Slow burn PART 2

Chapter 49

        "I'm Roger, this is Mary, and we'll be here all day if you need anything at all. Follow my wife here, she'll take you to your rooms" the man waved for us to follow Mary. She's a stout woman with sturdy legs. She took us to a flight of stairs that brought us to the spacious second floor. They have about 6 bedrooms. 

By taking a brochure in the foyer entrance I learned the couple has an in-law suite in back of the home so they're technically always on the property. "Here is the room we have for the lovely couple" Mary smiled and her thin lips disappeared when she did. 

She opened the door for Grace and Rocco to step inside then walked further down the hall for the second room. All the doors were closed. We get one key amongst us to lock the bedroom door for privacy purposes.

        When Mary stepped aside for us three to enter the room I could see it was a decent size. Not large, but enough for two full size beds to be placed side by side along the right wall. There was a window overlooking the front yard of the house and an upholstered ottoman just under it. It serves as a bench to look out the window, but also opens for storage space for any guest who might need it. 

There was no television, but the side table on the left hand portion of the room had a few books displayed on them for quiet reading. The walls were covered in a neutral textured wallpaper. It was just another small detail that makes you feel like you're at grandma's house. 

        I was relieved to see this room had a small bathroom attached. I didn't want to have to share a bathroom with the other guests. Mary showed us where the towels were and showed us the paper on the side table that listed the breakfast, lunch, and dinner hours. They have a social hour with free wine where all the guests can mingle. We thanked the woman and shut the door.

 Once we did the tension settled in between all of us. "Salmon colored comfort. Bold choice" Dante made a silly comment which made me kind of giggle. Thank goodness for him. Renzo put his bag down and walked past us to use the restroom. 

        In a whisper-shout I spoke to Dante while we had a moment of privacy. "This is so awkward!! What do we do?!" He cringed and glanced at the shut bathroom door before answering me. "It's fine. We'll just be here to sleep. Let's go out and enjoy the house or the yard...I don't know" he shrugged, looking at the door again. 

The anticipation of its opening was only adding to the tension. My heart was dropping and skipping for all the wrong reasons. When I heard the click of the lock I quickly pulled the brochure up to my face. I started looking at the advertised things to do around here. 

        "There is a walking path from the yard leading into a portion of the woods. Looks, um, nice" I sounded too mousy and nervous, but I fought through it. "Perfect. Yes, walking" Dante hopped on board. We both turned to Renzo who was looking at his phone. "Work call" was all he said, showing his phone before he exited the room altogether.

 "I'm gonna die" I dropped on the bed. Dante came over and sat on the end of it. "I know, Grace and Rocco couldn't have picked a worse time for a secret romantic getaway, but honestly, Renzo is mad at us, which means he's just gonna ignore us. You'll be okay" he assured me.

"I think I rather him yelling and being rude than being indifferent and ignoring me. I hate this, Dante" I felt that pang in my chest again. He sighed. 

        "I'll text Rocco to see if they're interested in joining us on this walk. Fresh air will do us all some good. It's breezy. Bring a sweater" he pointed at me. I just nodded and unzipped my small bag for a sweatshirt. 

Early October isn't freezing, but it's chilly sometimes. I hope the sun is strong tomorrow morning or wearing that dress is going to be quite cold. 

"Ah, perfect. They wanna go on a walk. Come on" Dante took my shoulders and directed me towards the door. When I opened it I almost bumped right into Renzo's chest. Flipping gut, swelling heart.

        He sidestepped me so we could pass one another. "No walk then?" Dante asked his cousin. "No" was all he said. I've never wanted the ground to swallow me whole so much in my entire life. Just swallow me whole and rid me of this slow torture. 

Proximity is the worst thing to have when trying to sort your feelings for a person. We've never been so close yet so far away as we are right now. Even if I do reach out, he won't be reaching back.

-

        The walking path wasn't as serious as a hike. It took you in a loop around the woods on a small trail that leads you right back into the yard of the bed and breakfast. This type of scenery is lovely in the Fall season. What's usually all green is now a show of yellows, oranges, and redding leaves. The autumn air feels so refreshing to breathe in. 

The path leads you further into nature and all you can hear is the rustling of trees and birds chirping from the branches. Once in a while a squirrel would scurry by. Our feet would crunch some of the falling leaves that have turned as brown as the dirt they lay on. 

We didn't talk for a while. We all liked to hear the quiet of a forest. About halfway through the trail it was actually Rocco who broke through the silence. 

        "Kat, I just wanted to say thank you for coming with us. I know it means a lot to Grace to have you as a witness. You were there the day of the engagement and having this private crowd felt right for our next step in marriage. I also know things aren't great between you and my brother..." Rocco trailed off. I sighed internally but didn't show it. 

"It's okay, Rocco. I'm glad to be here for this. Renzo is ignoring me anyway. We're all here for you two" I reminded them. Rocco and Grace were hand in hand throughout the path. Dante and I had been a step behind them, but when Rocco started speaking he widened the path so we were closer to a line of four. 

"I didn't even think about how romantic this trip could come off as...I was so focused on the elopement. Ugh" Grace cringed at herself. I waved her off again. 

        "Kitten and I can enjoy our romantic stay, right kitten?" Dante nudged me playful. I snorted a laugh. "Yes, we can go down for a social hour and have some wine with the other guests. Renzo can do what he wants" I tried to flip this into a positive experience. 

"We reserved a dinner for ourselves, but it's a bit of a drive so we'll need the car or else I would say you two could go off exploring" Grace told us. "Psh, I'm a social butterfly. I'll nail this gathering" Dante gave a thumbs up at the idea. 

"You shouldn't stay up very late either. The ceremony is promptly at 10am, but I was hoping you'd help me get ready Kat" Grace glanced at me. I smiled and I can say it was a genuine one.

         "Yes, of course. Rocco, we'll be kicking you out of the room by 8am. You can get ready with the guys, so you don't get an early peek at your bride" I wagged a playful finger at him. "Yes, good idea. I know it's not the wedding-wedding, but I hope you'll still be taken with my look tomorrow too" Grace admitted to her soon to be husband. 

Less than 24 hours away now. Nobody will know it either. This secret stays between the five of us until their second wedding. They're so in love they're ready to commit twice. Must be nice.