It was the day after our disastrous lunch at the cafe, and I was officially packing up the apartment.
I decided to donate most of the stuff like the furniture and the kitchenware. My clothes and shoes on the other hand, I was having a very hard time parting with.
I thought I could go through and pick out some stuff I wanted to keep, but I had already done that over the years and what I had now was a carefully curated collection of my favorite pieces.
But the process was proving to be sadder and more nostalgia inducing than I had anticipated.
So now, I stand here in my closet, pouting at all my pretty things.
"Micetta?" I hear his voice before his large, warm hands rest on either side of my hip. "You okay?" He asks. I lean back so my head rests against his wide chest.
"No." I mumble. "I don't wanna give away any of this." I gesture with my hands.
"Then don't." He kisses my hair, one of his hands caresses my tummy gently. I melt into him more.
"I can't take everything back to Italy with me. That's excessive. And there aren't enough suitcases in the world." I sigh. He turns me to face him, pushing back my hair.
"That is not your problem baby. I told you, packing and handling is taken care of. I just want you to go through and make sure you keep things of sentimental value. If my wife wants to take all her clothes with her, that's what she gets. If she wants to fly out her dining table because she likes it, that's what we'll do." He says sternly.
An involuntary smile spreads across my face.
"You're too nice to me." I mumble.
"You are worth alot more than a cargo shipment." His hand slips to my nape, bringing me closer to kiss him. "I am taking you somewhere." He says against my lips. I look up at him.
"Where?" I ask.
"Somewhere." His voice is rough.
"What? Come on tell me. I'll need to dress accordingly." I hook my arms around his neck.
"Wear something comfortable, it's nowhere fancy." He kisses me again. "Change." He says with a pat on my bum then walks out. Hmm.
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When in doubt, wear a summer dress.
That's my motto. They go with literally any type of venue. So I chose to dress in a cute little short white dress, with pink tulips on it. It was a nice material so it could pass for fancy, but casual enough for a picnic date. Not Griffin Moretti would ever plan a picnic date.
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"Where are we going." I ask again while Griffin drives the Maserati that had magically appeared when we landed two days ago.
"You'll see, tempesta. Be patient." He squeezes my thigh where his hand rests on it. I pout to myself.
Looking around, all I can really tell from the streets is that we're deep in the suburbs. He could be taking me to the beach but it's dark so I doubt it. Besides I am exhausted from my day of packing, not that I would ever say it to him. But all I really wanna do right now is eat some fries and a shake.
My interest peaks when he turns onto a street.
"That's so funny, this is the street we used to live on when I was younger." I smile. "Don't know if you remember but the diner I told you about is right down there-" I stop talking when he pulls into the diners parking lot.
My head whips over to him, and his knowing smirk confirms my suspicions.
He remembers when I told him about this diner on our first date. All that time ago.
We get out of the car, and I breathe in the slightly chilly beachy breeze of my hometown, and look back to my fiance and for some reason, tears blur my eyes.
"No don't cry." He quickly cups my cheeks as the they fall.
"This is so nice of you." I sniffle. His mirthful smile makes my stomach flutter.
"I merely drove us to a restaurant, baby." He strokes my cheek.
"No, the thought is so sweet. You remembered something I told you so long ago and you brought me here. Today of all days." I pout.
"I saw you were feeling upset about leaving. And you told me this used to be your 'pick me up' on a sad day." He mocks making me laugh. Silly.
"I love you." I whisper. His eyes darken, a possessive fire gleaming in them.
"I love you more, tempesta." He leans down to kiss my lips.
After we pull away, he leads me inside the diner and my eyebrows furrow at it being completely empty. It's dinner time, and I remember it being packed usually.
"Why is there no one else here?" I question.
"I wanted us to have privacy." He wraps an arm around me. I gasp at that.
"You asked them to close for just us? That's so over the top." I snicker. "And so sweet." I lean up to kiss him again.
Our night goes on to be one of the most perfect nights I have ever had. We eat the best, most comforting food and talk about anything and everything. Somehow we made up for the 2 years worth of time we lost.
It never felt like I didn't know who he was. He would always be the closest person to me, no matter how much time we spent apart. He was always present.
But I missed his warmth, his affection. The look of nothing but want in his eyes for me. No streaks of doubt, just love.
And I saw that now, and I was thankful to all our stars.
