Alex entered his mother’s room with a breakfast tray. He’d made her some porridge and a side of toast. His mother looked up when he entered and tried to sit up. He placed the tray on the bed and smiled at her.

“How are you feeling today, Mama?” he asked, searching her face for any signs of fatigue.

His mother smiled at him. She took a few bites of the porridge and leaned against the wall.

“I’m much better today.” Her hand reached out and took Alex’s. She was recuperating following a bout of pneumonia, but fatigue had been really draining on her. The doctors had always been wary of her poor immunity, and the pneumonia had left her feeling fatigued for several months. Alex had been there when she was hospitalized, but the recent case load meant he hadn’t been home for a while.

Alex looked at her enjoying her breakfast. He got up and opened the curtains. It was a beautiful day. He looked at the hills in the distance. They stayed in a residential area in town, but St. Helena was a wine town, with small boutique wineries and huge estates like the DeLucas. The thought of wineries brought up memories he hadn’t thought about for a long, long time. A beautiful woman flitted in his thoughts.

Arianna Belmonte.

He hadn’t thought about her for years. His eyes hovered to the calendar his mother hung in her room.

August 1!

Well, at least now he knew why Arianna had suddenly entered his mind. His mind filled with memories, and their last memory together made him draw in a sharp breath. Their night under the stars, this very day ten years ago, before they went off to college, her to Penn State and him to Berkeley. They’d promised to come back to St. Helena and pick up, but even when he promised, Alex knew it wouldn’t be a promise he’d be able to keep. He wanted to be a successful lawyer and Arianna, she just wanted to get out of St. Helena and make something of herself. Was it just a coincidence that he was here on the exact same day that he had promised her he would? Did the promise hold good even if he kept it ten years after it was made? Would Arianna remember their last night together?

His mom’s cough broke him out of his reverie. He turned around to see an empty bowl. That was good. It meant his mom had an appetite today. A full tummy was always a good sign.

He was about to clear the tray away when she stopped him.

“How are you doing, Alex? How is work? I’m sorry I called you back home. I just wanted you around.” She smiled at him. It had been a long time since they had spoken about anything else except her illness. Alex didn’t want to elaborate about work, or holidays. He didn’t want her to worry unnecessarily. He composed himself and replied, “It’s all going fine, Mama. Don’t worry about that; I had some time coming and I took it.” He took the glass by her bedside and handed her some pills. His mother looked at him quietly. He turned. He didn’t want her to read him, and he certainly didn’t want to talk about work. Getting suspended was one thing, but getting fired for leaking information was worse. If he couldn’t prove anything to the contrary, he would be unemployable - nobody would hire him, and he’d be stuck. The thought made his heart pound and he gulped.

“You always were so much more determined than your brother,” Elaine Garner said, staring at him. She looked wistful, as if lost in memories. Alex grinned. It was nice spending time with his mama. He’d missed her.

“Mark, he liked to have his share of fun. But he’s happy now. He’s happy working with the DeLucas at their winery. I only wish you two would settle down. Mark dates girls, though I wish he’d find someone. Is there a girl back in Seattle I don’t know about?” she said, smirking.

“No, Mama, there’s no girl. I’m always holed up in office. I don’t have time for dating. I’m not into such stuff. I want something like what you and Papa had. Something that lasts forever,” Alex said.

“Oh,” Elaine said, looking surprised. “I didn’t know you wanted a forever type girl, Alex. That’s news to me.” She seemed to be lost in thought.

“I thought you had a girl like that at one point in time, someone from here….what was her name? A beautiful brunette, she lived right around the corner somewhere…” His mama frowned.

“Arianna Belmonte,” Alex said and then stopped himself. He didn’t mean to say her name out loud. Elaine looked triumphant, as if getting him to admit this was her plan all along.

“Arianna, yes, yes. Sweet girl. You should find out what happened to her, Alex. I’ve always liked her,” Elaine said, picking up a book she was reading.

Alex reddened. He mumbled something, picked up the tray, and hurriedly left the room. Elaine looked at him from above her book and smiled.

Alex entered the kitchen all hot and bothered. Why were all roads, thoughts, and conversations leading to Arianna Belmonte? He hadn’t thought...no, he hadn’t allowed himself to think about her all this time. The truth is, she flitted into his thoughts more than he liked. They hadn’t spent much time together before they split up for college, but he remembered distinctly how she made him feel.

Complete, a voice inside him replied. Yes, he grudgingly admitted. She made him feel complete. Even though they dated for a few weeks, it was the best time he’d ever had. Even kissing her felt so good, so right. It never felt that way with someone else. Nobody felt good enough, or even came close enough to how she made him feel.

He picked his phone up and browsed through Facebook for Arianna Belmonte. He found one profile and browsed through it, and it felt like someone punched him in the stomach. Arianna was married and had a child?! No! It was only when he clicked on a few photos and stared intently that he felt the pressure ease.

This was someone else. This Arianna was a blonde and looked so different. He checked out the next profile and his heart raced. He was looking at Arianna, and he felt like the awkward eighteen year old he had been when they first met. She was just as stunning as she was back then, and she looked like age hadn’t touched her. She worked in Symantec, and his respect for her automatically shot up. She had always wanted to do well and it looked like she had.

I’m never going to get her back. He was surprised at how much his energy dropped at that thought.

Brushing that thought aside, he checked the refrigerator for supplies. It didn’t seem like there was much to go by.

“Mark’s working late tonight, so let me pick up something nice for dinner. I’ll tell Mama.” Alex quickly made up his mind.

In the next half an hour, he had picked up what he needed from the supermarket and stashed it in his car. He was parked in the parking lot behind the Senior Citizen Center and something about being in town made him want to take a walk. He walked down Main Street, looking at the new shops and reminiscing at the old. He remembered sitting in the park, wondering about his life and his future. He knew he wanted to become successful, but doing what, he had no idea. It was only when his father was killed in an accident that his mind turned towards law and law school. He’d supported his family finances for a while now, ever since he started earning. They still stayed in the same home they had grown up in, but it helped to have extra income, especially for Mama’s illness. His insurance policy had meant seamless medical care for her.

He found himself at the very edge of the park, in a corner spot nobody ventured out to. It opened to a gorgeous view of St. Helena and beautiful wineries as far as the eye could see. The vines were in full bloom and the verdant green was very soothing. He had accidentally stumbled upon this part of the park when he was in High School and came here when he needed perspective and calm.

But the last time he was here, he promised a woman a shot at forever. And if his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him, that woman was walking towards him, not looking as stunned as he was.