Guilia
It was nearly nine o’clock by the time Tay knocked on Guilia’s door. Talking to Lily had helped somewhat, but there was still a small part of her that was nervous, anxious that Tay had changed their mind when they’d taken so long after work before appearing at the suite.
“Hey, Daddy!” they said cheerfully as they came in. “Sorry I took so long; I ended up having a really good talk with Holly.” They came to a sudden stop and stared at Guilia. “Daddy? Are you okay?”
“Si, of course.” Guilia tried to cover up her emotions, and clearly did a terrible job. “Come now, tesore, why don’t we?—”
“Daddy.” Tay sounded reproachful. “You can’t lie to me.” Their voice changed, shifted from the Littlespace that they’d been in, and then it was a very adult Big Tay who walked over and took Guilia in their arms. “Come on, Guilia, what’s the matter?”
“I just feel…sopraffatta… overwhelmed.”
Tay’s eyes shuttered and they went to take a step back, but Guilia caught their hands in hers. “Cazzo! I am not explaining myself well. I find, mi tesore, that I care for you a great deal. Thisis not a bad thing, but I did not expect to have these huge feelings so quickly.”
“Oh, is that all?” Tay’s words seemed casual but there was an undercurrent that Guilia couldn’t quite discern. “I love you too.”
“Que? What?”
“I love you too. And it’s a huge feeling and it’s more than a little terrifying because how can I fall this quickly, but Holly says that the two of us have been in love with each other for a long time.”
“She does?”
“Yup, which would kind of make sense with all the pranks I’ve been doing…” Guilia seemed impressed with how self-aware Tay was, and Tay clocked their pride. “Oh no, that was all Holly. I was completely oblivious until she pointed it out. But what it does mean is that we can face the scary feelings together. I’m not going anywhere. Are you?”
Guilia shook her head.
“Well then.” Tay took the bag they were carrying into the bedroom, and started popping some clothes into the bedside table on what was apparently their side of the bed.
“Ti amo.” The words burst from Guilia, unbidden, and she didn’t know if she wanted to pull them back or not.
“You love me?”
“Si.”
The smile Tay shot over their shoulder was beaming. “I know. I think I knew even before Holly told me.”
“Well of course, I already told you.”
“You did?”
Guilia huffed out her laughter. “Yes, when you were having a meltdown yesterday. I said that of course I loved you.”
“Huh. I really must have been in full meltdown mode because I have absolutely zero recollection of that.” Tay rana hand through their hair, a sure sign that they were a little embarrassed. “I’m sorry; are you upset that I didn’t register it?”
Guilia shook her head. “No, it’s quite all right. You know now.”
“I know now.”
She walked over to them, coming up behind and slipping her arms around their waist. “Weknow now; we truly do love each other.”
“We do.” Tay moved in her arms, turning to face her.
Guilia studied their upturned face, cataloguing the freckles that dusted their skin, the curls that fell across their forehead, and the short fade of their undercut. She could look at Tay forever and never be bored, never run out of things to notice.
They shifted under Guilia’s gaze, and a warmth spread through her stomach. “Tiamo, Tay.”
“Ti amo you too,” they said, messing up every Italian rule about grammar, and Guilia couldn’t have cared less. “I feel like I’d like to kiss you now. If that’s okay?”
“As if you needed to ask.”
