Gia and Stella had gone shopping themselves yesterday, and Gia had bought a short, black skirt and the fitted red top she was wearing now. She’d thought it suited the occasion but now that she’d seen Beppe’s outfit, she felt under dressed.
“I guess you’re fucking a rock star tonight,” Beppe breathed in her ear and Gia actually moaned. The sound startled her and she quickly looked around for Max and Stella. They were oblivious, hugging and whispering themselves.
Her brother didn’t look half bad either. He was wearing black, skinny jeans covered in silver studs that suited his bulkier frame and a faded black t-shirt which was plain at the front, but had huge, intense black angel wings along the whole back and ‘Darkside’ written in bold letters underneath . When he turned to face Gia, he had a huge smile plastered on his face and was sporting guyliner too. It looked striking with his hazel eyes and Gia had to admit Max could pull off guyliner as well as Beppe. Stella had her arms draped around his neck, her short, black dress riding high on her thighs.
“All right! We’ve established we all look hot, although it took both of you considerably more time to achieve that effect,” she said and pointed between Beppe and Max who laughed. “Now let’s go, I don’t want to be late!” She grabbed her bag from the sofa and headed for the door, everyone else following closely behind.
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
Max parked Helen’s Lexus at the O2 events car park for the extortionate fee of £20 for the few hours of the concert. Once they were out of the car and had joined the crowds walking to the Arena, the grumbling about the fee was forgotten. Anticipation and excitement started buzzing through all of them. On their way to the arena, the foursome chatted with other fans, speculated who the opening act would be, and even joined in a sing along with a rather large group of Dutch fans who were in London just for the concert. The guys enjoyed bumping fists and talking to other men dressed in full rock attire like they were. Gia and Stella had to repeatedly kiss, fondle and grab their boyfriends to keep other girls at bay. Beppe and Max were attracting them like flies.
All in all, the experience of walking to the venue was just as thrilling as the excitement of the concert itself. Inside, they took their seats in sector 110 in the lower tier. They were great seats – high enough to see the stage above the standing audience in the pit, and a bit to the side which was a much better angle than front center.
Looking around and above her when they walked in, Gia was overjoyed their seats weren’t in the upper tier. The seats in the upper tier were incredibly steep and almost reached the roof of the building. Gia imagined the bad case of vertigo she’d get if they were sitting there, and gave a mental shudder.
While waiting for the show to start they had a couple drinks, chatted, and took pictures of each other. Slowly the arena filled to capacity, and all too soon it was time for the opening act. It was a local London band called ‘Moon Plague’. They were quite good – fast, catchy beats mixed with melodic guitar riffs and the lead singer’s clear, strong voice filled the Arena. Soon, the audience got hooked on the music and started clapping, whistling and singing, clearly enjoying the relatively unknown band. ‘Moon Plague’ went all out, using light and smoke effects, pyroworks and confetti.
“Are you ready for 30 Seconds to Mars?” the lead singer shouted in his microphone. The audience went wild – they were definitely ready. “I can’t hear you London!”
Gia thought the screams would bring the place down.
The band wished everyone good night and left a pumped up audience giddy for the main event. Gia could feel the anticipation and adrenalin running through every single person, and grinned. Stella had Max wrapped around her as she bounced on her feet, unable to stand still.
Gia felt Beppe’s arms sneak around her waist and draw her close. She instinctively leaned into him, drinking in his rock star appearance. The way Beppe’s eyes were bright with enthusiasm and mischief sent a thrill through Gia’s body. She inched closer to him and rose up on her toes so that her lips were hovering a breath away from his. The corner of Beppe’s mouth quirked up in a smile before he cut the small distance entirely and sealed their lips together. Gia felt her body melt into his, his arms tightening and drawing her so close she could barely breathe. His warm tongue explored her mouth, licked at her lips and Gia couldn’t hold in the needy whimper that escaped her throat. Beppe visibly shivered and traced a line of kisses, licks and nips along Gia’s jaw to her ear. He sucked on her earlobe and seconds later she felt his breath on her ear as he whispered,
“I love you.”
