“Would you like to dance with me?”
She beams up at me, and for once I observe that she has lowered her mask. She’s excited. I barely resist the urge to pinch myself to make sure it’s not a dream.
“Sure. Excuse me, girls.” She sways a little as she stands, but I grab her hand and pull her to me to steady her. She giggles, and I’m reminded of the girl from the past, the one I fell in love with.
I lead her onto the dance floor just as the song turns to a slow one, one talking about dying a happy man. I pull her close as I wrap my arms around her waist. She slides her hands up my chest and around my neck. I’m overcome with true happiness, something I haven’t felt in a long time.
We sway to the music in silence as she lays her head on my shoulder. Her scent assaults my senses—peaches and a smell that’s uniquely her. I squeeze her tighter as I relish this dance. Near the end, I catch her sigh.
“Do you want to go somewhere and talk?” I swallow hard as I ask the question.
“Not now, Gio. I’m drunk. I just want to enjoy this moment.”
“Me too, Izzy. Me too,” I whisper as I nuzzle my face into her neck.
A new song comes on, but we don’t separate. She continues to dance with me in silence.
“You know, this could have been us. We could be married with kids by now. Living out our dreams in California like we always planned.”
Her voice is wistful but tinged with sadness. I swallow past the lump in my throat, thinking of the past. I was going to find a job at a factory or somewhere that I could move up the ladder. She would work as a waitress until I made enough for her to quit. We would be married and have three children. We would live out our days living the middle-class life, away from the drama of the family. Away from the danger.
“I know. In another lifetime, we would have done it too.” I take my hand from her hip and wrap it around her neck as I lean back to look at her. “You have no clue how bad I wish we had left. How bad I wish I was some blue-collar worker trying to support his beautiful wife and their amazing children. Izzy and Gio, two people in love just making it through.”
Tears fill her eyes as she whispers, “That’s all I ever wanted.”
I lean in and brush a chaste kiss against her lips. “We can still have that. I—”
She pulls away then. “I can’t, Giovanni. This hurts too much.”
She goes to pull out of my arms, but I tighten my grip. “Please let me explain. You owe me that much, remember?”
Her eyes grow somber. “I do, but not tonight.”
I nod as I loosen my grip and let her walk away, taking my heart with her.
Chapter Two
Isabella
Irush into the bathroom and shut the door. I heave out a couple of breaths, begging my eyes not to let the tears fall.
What were you thinking?
I wasn’t thinking. When Giovanni walked up to me and asked me to dance, I let my poor, battered heart answer for me. It wanted nothing more than to be in his arms again.
Oh, how wonderful it felt.
As soon as he wrapped his arms around me, I felt the same feeling that I’ve always felt. The emotions I keep pushed down came rushing back, reminding me of how amazing it felt to be in his arms. To have his lips on mine. To be his.
I forgot for a moment that I hate him. Then my mouth spoke before my brain could stop it, bringing up the past. Those dreams we once had. The plans we made.
Things were simpler then. We thought we could leave unscathed.
We were wrong.
Childish dreams meant to be left in the past. So why did I bring them back up?
Because you still love him.
