Sicilian Nights

Part 2: Jasmine and Roses

Despite his time there having been far from perfect, Bradley was quite melancholy to leave the Verdura Resort; the place had been exactly what he had needed in his current state of mind, long walks by the ocean and energizing runs throughout the stunning countryside, the most delicious Italian food and great meetings and conversations with many interesting people. It would have been the most enjoyable week if it hadn't been for the certain blonde haunting his thoughts every waking minute and some dreams too; that was hardly anything new as during the past three years she had starred in many of his night time scenarios, some of them so X-rated that he had woken up in a very desperate need of a cold shower. This week, his dreams seemed to have intensified even further, probably because he couldn't push her out of his mind during the day and even trying to get his frustration out in long exercise sessions didn't help.

Friday mid-morning in Palermo was very hot, tourists everywhere, beautiful flowers all around and the skies clear blue. He checked into the Palazzo Sovrana, his apartment absolutely stunning with breathtaking views over the capital of Sicily and Bradley smiled, standing on one of the balconies; Italy truly was such a special country and he really wanted to bring Lea here soon too, wanted her to be immersed in the culture from early on. He spent the day walking around the city, sitting in cafes and reading newspapers, browsing through a couple of scripts he had brought with him; holiday or not, he wanted to start thinking about future projects. No one bothered him, no one seemed to even recognize him; it was blissful, relaxing.

Returning to the apartment in the early evening, he took a quick shower, was in the process of browsing through the city guidebook to decide where to have dinner when there was a knock on the door. Pretty sure it was the concierge that came with the apartment, he walked to the door and pulled it open, eyes still on the book for a moment longer before glancing up. The book fell from his hand, landed at his feet with a thud as he encountered a pair of very familiar green eyes, then platinum hair spilling down to her shoulders; it was longer than the last time he had seen her, looking soft and shiny.

Stefani gave a slight smile, reached to pick up the book. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Bradley swallowed, not quite sure what to say or if he was even capable of words anymore, really; she walked past him into the apartment, looking around her with wide eyes.

"Wow."

He slammed the door, now getting a little angry. "What the hell are you doing here? And what makes you think you can just walk in?"

"Well, hello to you too." She turned to him, set the book onto a table, arched an eyebrow. "Do you have a girl here?"

"What?" He stared at her, frowning. "No."

"Relax. I was kidding." She smiled crookedly, moved to peek onto the balcony, checking out the kitchen and the bedroom. "This place is stunning."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Answer my question, please."

Stefani picked a juicy red apple from a bowl on the kitchen table, tossed it into the air a couple of times, catching it easily. "I decided I needed some good pasta, straight at the source."

He scoffed, crossed his arms, annoyed. "Stefani."

She stared at him challengingly. "Bradley."

She bit into the apple, a flash of white teeth, closed her eyes at the delicious flavour; a small river of juice ran down her jaw and he was suddenly very tempted to go lick it off. Biting back a moan and forcing his face to neutral, he watched as her eyes opened and she wiped the juice with her finger, sucking the digit into her mouth, eyes tightly on his and now it took superhuman effort for him to stay put.