Rome, the destination a surprise. We finally reach our destination, the Colosseum.
"I figured we would go to where we first met, even if it was just you yelling at me calling me an asshole." Damien grabs my hand and helps me off the bike, leading me towards the old structure. My heart melts at the thoughtfulness behind his gesture, taking me where we first met. Well, more correctly where we first saw each other, even if he did almost run me over.
We spend several hours here, talking the whole time. I tell him the story of how my parents met here, the irony not lost on me that we also met here. Part of me wonders if this is fate, almost like I'm repeating my mothers history.
Damien pulls me out of my thoughts and brings me to his chest, grabbing my attention by taking a picture of us in front of the historic site. Damien then wraps his arms around me and lifts me up, capturing my lips with his. He pulls me closer against him as the kiss deepens. My arms wrap around his neck as I can't get enough of him.
Our mouths eventually separate, needing to come up for air. He gently places me on my feet while staring into my eyes.
"Hadley, krasotka. Come home with me." His fingers trace my cheek as he continues to stare into my eyes. My eyebrows pull together, confused at his request. He's never asked me to go back to his house with him, he's always just taken me there.
"That's fine. Just let me stop home and let the puppies out before we go there, or I can bring them if it's okay with you."
"No. I mean come home with me, to Russia. Don't go back home. Stay with me." I can see the hope in his eyes as he pleads for me to stay with him. Millions of thoughts are crossing my head right now. How long does he want me to stay with him? He realizes I can't stay permanently, right? What about my job?
Despite the thoughts racing through my head, one is the loudest. I'm not ready to say goodbye to him yet. The thought of leaving him causes my stomach to drop, an ache in my chest. I nod in agreement, wanting to see what the future holds for us, wanting to further explore the possibility of us. Damien picks me up off of the ground and swings me around, his lips meeting mine. I can feel the happiness radiate from him, now that we get to spend more time together. For the first time since my mom passed, I find myself looking forward to the future. I find myself wondering about fate.
*******
Today's the day, the day I leave with Damien to Russia. I put the puppies in the carrier I bought and place it by the door, returning to grab my other suitcases. Despite spending the past two days with Isabella, I still find tears filming over my eyes when it is time to say goodbye. She has been an amazing friend I made here in Rome, and I'm sad to leave her. Even though we exchange numbers, it still causes me sadness to think I don't know when I will see her again.
As I ride with Damien in one of his cars to the airport, I take in the scenery for the last time, committing it to memory. I am surprised when we arrive at a private airstrip to find a private plane on the runway.
