Page 93 of The Dolce Vita Divas
‘Well,’ he said, ‘will this be okay? Is it warm enough? I know you always felt the cold.’
I took my coat off and dropped it onto the chair.
‘It’s fine.’
I suddenly recalled what Juliette had said.You can make a brand-new ending.And this moment, perhaps this was when it started.
I went to put my arms around his waist and looked up at him.
‘Do you remember?’ I said.
‘Oh, yes, I remember,’ he said. ‘I remember everything.’
‘Then?’
It was as though we had never parted. The desire we both felt for each other was still there. I thought we were both apprehensive, wondering if our old relationship, such as it had been, would have stood the test of time. But it didn’t take very long to realise it had.
The evening light in his room was calm and forgiving. The bed softer still. The sheets like silk under my skin. And he was so warm, so passionate and kind. And there was no rush this quiet December evening as we discovered each other at last. How long had I wanted to be appreciated like that, so cherished, so loved.
It was everything and more that I had ever dreamed of. There was no hesitation, no regret, no memories of the past there to spoil it. Just him and me, absorbed in each other, finding at last the things we had sought. The ice in my heart thawed under his touch, and I knew then what it was to be precious to a man. Important and valued. At last.
Although my heart soared with joy, I could have cried. With happiness, with relief that the wait for him, for this moment, had not been in vain. Nothing in the past mattered any more, none of the difficulties, the problems, the disappointments, the doubts. The only thing I knew in that moment was him and me.
We lay there for a long time afterwards, wrapped in the warmth of each other’s arms. The afternoon darkened into night outside and still we lay there, not wanting to disturb that perfect moment.
And then he brought me a soft woollen robe to wear and a bottle of champagne and two glasses from his kitchen. I sat up in bed and watched him, loving the way his muscles moved under his smooth skin. I was filled with wonder at the beauty of his face as he smiled at me. Nowhere could there be any person on the planet who was as happy as I was at the moment, I was sure of it.
* * *
The following day I woke to see him still sleeping beside me and I gave a great sigh of contentment.
‘Are you awake at last?’ he said, his eyes still closed.
I snuggled up to him and his arm went around my shoulder.
‘I’m hungry,’ I said, kissing his chest.
He brushed my hair back from my face.
‘I bet you are,’ he said with a grin.
He brought me coffee, hot and sweet, and a dish of croissants and apricot jam. We sat up in bed talking and just being happy together. How simple it all sounded now it was possible; how difficult to imagine once upon a time.
‘And now I have a Christmas present for you,’ he said at last, and he handed me a package, beautifully wrapped with curled red ribbons that I was pretty sure he had not done himself.
Inside, wrapped in some designer-logoed tissue paper, was a slim leather box, and inside that, a beautiful gold bracelet with just one charm on it. A little outline of Italy.
‘I will buy you others,’ he said, fastening it around my wrist, ‘to celebrate the things we do, the places we see together.’
‘I can’t wait,’ I said.
‘Nor can I.’
He smiled and kissed my hand and then took me in his arms and kissed me, and at that moment I felt truly invincible. Who cared if we were older, less confident? If we had lost the suppleness of our youth, if we had made mistakes in the past?
This was the beginning of something new and special. And whatever happened, for the rest of my life, I knew I would never be lonely again.
* * *
