| |
“I am just in love with the culture and the history of Milan.” Emelia let out an enchanted sigh as she cradled her head in her palm across the table.
“That was a little over exaggerated, honey.”
Chloe nodded and took a sip of her Chardonnay that paired deliciously with her shrimp scampi. It was a little heavy of a course to choose for lunch, but they were in Italy, and she could always save the leftovers for dinner that night.
“Maybe a little.”
“How about a lot.”
“You can’t deny it, Chloe. There is so much to adore about this place,” she agreed. “Italy is a romantic, beautiful country. You can’t blame me for being a little excited.”
They both took another drink. At this rate, they’d be drunk in no time.
“Speaking of romance,” Emelia cracked a curious grin and lightly touched Chloe’s arm in a spirited way. “How are things going with you and Roman?”
Chloe leaned back in her chair and placed her fork delicately back on the table, swallowing her bite of pasta before speaking again.
“Pretty well,” she nodded with a smile of optimism. She covered her mouth with the tips of her fingers as she dabbed her mouth with the soft white linen napkin from her lap.
“That’s great.” Emelia inspected Chloe, crossing her arms. “I’m seriously happy for you.”
Chloe took another sip of her wine. “We are taking things slow right now.”
“That’s understandable,” Emelia nodded. “You both are going through a lot of shit right now.”
Chloe laughed and glanced at the city streets outside the window, bustling with people going about their days. “Tell me about it.”
“But... you like him?” Emelia searched Chloe’s eyes as if she were trying to find approval there.
“Of course!” Chloe tossed her friend an exuberant grin. “He’s a great guy. You’re right though; we are both going through some tough shit right now.”
Emelia shrugged. “Perhaps what doesn’t kill you doesn’t make you stronger. Maybe you both can use the weaknesses happening in your life to bring you closer together.”
In theory, it made sense, and she couldn’t blame Emelia for sharing her two cents on the matter. She just wasn’t sure if she was ready to go down the serious relationship path with Roman, even though he had intimately gone down on her on several occasions. It was fun, and maybe that’s all it was meant to be.
In an effort to spare Emelia’s feelings, because she knew that she was also close to Roman through Trevor, Chloe grinned. “You are probably right.”
Emelia gave her a skeptical look. She was like another sister, reading her almost as well as Ashley did.
“Are you sure everything is okay?” Emelia frowned.
Chloe sighed, wishing that Emelia didn’t have a remarkable talent for reading her like an open book. “Yes, I promise.”
She didn’t want Emelia to press her on the matter. For an unknown reason, she wasn’t in the mood to hammer out excuses on how fast or slow her relationship with Roman was grooving along. She didn’t know the answer to that herself.
“Do you really care about him?” Now Emelia sounded defensive as if Roman was her own brother and she was afraid of witnessing him getting his heart broken.
“Absolutely,” Chloe nodded. “Yes,” she added for resolution. “Don’t worry,” she stabbed at a succulent, plump and pink shrimp on her plate. “I’m not going to try to steal his money in an extortion deal gone horribly wrong.”
Chloe noticed that the joke visibly relaxed Emelia to a certain degree. She leaned back in her seat and waved it off. “You are right. I’m sorry. I’m acting like an officer in an interrogation room or something.” She sheepishly shook her head.
“Which,” Chloe chimed and raised her index finger, “might I add is something else Roman has been subjected to in the not so distant past.”
“You are so right about that bestie,” she responded. “Here,” she raised her glass of Chardonnay. “To new beginnings, and a world full of sunshine and bright laughter to part the dismal clouds.”
Chloe clanked her glass against Emelia’s. “That was pretty deep, even for you.”
Emelia gave her a wisecracking smirk. “Thanks,” she droned sardonically. “I can always count on you to remind me that I’m ridiculous.”
The wine began to drip through her veins, giving her a relaxed vibe. Good. She needed it. All this talk about Roman and their future was riling her up inside. But why? Why was it so hard to let herself imagine a real future with him?
“All kidding aside,” Chloe mentioned as she took another sip. “I’m having a blast with Roman. He’s super adventurous and fun. He’s got a bit of a bad boy streak, but I’m learning to embrace it. In fact, he’s helping me to explore more of my own wild side.” She pressed her palm to her chest.
“Oh please,” Emelia waved her hand in the air dismissively while the white wine sloshed around in the glass from her other hand. “You have always been one badass chick.”
Chloe cracked a smile. “Thanks...I guess?” The statement came out as more of a question.
Emelia shot her a warm and kind look as they locked eyes. “You know I love you, Chloe. You have been my best friend since day one. I care about you and Roman. I just want you both to be happy.”
“I am happy,” Chloe admitted, and it was the earnest truth.
“Good.” Emelia’s eyes shined as she nodded. “Then I think you have your answer.”
“Answer for what?” Chloe frowned in confusion.
Emelia casually shrugged. “You know...about Roman,” she clarified. “You say you are having a blast with him, well then just follow your heart and see where the tide takes you. That’s what I did with Trevor. Think about it. I was dating Grant when I first met Trevor. Now we’re getting married.”
Chloe chuckled at the realization. “You are right. A lot can happen in a year or so.”
“For the better,” Emelia folded her hands in her lap, nodding as the nostalgia and retrospect hit her.
“To new beginnings,” Chloe parroted Emelia’s earlier statement, raising her wine glass for one final, glorified toast.
