Page 22 of Offside Rule

“What does this mean?” I asked, my heart thumping in my chest.

“That you can come visit me again.”

Fuck.

What a way to make a man happy.

SIXTEEN

ARIANNA

“Is Italy where you want to spend the rest of your life?” Xavier asked me, two hours later. We were in a coffee shop near the bus station, spending our last moments together.

I had already finished my espresso macchiato, and had just taken the last bite of my tramezzini. Xavier was on his fifth.

I thought about his question, though I didn’t really need to. I had answered this for myself a long time ago, but I had been too scared to say it aloud.

I shook my head. “No.”

He nodded. “Where are you headed? What’s your dream country?”

“Maybe Spain. I love Fuerteventura, though I’ve never been there. Just some bits I saw on the internet, and stories I’ve heard from my colleagues.”

“It’s a beautiful place. And it’s always warm.” He smiled, clearing the sandwich crumbs from his shirt with his hand.

“Yeah, but I still don’t know if it’s right to take Giulia away from the house she grew up in. It’s the last thing that ties us to her father.”

“True, but from my experience, she’s also too young to understand that. Are you comfortable there?”

I bit my lip. “Not really. It’s part of the reason why I love my job—I don’t have to be home that often.”

“So, why are you not moving out?” he asked, as if that were an easy thing to do.

“It’s not a decision I can make overnight.”

“But it is. If it makes you happy, it will make Giulia happier.”

My gaze softened. “You think so?”

“Yeah, I do.”

We settled into a comfortable silence, and Xavier’s words had wheels turning in my head. For the first time, I actually considered what it would be like to move out. To start over.

“I’ll go pay,” he announced before he pressed a kiss to my forehead and spun on his heel.

My cheeks warmed. Damn him for being so adorable, respectful, and affectionate.

When he came back, he threw a hand over my shoulder and guided me out of the coffee shop. I knew we were headed toward the bus station so he could catch his flight, and I didn’t like it.

I wanted more time with him.

“Thank you for coming here for me,” I told him.

His hand squeezed my shoulder. “Any time, fire girl.”

Neither of us said anything until we arrived at our destination. His bus would arrive in ten minutes, and for some reason, I felt like I was losing something. Was it the tiny bubble I had been in while he was here? I didn’t know, but I was aware of the fact that I didn’t want it to end.

But it was going to.

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