His voice hitched brokenly and he leaned his forehead against her temple, trying to collect himself. Gia had never heard him utter those words with such emotion – he’d said them many times, always sincerely, but there was something different about the way he'd said it just now.
Something more, but Gia didn't know what. Beppe had already confessed everything he felt for her. So there were no unspoken secrets between them, and yet those three big words held something different tonight. Gia shifted back in Beppe’s tight embrace, just enough to look up into his eyes, trying to read what he was hiding there.
The raw emotion she saw stripped her of the ability to breathe. She saw the little boy, bleeding on the curb, the frightened teenager and the troubled adult, all in one beautiful man. She saw Beppe, all of him, and Gia knew he purposely kept his gaze locked on hers – he wanted her to see that. He wanted her to see that he loved her with everything he had – the good, the bad, the vulnerable, the weak and the strong.
“I love you, too. So very much,” she whispered back, swallowing past the lump in her throat. Beppe tightened his hold on her once again and Gia wrapped her arms around his neck. They stayed like this for a long time, until the first chords of ‘Night of the Hunter’ sounded and the O2 Arena erupted in cheers, screams and whistles, bringing them back to reality.
Jared burst on stage, full of energy and started singing and playing his guitar while running up and down. People all around them started jumping up and down, singing and taking photos. Beppe and Gia joined them, grinning at Max and Stella who were already doing the same. The last notes of the song flowed seamlessly into the next one – ‘Search and Destroy’ – and nobody had a second to take a breath before they started singing along. The audience ate up Jared’s every move. Near the end of the song, he directed the audience to sing the ‘a million little pieces’ part – loud at first, going quieter and quieter until thousands of people whispered the words and brought the Arena to a standstill. Gia had never seen anything like it.
Satisfied, Jared resumed his energetic routine, running up and down the stage, until he needed to take a break. Then it was time for a few songs from their new album, starting with ‘Do or Die’. At one point giant balloons, inflatable animals and confetti rain were part of the show. The performance on stage was so consuming that the moment it abruptly stopped, it shocked people back into the real world. Just as people were coming back to earth from the musical high, a single light came up and Jared stood under it, his acoustic guitar strapped over his shoulder. He asked the audience what they wanted him to play and people started shouting song names at him.
Beppe wrapped his arms around Gia from behind and kissed the side of her neck. She relaxed back into his arms and closed her eyes, absorbing Beppe’s body heat as Jared's voice washed through her. ‘Was it a Dream’ started playing and a few moments into the song, Beppe leaned towards Gia’s ear and said,
“Sometimes I wonder if meeting you, knowing you, having you in my life wasn’t all a dream and I’ll suddenly wake up feeling empty and alone.”
Gia turned her head to look into his eyes and cupped his cheek. Beppe turned his lips to her palm, kissing it.
“It’s not a dream, baby,” she said, closing her eyes at the touch.
“If it wasn’t for you, I’d have been completely alone, Gia. I don’t know if I’d have made it. I owe you everything and I want to spend the rest of my life making you happ
y.”
Beppe held Gia’s eyes for a long moment before he said,
“Marry me.”
In his eyes, his soul was stripped bare and willed Gia to take it all.
“I will,” she said as happiness blossomed and burst within her.
Beppe leaned down and touched his lips to hers, sealing their promises with a gentle, sweet kiss. The concert continued all around them, but the euphoria Gia felt was no longer for the music. She’d just promised to marry the man she’d desperately loved all her life and there wasn’t a better feeling in the world. Beppe promised her forever and she believed him.
Eventually the concert wound down and the band wished everyone goodnight. The arena slowly began to empty of people.
“Wow! That was... wow. I knew it would be good but that was utterly amazing! I’ll never forget this night,” said Stella, the grin never leaving her face.
“Yeah, me neither,” said Beppe and winked at Gia. She could see the unspoken question in his eyes – was she OK with telling them the news? Gia nodded and brushed her lips over his. “I asked Gia to marry me and she said yes,” Beppe announced, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice.
