I drew in a shallow breath. “I was very young and inexperienced. You unnerved me.”
“That went absolutely both ways,” he uncovered, twisting his napkin. “You made me feel like I was some hot blooded teenager who couldn't control his urges.”
I sneered. “Forgive me, but I find that very hard to imagine.”
“I don't blame you,” he said with absolute confidence. “I'm not the kind of guy that chases after women. They always chased after me. But you...you were the first girl I was actually interested in pursuing.”
“And what was so special about me?” I inquired quietly.
He smirked as though I had said something that intrigued him. “What was so special about you, cara, was the very fact you didn't seem to realize how special you were,” he muttered. “At first, I thought it was an act designed to draw my attention. I thought there was no way for such a charming beautiful girl to be so shy and self-aware around men. But the more I observed you, the more I realized you were being genuine…in my entire life, I've never met anyone so pure and uncorrupted. I was fascinated by it.”
Dumbfounded by his words, I just stared at him and not a single word crossed my lips.
Alessandro snickered. “I hope you don't mind me saying this, cara, but you totally suck at receiving compliments.”
“Maybe that's because I'm not used to receiving them,” I blurted out.
“Well, that is going to change. Practice makes perfect,” he said, and his lips twisted into a light smile. “Why don't you open your gift?”
Intrigued, I listened to his suggestion and reached for the wrapped box. I grasped the gift bow and glanced at Alessandro. “Is it something breakable?”
He gasped a mysterious smile. “In a sense, I guess.”
His intriguing behavior only added to my curiosity as I imagined the contents of that box. There was only one way to find out. Much to Alessandro's frustration, I slowly unwrapped the paper and handled the package with caution, in case it contained something delicate. When I finally removed the lid, a shockwave of surprise ran through my system. The box contained my old diary, the drawings I had made of Alessandro and a large black folder filled with papers.
I expelled a shuddering breath, and reached for my diary, brushing my fingers over the smooth cover. I had decorated it with a picture of my favorite TV series I almost never got to watch because I had so little time at my disposal. My hands trembled as I turned the pages. In a way, it felt as though I travelled back in time. Everything was there. Every single beautiful memory I ever had of him. The description of the first time we met, his kindness and his generous tips. Then, the rose he had given me before he disappeared. In the very last entry I had made on the day I was kidnapped, I talked about the horrors I experienced with that giant man. Underneath that, I prayed for Alessandro to return and rescue me from that hell because I wanted to be only his and no one else's.
Different kinds of emotions rose to the surface as I leveled my gaze with Alessandro's.
“Why are you returning it?” I demanded softly.
“I thought you'd want it back,” he stated, sounding apologetic. “Besides, it was never my right to snoop into your privacy to begin with. I very much regret it.”
I nodded. “You've even saved the drawings.”
Alessandro's expression went distant for a few moments. “Looking at them gave me peace,” he confessed. “It always reminded me there was a time when I didn't hurt you and you didn't hate me.”
I smiled at that remark because it was true and they reminded me of that very same thing. When those drawings were made, he was the center of my universe—the man I put on a pedestal, waiting for him to return my affection. Perhaps, I thought, Alessandro needed a reminder of that time more than I did.
Going through all the drawings once again, I organized them into a neat pile and pushed it toward him. “Here. You can keep them if you want to.”
A flicker of light flashed in his eyes, but then it disappeared and he shook his head. “No, I couldn't. They're yours.”
“Please,” I whispered. “I insist. I want you to have them.”
“Thanks. That's very kind of you, piccola. I’m going to cherish them,” he promised.
I nodded and observed the last thing in that box—the black folder filled with