More Than This by Dominique Wolf

CHAPTER 20:

Isabella

I

pulled my coat closer to me as I turned down the street towards the address of the coffee shop I was meeting Lorenzo at. The sun was shining down and although that didn't take away the chill in the air, it definitely assisted with giving what little warmth it could manage. I was thankful that the headache tablets had started to work themselves through my system. My raging hangover wasn't something I intended to have for the day, but that was self-inflicted.

As I turned around the corner, the La Sagrada Familia came into full view. It was breathtaking - apart from the cranes from the on-going construction. I was always mesmerised by it. How could you not be? It was one of the most impressive architectural structures ever. I strolled down the street past the various tourist shops that popped up around a sight like this. In Summer, the area was flooded with people trying to get in, but today there were only a handful of tourists flocking around it.

I continued towards my destination and stopped at the red door that came into view. Cafe Belmont was a quaint little café across the road from the La Sagrada Familia. I peeped inside and noticed how small it was. I didn't mind that - the less people, the better. I scanned the area trying to see if I could notice Lorenzo but instead I was surprised by the increasing amount of Christmas decorations that lined the streets.

Wait, what was the date?

I had been so wrapped up in the last few drama-filled weeks that I didn't even realise the festive season was upon us. How did I not notice any of this sooner? I continued to look around trying to really pay attention to anything else I could have missed.

“Why do you look so confused?” Lorenzo popped up from behind me.

I turned to see his friendly smile.

“Would you believe me that I only noticed the Christmas decorations now?”

He chuckled. “That's surprising since they started putting these things up well into November already.”

“That's even worse,” I admitted, laughing along with him.

He was casually sporting a grey hoodie that was hidden beneath a denim jacket he had pulled on over it. There was no beanie this time round as he had his dark hair perfectly styled in place. His beard had grown longer since I last saw him - it was as dark as his hair and really complimented his complexion. I was surprised by his appearance. When I had first met him, there was nothing dark and alluring about him, but I was clearly mistaken. I could admit that there was something about him.

“Have you been waiting long?” he asked. “Sorry, I couldn't find parking so had to park a few streets up.”

“No, I just got here.” I smiled. “Shall we?”

“Yes, please.” He stepped back and allowed me to enter first.

I strolled inside and was welcomed by the aroma of freshly made coffee in the air. There was only one other couple inside and a staircase in the far corner.

I turned back to Lorenzo. “Where do you want to sit?”

“Oh no, we're not sitting down here,” he explained. “The best part of this place is upstairs.”

He gestured to the staircase. “Follow me.”

He led the way as we climbed the stairs. It didn't take long to reach the top and the area was scattered with chairs and tables, but that wasn't what caught my eye. The large windows were opened wide displaying the most perfect view of the cathedral. It took my breath away. The four gothic designed spires were in the distance and from where we sat, you didn't notice the ongoing construction. It allowed for the archaic view that the architecture wanted. From the outside of the coffee shop, you wouldn't expect much from it, but they had one of the best views I had seen.

“What do you think?” Lorenzo asked, bringing me out of my gawking state.

“It's breathtaking,” I gasped.

“Right?” He agreed and led me past the tables to the closest one to the window. “I love coming here for this very reason.”

“I didn't even know this place existed.”

“I'm here all the time,” he explained. “Nothing beats sitting here with a good book.”

“You're a reader?” I asked, surprised.

“Oh yeah, big time.”

That was good to know. Giovanni wasn't much of a reader.

Why are you thinking about him?

The voice echoed through my mind and she was right. I needed to stop that. I was still feeling the emotional after-effects from this morning, but I was working really hard to try and push that out of my mind. I was wrapped up in the guilt and the sickening feeling of Casey arriving for their doctor's appointment. Of course, he was going to accompany her - it's his baby too, but the thought of them together would never be a welcomed one. She got under my skin and filled me with a jealousy-fueled rage. Giovanni and Casey had to plan for their baby's arrival now and I had to work on moving on from him, if that was even possible.

I pushed him out of my mind as I took a seat across from Lorenzo.

“How do you take your coffee?” he asked.

“No sugar. Just milk please.”

He turned to the younger male waiter that had followed us upstairs from the entrance. “Un café sin azúcar y un espreso por favor.”

With a friendly smile, the waiter turned to place our order. My gaze wandered outside again and I was calmed by the sun peeping out from behind the spires.

“I hope you like the place,” he said sheepishly. “It was the only one I could think of that would be nice to meet at.”

I turned back to him. “Lorenzo, it's perfect.”

“I'm so glad.” He smiled, his eyes brimming with sincerity. “I thought you could use a change of scenery with everything going on.”

“These last few weeks have been quite the rollercoaster,” I admitted.

“You're welcome to talk about those things if that's what you want.” He alluded to the Giovanni and Casey situation. “You know I'm here for you.”

I sighed. “I don't think there is much else for me to say. Giovanni and I are not together anymore so I shouldn't be bothered by what happens in his life.”

My sadness had turned to anger recently. The constant reminder of the two of them was starting to piss me off more than anything else. I tried to distance the pieces of my heart from it. It was easier to be angry at him than to admit that he hurt me. That was too closely connected to the amount of love I had for him and I couldn't think of that anymore. That was irrelevant now.

“But it's okay to have been hurt by what happened.”

I averted my eyes. “Yeah, but it doesn't change anything.”

Lorenzo reached for my hand across the table and squeezed it gently. There it was again - that unexpected electricity at this touch. What was that? Was it an attraction? Obviously I found Lorenzo attractive, but was I really attracted to him? I flicked my eyes to meet his gaze. I probably could be if I allowed myself but I didn't want that.

