THE BILLIONAIRE'S FOREVER CONTRACT

DIANA

DIANA

I had considered not ever setting foot in Luca's restaurant anymore and maybe not ever seeing Dante again. After what had happened and my more than disgraceful walk out of the restaurant that day, I had thought maybe I would bump into him again. I had even gone as far as asking the receptionist if a certain Dante had a reservation at the hotel to which she replied in the negative.

So I had simply just made out with an attractive man whom I just met and hardly knew anything about. It was unlike me to even do anything like this but there was something irritatingly attractive and absolutely compelling about him that would make me do anything that he asked for.

The next day, I had gone to the restaurant much to the surprise of Luca who bless him had asked me if I was alright. I was sure he maybe had seen the footage from the dashcam of Dante kissing me and me being the wanton trollop that I was but he said nothing about it. The day had gone on really uneventful without the regular visit of Dante which could only mean that he was avoiding me.

"What is it with Italian men" I scoffed, scrubbing furiously at the stain on my work jacket.

It had been four days since my last conversation with my family and I was dying to flip out my phone and wail to them about everything that had happened but I did not want to seem weak and trusting my brothers, they would be on the first flight here to take me back. My whole rebellion would have been for nothing and if I could not handle one Italian man, then what was the point.

"You are going to ruin the jacket if you keep scrubbing it so harshly" Luca said from behind me.

Contrary to the opinion I had of him when his behavior had upset me, Luca was a nice person and I wondered if his first impression had anything to do with Dante. I could see that he respected the man but there was also that underlying fear that he tried so hard to mask.

I wondered who exactly he was and what I had to do to find out more about him.

"I am just having a very bad day" I told him.

"You should rest, you look stressed" he said

I dropped into one of the seat behind the counter and sighed while he watched me, his ponytail visible from underneath his cap.

"Why the ponytail?" I asked him.

It was my way of avoiding the question that was evident in his eyes. I knew he wanted to ask me what had happened between Dante and I but I did not think I was ready to discuss it just yet.

"I was at some rebellious stage when I was younger and began growing my hair out"

"And that was it? Just some rebellious stage?" I persisted

"Yes but when it was all over, I could not bring myself to get rid of the air and I guess it just became a signature look for me"

"That's... cute"

Cute was probably not the word he had been expecting because he laughed and then asked me a question of his own

"Why are you here?"

"I am at a rebellious stage too" I said simply

"Aren't you a little bit old to be rebelling?" He said; quirking one eyebrow up.

"I don't think I am although this is more than a rebellion to me. I am trying to figure out certain parts of my life and I don't think I can do that staying with my family. They are the best but too overprotective of me"

"I wish I had someone who was overprotective of me"

He was mocking me but in a friendly sort of way and I was surprisingly pleased about this.

"Well, it is not always the best and you might just be preventing such person from having the time of their lives" I told him

When we closed, I stayed a bit to help him sort out things with the restaurant and then locked up, groaning as I landed on my bed. I did not sleep for a very long time as I thought about everything since I arrived in Italy; it brought a smile to my face.

...i hardly know what to say when I write into you but then the therapist suggested that I say whatever I am thinking and feeling and that is what I am going to do... I guess?

Yesterday I had something with a man... I have written about him before, the same person that bumped into me at the hotel and for some reason, I do not feel bad about it.

I know it is too early to begin falling in love and men hardly ever intrigued me in the past but what if this is him? The person I have always wanted and...

I will not jump into conclusions seeing as I hardly know him but it is something I am feeling and I guess I am telling you dumb book about it because I cannot talk to anyone else.

My pen stopped moving as the emotions drained out of me. There was nothing to talk about again and I realized my thoughts were much calmer than they had been before I began writing into the book. Maybe the dumb therapist was right and this was a means to my recovery. I closed the book and put it underneath my pillow before closing my eyes and falling into some dream.

Dante was in it and he was smiling at me, beckoning me to come forward and meet him but I couldn't... not because I did not want to but because I could not move. There was something holding me back and though I had no idea what it was, I knew in that dream that it was something important and I had to watch out for it.