Til You Come Back to Me Again - A Love Story

Chap- 14

 

Fourteen

Learning to Breathe

On the day of Katia's departure, I was an emotional mess inside, and I decided that Sylvia was right. We really did need to learn how to be apart for a while.

The past few days were eye-opening as we shared our thoughts, feelings, fears, and hopes. I had been nervous about embracing this change between us, concerned about the vast age difference, and about what others would think. I didn't feel good enough for her; I didn't feel worthy. But Katia's bravery soothed my inner concerns about me being enough for her. With love and tenderness, she helped me to see that I was more than enough.

We talked, laughed, and were our usual selves, only nothing was the same. There was a new awareness of one another, lingering looks and longing gazes. Katia was so beautiful. She had always been beautiful, but now I could appreciate that beauty as a man in love. The adoring smiles that once charmed me now warmed and melted me, making me feel things in ways I never had before. Everything she did or said now affected me differently. I could only describe it as flipping on a light switch in a dimly-lit room, suddenly seeing clearly everything I had struggled to see before. We did the same things we always did together, but now each activity was done with the knowledge that an unexpected future was before us.

And today she was leaving.

Before we left for the airport, I slipped something into Katia's bag and told her not to open it until after she boarded the plane. By giving her that gift, I was opening my very soul. I needed her to understand exactly how much she meant to me. She needed to know that she would always be my world.

Saying goodbye to her at the security gate was the hardest thing I had ever done. I held her tightly to me, pressing my face into her hair to hide my tears. I was torn up inside and could barely breathe.

She drew back and tipped her head to look into my eyes, her hand gently caressing my hair. "I'll miss you, Angelo."

"And I'll miss you." I caressed her face, longing to kiss her, but that would have to wait until she was home again and away from prying eyes. "Come back to me, amore. Please."

"I will. I promise." She kissed the corner of my mouth, lingering a moment. Then she turned and got in line.

I stood watching her until she was past security and no longer in sight.

* * *

Katia

Katia kept her emotions in check until she boarded the plane and was settled in her seat. She was flying in first-class, and so far, no one was sitting next to her. She discreetly turned her face toward the window and let the tears come.

Katia loved Angelo De Luca more than words could possibly express. She couldn't really pinpoint when she knew for sure, but looking back, she recognized now that her feelings for him began to change even before the cruise, they just didn't start to materialize until then.

Wiping her face with the back of her hand, Katia remembered wondering if something was wrong with her. And even though she had tried to shake it off and go on pretending things were normal, she couldn't. For her, everything was changing. She was changing, though she didn't realize just what was happening to her at first.

Many times during the cruise, Katia had caught herself staring at Angelo when he wasn't looking. Whenever they stood on deck looking out over the ocean, she found herself watching the breeze tousle his dark hair, marveling at the vividness of his blue eyes and the way his tanned skin looked in the sun.

She had felt an unfamiliar warmth curl in her stomach on the morning they docked in St. Martins when he'd opened the door to let her in before he had even put his shirt on. The muscles of his arms and chest were lean and chiseled. Seeing him without a shirt wasn't unusual, and during the cruise, she had spent time swimming and on the beach with him shirtless. But that day she was viewing him in a completely different light. Angelo looked like an untouchable Italian god. He was so handsome–he always had been, but only then did she truly admit to herself that she was attracted to the man that raised her, the man who had cared for her for most of her life.

Each and every day after that trip, her feelings continued to grow until she couldn't deny it any longer. She deeply loved him. She may have been young, but her heart had known what it wanted. Over the years, that want had become a need, one that was so strong, she could barely conceal it.

Drawing her thoughts to the present, she reached into her tote bag for a pack of tissues and her eyes fell on the small wrapped box and envelope Angelo put there. She dried her eyes with a tissue, opened the envelope, and pulled out the small note card.

My Dearest Katia,

There are so many things I want to say to you. I hardly know where to start, but I will share with you the most important.

First and foremost is that I am in love with you, il mia tesora. You truly are my treasure, my priceless treasure, and I love you with every breath I breathe. You have been a part of me for a very long time, and I long to make you a permanent part of me forever. But that is a question I will save until you are home again.

Just know you are in my heart, amore, and my arms will ache until you are in them again. It is your rightful place. It always has been.

Yours always,

Angelo

Katia closed her eyes and pressed the card to her heart, wanting to brand his words there. She had spent countless hours and moments dreaming of him saying those very words to her, but those dreams paled when compared to reality. During the past week, Angelo's words were guarded, measured. Now he had said it. He loved her. After all this time of loving him silently, to have that love returned was everything. But she still needed time to adjust to this new change in their relationship. She just hoped she would be able to survive the separation.

Placing the card back in her bag, she pulled out the box and unwrapped it, pressing a hand over her heart when she saw the actual ring box. She opened it, her vision immediately blurring as her eyes beheld the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. It was a one carat oval canary diamond surrounded by smaller stones and set on a diamond studded platinum band. Taking it from the box, she placed it on her finger. It was perfect, and the perfect ring for her. Angelo knew her well. By giving her the ring, he was making a pledge and a promise, as well as claiming her as his.

She was all right with that. Because he was all she had ever wanted.

Putting the box and the card back into her bag, Katia spotted the bottle of ibuprofen and fished it out, dumping a couple into her hand as the familiar pain that had come and gone over the last year grew more prominent. The back ache and stomach ache were usually manageable and she had never felt a need to worry.

But now she had a future with Angelo to look forward to. And that changed things.