“How about we don't talk about them?” he suggested, bringing me out of my thoughts. “I'm happy to be here for you to vent to but I think you could do with a distraction.”

I nodded. “Yes, please. Last time you promised me that you could distract me and I've been so intrigued since then.”

He smirked and ran his fingers through his hair. “I promised you distractions, I just never promised you that my company would be any good.”

“Of course it is.” I smiled at him. “But if I'm being honest here, Lorenzo, I don't really know anything about you.”

“Now, that's not true,” he objected playfully. “You know I enjoy tequila.”

When I first met him at Paradiso, he ordered us a shot of tequila as well as a drink that was laced with it. He drank that with no problem, unlike me who couldn't control my facial expressions.

“That's true,” I laughed. “And you know that I don't particularly enjoy the taste of tequila.”

“Oh, that much was clear since you failed to take a shot without making a face last time.”

“I tried really hard!” I objected and he threw his head back in laughter.

“I also know that you have some killer dance moves,” he teased. “I have those moves to thank because without them I wouldn't have even met you.”

The heat started to spread across my cheeks. “You say killer dance moves, everyone else says terrible dance moves.”

He scoffed. “Oh please, I know you can dance.”

He flicked his eyes to meet mine and I knew he was referring to when we danced together that night. He pulled me close to his body and knew exactly what he was doing with it. He moved with the music and it was hypnotising. I took a deep breath in, trying to keep my mind from going to what it was like to dance with Giovanni. Those memories were pushing through and I didn't want to allow them in. I couldn't - I couldn't think of his body against mine when not even 24 hours ago, I had exactly that.

“Those were alcohol-induced moves.”

I was thankful for the waiter arriving with our drinks to stop that conversation from going any further. Lorenzo had a friendly energy to him, but he couldn't hide his very clear interest in me. I knew he didn't expect me to reciprocate it, but I also didn't want to give him the wrong idea.

“So, do you live in the area?” I asked casually, trying to change the subject.

“Yeah, I'm not too far from here. It's not too far from where I work either.”

“What is it that you do? Last time I saw you, you were in a fancy suit.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, that was rare. My boss likes us to dress up like that when we have an important meeting. I'm actually the head of marketing at a company called Augmented Media. I mainly work in the digital marketing space.”

“That's pretty cool. How long have you worked there?”

“Been there for a couple years now. It's not bad. We work with some pretty cool clients.”

He continued to explain more about the business and name-dropped a few of the bigger brands that I was quite familiar with. He spoke with such ease and confidence. There was never an element of arrogance to him, only sincerity and I was enjoying his company. I didn't know much about him which opened up the opportunity to keep the conversation going for as long as possible. I needed all the distractions I could get at this point.

“And you? Where do you work?”

I sipped on my coffee. “Well, I have a casual job as a waitress at this place close to where I stay. I worked at a publishing house back in London but I'm still trying to find my feet here now.”

The conversation around my lack of career always caused a small stir of anxiety inside. The constant lingering fear that I didn't quite know where my life was going often made me feel uneasy.

“And Reyna and I actually own a little coffee shop together.”

His eyes lit up. “Really? Why didn't we go there instead?”

“Oh, it's not ready yet,” I answered quickly. “There is still a lot to be done before it will be ready for the public.”

“That's amazing though. I'd love to come by and see it.”

“I don't think it'll have a view as nice as this but of course, you should definitely check it out.”

He smiled at me and leaned back in his chair. “That would be great.”

The conversation between us flowed so easily. Never stopping to reveal any awkward silences or scraping to find a new topic. It was refreshing to find someone so easy to talk to. We zipped through a number of topics - covering the basics of our favourite types of things. Colors, food, weather, movies. We covered it all and I was starting to get a better understanding of him. We had so many similarities - more than I thought I would have with him.

He signaled the waiter for another drink before turning back to me. “You mentioned that you used to work in London, how long were you there for?”

“I'm actually originally from London. I moved here earlier this year,” I replied.

“I remember you mentioning something about your ex when we first met.”

I ran my mouth a bit too much when Lorenzo and I first met it seems.

“Yeah, my boyfriend of six years left me because he didn't want to get married.”

“Why do I feel like there is more to that story?”

“Oh, there's so much more to that story,” I groaned. “None of the details I feel like boring you with.”

“Learning more about you is not boring.” He flicked his eyes to meet mine.

I couldn't control the unexpected heat that spread across my cheeks again. Every now and then he made these comments that had an underlying hint of flirtation to them. As much as I wanted to continue the conversation with him, I didn't feel like explaining my family drama. It was draining.

I sighed. “I promise I owe you the full story, but it's just too recent for me to want to talk about now.”

This conversation was reminiscent of when I first explained my family dynamic to Giovanni. He learned all there was about me and had a first-hand account of what my family was really like. His patience at the hospital with my mother was commendable. She held nothing back when it came to sharing what she thought and he handled it in the best way. Not once did he ever disrespect her, even when he had every right to. There was always a dull ache in my chest whenever I thought of him. He was my comfort during those days with my father. He was the only one that could have gotten me through that. I longed to go back to what we were.

“That's perfectly fine.” He reached across the table and grabbed my hand. “I'd never want to push you to talk about anything you weren't comfortable with sharing.”

“I appreciate that.”

My hand slipped out of his as I leaned back against my chair. I brought my coffee to my lips, trying my hardest to focus on Lorenzo and his attempts to distract me from what constantly hovered in my mind.

Forget about Giovanni.

The voice in my head continued to whisper that, but my heart knew it was easier said than done.