Stella’s hand flew to her mouth before she squealed, launching herself at them, trying to hug them both at the same time.
“Oh my God! I’m so happy for you guys. You’re so perfect for each other!,” she gushed before stepping away to allow Max his turn.
Max stepped towards them, a bit uncertain as to what to say or do, doubt shadowing his eyes.
“Is this for real?”
Beppe and Gia both nodded.
“I’ve loved your sister for as long as I can remember, Max. I know we’ve had our ups and downs, but I’d like nothing more than to spend my life making her happy. I’m never leaving her side again,” Beppe said with determination as he held Max’s doubtful gaze. Max relaxed and slowly smiled.
“I’m happy you have finally come to your senses man.” He enveloped them both in his huge arms and squeezed until Gia yelled at him to back off because he was crushing them.
Outside, the madness continued – people sang, shouted, laughed and talked over each other, clearly still pumped from the show. When they finally got to their car, Beppe and Gia fell into the back seat cuddling.
“We have to celebrate!” Stella said, turning around in her seat to face them. “Let’s go somewhere for a few days. Somewhere romantic. What do you think?”
“I think that’s a great idea,” said Gia as she placed a kiss on Beppe’s cheek. “You know, when most people say ‘romantic’ they envision a sandy beach, sea, bonfire nights and long walks under the moonlight. But we have that all year around, don't we, babe?”
“Yeah, we do. So what so you want to do? How do you imagine your most romantic holiday? Or, no wait, second most romantic, because we have to save the most romantic for our honeymoon.”
“Well, I think I want to go to a cottage somewhere, with no one else around, no big roads or city noise. I want the weather to be cold and misty...”
“That’s a given, we’re in England, babe.”
“And I want a fireplace; no TV, no internet, no phones. Just us,” Gia continued, circling her hand amongst everyone in the car.
“I think that can be arranged,” Max said and threw a glance filled with longing in Stella’s direction for a second, before he focused back on the road.
Once they were back in their room, Beppe kissed Gia like he’d never kissed her before.
Sharing their first, private kiss as an engaged couple sent strange, giddy little shivers up and down Gia’s spine. He was gentle, yet insistent, sneaking one arm around her waist and the other behind her neck, pulling her towards him, sucking and nipping at her lips and tongue until Gia couldn’t breathe.
“Beppe,” she managed to whisper against his lips, trying to separate their mouths for a second to take a breath.
“No,” he said and slammed her back against him in another bruising kiss. “Let go and give me everything, baby,” he murmured between nips and licks.
“I already have,” she said, and without stopping his assault on all her senses, Beppe angled her head to the side and trust his tongue inside her mouth, exploring, searching, demanding her surrender. When Gia moaned and a jolt shot through her, making her sway on her feet, Beppe eased back on the intensity of the kiss, letting his lips play with hers and caressing her tongue with the tip of his.
“No, you haven’t. But you will, tonight,” he said as he pushed her back towards the bed and they fell on it, their lips meeting again. Gia could barely move with Beppe’s weight on her, but she loved how solid and heavy and there he felt. Groaning roughly, Beppe abruptly got to his feet. Gia cried out at the sudden loss of his body. He started unbuttoning his leather trousers. Propping up on her elbows, Gia drank him in shamelessly. Looking every bit the rock star he was dressed as, Beppe glanced at her through the hair that had fallen over his eyes and rewarded her with a sexy, devilish grin.
“Follow my lead, cara. I want you naked in ten seconds,” he said as he slid the trousers down his legs.
“Mmmm, bossy rock star, I like it,” she said and started wriggling out of her skirt.
“Shall I get the cuffs and the whip then?”
“Maybe next time. One fantasy per night,” Gia said and winked. She stripped her panties, top and bra off and lounged naked on top of the covers.
“If you call me Jared tonight, I swear I’m not making any other fantasies come true,” Beppe teased as he climbed on top of her and Gia sighed contently as she felt his body heat once again.
