Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 127476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
I breathe a sigh of relief.
I'm only vaguely paying attention to the show, my thoughts drifting, when Karissa slouches against me, sniffling. I glance down at her, confused when I see tears in her eyes.
"Are you okay?" I whisper, concerned.
"No."
I shift in my seat, grasping her chin. "What's wrong?"
Her brow furrows before something seems to strike her. She laughs, despite the tears streaming down her cheeks. "It's sad, Naz. She's dying."
I look from her to the stage, to the woman on her deathbed, the music haunting. Huh.
Karissa rolls her eyes, looking back away.
The opera is over not long after. The crowd erupts in applause. Karissa is on her feet, excitedly cheering, louder than the rest. Her enthusiasm makes me smile. I stand up, clapping a few times, before grabbing her elbow and motioning for us to leave. She doesn't seem to want to go, too caught up in the moment, but obliges, taking my hand once more as we head out into the aisle.
I pull out my phone, calling for the car service on our way out. The man tells me it'll be thirty minutes. Hanging up, I shift through my missed messages, seeing Ray called me twelve times.
"It'll be a half hour," I say, slipping my phone away before looking at Karissa.
I'll deal with Ray later.
"We can walk, can't we?" she asks, looking around.
"I thought you were done with walking."
"That was days ago," she says. "I'm good as new."
"It's two miles."
"That's fine. It's a beautiful night."
Shrugging, I tug on her hand, and we stroll away from the theater. The streets are fairly quiet at this hour, most tourists gone inside for the night.
"You didn't think that story was sad?" she asks.
"I wasn't really paying it attention," I admit.
She's quiet for a moment before asking, "Are you okay?" Her eyes are on me. I can feel them, but I don't look her way. "You seem… off."
"In what way?"
"I don't know," she says. "It's hard to put my finger on it. I'd say you were depressed, but that's not really it. You're not sad. You're just… not really there."
"I'm thinking."
"Thinking?" She gasps, grabbing her chest in mock horror. "You? Mr. Less Thinking, More Feeling?"
I smile at her humor. It's nice to have her so at ease, but it unnerves me that she caught the change in my demeanor. I've been feeling off all day. I let myself be me again, let myself slip back into old habits, succumbing to old desires, and lost sight of the here-and-now, and the reality is our little bubble can't last forever, can't remain in tact once we step foot back on American soil. I can't be this man there, can't be this man and still survive the life I've chosen to live. I've made promises to Karissa, whispers when we were alone in the dark that are going to be hard to keep come daylight.
We walk in silence for a while, just strolling along.
I expect her to ask me what I'm thinking about, but she lets it drop.
We're still a mile from the hotel when her footsteps slow. I can tell she's tired, her feet hurting from the shoes she's wearing. I stop, offering her another piggyback ride.
This time, she accepts.
She squeals as she hops on, her arms tightly around my neck, hands clasps together at my chest, and her legs around my waist. Her hip is right on my wound but it's barely noticeable, nothing more than some soreness. She rests her head against the side of mine as I carry her. She's light, and feels so right clinging to me.
I think I could carry the woman forever.
Her breath is warm against my ear as she laughs, whispering after a moment, "Do you think we could get married here?"
I damn near drop her.
My grip slips, her legs sliding, but her hold is so tight she keeps herself from falling. I clutch ahold of her again, pulling her up, steadying her. Before I can even think of what to say to that, she continues.
"I don't mean, like, right now, but someday."
My words are tentative. "If that's what you want."
I carry her the rest of the way to the hotel, not putting her down until we reach the front door. She drops back to her feet, laughing.
I haven't ever heard her laugh so much as she has this past week. She's happy, happier than I've ever seen her. Despite it all, despite knowing the man I am, the man I have the potential to be, she finds it in her heart to be happy with me.
That's something I never want to lose.
Something I never want to destroy.
But I have a feeling, when we get back home, her happiness may not last as long as I hope.
And later, after she's asleep, when I stroll out onto the balcony and dial Ray's number, hearing his voice when he picks up on the first ring, I'm sure of it.
"I don't like what that girl's turned you into, Vitale."
No hello.
No warm greeting.
He's unhappy.
Maybe rightfully so.
But I know now, no matter what I do, I'm going to lose one of them. I'm going to disappoint either the woman who loves me, who breathed life into me, or the only man who ever really gave me a chance.
Either way, I fear, will be the end of me.
Custom made and tailored to my frame, my suits all fit me like a glove.
I have fifty of them, every single one a similar shade of black. Most people, looking in my closet, would think they're all the same, but I can tell the differences. Different weights and different fabrics, some for winter and some for summer, a couple with vests, most with three-button jackets and the rest of them with two. I rotate them, rarely wearing the same suit more than once a month.
They've survived years.
Some have lasted decades.
I bought my first black suit nearly twenty years ago. Until then, I dressed like an average kid from Hell's Kitchen—jeans, t-shirts, sneakers. You couldn't have paid me back then to put on a tie.