Page 106 of Rivals
“You’re joking,” she says in disbelief. I shake my head. “Did you know it took them six hundred years to build it? Did you know there are thousands of statues around it? Did you know that it’s one of the largest cathedrals in the world, and over three hundred people worked on building it?” She keeps rambling off facts about the cathedral, and I just listen as her excitement grows. She stops and takes a breath. She sits up, and I lean against the headboard. “You’re taking me to Milan because you know I love gothic cathedrals?”
“Mhm.” Her eyes get a little teary, and she nibbles on her lip.
“Is that—“ She throws herself onto me and kisses me so deeply, so thoroughly, she steals my breath. She straddles my body, and I hold her small one to mine while energetically kissing all over my face.
“Thank you,” she says. “This means…this means so much to me, Lachlan.”
“You’re welcome, baby. But we’ve got to get going, or we’ll miss our flight.” She nods and starts to get off my lap. I squeeze her butt and her hips again.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
I grin up at her. “It seems like Italy has been better for you than I thought it would be. You’ve gained weight, baby,” I say. She frowns, and her cheeks turn pink. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Revna. It’s a good thing. I love it because it means you’re eating and healthy. It was rough there for a little bit for both of us.” She nods and leans her forehead against mine.
“I would normally say you should never tell a woman she’s gained weight, but I noticed too, and I’m glad. It means I haven’t forgotten to eat because I’m depressed or stuck in my head. So, thanks.” She grins and skims her hand down my chest, pinching my abdomen. “I think you have, too, and it looks delicious,” she smiles. I chuckle at her joke as she leaps from the bed. I stare at her butt a little longer. My eyes trail up to her face, and she shimmies and winks at me before closing the door.
I love making her happy, and eating more than ramen is certainly helping.
***
We finally arrive in the old city of Milan six hours later. I’m beat, but Revna is practically bouncing on her feet. We are only here for a night, so our tour is later today. We catch a taxi to the cheap hostel I found. I wasn’t keen on sleeping separately from Revna in a place neither of us was familiar with. Luckily, I found a hostel that had rooms with a full-size bed. I would have shared with her even if it was a twin-size since we’ve done it before.
We drop our bags and begin our trek to the cathedral. Luckily, it’s not that far from the hostel. As we enter the large plaza, the gigantic cathedral rises strong and proud across the way. Revna gasps as she takes it in. She leads the way to the line, and I pull our tickets up on my phone.
“I can’t believe we’re here. Thank you, Lach. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome, baby,” I grab her hand and lift her knuckles to my lips.
I look around the plaza while we wait in line. Restaurants and shops surround the large square as it bustles with life. A waft of something sweet fills my nose, and my stomach grumbles. We haven’t eaten all day, but I knew Revna wouldn’t to stop to eat until we got here. Ignoring my hungry stomach, I watch the young, old, children, tourists, locals around us. It’s funny to me how you can go to just about any city in the world, and while they may look different, the atmosphere hardly ever is. They are busy and constant. Movement is all around you.
What grabs me about Milan, though, is the age. You have a six hundred-year-old cathedral, according to Revna, and modern life acts as if it’s simply a part of it. How would life be if we accepted things from our past and then decided to keep moving on? Leave them as statues or monuments of a time you’ve learned from or lived through, and then leave it at that? Continue to build around it, despite it still being there, good or bad?
I watch Revna as she keeps her head tilted back, admiring the structure in front of us and its distinct, careful detail. I look up at her, and that deliberate feeling of inspiration fizzes in my mind. What would happen if Revna and I chose to leave the monuments of our pasts behind and build around them? What if we could build something better together for ourselves because we found a way to leave the past where it belongs?
Chapter 63
Revna
LachlanandIgothrough the exit of my new favorite gothic cathedral. My original was in England, but this one takes the cake. I still can’t believe he did all of this for me.
“Thank you,” I say as we walk through the gigantic plaza.
“You don’t need to keep thanking me, Revna. I wanted to do it.”
“I know. You know that this means more than words can explain. So just take the thank you.” I shoot him a look, and he grins.
“Yes, ma’am.” I roll my eyes, and he pinches my butt. “Eyes,” he whispers in my ear as he leads the way to a restaurant. I could hear his stomach across the cathedral. I make no protest because I am starving, too. Whatever we smelled when we came in smelled sweet, like a cookie, and I wanted one.
We walk into a cafe, and people have small coffee cups of what looks like coffee and cream. There are a bunch of different baked goods in a case with croissants, almond croissants, cookies, and cannolis. My mouth waters, and I want to try it all. Lachlan looks at me. “Try all of it?”
I dip my head thoughtfully. “All of it.” He grins and orders the coffee with what I learned is gelato and one of each of the baked goods visible in the case.
After they get it ready, they hand Lachlan a few bags and boxes of everything. I follow him to an open table. Someone brings us our affogato, and I take a sip. It’s perfect. Sweet and creamy with the bitterness of coffee. Lachlan unpacks our food, and I reach for the cannoli and take a bite. I moan at the sweet cream, and Lachlan waits with his mouth open. “Oh, did you want some?” I smile.
His eyes narrow at me. “Revna,” he growls and reaches across the table to shove it in his mouth. He closes and chews. “Damn, that is good,” he says and continues chewing while unloading the food.
We share everything. I eat one bite, and he eats the other. Or if it was big enough, we share it. There has been a genuine smile on my face since I woke up this morning. It feelsgoodto feel this way. I am happy. It’s not because I just saw one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world or because we are in a beautiful country. It’s because Lachlan is with me. Though that brings up a ton of other thoughts that swirl around in my mind, I do my best to push them away. Because right now, here in this moment, I’m happy, and I willenjoyit.
***
