Bella Notte (29 page)

Sunday I spent on
the phone getting Dominic's birthday present that was a leather band
that had 'Bella Notte' imprinted into the front and the back said 'I
believe in you. Love your Little Emma Bird.' It took quite some time
going back and forth to get the design right. Eventually though, it
was perfected. I agreed to pay double if it could be delivered the
next day before two- the time when Dom would come back.

By the time night
fell I was a ball of nerves and Dominic dominated my mind. It was a
nice feeling not to be confused.

The next day I woke
at noon and spent the next hour and a half sitting on my steps
waiting for his present to arrive. When it did come, I tipped the
delivery guy way more than necessary and ran inside to wrap it. I had
just finished when Dom walked in the front door.

“
You're not
dressed.” He frowned.

“
You didn't
tell me to be ready at two- just that you'd be back then.” I
shrugged and stuck the gift in my pocket.

“
Well, could
you please go get dressed- for being outside with the night air? I
guess layers. And an overnight bag.” He tried to shoo me along.

“
An overnight
bag? We're going somewhere?” I was confused.

“
Yes. I won't
tell you where though. It's a surprise. Please,” he said as I
looked like I wouldn't budge.

“
Fine.”
I gave up and left the room.

I threw on some
jeans, a tank top, long sleeves, and a sweater. I packed the same,
but included my pjs and bathroom stuff. On top of everything, I
gently put his wrapped present.

Dominic carried my
bag out to the black sports car- a mustang. He put it in the trunk
and opened my door for me. His body being so close to me was like
something I couldn't even put into words. I watched him walk to the
other side of the car and get in. Then we were off at a breath taking
speed. The world flew by in globs of color.

When we stopped I
realized we were at the airport with the same plane as before.
Are
we going to Italy?

I got out of the car
and waited for some explanation. He didn't give me one- simply took
my hand and led me onto the plane.

“
So, where are
we going?” Curiosity got the best of me.

“
Not too far
away. You may want to nap- tonight will be long.” He gestured
toward the room with the bed.

“
I haven't
eaten. I can't sleep on an empty stomach,” I admitted.

“
Oh. I can
only wonder why I am not surprised. Sit. I will get us something,”
he said as he went toward the small kitchen.

He came back with
two glasses of orange juice and two ham and egg sandwiches. It tasted
heavenly after not eating anything all day. We sat in silence as we
ate.

“
Are you ready
to nap?” he asked as the captain told us it was time to depart.

“
No, I think I
want to sit here. I like to watch the change from the runway to the
air.” I smiled as I thought of how he was the one who'd showed
me.

“
You'll be
tired later, but I do enjoy your company,
mia
bella
.”
He took my hand and sat down next to me.

“
I don't even
get a hint?” I leaned my head on his shoulder and watched as we
began our climb.

“
If I do give
you one, then you will surely know. I really want it to be a
surprise. You really will enjoy it.” He was looking out the
window as well.

We sat in silence
watching the sky become our surroundings. It was the most peaceful
and intimate moment I could possibly share with someone. We watched
as the clouds became less dominate and the blue of the sky became
absolutely clear.

I must have fallen
asleep because when I opened my eyes, we had landed in a busy private
airport. There were lots of planes like ours and lots of people.

“
We're here!”
he exclaimed.

“
Okay but
where is here?” It was starting to get dark and big flood
lights were on.

“
We are in an
airport and that is all you need to know, for now.” He grinned
and I rolled my eyes.

We got in a red
sports car- not that I was surprised- and drove out of the airport.
There were lots of homes but then we came into the city.
We're
in New York on New Year's Eve! Oh My God!

My body rushed with
excitement. I wanted to leap out of the car right there. The traffic
was packed and people were everywhere.

“
Let's get to
the hotel first and eat something before you go running off like a
crazy woman,” he said as though he understood my desire.

We were closer to
Times Square as there were more and more people. We pulled into a
parking lot. Dom stopped for valet. When the guy came, Dom pulled out
our luggage and escorted me into the lobby of the beastly chic hotel.
I instantly felt under dressed and out of place. I fidgeted while
Dominic talked to the front desk. Everything was shiny, polished, and
expensive. Yeah, I came from money, and yeah, I had the kind of money
to stay in this place, but I grew up in a small town where our money
didn't matter. Here it
mattered
.
I didn't like it.

Dom came back to me
and handed me a key.

“
I know that
you don't like these kinds of places but all the others were booked
when I called. We also have to share a room. It has two beds of
course.” He led me to the elevator.

The elevator was
unsurprisingly huge and shiny. I felt like I was in a mirror box. My
reflection looked traveled and disheveled. We got off and walked down
a few doors. Room 1431- really 1331 since hotels don't have the
thirteenth floor. He opened the door and the room was huge. It even
had a patio. I set my bag down on the bed closer to the door and I
watched it sink slightly. Curiosity got me again, so I sat down.
Heaven
.

