The Forbidden Manual// Denis Stoff

t w e l v e

"What do you like? Aside of taking photographs, of course", he asked.

"Mmm...well, the rain, hear how it falls and hits the roof", I said.

"That's relaxing...and really beautiful".

"And you? beside music".

"Well, I'm a little bold, I like going from here to there, you know, that's why I like traveling; go all over the world would be fantastic", the emotion shined in his eyes making them look very charming.

"Egypt", I said.

"Excuse me?".

I laughed.

"Egypt is one of the places I'd like to go to, sounds crazy but...I don't know, it's so far away from everything it's the perfect place to escape your problems".

"Wow...that, sounds good".

"I would've wished I had all the opportunities of having done that when my parents...", I stayed mid frase, feeling something scratch my chest".

"When your parents...?", he inquired.

"They died...", I said.

His expression changed, that beautiful and dazzling expression was substituted with a face full of total tenderness.

"Oh...I'm very sorry",  his comfort made me feel better. "Would you like to tell me or do you rather not talk about it".

I stayed silent for a while, and then out of my mouth came out those dark words.

"They died in a car accident. A idiot drunk driver he passed the red light...my parents were the ones who died", my voice cracked, talking about it never was easy. "Three years of that and it still hurts a lot", I admitted, with a thread of word. "I wished I had gone with them to die as well", I mumbled.

"Hey", he stood in front of mt and interrupted my walking, he made me as well raise my face to look at him, his face was serious. "Don't say that", he said. "Things happen for a reason, if you're here it's because God wanted you too".

His eyes they had this sweetness that I hadn't seen since my parents would give me my birthday gifts or Christmas ones, and I couldn't explain what peace it made me feel inside. Those pair of almond eyes where I reflected in moved my heart and the sadness that was in him, left.

"Thanks", I murmured.

"Are you better?", he asked. "I'm sorry I made you talk about it".

Every time he'd ask me that, I couldn't even think in anything negative, not while his brown eyes reflected on me.

"I'm...good", I smiled.

"Well, let's hurry, I'm sure you're dieing of hunger; but before promise me something", he raised an eyebrow and amused expression was on his beautiful face again.

"Tell me".

"You won't be sad today, I won't allow that" He said, and he softened every cell in my body.

I smiled.

"I promise", I said.

His smile appeared on his angel face and my heart went to my chest.

"Great, then lets go", he got to my side and again he made me walk next to him.

Dasha was very, but very lucky. And now I was jealous. We kept walking, and minutes later, he showed me a small restaurant from a hotel, with my low Italian language knowledge I could understand the sign on the top part of the green sailcloth that said Bonvecchiati. My bodies first reaction was of surprise, this place was beautiful and seemed to be very expensive.

"You'll love the food, you'll see", he said, with excitement in his voice.

"Mmm...isn't it a bit, expensive?", I asked, terribly embarrassed due to the fact that I wasn't carrying much money in my pockets.

" You won't find better restaurant than this one, come on. Don't worry about the money", he smiled, and took me by the arm, something that brought goosebumps to my skin where he was touching me, making a vibration on my back.

He pulled me inside and spoke in Italian to a hostes who then after some seconds set us to a table near the balcony , where underneath ran a canal of water.

I sat in the chair the hostes had pulled out and then Denis sat in front of me. The hostes, a bald thin man gave us a pair of menus and left; immediately I pouted as I didn't understand anything.

"What will you want?", Denis asked, nicely.

I looked back at the menu and the confused expression jumped on my face. Denis laugh bounced in my ears with it's charming aspect.

"What about lasagna? Do you like that?", he inquired.

"Yes", I felt dumb and embarrassed and placed the menu over the table, beside the one Denis had placed as well.

He ordered in Italian to the waiter and I placed my attention to the canal waters that passed below us.

"Grazie mille", Denis  voice made me look back at him and while he thanked the waiter, I admired his beautiful face.

His eyes possessed a special glow, a glow that made the stars opaque and probably made them jealous; since the glow in his eyes was beautiful and delicate and of course, capable of lighting up the whole city. His pink lips looked like a feathered pillow embroidered in silk from some sort of royalty and as it spread, formed a beautiful smile, like of a boy tattooed on a gallant man from a magazine. His  face was perfect like clear skin tapestry like pearls, perfectly proportioned.

"Do I have something?", He asked, making me land.