𝟏𝟒 - 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄

all my favorite days

are ones spent with you.

____

VALENTINA

____

I am a nervous mess. Alejandro is at my parents' house, and I'm stood in front of my closet, trying to decide what to wear.

What do people even wear on dates? I haven't been on one in years. Is the dress code still the same? Is a dress too much? Too little?

Not wanting to think too much on it, I dialed Enzo's number.

And on the second ring, he answered, "Val? Are you okay? Did something happen?"

He's such a worrywart. It's cute.

"No, Enzo, I'm okay." I comforted him. "I just...don't know what to wear. What is proper date attire now?"

I could hear him chuckling on the other line, "Bella, you'll look amazing no matter what you wear. But, I'm taking you to a fancy restaurant, so maybe a dress."

"Thank you." I breathed out in relief, "I'll see you later."

As we said our goodbyes, I hung up the phone and returned my focus back to my closet. I'm not sure if my dresses will even fit anymore, honestly. The last time I wore any of them was way before my pregnancy.

Biting down on my lip in thought, I decided to grab a simple black dress. That'll be fancy enough, with a pair of heels and some jewelry.

I grabbed the dress, mentally begging for it to still fit me. And as I pulled it on, it fit perfectly. I smiled, quickly going to add jewelry, deodorant (of course) and some perfume. After that, I sat by my vanity, curling my hair.

I clean up nice sometimes.

As I was applying the finishing touches to my makeup, the doorbell rang. It must be Enzo, judging by the time.

"Coming!" I called out, quickly applying the last of my lip-gloss, before getting up. I pulled some heels on, grabbed my purse and did one more check in my mirror. I look good. I think. I hope.

Quickly making my way downstairs, I walked to the front door, unlocking it, and being met with the most gorgeous bouquet of flowers.

"Holy fuck." Enzo's quiet murmur moved my focus from the flowers to him. He looks good. Freshly shaven, wearing a suit that was clearly tailored to fit him, his aftershave and cologne smelling pleasantly between us, the top buttons of his dress shirt unbuttoned.

"You look- wow. Fuck." He murmured, setting the flowers aside, his hands landing on my waist. "Too good to be true. My god. You look beautiful. Perfect. Gorgeous."

"You look good too." I smiled, a red hue tinting my heated cheeks. "And the flowers are gorgeous." I continued, gently grabbing the flowers, and setting them in the empty vase that was in the hallway.

He smiled back, grabbing my hand and pulling me close, pressing a few kisses to my knuckles. "Shall we?"

____

Holy crap. This is like...the prettiest restaurant I have ever seen.

Enzo simply chuckled at my awed expression and began slowly pulling me along to a more private part in the restaurant, an even prettier part.

It was a more secluded table, with romantic candlelight, and a bottle of red wine and a bottle of white wine already waiting for us.

The way he accommodated for me is admirable. He knows crowds make me anxious, he knows it makes me jittery and nervous, and he took that into attention.

"I didn't know which you prefer, so I got both." He spoke into my ear, slowly pulling out my chair for me. I thanked him, and took a seat.

The restaurant is beautiful. There's calm, classic music playing quietly in the background, everyone is dressed so elegantly, the food looks so good I could die for it.

"Everything looks so amazing, and we haven't even ordered yet." I let out a small giggle, taking the menu in my hands, my eyes skimming the words.

Enzo chuckled, keeping his eyes on me, "Yes, it is a very beautiful restaurant. Order anything you'd like, bella. It's my treat."

I shook my head with a smile, he's such a gentleman. I tried to look for the cheapest option, only to find that there were no prices listed. Why?

"Where...where are the prices? What kind of menu is this?" I murmured, my brows creasing in confusion.

"Ah...I had them removed from your menu. You don't need to worry that pretty head because of money, yeah?" He smiled, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear.

Swoon.

What an angel. Seriously. What the hell did I do to deserve a guy like him? He just waltzed into my life and made it at least ten times better. It all feels like a fever dream.

We spent hours at the restaurant, enjoying all kinds of different appetizers, snacks, meals, wines, desserts. Enzo made me laugh until my stomach hurt, and smile until my cheeks hurt. And by the time the sun had fully set, we were finally getting ready to leave.

"We have another stop to make before I take you home." Enzo murmured, as he led me out of the restaurant, his hand resting on my lower back.

"Another stop?" I raised an eyebrow, looking up at him, "It's so late already, what could even be open anymore?"

He chuckled, pressing a kiss to my hair, "Don't you worry, Valentina. You'll see when we get there."

He led me back to his car, holding open the passenger door for me, letting me get in and making sure I was buckled in, before he closed the door and rounded the car to get in the driver's seat.

The car started, the radio playing on low, setting a nice mood. Enzo's right hand rested on the wheel, his left hand slipping to rest on my thigh. It felt so natural, and intimate. I loved it.

My hand rested on top of his, gently squeezing, as I glanced at him. His eyes were focused on the road, but I saw his lips tilt up in a small smile.

We drove in comfortable silence, until about fifteen minutes later, Enzo parked the car on the edge of a forest. Okay. Not suspicious at all.

He got out, and came over to open the door for me, and helped me out of the car, before beginning to pull me along a forest path.

"Is this the part where I die?" I chuckled awkwardly, my hand squeezing around his, as I tried to see where we're going.

He laughed, shooting a glance back at me, "I wouldn't let your pretty face go to waste like that, sweetheart."

After a while of walking, we ended up at an opening and...Oh. My. God.

"I thought we could lay here, snack a little and stargaze." Enzo spoke, his hand coming to rest on my back, gently urging me towards the blankets.

"This is...wow." I spoke, stunned. "So beautiful. How did you even manage to- to get all of this here?"

He gently led me to the blankets, pulling me down to sit with him, "A magician never reveals his secrets, bella."

I playfully rolled my eyes at his comment, watching as he laid down, slightly propped upwards by the pillows. Not giving me a chance to react, he pulled me to lay down beside him, my head resting on his chest, his hand running through my hair.

"The sky is so pretty like this." I commented, my eyes focused on the star-filled sky.

"Hmm." Enzo hummed, and I swear I could feel his gaze burning through me. I turned my head, my eyes immediately meeting his, a small smile on his lips.

We laid there for a moment, just looking at each other; our gazes straying down to each other's lips every now and then.

His hand crept up to rest on my jaw, slowly pulling my face closer, his eyes zeroed in on my lips. He inched closer and closer, until our lips were practically a hair away from each other.

Our eyes spoke the words we didn't say, and just like that, he closed the last little inch, pressing his lips against mine.

Smoothly, he rolled me over to my back, settling on top of me, the kiss deepening; he was clearly in control here. His hands rested on both sides of my head; my hands gripped onto the material of his suit jacket.

When I was running out of breath, he pulled away, landing kisses down my jaw, moving over to my neck. My head tilted back, one of my hands slipping onto the back of his neck.

"You're so pretty." He murmured between kisses, his hand sliding to rest on my hip, "So...so pretty. All for me, yeah?"

"All- uh...all for- for you." I whispered breathlessly, my eyes fluttering shut. I was stuttering like a schoolgirl, but I don't care; it's been so long since I've felt like this.

Since I've felt this wanted.

____

TO BE CONTINUED...

;) happy new year!