Vicious Romance

Chapter 9

Noah pulls the door open, as I step inside the small pizza parlor.

The toasty air hits me, and within seconds I peel Noah's jacket off, handing it back to him.

I look around the small place.  There are eight to ten tables- at max, and all of them are taken. Everyone's dressed up casually, talking amongst themselves, looking comfortable.

That's nice.

On the side of the restaurant, there's a large counter with stools, exposing a man standing in a kitchen.

Noah rings the small bell that sits on a counter next to us. It makes a loud ding that gets the attention of the man in the kitchen. The man turns his head in our direction, and his eyes light up as they meet with Noah's.

"Noah! Mio Figlio!" the man calls out, as he abandons the pizza dough he's playing with.

He takes off his apron, and exits the kitchen, nearing Noah with his arms wide open. Noah smiles, nearing the man- or chef, giving him a bear hug.

"Papa Giordano! How ya been?" he asks, laughing as he separates himself from the big man.

The man- Papa Giordano smiles at Noah and shakes his shoulders.

"I've been good my boy, how have you been? It's been too long. You don't care about me anymore!" he remarks in a thick accent.

I see Noah roll his eyes before he responds with, "Papa... you know how busy life gets, I've been meaning to come,"

Papa Giordano shifts his eyebrows.

"I'm sure you have. Now, are you going to introduce me to your date? Or do I have to do everything myself?" he asks annoyingly.

Noah laughs nervously, and I flash a smile over to Papa Giordano.

"Right, right, of course. Papa G, this is Alina. Alina, this is Papa Giordano, an old- family friend," Noah clarifies.

Papa Giordano smiles at me, as he takes my hand and firmly kisses it.

"It's nice to meet you, Alina. I've got to say, you're quite beautiful. Especially compared to the other girls Noah brings around here... oh wait, he never brings girls here," he flashes a look at Noah before continuing. "But you, are a real beauty."

I feel my cheeks get hot, as I try my best to giggle at words, but I can't help but feel flattered. And overwhelmed.

"Thank you, sir, that's very nice of you," I manage to croak out.

He smiles at me, then lets my hand go before facing Noah.

"So what can I do for you?" he snaps at Noah.

Noah sighs as he shoves his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"A table. For two?" Noah asks uneasily.

Papa Giordano crosses his arms.

"Look around, all the tables are full. But.... since I like you, you can sit on the stools until a table clears up," he huffs and makes his way back to the kitchen.

Noah looks at me and frowns.

"I'm sorry," he mutters.

"It's a sign that we shouldn't be out together," I snark at him with humor.

His frown disappears, and he looks at me with annoyance.

"Yeah, sure Miss. Optimistic," he says sarcastically as he grabs my hand and begins to drag me behind him.

Energy jolts through my hand at his sudden touch, and I can't help but freeze as my body turns to mush.

He shouldn't be allowed to do that. He shouldn't be able to have this effect on me. Yes, I like him, but he shouldn't be able to make me forget how to move. His soft, muscular hands shouldn't have this effect on me.