by Grace Kagni
“You’re smart, beautiful, honest, and passionate about what you do. You take everything at heart. I think you’re a tough cookie on the outside but you seem to have demons fighting from inside. I love the way you scrunch your nose when you’re concentrating on your lists and the way you wiggle it when you’re angry. I would kiss it if you don’t hit me in the stomach.” He waited for her reaction to his confession and when she didn’t move away, he reached over to kiss her softly on the lips.
“No wait!” She needed to tell him the truth about her family.
“You don’t have feelings for me,” he said, placing his forehead against hers as he closed his eyes. He just put himself out in the open and now waited for the blow.
“We can’t do this. I need to tell you the truth.” She felt the demons inside battling to get out but she needed to tell Liam the truth before it went too far.
“It’s okay. I understand. You don’t have the same feelings for me,” he said, getting up to pace.
“No, Liam. I grew up in a very strict Catholic family.”
“What does that have to do with my feelings for you?” He didn’t understand how it was related.
“It has everything to do with my life and how I’ve lived it up to now. You see, my family’s faith believed that I must wait for marriage before I could be touched by a man.” She was embarrassed to tell him she was still a virgin and that she’d never kissed another man but she needed to tell him the truth before it was too late.
“You’ve never been with another man?” Liam asked, suddenly realizing what she was trying to tell him. He sat down on the sofa beside her again.
“I’ve never been kissed or touched by anyone,” she lowered her eyes, feeling the demons winning the battle.
“It’s okay. It doesn’t scare me away if that is what you are most afraid.” He looked at her with different eyes knowing that she’d never had a boyfriend. It meant he needed to change the way he approached the subject. “Actually, I’d like to become acquainted with you on your terms, if that is okay with you.”
“I don’t think you understand what you are asking, Liam. It means that we can’t kiss or do more than hold hands unless we marry. Is that really what you want?”
“I’d like the chance to get to know you before we decide to continue on this journey. I’ve fallen for you so I’d like to see where it leads, if you’ll agree,” he grinned.
She closed her eyes and put her hands over her face to cover the embarrassing feeling of joy building inside her. She couldn’t have wished for more and now here he was offering her time to get to know him.
He removed her hands and lifted them to his lips. “Can I at least kiss your fingers?”
She opened her eyes and smiled, “Yes.”
“Then I’ll be doing a lot of this,” he said, kissing every finger on each hand. “Are you hungry? How about we order some food so you can finish your work tonight. I promise I’ll take you out to dinner tomorrow.”
“I’m starving.” She was happy Liam understood her faith and respected it.
He called the nearest Chinese restaurant and ordered many things for delivery. When he hung up, he waited while she went to change into jeans and a sweater. Then he watched as she moved around in her tiny apartment with such grace that it made his heart beat faster when she’d turn to look at him. “What?” she asked when she noticed he watched every movement she made.
“I enjoy watching you as you move around in your apartment. Do you walk to work or drive?”
“My office is close enough that I walk to work but sometimes I need my car to go see a client,” she smiled at his interest.
When the food arrived, they sat down at her tiny table and ate while they got to know each other. After he graciously left to let her work, even if he really wanted to stay longer but promised to see her the following evening to take her out to dinner.
Liam went back to his hotel and decided how to spend the next day. It was nearly the end of the week so he needed to plan the rest of the week and the weekend well to spend as much time as possible with Milania. He noticed the weather forecast mentioned thundershowers over the weekend so he needed to plan his time.
Once he booked a table at a Michelin three-star restaurant for the following night, he went to bed happy his plans were going well. He was in Vernazza, close to Milania and it was only a matter of time before he won her heart. He was determined to make it work. She was special and he wouldn’t let anything or anyone get in the way of his plans. He’d never felt this way about anyone before and he knew she was the girl for him. He just needed time to convince her of the same.
After a good night sleep, Liam woke up feeling refreshed and determined to get the ball rolling with Milania. He didn’t have much time before he needed to return to the US so he wanted to make sure he did everything possible. He noticed the clouds as he got out of bed and decided to go for his morning run as any other day so after he had a quick wash and changed into his shorts and t-shirt, he put on his runners and left. The air was extremely warm outside and as he looked up at the dark clouds, he was sure it would pour down later so he started off on his run. He’d sent a text to Milania before leaving the hotel to wish her a good day at work and told her he’d pick her up at 7:30 p.m. for dinner.
His run took him toward the coast and he looked out at the beautiful scenery as he ran. It was a spectacular view and if it were not for the dark clouds rolling in quickly, he would have gone for a swim in the water. It was something he could do with Milania when she had time off.
He ran back to the hotel just in time before it started to rain hard. He took a shower and then ordered breakfast. While he waited for room service, he pulled out his laptop to get some work done. He called room service again for lunch so he could work straight through to the afternoon. At a certain time he looked out the window and wondered if the rain would stop by the time he was due to pick up Milania. He’d arranged a romantic walk after dinner, which he would need to postpone if the rain continued.
