Georgia On My Mind

33

ROME POV

"Okay, I have the wine," Georgia said with a mischievous grin while holding up the bottle. "What else should we pack for our picnic dinner?"

I hummed a moment, peeking into the fridge of the villa we were renting in Tuscany. We had been there for 3 days and found a grocery store, deli, and bakery that kept us well fed. I intended to take Georgia out to eat for most meals but she insisted this was easier.

She was right. It was incredible to grocery shop in a different country and learn more about local delicacies with each stop. We still had meals in restaurants, especially when out taking photos for hours on end, but being able to have something on hand just made sense.

"Okay, we have the prosciutto, some cantaloupe, these gorgeous tomatoes, mortadella, the fresh mozzarella, then maybe a loaf of good ciabatta bread?" I finally answered while pulling those items from their places in the kitchen.

She nodded, "I'll grab the olive oil and a dish for it then we can just wrap that in a towel when we're done."

We found a basket in one of the closets at the villa and Georgia asked the winery owner if we could borrow a blanket to use for picnics. They happily gave us an old quilt, insisting it was a great idea. We were given the chance to explore all we wanted, so every day we spent hours wandering grape vines while I took panoramic shots of the countryside.

The trip had been picture perfect so far. Our England stay felt like it was over in a blink. We barely slept, choosing instead to spend time with my old friends and relax in my favorite pub. Georgia easily fit into the group of Brits, staying in the moment even though crowded places still made her nervous. Our hotel was in a central location so we were able to visit a few sights like the London Eye and Tower of London as well.

I considered how the Italy visit had been so far while we slowly wandered down rows of grape vines. It was almost golden hour and Georgia was wearing a light blue sundress, her hair down in waves under a straw hat while swinging the picnic basket.

She was perfect, as always.

I knew it was time.

My entire life was spent trying to become someone that could achieve everything I thought I needed to do. I worked hard, but avoided commitment since it did not seem to fit my goals.

Then everything changed...

I found a woman that didn't expect me to "be" someone. She just wanted me as my authentic self. Those quiet moments when we first met were still close to my heart, times where my defenses were down without my even realizing it. We still laughed about my "Wonder Wall" performance, especially since Georgia recounted the story to my mates when we met up in London on our first night there. They gave me endless shit for doing something so stupid and called me a plank the rest of the night.

"Oohh... what about there?" Georgia pointed at a soft patch of dirt between two parts of the vineyard. We could see mountains in the distance along with rows of vines, our surroundings the perfect setting.

I grinned and spread out the blanket then gestured for her to take a seat first. "Shall we?"

She got settled then began digging into the basket, spreading food onto kitchen towels and pouring some olive oil into a dish. I opened the bottle of wine and poured us each a glass after the food was set up, impressed at the spread we were able to throw together last minute. We sat across from one another, stretching out as we lazily relaxed on a beautiful Spring evening.

I raised my glass toward the woman I loved and took a deep breath. "Georgia? I would like to make a toast..."

"By all means..." she smiled, eyes warm with affection.