“Trust me Beppe, there’s no way I’ll get you confused with anyone else. Ever.”
“Good,” said Beppe right before he kissed her again and all rational thought fled.
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
The following morning, laptop on the table and coffee mugs in hand, Stella and Gia sat in the kitchen together, browsing cottages in Cumbria. The guys had given them cart blanche to plan their adventure and were lounging in the living room, watching ‘classic action movies’.
A couple hours and many giggles later, the girls had an amazing cottage booked. Beginning Sunday, they would be spending a week in the picturesque town of Windermere. They squeezed onto the sofa between Beppe and Max and started chatting excitedly about the trip, effectively spoiling their Bruce Willis marathon.
“So we have two days until Sunday. What are we going to do until then?” Gia asked.
“Go shopping,” Stella replied. Rolling her eyes at Beppe and Max’s horrified expressions, she clarified. “You have to buy warm clothes, guys. Trust me, you do not have anything appropriate for Cumbria in the middle of October. Come on, let’s go, I hate shopping on a Saturday, so we need to get everything today.”
Two jackets, five sweaters, two pairs of boots, a pile of thermal underwear, hats, scarves and gloves later, they got home exhausted and starving.
“Oh, hey guys. I was just about to call and ask if you were going to be home for dinner. I was thinking of ordering pizza,” Helen said, coming out of the kitchen clutching the home phone in hand. “So what do you say?”
Her question was answered with a chorus of grunts and groans in the affirmative. They welcomed the idea of not moving and having pizza delivered.
“All right then. Pizza it is,” Helen said and a gorgeous smile lit her face.
Beppe woke up early the next day. They had all crashed early last night after their shopping extravaganza and he felt like he’d overslept even though it was just 9:00 am. The room was dark, there was only a sliver of light coming from the window between the curtains. Beppe gazed down at Gia who slept soundly in his arms. He was mesmerized by how beautiful and peaceful she looked. Snuggling closer and burying his face in her hair, Beppe once again marveled at the fact that she’d agreed to marry him. His proposal had slipped out of his mouth so unexpectedly, but it had felt so right to do at that moment. He had planned to ask her before they returned to Ital
y, but hadn’t decided on the perfect time yet. Asking her impulsively turned out to be the best thing he’d ever done.
Even though he’d woken refreshed, the sound of Gia’s even breathing and the soft warmth of her body lulled Beppe back to sleep.
I’m going to have this for the rest of my life, was the last thought that wafted through his mind before he drifted back to sleep.
Bright and early Sunday morning, after having spent a lazy Saturday getting ready for their trip, Max drove Helen’s Lexus out of London and headed to Cumbria. Helen had generously insisted they take the car instead of the train since her GP surgery was close by and she usually walked to work. She wouldn’t need the car during the week anyway. The drive to the Lake District would take close to four and a half hours according to the GPS. It was Sunday, and traffic was light, So they managed to shave a half hour off the time and arrived at Windermere in only four hours.
Max parked in front of the cottage, which was in the middle of nowhere just as Gia had wished. There was a narrow, single lane road that led to it. All around, as far as Beppe could see, there were only hills, grass, trees and the occasional wild animal. Stepping out of the car, Beppe realised Stella had been right – it was cold. Very cold! He swore ice was forming in his veins. He couldn't wait to get inside and start the fire. The cottage was a renovated barn and looked like nothing special on the outside – a gray, rectangular building with tall, tiled roof. They unloaded their bags from the car, and found the key, as promised by the owners, under a huge flower pot to the right of the front door. Inside, the place was recently renovated to high standard with solid hardwood floors, freshly painted walls, and double glazing on all the windows. The cottage was furnished in a modern, comfortable style. Original features like beams, a built in fireplace and low doorways were safely preserved and gave the place incredible charm. It was cozy and Beppe couldn’t wait to cuddle on the plush sofa with Gia – his fiancé. He was so happy to be able to call her his fiancé that he smiled to himself.
Then, Now, Forever (Heartbeat #2) Page 23