Lonely Together

44

MARIAH

As soon as Valentino settled into the backseat of one of the many SUVs with me, I knew that something was off. He didn't make eye contact with me, didn't reach over to kiss me—he was just tense.

"You okay?" I questioned, gently rubbing once of my hands over his tense shoulders, although it didn't seem to be working.

"Yeah. Just...I have a meeting to go to tomorrow morning and into the afternoon. I don't want to leave you alone, but you'll love the house," he admitted, although he wasn't as good of a liar as he thought he was. He was omitting something. "And...my grandmother invited us for dinner tomorrow night."

That immediately turned me into a nervous wreck. Meeting his mother was bad enough with the position I was in when that happened, but meeting his grandmother was a different level. Unlike his grandmother, mine truly didn't judge others and was admittedly a bit crazy, but with how important his grandmother was to him, I knew that she would be watching me carefully.

"Uh oh, I know what that silence means," he muttered, letting out a chuckle. "Don't be nervous, she loves me so she'll love you. And...we're here."

Turning my attention away from him, I looked out the windshield to see that we had stopped in front of a magnificent house. The silence in the car allowed me to hear the sound of the sea not far away, meaning the home must have been right on the coast. Vines crisscrossed the stone exterior of the front of the house, pulling my eyes up to the balconies on the second level that overlooked the road we just left and mountains far off in the distance.

"I must say Mr. Santori," I spoke with a hint of humor in my voice. "You sure know how to pick a good vacation home."

"It's my best quality."

As soon as we walked into the house, I was amazed by its decor and layout. Most importantly, I was amazed by the large backyard and the gargantuan pool right in the middle, lined with lounge chairs on the side. You could see the backyard and the sea from the large windows that encapsulated the living room.

I then let Valentino lead me to the bedroom where we had our own balcony that overlooked the sea as well, a huge walk-in closet, and a king sized bed.

"This place is perfect," I told him, grabbing his arms and pulling him onto the bed with me. With my back laid against the bed, I began to feel my eyelids droop as I barely managed to keep them open.

After Valentino fell asleep on the jet, I couldn't for some reason—most likely the anxiety I felt as we crossed the Atlantic Ocean. I was terrified that if I fell asleep, I would somehow wake up to find out that we had crashed into the middle of the ocean. Thinking back, it was irrational but in the moment I was sure it was going to happen.

"You tired?" He questioned, his head rested on my stomach, although he was fully energized.

"Yes," I managed out although my eyes were completely shut. "I didn't sleep at all."

"Love...it's only three in the afternoon back home," he reminded me, his chuckle vibrating through my body.

"Shhh."

"Goodnight, Mariah," I heard him speak, getting up from the bed and pulling the covers over me before leaving the room for the night.

***
The next morning when I woke up, I was still all alone—besides the note resting on the pillow beside mine. It didn't even look as if he had gotten into the bed at all, but I wasn't surprised. It was rare for me to even see Valentino get more than two hours of sleep recently.