Page 124 of Valentino

Her heart reverberates through my body, beating against mine as if we were one, and I wonder how something this perfect can be tainted so bad.

No circumstance could ever be this cruel.

I loved her first, but she fell for him….

ANNA

Valentino jerks awake, gasping for air, he sits up in a rush.

“Hey.” I sit up too and flick the bedside lamp on. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” He drags his hands through his hair and I can feel the panic oozing out of him.

“Did you have a nightmare?” I run my hand up his back to find he’s wet with perspiration.

“No. It’s fine.” He gets out of bed in a rush. “Go back to sleep.”

I watch him walk into the bathroom and hear the tap turn on, he eventually reappears, I lean up onto my elbows and watch him pull on a pair of boxer shorts at the end of the bed.

“What are you doing?” I frown. “Come back to bed.”

“I have a Zoom.” He bends and runs the backs of his fingers down my face. “Go back to sleep, babe.” He kisses my forehead. “Sorry to wake you.” He turns the lamp off before quietly leaving the room.

I glance at the clock, 3 a.m.

Something tells me he doesn’t have a Zoom at all.

My mind trolls for what could be bothering him and the only thing that makes sense is the new police commissioner.

Perhaps Valentino is worried that he’s going to be arrested. For a long time I lie in the dark and give this a great deal of thought.

Perhaps I should be worried, too.

6 p.m.

What happens when a lifetime of longing turns into time together? I’ll tell you what, I find myself smitten to the point of no return.

A heavenly aroma fills the apartment; I stir the chicken in the fry pan and open the oven to peer in at the sauteed vegetables.

Tonight, my mission is to impress Valentino with my below-average culinary skills,

I want to create something that’s worth coming home to, something warm and loving. Where he knows I put effort into us.

Nerves are dancing through my bloodstream and I know it’s stupid, this isn’t our first date, not even close, we’ve known each other for years.

I’ve been in Valentino’s arms for just three days.

Three beautiful days.

But unlike my past relationships where the novelty of shiny and new quickly wears off and I crave my own space, this infatuation is only getting stronger.

Every hour I spend with Valentino Leone, I fall a little more under his spell. His kisses linger on my lips. His touch seems to reach a part of me that I myself have never met before. I like her, I want to hold on to this version of myself for as long as physically possible.

We spend our nights in bed, making love and laughing. We talk for hours about everything and yet nothing at all. And that’s the thing about Valentino, it’s not about what he says. It’s the way he makes me feel.

For the first time in my life I feel seen and heard. Adored.

I can’t even explain it, but it’s as if he makes me see myself through his eyes, I only hope that he can see himself through mine.