Allegra had just gone back from work, she had a long day from work and she was excited, as soon as she got in her car, she thought of inviting Valeria out for a cup of coffee at the café they visited the last time. Within five minutes, she received a reply from her saying that she could not come because she was going to Alessio's welcoming party.
As the message was read, she nearly dropped her phone out of shock. She could not believe Alessio had truly woken up, it had been almost a full month since the accident occurred, and it had been a tough time for everyone. Allegra was conflicted, at one part, she was happy that the man had woken up, that would mean Valeria would once again receive her happiness and she did not have to look like she was mourning all the time. On another side she knew Valentino would be conflicted because of this, cause he loved Valeria so much, he must be torn by the news.
What do you want then? For him to never wake up forever?
She did not know why it was even her problem, she had gotten herself too involved with their personal lives. She should have known she should have distanced herself from meddling too deep into their business, oh well, what could she do anyway had she was truly bothered by it? Absolutely nothing.
"I need coffee" she drove her car to the café where she and Valeria last met up. It was still the same, since she was alone, she thought she might as well just take a seat on the terrace. The weather was good and she would be able to watch the sunset sky as people walked pass by her.
After she was seated, a waiter came to take her order, she was about to rest her bag when she lifted up her face to meet the hot waiter guy that served their food the other day. A smile escaped her lips as the guy looked at her with a sight of recognition. He flashed a bright smile, showing his array of straight white teeth which got her every time. She could have sworn the coffee shop knew what they were doing when they hired him.
"It's you again! Is the other woman not coming with you this time?" he remembered, that alone made her feel appreciated. Though she had met plenty of hot men in her life, she rarely saw one as hot as he was. The best part about him in her eyes was the lack of f*ckboy vibe he had. He seemed sweet and genuine.
"Yeah, I am just alone this time" he nodded and did not pursue the conversation further, instead he went straight to her order, asking her what she felt like having at the moment.
"I'm going to have some macchiato, and one slice of chocolate cake, please" he nodded and got inside. She pulled out her head after he was in to steal a glance at his broad shoulder and back. Damn, she had lost her shame, but whatever, she thought he was attractive, there was nothing wrong with that. Though she kind of regret not getting inside since she would have a better view of him had she was seated inside.
Five minutes later, he was back with her order. To her surprise, he had changed from his staff outfit to a normal outfit. He was wearing a black t shirt and black heavy jeans with brown leather sneakers on.
"Here is your order, and since you are alone, do you mind if I accompany you? I have just finished my shift and I can spare some time talking if you don't mind" He suggested.
Heck yeah
"Sure, I'd love to" he took a seat across of her with his own cup of coffee. The drank coffee together, and Allegra thought it must have been her chance to get to know him a little better, just to see if all of her assumption about him was right.
"Your name is Matteo, isn't it? I'm Allegra" she handed out her hand to formally introduce herself to him. He took her hand, his handshake was firm and confident. She liked the fact that he did not feel intimidated by her unlike some men did, that alone impressed her, he was not trying too hard either, nor was he being cheesy. They had some light talk and got to know each other better. As she was having her cake, he was talking about his experience working in Rome.
"So you're not from here?"
"No, my family is in Sicily. I used to live with my mother there, then last year I moved to Rome. I've been working in this coffee shop while running a side online business, when the time is right I am planning on opening my own coffee shop here and bring my mother to live with me. I have no siblings or any other relatives that can help my mother, so I'm her only hope, you know. I have to work hard, work smart, so I can give her the best life she could have" he started sharing his experience and it went a bit too deep. She listened carefully as he spoke. It was a well-known stereotype that Italian men are mostly mama's boys. The way he spoke about his mother touched her heart, he had to take a moment before realizing perhaps he had shared too much to her, despite only knowing her, and immediately apologized for it.
"I'm sorry, I've said too much, I must have bored you to death" he laughed, she shook her head.
"No, no, it's fine. So, you're a family guy, huh? That's great" she let out a genuine smile before taking a sip out of her coffee. It was the first time someone had listened to his story like that, she was not faking it, she was actually listening, and he knew it. It made him feel more appreciated. Of course, he knew that a good conversation needed to go both ways, so this time it was his turn to ask question.
"What about you? What are you like as a person?"
"I'm mostly working, if I'm not working, then I'll be out with my female friends. I'm quite simple, really. I do like other things too, like visiting the malls, going to parks, and mostly just travel" she smiled as she spoke of her interests. Allegra was a career woman, she preferred to deepen subjects which might benefit her career performance better than say, being artistic, but she was 100% sure he would have zero interests if she had told him she loved counting money and meeting clients to seal a new deal. Besides, she did not want to offend him by bragging about her career.
"You seem like a really nice woman. You must already have a boyfriend. Whoever the guy is, he is so lucky" he took a sip out of his own coffee. She did not know why everyone always assumed she was already dating someone, though when the question was asked to her, the first face which came to his mind was Valentino, but she quickly removed the thoughts and returned her full attention to the present. With a smile, she lowered her eyes and laughed.
"No, actually I am still by myself. Surprise!" Matteo could not believe a woman like Allegra was still single. He fell under the category of many men who thinks that just because a woman was attractive, she might already have a partner, of course, he was not going to make any negative assumptions about her, perhaps she had her own reasons for remaining single. They talked for the rest of the evening and she found herself more fascinated by him, though she would not say she was falling for him just yet, she found Matteo to be a rather interesting person. The moment she tried to pick up the bill, he suddenly stopped her, he told her he had it covered already, and she should consider it his treat for spending her time with her. She did not expect such chivalrous behavior coming from him, though she felt a bit guilty because she felt like she should have paid, his comforting words eventually assured her that he was doing it from the heart.
The moment they parted way, she found herself smiling like an idiot. It had been a while since she had a decent conversation with a man about something other than work or business. When she returned to her car, she had just taken off from the café and waited her way on the traffic. It was then when she saw from a distance a silhouette of a man which looked really similar to Valentino, he was getting out of his car and walked into a fine jewelry store. She had to check her eyes to ensure it was truly Valentino, but there were only so much people with a face such as his. There was no way she was mistaken about it. He was dressed in a black polo shirt and wearing his best pair of designer pants. It was only for a brief moment before the traffic light changed its shade once more, but she could have sworn she saw him.
What is he doing?
YOU ARE READING
The Devoted Gentleman (EDITING)
Romance"My brother does not deserve you, Valeria. He could never love you as much as I do" He stepped in closer to her until she could feel his breath on her neck. 'Valentino, we shouldn't..." she tried to push him away. He froze where he was and placed h...
