Page 21 of Lodged

“I got you a little something from London.” A small bag materializes in Gio’s hands. I guess I’ve been so entranced by his presence that I didn’t notice he was holding something.

“Oh wow, you didn’t have to,” I say in a small voice, not really sure how to react to his thoughtfulness.

“I know, but since you mentioned you’ve always wanted to go to Sky Garden, I figured I’d get you something from there untilyou can go visit yourself.” My heart instantly melts a little. I take the bag from him and grin like a kid in a candy store as I open it. There’s a beautiful keychain of Sky Garden inside and a little note.

“A gift voucher for one thousand pounds?” I whisper-shout, and Gio throws his head back, laughing.

“Yeah, as I said—a little something and a voucher, hoping that one day you can go…” His blue eyes are fixed on me as he finishes, “...with me.”

His generosity makes me speechless, so I simply nod as I hold his gaze a little longer. I could get lost in those eyes.

“So you’ve never done this before?” he asks, and I’m thankful he decided to switch topics.

“Yeah, the fair we have every year in my town is pretty small; there are no big attractions like this one. It’s mostly local vendors, a few contests, and animal races. That kind of stuff,” I say as I look at those cobalt eyes of his. He’s staring at me with such intensity that I would be on the ground if I weren’t already sitting down.

“I’m sorry, I know staring is rude. But I cannot comprehend how we are here. Together.” Gio voices my thoughts, and that makes me smile.

“I’ve been thinking the exact same thing.” I tuck a piece of my hair behind my ear as I move my gaze away from his, trying to breathe a little easier.

“I need to be honest with you, Ruin. This has never happened to me before.” I can hear the sincerity in his voice, it’s raw and real. As I think about what he just said, I can’t help but admire how open and vulnerable he is right now. Another guy could have lied and said he has gone out with students before—but not him. It only reaffirms what I already think about him.

“Somehow, I know, Gio. From the first moment I saw you, I had this sense of peace around you. Like I knew you’d neverhurt me.” He places his huge hand on my knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. A shot of electricity runs through me at the contact of his skin with mine. When I lift my gaze to his, and his eyes shine bright—full of emotion. He shoots me a wobbly smile and inhales deeply.

“I’m not sure what’s going on between us, or where all this is going, but I’m thankful it’s with someone as special and unique as you.” I’m speechless, unable to comprehend what he sees in me. “Tell me about your family. Have you talked with them since you visited? I guess we need to catch up.” I’m grateful for the change of topic; I don’t think we’re ready to talk about anything too deep, yet.

“Oh yes, of course. I speak with my twin daily and at least every other day with my Mom. They’re all hard at work before winter comes.”

Gio smiles. “And how did it go? I know we’ve spoken a couple of times after that, but you never told me what they said about your car issues,” he says, waiting expectantly for me to continue the story.

“My entire family was waiting for me in the living room. As it turns out, the insurance company contacted my oldest brother, River, who was beside himself. I didn’t make things easier by deciding to wait until I was home to tell them everything.” Gio winces and I laugh. “I know, it was pretty bad. But in my defense, I’m a twenty-four year old woman. You’d think my family would trust me enough to solve my own problems.” Gio nods and smiles, which makes me feel better about myself.

“Yeah, I mean. I’m the oldest sibling of three. Isa, the youngest, is twenty-two and is about to graduate from college.” He pauses, looking to the horizon. I can tell by the smile on his face that he’s fond of his siblings. And I love that he seems to be as close to them as I am to mine. “As hard as it is, I try mybest to let her make her own mistakes. That’s how you learn, you know?” Gio shrugs, and I know exactly what he means.

“What is she studying? Is she a scientist like you?” I ask, wanting to know everything about Gio and his family. He chuckles and shakes his head.

“No, no. She’s working on a degree in art. My middle brother, Luca, has a degree in communication but he ended up buying a vineyard and now runs it with his wife in Chile.” My eyes grow big as saucers. A vineyard? They must have a lot of money to be able to afford something like that. I sense Gio tensing, and I immediately shake off my surprise. It’s none of my business to know how much money his family makes, and it’s definitely not a first-date kind of topic.

The Ferris wheel stops, and we get out of the pod.

“What do you want to do next?” Gio asks me as he helps me down the stairs.

“Hmm, let’s see. Are you up for a turkey leg?” I say, looking at the food options around us.

“I thought you’d never ask.” He grins, and we head toward the line to order our food.

“I know it’s not the healthiest, but fair food is so dang tasty.” I chuckle at his assessment.

“I completely agree. Fried food is delicious. Have you tried fried oreo ice cream?” He raises a brow at me, and I raise my hands in surrender.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to assume,” I say shyly, and he elbows my arm playfully.

“Because I’m a foreigner?” he asks, and I feel my face warming up. “I’ll have you know, I love North Carolina, and it’s been a joy to live here for the past four years. Traveling to beautiful destinations, trying delicious food, not to mention how nice and welcoming the people are. Actually, I don’t think I ever want to leave.”

A smile spreads across my lips, he’s such a nice guy.

“Amen, brother,” a guy ahead of us in line turns back and says to Gio, who blushes a deep red.

Once we get our turkey legs and sweet tea, we find a spot to sit down and eat. We both focus on our food and enjoy each other's company in comfortable silence. We end up sharing a funnel cake and oreo fried ice cream after we devour the turkey legs, which were huge.

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