Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
It had been so long since we’d seen any hint of those fucking Russians that I’d begun to think they’d truly given up and had cut their losses, but I should’ve known better. Giovani had told me of Lorenz’s last words, but I hadn’t believed it.
It was true though.
“The Russians are back in Italy,” I said darkly. Before I had time to process any further, my phone began to ring and I groaned, answering with a rough, “Hello?”
“Well, you were right,” Vinny said casually. “There weren’t that many exchange students named Natalia.”
“You found her?” My heart leaped to my throat, pounding at the thought.
“I found her.”
*Tallon*
Via dei Fagioli, or as it would be called in America, Bean Street. Tucked away in a quiet corner of the city where the artisans had taken over, it was the last place I expected Natalia to be.
But there she was.
She was unmistakable as I spied her through the glass windows of the storefront, the tiny coffee shop too small to actually hide in, drinking something out of a classic white mug, happily in her own little world like she didn’t have a care.
Like she hadn’t been driving me nuts for the past week.
My heart skipped a beat just watching her through the glass, my eyes tracing over her like I couldn’t get enough, memorizing every inch of her. Who knew if this would go well? Who knew if I’d ever see her again after today?
She’d ghosted me long enough. It was time to get answers.
The coffee shop was clearly local, as signified by the giant chalkboard they hung outside that labeled all of their specials and sales, and the fact that you could only get there through the winding streets of the artisan community.
The whole neighborhood looked like it had jumped out of something from the eighteen hundreds, down to the cast iron street lights on every corner and the unusual shops selling handmade soaps and finely-crafted cheese. There were hardly any people around, and I supposed that was why the place was as quiet as it was.
It seemed like a know-about-it-before-you-come kind of place.
And the coffee shop was no different.
I opened the door, the bell jingling above me as I did so, and the barista behind the counter smiled as I entered.
“Welcome to Bean Street!” she said in a chipper voice. “Can I get you anything?”
I glanced at the corner table where Natalia was, only able to see her back, her long hair falling over the wooden chair she sat in. There were only two other customers–a middle-aged man typing away on his laptop and an older woman with poofy white hair and a cane leaning against the table.
Neither of them even looked up as I approached the counter. The barista just smiled at me, like this was the best day of her life, and I glanced at her nametag pinned to her shirt, which said, “Giorgia.”
“Could I have a–” I glanced at the chalkboard menu above her head, picking a random one, “Caramel latte, please?”
“Here or to go?” she asked immediately, inputting my order into the screen with an intense familiarity.
“Here.” I glanced over at Natalia again, checking if she was still there or if she had even noticed me yet. She hadn’t, of course. Good.
The barista told me the price and I fished into my back pocket for my cash, pulling out a bill and handing it to her.
“Keep the change,” I said with a nod at her.
She glanced up at me, shocked, then at the money in my hand, with wide eyes. “Are… are you sure? That’s over double the price–”
“I’m sure,” I smiled at her, watching as her cheeks turned bright pink in response. She could take it as thanks for helping me find Natalia.
“Thank you so much!” she beamed happily, gladly taking the money and stuffing it into the cash drawer. “I’ll be right back with your drink.”
She turned away, immediately beginning the process of making it. I waited patiently, watching Natalia from the corner of my eye. I could see her phone over her shoulder and watched as she scrolled through some random social media platform that I wasn’t on.
“Here you go, sir!” The barista returned with a white mug, identical to the others in the shop.
I glanced at the cup, a little impressed to see a design of a rose made into the coffee and cream.
“Impressive.” I grinned and she blushed a bright red.
“Thank you!” She waved fervently at me, then grabbed her own hand, blushing as she stuffed it below the counter.
I chuckled, grabbing the coffee by the handle and the tiny plate below it. I sent her a nod as I turned away, my heart racing as I caught sight of Natalia once again.
The afternoon light was pouring in from the window, illuminating the stones below like a golden path showing me the way to her. I walked around the table and gently set the latte on it, calmly sitting in the chair across from her.
Despite it feeling like my heart was about to race out of my chest in anticipation, she didn’t look up at all. I felt an intense and slightly annoyed impulse to gently grab her chin and draw her eyes to mine.
It had been too long since I’d seen her.
I licked my bottom lip, remembering the taste of her lips on mine. All of the pining I’d been doing had come back in full force, and I clenched my fists under the table, barely stopping myself from calling her name, hearing its sweet tones in my ears.
But I was patient. I watched her, laying my head on my fist as I stared at her. The setting golden sun bursting from the windows cast a glow upon her, illuminating the softer tones in her hair and making her seem like she was a burning flame.
I could stare at her all day like this, I thought. She was so goddamn beautiful and I’d never met anyone like her before. Maybe that was why I was so anxious to hold onto her.
I knew how crazy I was acting, and how creepy my behavior could come off, chasing a woman who’d rejected me. But there was just something about her that I couldn’t get out of my head.
I just had to see her this one time and if she rejected me again, I’d walk away. That was the promise I’d crossed into my heart but now, I was second-guessing myself. The whirlwind of emotions that had smacked me in the face after meeting her again was enough to shake my resolve.
And finally, after a few minutes, I was rewarded for my patience.
Natalia reached out for her mug, her knuckles knocking into my cup and she jumped almost a foot in the air, her eyes whirling up. I witnessed the moment her eyes connected with mine, feeling a jolt of electricity jumping between us.
I sent her a grin, watching the emotions flit across her face in a hurricane–confusion and shock, then realization and uneasiness, and just a hint of hope peeking through it all. I may have been a hopeless fool, but I latched onto the lingering hope in her eyes, ignoring everything else as my heart leaped to my throat.
I swallowed, feeling just as nervous as she looked, and we stared at each other in silence, neither one of us speaking as we stared endlessly into each other’s eyes.
And god, her eyes were brighter than the late summer sky, bluer than the clearest waves in the sea.
And though I’d enjoy just sitting here and staring at her, basking in her presence and the triumph that came with finding her after being ignored for so long, I had a job to do.
“Hey.” I broke the silence in a low tone, watching her wavering eyes.
She glanced around at us nervously, but nobody else was paying attention. Both the patrons and the barista were off in their own little worlds. She glanced at her coffee and then mine, a look of something I couldn’t recognize shimmering in her eyes before she glanced at the barista behind the counter.
Said barista glanced up at us with a knowing grin, giving Natalia a thumbs up. Natalia blushed a deep shade of red, sighing as she grabbed her temple with her thin fingers, exasperated for some reason.
I didn’t realize why until I glanced at her own latte, the remnants of a heart still showing on top… a rose and a heart.
