SOPHIA
I set the table, constantly glancing at Dante, who never tore his eyes off me. Why was he here? How?
The whole of Italy mourned for him after his 'tragic death' in a fire accident. The guilt of not being able to save him had weighed on me for years, and now here he was, seated at my dining.
"Sophia," he said my name so casually, as if it was something he said everyday. "May I call you Sophia? I'm afraid I have the habit of addressing everyone by their first name." he smiled, that same downturned smile I used to hate seeing.
"Dante, is it?" I asked, trying to sound casual.
He nodded, still smiling at me.
"Okay. So you work with my husband?"
He smiled again, like he was amused by my words. "Temporarily. It's a contract, and your husband still needs to convince me that all this is worth my time."
"I can assure you Dante, signing this contract will be of a huge benefit to your company as well." Leo said. "But we shouldn't discuss business over a meal. You should eat and then we can talk."
The dining room was filled with an odd kind of tension. Dante kept his eyes on me, and I noticed Caleb studying him. The only person who seemed to eat carefree was Leo. Clearly he had no idea who Dante was.
"What's your eye color?"
My fork clanked on my plate when I heard Caleb's question. "Come on now baby, we shouldn't bother our guest."
"The little dude is just curious, it's no bother at all." Dante leaned closer to Caleb. "It's obsidian, just like yours."
"I thought so." Caleb nodded thoughtfully.
The room fell silent once more, except for the sound of the cutlery clicking against the ceramic plates. Unable to eat anymore, I pushed my plate forward, waiting for the others to finish.
"Since we're on the topic, Sophia, might I say that you have such lovely eyes."
I glanced at Dante but looked away just as quickly.
Leo was the one who answered. "Yes, that has always been one of her best qualities." The smile on his face didn't quite reach his eyes. "As her husband, I must be so lucky that someone with such lovely eyes belongs to me, right?"
Dante tilted his head slightly but offered no reply.
I sat quietly, counting the seconds till I could excuse myself. The only thing stopping me was Leo's rule to never leave while he was still eating.
"Sophia, if I remember correctly, your birthday is this week right? Do you have anything special planned?"
I slowly looked up at Dante, "How.... did you know my birthday?" I asked in a daze. Leo had never remembered, or maybe he just didn't care about it.
He raised a brow at me, as if to say, 'how could I forget?'
My heart tightened and I felt like I would cry. I found it hard to believe that he would remember, especially after being apart for nine long years.
Leo must have been waiting for Dante's response, because he asked again. "How did you know my wife's birthday?"
"Not sure." Dante replied nonchalantly. "Must have seen it somewhere online." He turned to Caleb. "What about you? Did you prepare anything special?"
The kid perked up, a childish grin on his face. "It's a secret."
"Ohh, cool. If you need any help, come to me."
"You mean it?"
The happiness on his face almost broke my heart.
"Of course." Dante raised his hand and Caleb high fived him. "We'll be a cool team."
"We can start tomorrow. I have-" he paused abruptly, glancing at Leo. "Daddy, can I? You already said you don't have time and I can't do it on my own."
Leo forced a smile, but it did little to hide his discomfort. "Of course." He dropped his fork and pushed his chair back. "Dante, you'll have to excuse me, there's something I need to do." He got up and left the dining room.
Seeing that moment as an opportunity, I quickly packed up his plate along with mine and rushed off to the kitchen.
Once alone, my curiosity came crashing down on me. I dropped to my knees as I contemplated what Dante's appearance meant for me.
Did he know something?
Was he planning something?
Was it really just a coincidence? But if that was the case, why didn't he tell Leo who he was? It was clear that Leo was unaware of their high school connection.
I had too many questions, and no answer. My mind went back to the first time I met Dante.
It was the beginning of senior year, and I was a part of the student committee. That morning, I was returning from the teacher's office when someone bumped into me.
"Watch where you're going." I bent to retrieve his notebook which had fallen. "Here. You should be more careful next time."
He yanked the note from my hand and walked past me, bumping my shoulder intentionally as he passed.
I remember thinking that he was an asshole then.
"What are we doing?"
For some reason, I wasn't surprised when he walked in. In fact, it was almost like I was .... expecting him to?
Still on my knees, I raised my head to meet his gaze. "Why are you here?"
"The house I bought isn't ready yet, and your husband so generously insisted I stay here rather than a hotel."
"That's not what I meant. Why?"
"Why? Cause we have a business deal together."
"Dante -"
"You still look so beautiful,"
The compliment caught me off guard and I looked away to prevent him from seeing my flushed cheeks.
"..you seem to have lost your edge though." He continued. "Is it because you got married?"
With every word he spoke, his voice was getting closer. Somehow I knew that he would stop if I looked at him, but I just couldn't bring myself to.
"Do you remember how you rejected me back in high school? No one had ever said no to me before."
I felt his hand touch my hair, then he wrapped a lock around his finger. The gesture brought back memories and something else....
"What do you say? Should I try again?"
My breath caught. And for the first time in years, I didn't know whether to run from him.... or toward him.