Ultimately, Emelia was right. Chloe needed to follow her heart, and the direction was serendipitously leading her down the path that trailed Roman. Not necessarily in his footsteps or his shadow but walking hand in hand with him in the direction of the metaphorical sunrise.
Chloe rubbed her full belly and tossed her napkin onto the table. “I couldn’t eat another bite if I tried.
“Me either,” Emelia agreed. “I think I have eaten enough to feed an army for a week.”
“Maybe we can bring our to-go-boxes back to the guys,” Chloe suggested.
Emelia grinned. Her eyes twinkled.
“What?” Chloe chuckled as she dug through her purse for her credit card.
“Nothing.” Emelia gave her an elusive grin. “It’s just...this sounds so, perfect. A fairy tale. Me with Trevor, you potentially end up with Roman.”
Chloe snorted. “Please. I know you don’t buy into fairy tale romances, and neither do I,” she confessed in a cynical tone, scratching the side of her elbow after placing her credit card on the table.
“I know,” Emelia flicked her eyes. “I’m just excited about the prospect. That’s all.”
“You don’t have to worry,” Chloe smiled. “I am optimistic as well about the future. I’m just...jet-lagged,” she ended with a joke.
Emelia rolled her eyes in agreement. “You and me both.”
“Come on,” Chloe coaxed as they paid for their meal and stood up to exit the restaurant. “We have a show to put on tonight, or at least promote. We’ll leave the epic rocking out to the guys.”
“Sounds like a great plan to me,” Emelia fawned, high-fiving Chloe.
Things were already looking better and better.
––––––––
_______________________
LATER THAT NIGHT, ROMAN stopped Chloe in the hallway outside his dressing room. He tenderly tugged her to the side, leaning up against the wall as he stared deliciously into her eyes.
Chloe had no choice but to swoon like a love-struck teenager as his eyes melted her soul. “Hey,” he whispered in a tantalizing way, intoxicatingly drinking her up and down with that handsome leer of his.
“Hey...” she purred back, momentarily forgetting where she was her insides filled with butterflies. God, it felt like an eternity since she’d last seen him!
“How are you?” He propped his elbow up against the side of the wall, giving her his full-blown attention as if he had all the time in the world for her. He sure made her feel that way like she was the center of his attention, of his world. His hand pressed against her ribs, slowly running to the curve of her hip and back up again. She held her breath as his touch skimmed along her sides, his palm sneaking over her breast.
Chloe chuckled, glancing up and down the hall. “Are you kidding?”
“What?” He shrugged indifferently.
“Don’t you have to be on stage in about ten minutes?” She reminded him with a subtle, playful grin. “I mean, I don’t really want you to stop or anything, but...”
“I’ll always have time for you,” he said gently.
He made her feel like she was the only person on the planet. That’s what made her heart flip.
She shifted her weight, her back against the surface of the cool exposed brick wall. “Well in that case.” She pressed her breast into his hand, moaning as his fingers gently cupped her, his thumb brushing across her sensitive nipple. It perked hard against the fabric of her bra, her body flooding with longing.
“How about a kiss to give me a boost of luck and energy?” He flirted with a saucy raise of his eyebrows.
Chloe couldn’t resist the temptation. She parted her lips, watching as he rushed into her, claiming her mouth with his own. Sparks flew through her body, a low moan working its way up her throat. So, fucking good. She didn’t want to stop. Skating her hands over his chest, she looped her arms around him and pulled him closer.
As soon as Roman’s lips hit hers, she was caught with a volt of passion that blasted like a rocket through her senses. She was at least a foot shorter than him having to stand on her tiptoes to reach up to drape her arms around his neck and run her hands through his hair.
She never wanted him to stop. She wanted him to take it to the next level, so she could erase the awkwardness that still followed her around regarding Hawaii. She wanted a chance to start over.
She glanced up at Roman as he reluctantly pulled away. “They’re going to send out a search party if I don’t get going.”
He moved away from her, leaving a cool rush of air between their bodies where their heat had just been.
“Okay.” Chloe kept her hands pressed to the side of his flushed cheeks. “If you have to go...”
“I don’t want to,” Roman admitted. “But I have to.”
“Well I’ll be out there in the crowd cheering, and screaming my ass off for you,” she laughed. “So, if that’s any consolation...”
“Oh, it is.” Roman leaned in and gave her a peck on the side of her neck. “I’ll be searching for you.”
“You can find me on the front row,” Chloe told him.
Roman beamed from ear to ear. “You wild and crazy groupie.” He nodded as he mulled over the idea and was humorously picturing Chloe dancing along, just waiting to feel the sweat drip from the hair of the band members or be lucky enough to be tossed a guitar pick.
Chloe gave him a flirtatious wink. “It’s the only place to be.”
“I’ll see you later, alright?” His grin was vivacious.
“See you later,” she chimed as her eyes trailed him as he walked away.
She trekked back towards the main stage where she met up with Emelia. “You ready for this?” Emelia clapped her hands together as if she were pumping herself full of energy for the show. Chloe knew that it must be such an eternal thrill for Emelia to witness her fiancé on stage every night.
Chloe wasn’t even officially dating Roman yet, but she knew the feeling well because she experienced the same kind of emotions watching him play the drums with passion and skill that set him apart from others in the industry. He’d made a name for himself and showed no signs of slowing down.
Tonight, she was going to seek him out, hunt him down with her eyes, and give him a seductive gaze as she sang along to every word. He’d know how proud of him she was.
And later, when she straddled him in bed, she’d show him.