Florence: Where It All Began

Chapter 6

Knock, knock, knock. That sound alone makes your heart skip a beat. You wait a second and then walk over to answer the door.

"Hey stranger."

"Hello, how are you?"

"I'm well. Glad to finally see you. I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to show up."

Laughing, he says, "Yes I was beginning to wonder that myself. But here I am. Are you ready for some treats? They look and smell delicious."

"Yea, let me grab my room key and I will be right there."

You walk over to the desk to grab your key and take a deep breath before walking over. Here we go.

Standing at his door, you finally bring your hand up to knock and he comes to let you in.

"Hello again, come in."

You walk in and quickly take note of the room, very tidy and it smells nice. Fresh with a hint of his cologne. The box of pastries is sitting at the table set with two small plates and coffee cups.

"What can I get you to drink? I can make coffee or tea and of course I have just straight water," Tony says laughing.

"Coffee or tea, whichever you prefer. I'm not that picky," you say with a smile.

"Tea.."

You take a seat at the table while he puts the water on. From across the room you hear him say,

"Tell me about your day. What all did you do?"

"Well I slept in pretty late and then ate brunch here at the hotel before going to the spa. I really can't tell you how much that did for me. And I guess I don't have to since you've experienced it yourself.

Tony walks over to sit down across from you, nodding and smiling.

"Yes I do know. I'm glad you got as much out of it as I did."

"Me too, I would've hated it if you'd wasted your money," you say as you laugh nervously.

After a moment you ask, "How was your day? I'm sure you're pretty tired."

"Sort of. And it was fine for the most part. We had a few issues because it started to rain a little bit but it cleared up pretty quickly."

"I'm glad it didn't cause you too much trouble," you say.

As he gets up to grab the tea, you ask, "So be honest, do you think Hannibal will be as good as Silence of the Lambs?"

He says, "Hmm. That's an interesting question. I'm not sure it's fair to compare this one to the last. I think it's just different because with this one Hannibal is running free but has disguised himself in another country. Obviously, since we're here in Florence. But you answer your question, I think it will be as good, but in different ways. Have you not read the book yet?"

"No I haven't but I know I need to."

Walking back with the tea, Tony says, "If I were you I think I would wait until after you see the movie. There are differences and the movie may not be accurate or true to the actual story." Chuckling, he says, "I don't know, it's difficult to explain without giving anything away and I don't want to spoil it for you."

"That's ok, I'm fine with taking your word for it," you say laughing.

The two of you spend about 30 minutes or so just sitting there talking and enjoying your pastries and then Tony stands up and grabs both your and his cup.

"Let's move to the couch, it's much more comfortable than these wooden chairs. Can I get you a refill?"

"Sure, that would be nice, thanks"

You walk over to the couch and take a seat on one end. After pouring more tea into both of your cups, Tony walks over and hands you yours and takes a seat beside you. You can't help but notice that he's sitting much closer than someone normally would and this both excites you and makes you nervous all at once. The more you talk the more the nervousness fades and you realize just how comfortable you feel around him. Before long, you realize you are mere inches away from his face and once again notice those sparkling blue eyes of his; they're absolutely captivating.

"Tony, correct me if I'm wrong, but the last time I saw you, in LA, you had gray hair, didn't you? This is just a tad darker than I remember," you say giggling as you point to the side of his head and straighten a piece that has fallen.

He laughs, "You are correct. Remember when I said Hannibal has disguised himself? Well this is it."

The two of you laugh for a moment and then you say, "Ah yes well it suits you. Does it make you feel any younger?"

"No not at all. Sometimes I forget that it's been dyed though and it's a surprise when I look in the mirror. I don't mind it but I had finally gotten used to the gray."

You laugh and say, "Well I know you haven't asked me, but I like the gray. I like this too. It's different."

He raises his head to look you in the eye and gives you a small grin, "Thank you."

It's at this moment that the butterflies in your stomach flutter like you've never felt them before. That smile, those eyes. He's gorgeous. You politely smile back as you lock eyes for a moment and then you look away and check the time on your watch.

"Oh my, it's really late. How did it get to be almost 2:30?"

"I really don't know. I guess the rule applies even in Italy, time flies when you're having fun.

You go to stand up and say, "I'm gonna go now, I don't want to keep you up any longer. What time do you have to get up tomor.. errr today?"

Tony chuckles and says, "I have to be on set about 7:30."

"That's not much sleep," you say as you walk towards the door."

Tony walks past you to get to the door first so he can open it for you but he stops there and turns around to face you.

"I'm sorry I stayed so late, Tony. I hope you don't have a hard day tomorrow because of me keeping you up."

"Oh no, I will be fine, they provide plenty of coffee for us."

You just smile, "Ok well thanks for everything, I really had a great time. I always do with you."

He smiles back, "Likewise. Can we have dinner tomorrow? I should be done at a reasonable time and we can make a date of it. Sound ok?"

You smile widely, "A date?"

Tony smiles back, "Yes, a date."

"Sounds perfect."

"Great," he says.

His eyes lock with yours again as he gives you another little smile and just stands there a moment. He takes a small step towards you and brushes your hair away from your face as his fingers stroke your cheek. He leans in and gently lifts your chin up to bring your lips to his as he kisses you. So soft, so gentle, not rushed; just perfect. You place your hand on his, right before he pulls away. He's already smiling by the time you open your eyes and you immediately smile back and laugh through your nose. He brings your hand to his mouth and gives it another soft kiss before bringing it back down to your side, holding it there for a moment. With no words, Tony smiles and reaches for the knob, opening the door to let you out. Once you're standing outside of his room, you turn around and say,

"Goodnight, sleep well."

"Goodnight," he says, as you walk away.