The afternoon felt like it would never end but finally it was time for Liam to pick up Milania so he got into the rented Land Rover and drove the short distance to Milania’s apartment. She was ready when he rang so she stepped outside to find him waiting with a bouquet of red roses.
She smiled at his gesture. “What is this?”
“I want to show you that I can be respectful and romantic at the same time,” he said, leading her to the passenger seat.
“Dinner is enough. You don’t need to buy me flowers but thank you just the same.” She lowered her face to smell the roses.
“Well this is all new to me too so let me enjoy the courtship,” he said, getting into the car.
“Is that what it is? Are you courting me?”
“Doll, I don’t know what else to call it so I would certainly say it’s courting,” he grinned. He felt happy sitting beside her in the car. He’d waited all day to be with her and now that she was finally with him, it made him feel content. It was a very strange feeling because he had only felt physical attraction to women but now he was experiencing something completely different, knowing sex would not be part of it and he was okay with it.
They drove to the restaurant and as soon as Milania saw it, she smiled. “I’ve been wondering what this place was like. I’ve heard great things about the food.”
“So, you’ve never been here?” he realized she’d never been, making it an excellent choice.
“No, I don’t go out to dinner on my own.”
“What about friends? Don’t you go out with friends to dinner?”
“No. I have only two really good friends and as you know Serena lives in Rome, whereas my other friend, Rachael, works until the evening. She’s an accountant and she keeps the books for most of the businesses in Vernazza which doesn’t give her much time to spend with friends.”
He suddenly realized how lonely she must be and felt relief to have stepped into her life. He needed to work on changing man
y things but he knew he needed to change one thing at a time. First was getting her to kiss him on the lips. He respected her no sex policy for religious reasons but no kissing? That would have to change but he’ll give her time.
As they parked outside the restaurant, the rain continued to pour down. “Does it always rain like this?” He looked out the window before getting out of the car. “Wait for me to come around with an umbrella.”
Milania waited for Liam to open the door before stepping out and then she stood underneath the umbrella as he led her into the restaurant.
“I think we’ll need a boat to get home later,” he laughed.
They were shown to their table and as soon as the waiter gave them the menu, Liam looked over at Milania as she studied it. Her nose scrunched as she concentrated on the dishes and as he watched her, he wished he could take her into his arms and kiss the tip of her nose. He turned his gaze to the menu before she saw he was staring and decided on a dish as well as a bottle of wine.
“Everything sounds good and I don’t know what to order,” Milania said as she looked up.
“Order whatever you like, Doll. I’ll order the pasta with zucchini and then the fish with cooked spinach and baked potatoes.”
“I may order the same.”
Liam called the waiter over and ordered double of what he’d said and then ordered a bottle of white wine. When the waiter brought the wine to the table, Liam insisted Milania have a glass to unwind.
The evening started off well while they chatted about Liam’s childhood. He grew up in Boston, Massachusetts but moved to Malibu a few years back. He told her he had a large house on the beach in Malibu.
“It must be nice waking up to the sound of the waves,” Milania said as she thought how beautiful it must be there.
“Doll, you have no idea. I can’t imagine living anywhere else now,” he grinned as the waiter brought their pasta dishes.
“It smells wonderful,” she said, lowering her head to smell the zucchini sauce.
“I can’t wait to taste it,” he smiled.
For a moment there was silence as they each took a fork of the pasta and brought it to their lips. She closed her eyes, savoring the flavor and as she did this, he kept his eyes on her beautifully shaped mouth. He was aching to kiss it but he needed to distract his attention because he promised he would be the perfect gentleman. It was going to be difficult but worth the effort.
The dinner was excellent and she felt full after the second course but he insisted they order dessert to finish their evening. She looked at the menu again and saw the restaurant made fresh tiramisu so she ordered a portion while Liam ordered a piece of chocolate cake.
When they finished their dinner and Liam had paid, they went outside only to find it was still raining. It wasn’t hard but it was too wet to go for a walk so he drove her home.
“Thank you for dinner. It was really nice,” she said, wishing she could invite him inside but she knew it wouldn’t be proper.
“I’ll speak to you tomorrow. Sweet dreams,” he said, kissing the back of her hand. Then he watched as she got out and walked into her building.
He went back to his lonely hotel room and turned on his laptop to send some emails. It was late into the night when he finally went to bed and just before going to sleep, he sent her a quick text message to wish her a good day when she got up in the morning. What he didn’t expect was to receive a text back from her asking him why he is still awake. He laughed and wrote back asking her what she was doing up at that time of the night. Then his phone rang.
“What are you doing up at this time?” Liam asked.
“I could say the same to you?” Milania asked. “I was working.”
“I worked too but my work takes me around the globe to our hotels around the world which operate in different time zones. What’s your excuse?” He waited for her to explain why she was working during the night.
