Page 25 of (UN)Bounded

“Let’s toast,” I say as I raise my glass, and she does the same.

“To a great first day at uni,” I say, and Bella beams.

“How did you know I had a great day? Did Rocco say anything?” she asks after taking a sip of her wine.

“I haven’t spoken with him all day, but you’re in a great mood and prepared another delicious meal for us, so I assumed you had a great day.” I shrug as I taste the wine she chose for us tonight—a delicious red.

“That’s true. I am in a good mood tonight. But how can I not be? Turns out, we’ll have different instructors each week, and this week, it’s the curator of the Bologna Museum of Modern Art!” She screeches, and I chuckle at her excitement.

“I take it you are pleased with having him as your instructor?” I smirk at her, and she grins back.

“Very. We’ll be going to the museum the next two days to create a painting based on something that catches our attention. Isn’t that amazing? Our own take on a classic!”

“That sounds pretty awesome, and who knows, it might be the first piece you sell at your first expo,” I say nonchalantly, but I know I’ll buy every single one of her pieces.

“Enough about me, how was your day?” Bella asks expectantly. It’s refreshing to have someone genuinely asking about your stuff, not because she wants a slice of what you have in the bank.

“It was actually better than I expected. I had a meeting to approve the design of a set of warehouses we are bidding on for a huge merchandise company here in Italy. I got to change the model within two hours of missing the deadline for submitting our proposal,” I tell her, excited to share my day.

“That sounds amazing and nerve-wracking at the same time. When will you learn if you won the bid?”

“I’m hoping by the end of the week, but it could be next week.”

“Well, at least you have more work to do, and I can keep you entertained with my daily uni updates while you wait,” she says, a blinding smile on her face.

I can’t help but thank the stars for giving me a chance to spend time with and get to know this woman. She’s a light I’ve never had in my life before, and I hope I can keep her with me for a long time.

The night goes by quickly as we eat the delicious pasta Bella cooked and finish the bottle of wine while we comment on one of Fellini’s masterpieces. I also caved and joined Bella under the blanket—her idea, not mine. Tomorrow, I have to take her out for dinner; it’s safer without blankets in the proximity.

Chapter 9

Isabella Bianchi

This week flew by, and as I told Gabo during our mid-week dinner, I’m absolutely in love with the piece I came up with while at the Museum of Modern Art. I decided to paint a live scene instead of doing a take on one of the exhibits.

A woman came in both days and stood for several hours in front of the same painting. The first day, I was intrigued enough to sketch her, tilting her head to the left and observing the painting without moving her hair. For a moment, I felt as if I was her—mesmerized by the art, trying to figure out what the painting was trying to tell me—and the result was beautiful. I wasn’t counting on finding her at the same spot on the second day, but it helped me to create a more detailed version of my painting.

It turns out I have a great group of classmates; everyone is so kind and so fun. It’s going to be really hard to return to Santiago in a couple of months, but I would be lying if I didn’t admit that the best part of the week has been spending time with Gabo. He leaves every morning before I’m awake. I can tell the moment he walks back through that door that he’s exhausted. But when his eyes lock with mine, it’s like he gets a second wind. After freshening up, he comes back out, ready to have dinner and talk about our day.

I’ve never done this with anyone—except my siblings, and there’s nothing sensual about that—but the way he gives me his undivided attention every single time I’m with him makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. The first night, he kept his phone with him, and he had to put it on silent more often than not.

Who needed him with such insistence?

I’m assuming it was his assistant or his business partner, but whoever it was, Gabo said they could wait until the next day. He hasn’t pulled out his phone at night ever since.

Today, we’re heading to his house in the countryside, and I’m so excited. I asked him if we could drive my Bug instead of one of his fancy cars. After a lot of back and forth, he agreed. It also helped that he had secretly taken my Bug for refurbishing. I wasn’t really mad—I thought it was cute that he wanted me to have a comfortable car, but I was also surprised by it. I mean, I’m still not sure why he cares so much about me. At the end of the day, I’m just his friends’ little sister.

By the time Gabo comes back from work, I’m all packed and ready to go. His eyes grow impossibly big when he sees the suitcase I’m taking with me, and I simply shrug.

“Hey, you never know what kind of clothes you’re going to need,” I say, and he lifts his hands in surrender.

“Oh, I wasn’t judging. I would never dream of it,” he says as he approaches me for a hug.

So far, that’s all we’ve been doing: hugging and occasionally holding hands. If it were up to me, I’d have climbed him like a tree days ago. I guess he’s testing the waters first and seeing how we feel together.

“Good, because I didn’t feel like justifying myself,” I reply as I take a big breath, inhaling his delicious scent—a mix of whisky, tobacco, and sandalwood. So masculine.

“Did you have a good day?” I ask him as we remain hugging and swaying to an imaginary tune.

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