“Ahhh!” Isabella gasped as her vision was met with a wide-angle view of the city. The bright, bustling streets with numerous, towering skyscrapers and prominent landmarks sprawled out before them as far as her eyes could see from their direction. She could feel her eyes whirling and her brain spinning. She felt nauseous as she stared down at the little buildings from the tallest building where she stood. She’d never seen anything like this before, and it was both beautiful and alarming to observe how the rooftop covered the full roof of the neighboring tall buildings.
Isabella recoiled back, terror seizing her as she imagined herself accidentally falling down the cliff. She moved far away from the brittle parapet, out of fear that it might crack and she would tumble off.
Matteo detected her movement and diverted his gaze to her, puzzled. “What’s wrong?” He questioned.
“It’s too scary to look down.” Isabella said, shivering with anxiety, “What if I fall?” She asked and shuddered in fear.
Matteo grimaced at her and held out a hand. “Give me your hand,” he gestured, but Isabella shook her head. She seemed to be afraid. He let out a frustrated sigh; he wasn’t used to being sweet and all nice to a woman before. “Don’t you trust me?” he asked.
“I do, but”. Isabella attempted to explain, but Matteo cut her off.
“Then take my hand”, Matteo said, but Isabella didn’t move. ‘Fuck! Why do I care?” he said inwardly before continuing. “I promise not to let you go”, Matteo added.
Isabella took a deep breath before she extended her hands to his and Matteo took her hand into his grasp. She shivered as she felt his calloused palm tightly clasped and covered hers.
“There is nothing to be scared about”, he assured, and continued, “Trust me”, Matteo concluded with a trace of seriousness in his eyes.
Isabella looked up at his face and saw that he wasn’t lying at all. She took a step closer and stopped next to him, in front of the parapet wall.
Matteo squeezed her small hands into his, making sure she was relaxed and at ease close to him. “Now look down,” he gently instructed, his gaze still fixed on her.
Isabella took her gaze off him and took a leisurely look below, taking in the view of the stunning city of Italy. She felt a pleasant warmth in her heart and smiled warmly, feeling Matteo stand beside her, holding her hands and ensuring her safety while she looked down over the whole city of Italy from the rooftop. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
“Come around tonight if you want to see how wonderful this place is,” Matteo suggested, allowing her to marvel at the beautiful vista of the city.
“Okay,” Isabella simply responded.
Matteo raked his fingers through his hair with his free hand, moving a strand backward. He couldn’t express how comforting it was to be this close to Isabella, to see her smiling as her gaze surveyed the whole environment she’d never seen before. He was staring at Isabella with dreamy eyes and wasn’t aware he was beaming a smile at her.
As Isabella was looking down the building, she recalled something that had been bothering her and used the chance to inquire. “What did you say to those men you killed in that language”, she raised a question, and Matteo averted his gaze to the sky before she could catch him taking a glimpse at her as she turned to face him.
“Nothing”, Matteo replied curtly, as though he had no interest in the question.
“But”, Before Isabella could complete her statement, Matteo snapped and abruptly changed the topic.
“Everything here reminds me of Lucia”, Matteo said as he stared blankly at the dark cloud.
Isabella remained mute, a flash of rage coursing through her. She was unsure of why she found it so upsetting that he was talking about to another woman. She looked up at Matteo, who was grinning and engrossed at the sky. She has never seen him smile before, and whoever was responsible for it had to be special to him. “Who is Lucia?” she inquired, out of interest.
“My girlfriend, she was everything,” Matteo said calmly, and Isabella felt her heart freeze.
‘Girlfriend? He has a boyfriend!’ Isabella reasoned. He has every right to love another woman, but the idea of seeing him with another woman gave her a feeling of discomfort and worry.
“It’s getting late. I should be going home,” Isabella lied. She just wanted to get away from him. She couldn’t stand being so close to him after learning he had another woman in his life.
“Would you like a ride home?” Matteo asked, and Isabella became angrier.
‘Why in the world would he want to see me off when he has a girlfriend?’ Isabella thought. “No thanks,” she said and withdrew her hands out of his grasp and started walking towards the exit.
Matteo reached out and gripped Isabella’s wrist then pulled her back to stop her from leaving. “I insist!” He stated firmly, and Isabella could see by the stern look on his face that Matteo wouldn’t let her go if she refused his offer to drive her home.
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