Sway Me (book 1)

Chapter Forty Two- The Date (3)

42. The Date(3)
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The food was truly divine, maybe a bit crazy to take a plane ride for.

"Thank you," I muttered as the attendant cleared our plates. I glanced over at Giovanni, who was sipping on his wine. "Nicholas did a wonderful job with the food," I said in an attempt to make conversation.

Now that I think about it, Giovanni and I have not really had a normal or casual conversation; it was mostly about bickering over his attitude and his affection for me while I contemplated my feelings for him.

"Yeah. He is simply the best," Giovanni said, accompanied by a chuckle. "I'm glad you liked it."

"I loved it. It's some of the best food I've ever eaten," I replied.

Then dessert came. As the decadent chocolate cake was placed before us, the rich aroma enveloped the table. The layers were glossy and inviting, with a drizzle of chocolate ganache cascading down the sides.

"This looks incredible," I said, my eyes lighting up at the sight.

Giovanni smiled, watching me as I carefully took my first bite. The cake was rich and velvety, melting in my mouth. I closed my eyes in delight. "This is heavenly!"

"I'm glad you like it," he replied, leaning back in his chair, a satisfied grin on his face.

I savored another bite, feeling the warmth of the moment. "Chocolate cake always makes everything better."

He chuckled softly.

"My mother would flip if she got to try this," I commented.

"I've heard you mention her quite a few times, but nothing about your father," he said, staring intensely at me.

I let out a nervous chuckle. "You should know; you had a background check on me," I stated.

"Oh..." he dragged, realizing he practically knew everything about me. "I'm sorry," he apologized.

"It's okay," I shrugged, taking a bite of my cake. Curiosity bubbled within me. "So, Giovanni, what about you?"

"About me?" He asked, a confused look on his face.

"You know, your family—I know about Giulia, but... you know... about your parents. I know your father is dead, but what about your mother? Giulia never talks about her." I rambled.

The moment the words left my mouth, I saw a flicker of discomfort in his eyes. He looked away, the lightness in the air shifting. "She's... not in the picture."

My heart sank slightly at his tone. "I know. Is she dead?" Maybe I was pushing it, but it seemed fair to know something personal about him since he knew my whole story.

He sighed, his expression tightening. "It's complicated. I'd rather not talk about it."

My heart dropped further; he looked uncomfortable, and there was a secret he didn't want to share. "You shouldn't pry into my life if you feel yours should be private," I said stiffly. I got up from my seat and walked out of the restaurant.

I was a bit upset—maybe a lot, actually. I hated that he always wanted to feel like he was in control of everything, even in situations when he didn't have to.

I heard him running after me, calling out my name, but I didn't stop walking, even though I had nowhere to go.

"Millie," he said, holding my hand to stop me in my tracks. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes; of course, he didn't think he did anything wrong. "Can we go home now?" I asked.

His face morphed into sadness. "I was planning on taking you somewhere else," he revealed.

My heart almost melted—almost—but I thought dates were an opportunity for people to get to know each other. Maybe his mother was a touchy subject, and I was overreacting, but it didn't sit well with me that he had robbed me of my privacy while he chose to keep his intact. Maybe I should hire a private investigator as well.

You can't afford it.

My brain immediately screamed at me. Of course, I wouldn't be able to afford it, and getting information on someone like Giovanni would be very expensive.

"I just want to go home," I replied.

He sighed. "Fine."

The flight back home was very quiet. Giovanni's eyes were practically glued to the window the entire ride, and if he wasn't driving us back home, his eyes would still be glued to the window.

He was avoiding looking at me, and I knew I was the reason for it. Maybe I shouldn't have reacted that way; I should have given him time to tell me about it. I ended up ruining the date, even though my reasons were justified.

I quietly went up to my room the moment we arrived at the house. Giulia was not back yet, and I knew she wouldn't be for a while; otherwise, why would Giovanni say he wanted to take me somewhere else?

You should have let him take you; it might have been magical. My mind taunted. I sighed as I dropped onto the bed, exhausted from not really doing anything.

"I'm sorry," I heard Giovanni's voice. I lifted my head, and there he was standing by the door; he was no longer wearing his suit jacket, and even his tie was off.

"Giovanni!" I muttered.

He walked into the room, and I got up from the bed. "I'm sorry for upsetting you," he apologized again.

I sighed. "You didn't upset me; I'm just disappointed that you don't feel the need to share anything with me."

"Millie—I," he stuttered. He really stuttered. Was it that difficult to say? What happened to his mother? He exhaled deeply. "I love you," he said out of nowhere, completely stunning me.

"This is not about that," I grumbled.

"I know; I just don't want to talk about it now, but I will tell you someday," he said.

"Oh, okay," I surrendered.

"Thank you," he said.

"I ruined the date for nothing," I mumbled under my breath, but he heard me and chuckled.

He held my waist. "We'll have another one before you leave."

"And how are you going to manage that? It would also be strange if Matteo took Giulia on another date so soon," I pointed out.

He chuckled again. "I can assure you, it wouldn't be strange. It's quite normal around here."

"Oh," I muttered. "Does Matteo know about us?" I had to ask; it seemed weird that Matteo would just agree to take Giulia on a date just because Giovanni asked him to.

"No, he doesn't know, but he knows that I accept his relationship with my sister, and he'll want to spend a lot of time with her before she leaves."

"That makes a lot of sense," I replied. Matteo would definitely want to spend more time with Giulia in the short time we had to stay. Giovanni always seemed to have everything figured out; that was really impressive.

Then he chuckled, and I gave him a confused look.

"You made the exact face you make when you're reading one of your school books after you said those last words. I could tell that you were analyzing something in that brain of yours," he revealed.

I chuckled; I didn't think I made a face when I was reading.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked, startling me. Without even waiting for my response, he placed a kiss on my lips, but he didn't stop. I kissed him back, grabbing his shirt as the kiss grew more intense.

I didn't realize the time we spent on the bed, and he was already on top of me. The kiss was good and very distracting, completely wiping out my senses. "Giovanni," I moaned between kisses.

"You looked really beautiful today," he responded when we separated for air for a moment, and then he was back on my lips.

"What in the hell!"