Untangle Me

Chapter 35

Giada

I'm pacing my room when there's a knock on the door. I perk up, my nerves tingling and heartbeat quickening, and go to open it. With each step, I curse myself for wearing heels since my wobbly knees don't do enough to keep me steady right now.

God, why am I so nervous? This is nothing, just a dinner at a local restaurant. I take a calming breath, wipe my clammy hands on my dress before pulling the door open.

As expected, Andrea is waiting on the other side, looking as handsome as always.

Tonight, his wavy hair is styled but not slicked back or anything. The dark strands simply fall more evenly. There's short, even stubble on his cheeks which I didn't notice last night but I can't seem to mind. On the contrary, somehow, I find myself fantasizing about running my hand over it, or feeling it on my skin as we kiss, or between my-

Fuck, what's wrong with me? One good look at the man and my panties are getting waterboarded? I need to get a grip on it if I don't want this night to end in disaster.

Thankfully, all I have to do is remember the way he looked at me the last two times we had sex and suddenly, I'm over my momentary attraction.

Still, I take in the rest of him. The way his tattooed arms strain against the sleeves of his black t-shirt, nearly making the fabric burst as he crosses his arms over his chest, for example. I haven't seen him dressed this casual since I lost him.

I force my eyes back to his face, only to realize that for once, he hasn't caught me staring simply because he is too busy doing the same.

I can see his eyes quickly flitting over my chest. Gold star for not staring like a creep, although the short dress I'm wearing isn't revealing much. It's a cute, little thing I found in the closet today. White, flowy fabric with small flowers printed on it and a band of fabric to tie at the waist. The whole thing reaches the middle of my thighs and although it might be basic, it seems appropriate for the occasion.

For a beat, Andrea's attention lingers on my exposed legs but when his gaze meets mine, he reveals nothing.

But then his lips twitch into a pleasant smile and I subconsciously relax. I smile back and hold out my hand to shake his, only noticing that this is where things could get awkward really quickly too late.

Andrea doesn't seem bothered as he takes my hand in his differently than expected though. Instead of shaking it, he pulls my knuckles to his lips and presses a soft kiss on them.

My heart flutters involuntarily while my treacherous cheeks burn up.

"You look lovely. Are you ready to go?" he asks. And it's so polite it's almost weird because we're behaving like strangers or business associates. We're neither.

Of course, neither Andrea nor I know how to act right now so I don't say anything. Instead, I reply, "Yeah, lead the way."

But he doesn't move just yet. Instead, he looks down at my bare arms and then back to me. "What about your jacket? Or a hoodie? There should be several options in your closet," he says.

"I'll be fine. We're driving there, right? I can survive the walk from the parking lot to the restaurant."

"It's November." At this, I nearly roll my eyes.

"I said I'm fine. Besides, where's yours?" I can't hide the bite in my voice. Don't blame me, something about him trying to tell me what to do doesn't sit right with me. Even though a jacket does sound like a good idea considering I'm always cold.

"In my car," he replies smoothly. When I don't cave in after a moment, he adds, "Alright, suit yourself."

Then we walk to the parking lot in front of the building where a white jeep is waiting for us. Andrea tells me to play my music but otherwise, we drive in silence.

It's pleasant enough. I'm mostly vibing to my songs and enjoying the heat coming from the seat as I take in the nightlife around us.

Besides, I probably wouldn't be able to participate in any conversation seeing as I'm a little busy fighting off flashbacks. No matter how hard I remind myself that Luciano is dead and we're safe, unbidden panic simmers at the very base of my stomach.

I push it down.

Still, I nearly jump out of the car when we finally stop, only to realize we're not in Rossi's parking lot.

"Where are we?" I ask Andrea who's getting out of the driver's seat at that very moment.

"This is the closest I could get. The street is closed, didn't you see?"

"Oh, no." I was too distracted losing myself in past trauma to notice, I guess. Not that I'd tell him that. "How far is it? I have no idea where we are." I take a look at our surroundings but it doesn't ring a bell.

The jeep is parked at the side of a street lined with buildings and a sidewalk flooded with people like every other place in this city.

"Shouldn't take us too long. Maybe ten to fifteen minutes if we can push past all the other people? Can you do that in those shoes?" he asks, looking at my feet.

"You know damn well I can," I tease him. Honestly, the shoes are barely high-heeled and I used to wear more extreme ones all the time. I'll be fine.

I start walking ahead, intending to set the pace only for Andrea to call me back a few steps in.

"Giada, wrong way," he tells me, amusement clear in his expression.

"Now he laughs!" I walk back, shoving him just slightly in the process to wipe that stupid grin off his face. My plan fails and the man only seems more amused.

For the next five minutes, we're speed-walking past the other pedestrians. I'm so focused on weaving my way through a mass of people that I don't realize Andrea is no longer right behind me until I'm past all of them.

Which means I can't see him anymore.

So I wait at the very edge of the sidewalk, earning myself some solid glares. That's what we get for going out on a Saturday night.

Luckily, Andrea finds me soon enough and I notice quickly that he has taken off his jacket and is holding it now in his hands.

"Damn, Giada, I stop for a second to get out of this thing and you run off. Here you go," he says, draping his jacket over my shoulder.

"It's fine, you don't have to do that. You'll be freezing," I protest weakly. Truth is, the icy cold has goosebumps prick my skin all over and I've been shivering for a while.

"Don't worry about it. Come on, we're almost there." That's it. No smug "I told you so" or other comment. Nope, just him helping me into his jacket before we keep walking.

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I might have covid so I should have a lot of time to write if I have to go to quarantine💁🏼‍♀️

Anyways, thank all of u sm for 5k reads in less than 3 weeks:)) u guys r the best

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