𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞

10 | Let me be the first

I S A B E L L A

The sea breeze carried a quiet hush through the evening air.

The restaurant we'd just left was still glowing warmly behind us, a little hum of voices and clinking glasses drifting out. 

Now we sat on a bench just outside a tiny ice cream shop. With two scoops of ice cream.

It was peaceful here. 

Dante sat beside me, the first two buttons of his shirt unbuttoned, sleeves rolled casually to his elbows. His hair was messier than usual from the wind, and he was focused intently on his pistachio ice-cream, eating with the kind of concentration usually reserved for something far more serious.

He might say he doesn't like ice-cream but I know he love it.

I watched him for a moment before I smirked. "You eat like someone's gonna take it from you."

He glanced sideways at me, mock offense lighting his face. "Because someone might."

I lifted an eyebrow. "You think I'm gonna steal your ice-cream?"

"You're already eyeing it." 

"I was admiring your poor technique." I roll my eyes, huffing.

He let out a soft laugh, and I caught the flicker of amusement in his eyes—the kind that made something flutter in my chest, unexpected and warm. 

There was something different about him tonight. Or maybe there was something different about me. I felt lighter. Like I could breathe a little easier, just for now.

"You had three plates of pasta," he added casually, "and yet, you're still judging me."

"That was survival," I said, licking my spoon. "You don't mess around when the pasta is that good."

"I'll give you that."

We sat in silence for a moment, the kind that didn't feel awkward. 

Just comfortable.

The kind of silence where you didn't feel the need to fill it.

The sky had shifted from orange to a deep lavender, and the first stars were starting to appear. 

The streetlights flickered on one by one, casting a gentle glow on the sidewalk. 

Dante turned to me slightly. "You seem different tonight."

I raised an eyebrow, cautious. "Different how?"

"I don't know." He hesitated. "Lighter. Like you're not carrying the whole world for once."

My smile faltered just a little. "It's easy to forget everything when you're sitting outside eating ice cream."

"But I don't want you to forget," he said, quieter now. "I want you to have moments like this. You deserve them."

I looked away, not sure what to say to that. 

Because no one had ever said that to me before. 

Not like that. Not with that softness in their voice, like they actually meant it.

"I'm not used to this," I admitted finally. "It feels... unfamiliar."

Dante was quiet for a beat. Then he reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled something out—a small black phone, sleek and simple. He held it out to me, palm open.

I blinked. "What's that?"

"A phone," he said, as if it were obvious. "For you."

I looked at it like it might bite. "What? No. I'm not taking that."

He didn't move his hand. "Angioletta—"

"Why are you giving me a phone?"

"Because I want you to have a way to reach me."

"I don't need a phone."

"I didn't say you needed it. I said I want you to have it."

My gaze flicked between his hand and his face. He wasn't teasing. He wasn't playing. There was something genuine in his eyes.

"Why?" I asked again, softly this time.

He exhaled through his nose. "Just incase something happens to you."

My chest tightened.

"And if you ever need me," he said gently, "for anything at all my number's already in there. You don't have to explain. You don't even have to talk. Just call, and I'll be there."

I stared at the phone again.

"I'm not used to people doing things like this for me," I admitted.

"Then let me be the first."

My heart skipped a beat, butterflies swarming in my stomach.

My fingers hesitated, then slowly reached out and took the phone from his hand. 

My skin brushed his, and for a second I felt that familiar current rush through me.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

He smiled, and it wasn't smug or proud. It was soft. Like he was just glad I took it.

"You don't have to use it," he said. "But it's there. In case."

I nodded, holding it in my lap like it might vanish if I let it go. 

For a second, I was quiet. 

A lump forming in my throat as I thought about leaving. I won't get to see him make breakfast or make snacks in the middle of the night.

This would be our last time spending time together.

Love you darlings<3