Nicole
I walk into the bedroom and toward the closet.
My eyes feel puffy and raw from crying in the shower. Dante was so sweet and gentle. Usually men would leave a woman to cry alone, but not him.
And he’s my husband now. Not Ryan.
I take a deep breath. My thoughts are in total disarray.
The whole situation seems unreal.
How could Ryan do this to me?
He was the one who asked me to marry him...but he never showed up to our wedding. He had chosen another woman over me.
I was dedicated to him. I saved myself for him.
Instead, I’m now married to his best friend. And I’m still a fucking virgin.
I definitely didn’t plan for this to happen, but I guess the universe had other plans for me.
I pull the closet doors open and pause.
What is all this?
There’s an entire wardrobe lined up, and I don’t recognize any of it. None of the clothes are the ones I had brought with me.
I look closely at the outfits.
They’re all in my favorite colors. Red, pink, and blues mix to form a collage in front of my eyes. Dante must have done this.
With that realization, I feel myself get teary-eyed all over again. My emotions are shot to ribbons right now.
Can you blame a girl, though?
The last few hours have been such a rollercoaster of emotions to the point that such a simple gesture of buying me clothes in my favorite colors is causing hundreds of different feelings to swirl inside me. It’s not just the gesture but the attention to detail as well.
Ryan only ever liked to see me in black and white outfits. So, I wore clothes in those exact two colors.
He also liked my dresses to be skimpy—short skirts, low neckline to show off my cleavage, and other revealing outfits. Basically, the more skin shown, the better.
I didn’t realize at the time that I had stopped wearing what I liked. Even my favorite colors had disappeared from my wardrobe.
The clothes lined up in front of me lean towards stylish, practical, and just plain gorgeous. Far from the suggestive pieces Ryan insisted I wear.
I pull a pair of pants from the dresser. They fit me perfectly, hugging my curves in all the right places while being comfortable at the same time. I pair them with a blush pink top.
Deciding to keep with the casual outfit, I simply throw my hair up into a pony tail.
Nothing fancy and nothing flashy. It’s practical and comfortable for a trip around Venice.
One look in the mirror, and I smile. I never would have been allowed to wear this in the past. A beauty pageant contestant always has to look perfect and poised no matter where she goes.
Plus, Ryan wouldn’t have liked it if I wore something so simple.
My smile widens. I feel a bit rebellious, going against the norm I’ve had to follow the past couple of years. It feels amazing to do what I want and wear whatever I feel like wearing.
I turn away from the mirror and walk to the side dresser next to the bed to retrieve my phone.
The notification light is blinking. There’s a text message from Allison.
She’s taken off with the friend she met last night for a few days and won’t be coming back for about a week.
I type out a quick message and tuck the phone into my back pocket.
Time for that tour Dante promised me.
I may be upset with this whole Ryan situation, but I might as well enjoy my time here in Venice while I can. After all, this is my first time here, and I’ve wanted to explore the beautiful city as soon as I’d arrived.
There’s something exciting about exploring the city...mainly because I’ll be doing it with Dante. I don’t know why I feel this way; I just do.
I was supposed to be married to Ryan by now and sightseeing with him. That is, if I had been able to convince him to go sightseeing.
But I’m with Dante instead. Dante.
He’d been an expert guide yesterday. Maybe today won’t be as bad as it started out.
Quickly, I find the man I’m thinking about in the living room area and discover he’s on his phone.
I stand there and stare. He’s extremely handsome.
His voice as he talks is low and soothing. It washes over me and puts me at ease.
He looks over in my direction and realizes I’ve been staring. He stares back at me without breaking his conversation and beams.
I can feel my face warming as I blush.
Finally, he ends his conversation and hangs up without taking his eyes off me.
“I’ve got us signed up for a sightseeing tour of Venice,” he states. “You all set to go?”
“Yep. Ready when you are.”
We head out into the hall, and I fidget a little as we walk.
“I like that outfit on you,” Dante suddenly says.
I smile a little and look down at the floor. “Well you did buy it for me. I wasn’t going to let a perfectly good wardrobe go to waste.”
Dante chuckles. “Well, I am your husband now. Aren’t husbands supposed to buy things for their wives? Especially beautiful outfits they want to see them in?”
He makes a good point.
“I think I’ve heard somewhere that husbands are prone to doing things like that,” I state and flash a coy smile at him. “But I’d have to point out this is a very simple and relaxed outfit. It hardly shows off anything to warrant praise.”
Dante places a hand on my lower back, bringing his lips close to my ear.
“It doesn’t need to show off anything in great detail, Nicole. What you’re wearing highlights just enough of your sexy curves to be quite pleasing. People don’t realize that a taste or hint of something can be a lot sexier and more exciting than being given the whole package at once.”
My heartbeat quickens. Having him this close to me and saying stuff like that is turning me on. Dante really is something else.
He moves slightly away from me, taking his hand off my back.
I give myself a little shake to break the daze he’s put me in.
“Anyway, I’m just trying to be a doting husband and make sure you’re happy,” Dante adds. “If I get a little pleasure out of it, then that’s just a bonus.”
Smiling, I turn my head to look him straight in the eyes. “Well, don’t let me stop you from fulfilling your role as my new husband.”
“Oh, you couldn’t stop me from being the best husband I can be even if you tried to, sweet Nicole.”
My stomach is overcome with butterflies. He has a response for everything.
The elevator finally opens with a ding. We step in, and I still have a huge smile on my face.
“Where exactly in the city are we going?” I ask.
“You’ll just have to wait and see,” he says, smiling down at me. “I can promise you, though, you’ll enjoy every bit of it.”
I inch closer to him. Without thinking, I grab on to Dante’s hand.
“I guess I’ll have to trust you then,” I state sweetly.
I realize just then what I’ve done. I barely know this man and I just grabbed his hand as if it were natural. As if he even asked me to take it.
I feel embarrassed at my forwardness.
My hand tries to tug free from his, but Dante tightens his around mine. He’s not letting me go.
He gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. The simple gesture lets me know that he doesn’t mind that I took his hand and that he’s actually enjoying the fact that we’re holding hands now.
I relax, and he twines our fingers together more firmly.
He raises our entwined fingers to his lips and kisses them.
Placing his free hand on my left hip, he looks me straight in the eyes, speaking in a tone that leaves no room for me to question if he is serious or not.
“You can always trust me, Nicole.”
His words hit me deep in my soul.
I know in that moment, as I look into his eyes and as his hands touch mine, that he’s right. I can trust him.
“I trust you,” I whisper.
“Good,” he states.
We break away from staring at each other only when the elevator reaches the lobby floor and the doors glide open.
“Let’s go explore the city together,” Dante proclaims as he tugs me towards the front doors that lead outside.