Sunset Lake {h.s.}

19

I tap my finger on each wooden barrel, counting how many there are. After counting ten of them I place the pen I'm holding in between my teeth and pull the cap off. Keeping the cap between my teeth, I use the ink of the pen to check off each barrel on my checklist attached to my clipboard.

Once it's complete I take a few steps back, admiring each barrel that sits in the Aging Cellar. My back hits the concrete, stone wall. I set my clipboard down on the floor and put the cap back on my pen. I drop it, and a tapping sound rings when it touches the cement floor.

Everything I've worked hard for sat in this room. I put my blood, sweat, and tears into my winery. I hope to expand it one day.

As of now, you can purchase my wine in some shops scattered throughout the town and Amalfi Coast. I've noticed that people usually like to come here to buy bottles or seas the day away by trying something new.

My goal is to open another winery somewhere else in Italy, somewhere I've never been. There's been a part of me that feels unsatisfied with my life. It's as if I have an itch I can't scratch. Yet that itch feels somewhat of a relief when I think of plans for a second winery.

Maybe I'm not meant to spend the rest of my life here, at Sunset Lake.

I couldn't imagine saying goodbye to it. If I did create another winery I'd come back to visit and settle some business. It's a bittersweet thing to think about. I've had some of the best and worst nights of my life on this property.

These acres of land hold so many memories of my life. A lot of laughs and tears, dancing on top of the tables and playing drinking games with wine. Then there was the night I last saw Dalina. That's a night I will never forget.

As I reminisce about all the memories, nothing compares to what I felt last night. It was one of the most incredible nights of all.

Matilda has been the highlight of my summer.

We danced the night away. Holding her in my arms has grown to be my favorite thing to do. My life has been like a puzzle, all of the pieces fit together but there's a tiny hole in the middle. No matter what I do, that hole has never been filled. Dalina couldn't even fill it, but the moment I held Matilda that hole was filled.

The more I see her the more I realize how much more I want with her. I don't know if we can do all the things I want to do with the time she has left. I'd do anything to expand our time, but that would be selfish.

I'd want her to make her own decision and not be persuaded by me. I won't lie but the thought of her leaving makes me want to rip my hair out. I don't know what's happening to me but she's made her way into my heart. I'm still a little on the fence about falling for her, however, it's out of my control now.

She's the prettiest, most ethereal person I've ever met.

The door at the top of the steps opens, the light from upstairs shining down. I turn my head to the side and look up. The silhouette of Niall's figure appears.