Resist: To Love is To Suffer

Chapter Four

Riley was waiting on her front porch when I pulled into her driveway. I got out and opened the passenger door, leaning against the door frame as I watched her hop down the stairs. She'd gotten a bit of a tan during her recent beach vacation, her pale skin just a touch darker than the platinum waves that framed her face.

"You look better each time I see you."

There was that blush again, staining cheeks scrunched up in a smile. Once she got a closer look at me, her smile faltered. "You feeling ok?" Once she reached me, she stood on her toes to run a hand along my jaw, her index finger tracing the hollow of my cheek.

I raised a hand to cover her smaller one, her skin warm beneath my touch. "Yeah, I'm fine. Do I look that bad?"

"No, of course not! What happened to these chubby little cheeks, though? They were so cute."

I laughed and squeezed her hand before pulling it from my face, lacing our fingers together. I didn't want to tell her I'd barely eaten for three weeks, and I didn't wany sympathy from lying about being sick. I rubbed my thumb across the back of her hand, buying myself time to think. "Just getting in shape for fall. Sonoma's program is nothing compared to SCU. If I head into the season all slow and chubby they'll cut me, then bye-bye scholarship."

Embarrassment flashed across her face, "I'm sorry, I didn't think about that."

"Hey, none of that," I brought her hand to my lips and unlaced our fingers, kissing the soft skin just above her knuckles, relishing the tingly feeling in my chest as I watched her eyes flutter shut. "We should get going or we'll lose our table."

"What table! Where are we going that you had to reserve a table? I'm not dressed for this-"

I pulled her against me, muffling her voice against my chest. I let my hands wander across her back until she relaxed in my arms. "It's cute when you get flustered. Let's go."

I helped her into the car and shut her door before sliding behind the wheel. Within 15 minutes we were downtown, and her nervous chatter hadn't stopped once. Where were we going, what restaurants even required reservations for lunch on a week day, why didn't I tell her, she didn't know what it was but she knew she couldn't afford it.

Ca' Bianca sat before us, the building shielded in dense trees that offered unexpected privacy and solitude so close to the heart of down. I helped Riley out of the car and guided her toward the door, her hand hooked over my forearm and she tentatively walked alongside me.

"This is too much. I was expecting Chipotle or something," her voice betrayed her, though, and finally her tone carried a tinge of excitement.

"We do family dinners here every week. It's not a big deal." We entered the restaurant and I waved at the maître d', "Buongiorno, Emil. Solo due oggi." I watched Riley's eyes dart toward me, lighting up her face in surprise.

"Benvenuto, signore Sagreti. Seguimi, per favore." Emil took us through the restaurant and out to the patio, approaching a small table for two tucked in the shade of a large tree.

"Grazie." I helped Riley to her seat before sitting across from her, leaning back in the chair, watching her expression as she shifted through a thousand different emotions all while staring at me. "What?"

"Who are you?" she said with an laugh, her voice light as it hung in the air. "Is there such a thing as a normal day with you, or is there always going to be something extra?"

"Extra?" I feigned a pseudo-hurt expression, unable to fully mask my grin, "You mean you expected less? From me? Dai, cara mia, non hai ancora visto niente." I could devour the way she looked at me just then. Her bright blue eyes darkened under heavy lids, the corners of her mouth curling around a glossy pout, an aura of need and defiance pulsing around her. Once again I felt the spell shatter as she blinked and cast her gaze aside, embarrassment flushing her cheeks as the waiter approached. I wanted to keep her staring, to keep her eyes on me. I wanted to feel those tingles in my chest come back.