“I have a second job that keeps me up a few hours during the night,” she confessed. She hadn’t told anyone else about this other job. Her employer at the graphic design job was in financial difficulty so he wasn’t paying on time, which forced her to take another job during her free time – evenings and odd weekends.
“Do you mean to say that you work two jobs to pay the bills?” Liam’s blood started to boil at the thought of Milania having financial difficulty. She had a full time job but needed a second one to help pay the bills? Something wasn’t right.
“Yes, I am a graphic designer by day and an online tutor by night.”
“A tutor?”
“Yes, I tutor in Italian and my students are around the world so we have something in common.”
He felt like growling because it wasn’t the same thing but he wasn’t going to argue with her. He actually admired her for having found something she could do from the comforts of her own home. “So does that mean that if I want to learn Italian, you can tutor me?”
“Well, I don’t know if you could afford my services,” she laughed. She felt the fatigue of the late night but she still had to laugh at it.
“Would you give me a discount if I hire you full time? I’ll need to learn Italian since I now have an Italian sister-in-law,” he laughed from his belly.
“You wouldn’t have the time to study full time so there is no point asking for a discount, Mr. Miller.”
“Thank you. I’ll remember you turned me down if you happen to come back begging to hire your services.” He was having fun with her but he realized it was late and they both needed to get to bed. “Will you promise me you’ll go to bed now? I can’t bear the thought of you still working at this hour.”
“Yes, I was just about to go to sleep when you sent me a text.”
“Well then go to sleep and we’ll continue this conversation tomorrow.”
“Good night, Liam.”
“Sweet dreams, Doll.”
She smiled at the way he always called her Doll. She was used to it now and it didn’t bother her like it did in the beginning.
~~~
The next day was finally Friday, which meant the weekend had nearly arrived. Liam worked straight through the day until the time he could be with Milania. She had some work to do when she got home so he told her he would pick her up for a late night movie.
When he left the hotel after he’d had a light dinner in his room, he noticed it was still raining so he ran to the Land Rover and got in before he got soaked. The drive to Milania’s building was difficult due to heavy traffic. What was going on? It seemed like everyone was out driving around. When he finally reached Milania’s building, he sent her a text to let her know he was waiting outside.
She ran out of the building and got into his car before she got drenched. “Wow, what is going on tonight?” she asked when she saw the traffic.
“I was wondering the same thing. Is there something going on in the town’s center? Possibly an event to cause this much traffic?” he asked, genuinely puzzled by the number of cars on the road.
“Not that I know. I think that people like to walk when the weather is nice but when it rains, they take their car so that must be the reason for all this traffic.”
They followed the traffic, trying to get back onto the main road but when the municipal police made the traffic go in a different direction, Liam stopped so Milania could ask what was going on. The police mentioned some roads were closed due to mudslides so to avoid accidents, they directed traffic in other directions.
“So much for our movie night. The only road going in the direction of the cinema is closed so what should we do now?” Milania asked, not wanting the evening to be cancelled.
“I would invite you up to my hotel suite but I don’t think you would feel comfortable so why don’t we go to the hotel lounge? We could have a drink and talk,” Liam waited for Milania to respond.
“The lounge sounds fine. You can tell me what you have planned for the weekend.”
“I’ve planned a surprise for this weekend. I’l
l be making up for lost time with you so be prepared to spend time with me.” He grinned, knowing she was going to enjoy the private spiritual retreat and workshop he booked for them at the Convento dei Cappuccini in Monterosso from late Saturday afternoon until Sunday evening.
“Now I’m intrigued. What have you planned?” she asked.
“I told you, Doll. It’s a surprise so I can’t tell you.” He pulled into the hotel’s circular drive to the valet parking.
“I’ll just have to wait then,” she smiled as she stepped out of the car and went into the hotel lobby.
They spent the evening chatting while they had a glass of wine and when it was time for Liam to bring Milania home, the rain was coming down hard.
“Maybe you should stay here for the night?” Liam said.
“You know I can’t stay here so I can wait until it stops raining hard or take a taxi home.”
“Doll, I’m not letting you take a taxi home so let’s just wait for the heavy rain to stop.”
They went back inside and waited another hour when the rain had died down enough to get into his rented car. The drive was slow due to traffic but he got her home safely. Driving back to the hotel was difficult. Many streets were flooded to the point that small or low cars couldn’t plough through the water and were forced to pull over. There were many people stranded on the side of the road but luckily emergency services were everywhere helping those stranded.
Liam was relieved to get back to the hotel where it was safer. He went up to his suite and started to work. It was late during the night when he was about to go to bed when he saw fire department trucks going toward the town center. Many trucks so he called the reception to find out what happened and when he was told there was a flash flood in the town’s center, he turned on the television to know more. The reporters were already on the scene showing footage of families out on the street. Their homes were completely under water. As he watched cars being swept away by the current of the water, his mind went immediately to Milania.