Chapter 4
Marco watched her walking away and followed her with his eyes. There was something alluring about her, and he found himself being drawn to her. She wasn’t his usual type—but then again, his usual type was for one night, and he didn’t even remember their names. Melina. That was an interesting name. He had never heard it before. It was unique. As unique as the girl to whom the name belonged.
When he first saw her looking at him, he was sure she would be like all the other women who threw themselves at him—but she didn’t. She had actually walked away from him on her own and didn’t even look back. And then there was Johnny. He loved his dog, but Johnny had never shown any interest in any of the women he had met. If anything, he seemed appalled by them and kept his distance. But he ran to Melina, kissed her, and played with her.
He found the incident fascinating. He had never felt like chasing a woman before, but there was a first time for everything. He would have his men look into this girl. She wasn’t from here, for sure. Her name was exotic, and her accent was clearly not American. He was even convinced that English was not her native language. She looked Mediterranean, like him, but she wasn’t Italian—he was certain of that.
He called Alessio and asked him to look into the girl. He didn’t have much information to give him, but Alessio was good at his job. He would find anything there was to be found about her. Alessio was his consigliere and second-in-command. He was also his best friend, and Marco knew that eventually, he would have to tell him why he wanted information on this girl. It didn’t help that Alessio was nosey and wouldn’t let it go—but that was a problem for another day.
He could still see her walking away and thought, Till we meet again, bella.
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Melina continued her stroll and took some pictures of the scenery to send to the group chats with her family and friends. It had been a few hours since she had been walking in the park, and she decided to find an exit and then find someplace to eat. In the few days she had been here, she had ordered in, and she wanted to explore a bit more of the city’s food options.
Once she exited the park, she found a nice little Italian corner restaurant with tables outside and decided to give it a try. She sat at a table and started looking at the menu. Italian cuisine is pretty straightforward no matter which country you’re in, but reading the ingredients in some of the dishes, she could tell that this restaurant had a real Italian chef. She was looking forward to trying it. She ordered tagliatelle alla carbonara and was very pleased with her choice. She paid and grabbed a menu before she left. The place wasn’t too far from her apartment, so she could order from it if she needed to.
She contemplated calling a taxi or walking back to her apartment. She wasn’t very familiar with the bus routes yet, so she didn’t want to chance it. She decided to walk and enjoy the city a little bit more. After a while, a car stopped next to her, and when the window was lowered, she saw the face of the person she couldn’t get off her mind since she had met him: Marco. He called her name, and she stopped walking. He got out from the back seat of the car and walked toward her.
“So… we meet again,” he said.
“Yes, small world,” Melina said—and again, she kicked herself in her mind. Why couldn’t she think of anything witty to say?
“Do you need a ride? It’s not safe to walk around alone at night,” Marco said.
Melina was tired, and she wouldn’t have minded not walking the whole way—but at the same time, no matter how good-looking he was, she didn’t know him well enough to get into his car. She started thinking about all the crime shows she had watched and considered multiple scenarios in which she could get brutally murdered. Then she thought about how worried her parents would be if they didn’t know where she was or what happened to her. The mind is amazing—she managed to think all that in a matter of seconds before she replied.
“I appreciate the offer, but I think the universal response when a stranger asks you to get in his car is no.”
“But we’re not strangers,” Marco said.
“I think I’m better acquainted with Johnny than with you. I mean no offense, and I really appreciate the offer, but I’d feel very uncomfortable getting in your car. You’re right though—I shouldn’t be walking alone at this time. I’ll call a taxi,” Melina said.
Marco found her amusing—especially considering who he was—but he had never before had a woman refuse anything from him. This was uncharted territory.
“Fair enough. You’re right to be cautious. Let me help you find a taxi,” he said.
He whistled, and a taxi stopped immediately.
“Thank you for the help,” Melina said and walked toward the taxi.
Marco opened the door for her and said, “How about we have a drink tomorrow night? That way, I won’t be a stranger anymore.”
Melina looked at him, trying to understand why this unruly, handsome man was asking her out.
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea. I’m not much of a drinker,” she eventually said. She thought it would be better to avoid him. She already couldn’t get him out of her mind, and she was certain there was no happy ending in starting anything with him.
“How about an ice cream? Everyone likes ice cream,” he said.
“I do like ice cream,” Melina replied.
“How about tomorrow afternoon?” Marco tried again.
“Can I think about it?” Melina asked.
“You can. But maybe you should give me your number and let me know when you decide. I don’t think the driver’s very happy with the delay,” he half-whispered.
“Oh—yes, right. Fine, I’ll give you my number,” she said. Marco handed her his phone, and she typed her number quickly. She thought about calling her phone to save his number—but decided against it. Maybe he’d change his mind and wouldn’t contact her again.
Marco took his phone back and smiled at her. His smile made her knees go weak, but she held herself up by the taxi door and got in.
“Ciao, bella,” Marco said as he closed the door.
A few minutes later, Melina was in her apartment.