“
Are you ready
to eat?” Dom asked with amused eyes.

“
Don't make
fun. I've never been to a place like this. Yeah, let's go eat.”
I smiled as I got off the fluffy bed.

We ate at a crowded
café and then walked over to Times Square. Millions of people
crowded the area … well, definitely thousands.

There was noise and
smells everywhere. A live band was playing on a stage where people
were filming. The air was tensed with excitement and there were still
hours to go. I could see the lit ball looming over head and my heart
picked up another notch.
I
can't believe I'm here. This is the best New Year's Eve ever!

“
Thank you!”
I shouted at Dominic who was now sporting some glow sticks and glow
jewelry.

“
No, thank
you,” he said as he clipped glowing plastic tubes to me.

We moved through the
crowds, holding hands and shouting at each other. The clock ticked
down further. We tried to dance to the music, but there wasn't any
room. I stared up at all the buildings, glowing bright with lights.
The sky wasn't really the right darkness and stars were invisible.
How
do people live without stars?

We laughed and
stumbled our way along. It was a wonderful time, but very blurring.
My mind was certainly overstimulated. Then the clock began to count
down.

Ten. Dom and I
stopped and stared at the ball.

Nine.

Eight.
Where
did the hours go?

Seven.

Six. My heart was
racing.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two. The giant
blazing ball was sliding closer to the New Year.

One.
Touchdown
.

“
Happy New
Year, Emma,” he whispered in my ear as he gently kissed my
cheek.

“
Happy
Birthday, Dom! Happy New Year too!” I shouted and threw my arms
around him.

I kissed his cheek
gently and he hugged me back as the air filled with tiny pieces of
colored paper.
This
is the best night ever
.

We went and got ice
cream on the way back to the hotel. It was refreshing on my strained
throat from so much shouting.

We got back to our
room and sat on the patio with blankets wrapped around us as we
sipped cocoa.

“
Did you like
it?” He looked at me.

“
Yes! It was
the best. Thank you so much.” I nearly threw myself at him in
my renewed excitement.

“
I am glad,
mia
bella
.
There's no need for 'Thank you' though, your company was my reward.”
He smiled and his cheeks dimpled slightly.

“
Oh, wait
here,” I said as I rushed back inside and to my bag. I pulled
out his gift and went back outside. “Here. Happy Birthday.”

He took the red
wrapped box tentatively, like he was afraid to crush it. Then he
ripped the paper off and opened the lid. I fingered my crystal
necklace as I watched him pull the bracelet out of the box. The box
dropped with a light thud. I held my breath as he looked it over.

“
Oh, Emma! I
love it. You are so thoughtful.” He was fumbling to get it on.

“
I'm glad you
like it.” I blushed. “Let me help you with that.” I
gently took the band from his hands and easily attached it to his
right wrist.

“
Thank you.”
He kissed me softly.

“
No problem …
and thank you for tonight.” I looked up at him and my body
trembled.

“
Ah. Tomorrow
we shall see the city so we need to get to bed now,” he said as
he rose and went inside.

I followed behind
him. He climbed into his bed and screwed with the clock. I slid into
the squash of my bed.

“
Good night,
Dominic,” I whispered.

“
Good night,
my Little Emma Bird,” he whispered back.

The alarm blared an
early nine o'clock. I thrashed at it fiercely to turn off but my
dazed and sleepy confusion had me fail at this.

Dom sat up and
switched a button and silence filled the room.

Sweet silence
.

“
Good morning.
Would you like to shower first?” He got straight to business.

I blinked at him and
then nodded.

“
Breakfast
will be here when you come out, my lady.” He clearly woke up on
the sunny side of the bed.

I stumbled into the
bathroom with my bag. Twenty minutes later I walked back into the
room to find a push cart filled with tasty looking food.

“
Morning, Dom.
Did you sleep well?” I asked as I headed for the food.

“
Ah. Sleep has
let you from its clutches and you now have an appetite. Ha ha. Yes, I
slept well. And yourself?” Laughter colored his words.

“
Yes, I slept
well. The bed is like sleeping in the clouds.” I sighed.
Might
have to get one of those.

And that was the
beginning of the day. The rest was spent tromping around New York
City and being tourists. I tried to be all low key about it but every
time I saw something amazing, my disguise was blown. Dominic found it
all very funny.

We ate at little
hole in the wall places, with food to die for, and we walked
everywhere
.

At the end of the
day, Dom called up a cab to take us to the private airport.
Apparently our bags had been sent on that morning when he checked us
out of the hotel. The plane sat there waiting for us. A wave of
sadness hit me like when I left Italy.
Things
are always different when we go back. And I promised Mike we'd do
something. Friday we can go up to the mines.