Marriage Merger

Chapter 19

Back in the food area, Ximena spotted the neat little Italian luncheonette they'd passed by some minutes ago and dragged Adriano into it. It was packed but luckily there was a booth that was empty.

The sweet smell of ravioli, Italian vinegarette and other delicious foods wafted in the air. The interior of the shop was indeed themed, with tables and booths littered everywhere. It was cute and hospitable.

They took a seat at the booth, opposite each other. The table had menus on it, that they both took up and began to survey. A waitress came to their table, notepad in hand and a huge grin plastered on her young face.

"Afternoon, may I take your order?" she chimed happily.

Ximena's eyebrows furrowed as she scanned the words in front of her. Most of the dished were in Italian, a language she hadn't bothered to learn. Making a choice was going to be hard.

"I have will the pasta, bistecca, spicchi di patate, sugo e verdure," Adriano stated in an immaculate Italian accent. Ximena's eyes flew to him, astonished.

"And you miss?" she asked Ximena.

She paused for a second. "I'll have what he's having," she replied coyly to which Adriano laughed.

"Any drinks?"

"Water," they both replied simulatenously. Noting down their orders, the waitress told them she'd be back with their order in the next 10 to 15 minutes.

Despite the clamour and chattering going on around them, the both of them remained quiet for a bit. Adriano was the first to break the silence.

"Tell me about yourself," he said and then brought his arms to rest on the table. Subconsciously, Ximena's eyes landed on his well defined arms and biceps but immediately reverted to his eyes. His beautiful green eyes that she find herself getting lost in.

She cleared her throat nervously. "What exactly do you want to know?" she managed to question without stuttering.

"Anything and everything there is to know about you. Your hopes, aspirations, your fears, your likes and dislikes. I'm not going to marry somebody I don't know," he answered confidently with a lopsided grin.

"Uh, well I'm currently 22 turning 23 in a couple of days. I was born and bred here in Miami. I've got two twin siblings who annoy me a lot but I still love, as well as my parents whom you've already met. I went to an all girls academy since I was in elementary school. For college I went to Stanford and got my degree in business admin some months ago. I love doughnuts, which you already know. I hate spiders and flying. Actually I'm terrified of both. I've had one friend my whole life. I guess you could say I didn't have a normal childhood growing up. With my dad constantly breathing down my neck and pushing me to be the best...I never really got to be out there. My favourite sport is swimming. In fact I was in the swim team since freshman year in high school all the wa till senior year. This is gonna sound crazy but eversince I was a toddler I'd always wanted to be a scientist," she said all at one go. She tucked a loose strand behind her ear and continued. "One day I'd hoped I'd find the right guy and start a family of my own. With eight children," she remarked shyly and bit her lip.

Adriano remained quiet as he digested every bit of information he'd just received. He was actually amazed by what she said. Actually, he found her very interesting and was dying to know more. One question, however, came to mind. "Why eight children?"

Ximena let out a short laugh. "I don't know. I just love children and you know what they say, the more the merrier," she replied and he smiled.

"You forgot to tell me one thing though."

She frowned and tilted her head. 'What?"

"You can sing very well. Actually, you're very good at it." At his words she blushed profusely.

The waitress returned to them with a huge tray that had their food and drinks. When Ximena's plate was placed in front of her, she stared at it blankly and then shot Adriano a look of sheer disbelief.

"All that fancy pronunciation and accent for a plate of pasta, steak, potato wedges, gravy and vegetables. Really?" she said flatly and he laughed once again.

Both began to devour their meals respectively. One bite and Ximena found herself in love with the quisine and the little establishment. She'd definitely be frequenting the restaurant more often. They ate in silence for a little while, before Ximena placed her utensils down and propped her elbows on the table to rest her chin on her hands.

"Now it's your turn to tell me about yourself Adriano," she pronouned sweetly and softly, batting her eyelashes at him.

Adriano stopped eating as well and then crossed his arms on his chest, making his biceps bulged. Ximena gluped. How could she possibly be in his presence and not feel overwhelmed by his physical appearance? This man was certainly going to be the death of her...

"For starters, I never really imagined myself having eight kids," he joked and Ximena found herself smiling cheekily at him. "But I'm not saying I wouldn't be open to it. I grew up in Spain for the first six years of my life and then moved to Miami. I've lived hear eversince. M dad raised me, along with a couple of nannies...who never lasted long because I was that much of a trouble maker. I speak a couple of languages fluently. I've got one close friend and a couple of others I've made over the years from high school and college. I attended university at Oxford, majored in business adminstration as well but I also did finance. I graduated a year ahead of everyone though," he went on and Ximena cut him off.

"Over-achiever much?" she remarked and he shrugged.

"Let's just say I was pushed to be like that by someone. I enjoy surfing and running. I occasionally go to the gym and I like eating right. When I get a chance, I love travelling. Can't say there's anything I dislike...maybe being in the limelight. That I do hate," he finished off.

Ximena looked down at her food and pikced up her fork then began to play around with her broccoli. He was different, definitely confident and more outgoing than she could ever be. Panicked rose in her slowly. What if their differences go in the way of things and they never could get along? And why hadn't he mentioned anything about his mother? Was she dead?

She looked up at him again and found his green eyes already scrutinising her. His gaze was so intimate, it made her palms sweaty. It was like he was trying to stare into her soul.

"You have a question," he stated rather than questioned. He could tell my her sudden quietness and her fidgeting.

She bit her lip for a second. "You didn't say anything about your mum," she whispered but he still heard.

All of a sudden, his shoulders went rigid and his posture stiffened. Adriano looked away from her and put his hands on the table. They were balled into fists, making his knuckles white. She had hit a nerve, that much she knew. He remained eerily quiet, face devoid of emotion and lips thinned into a grim line. His eyes became hollow, and they reminded her of Mr Dos Santos' eyes. At that moment they looked almost identical.

"She died a while back," he threw out in a clipped fashion. Ximena nodded understandingly.

"I'm sorry I asked, I see you don't like to talk about her. I won't bring her up again," she promised. At her words, he visibly relaxed. They continued to eat their food but this time around, an awkward silence permeated between them.

Ximena knew that there was something he was hiding. The pain was evident in his eyes and on his face. It's like he was putting up a strong front for everyone so that they'd think he was fine but deep down he wasn't. This man in front of her was wounded.

And somehow, she was determined to find the root cause and maybe try to fix it.

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Another update for my favourite people. Did you enjoy it? How are we liking the chemistry between the two so far? And do you actually think Adriano's mother is dead?

Keep tuned!

Remember to vote, comment and share!

~Deetronite