Bella Vita Read Free Page B

slightly.
    “It's time for you to
go, mia bella .
Have a nice trip and come back to me.” He kissed me
again.
    I touched his cheek and
then climbed into the back of the car. Once the door was shut, I
let out a sigh. I really hate
lying.
    Good morrow, Miss
Emma. The driver spoke to me.
    Merry Meet. I responded automatically.
    Shall we head to the
private airport, Miss? His piercing blue
eyes stared at me from the rear view mirror, the rich black lashes
only making the blue stand out more.
    No. We need to go to the
international airport. I really wanted to
take the plane I had become accustomed to, but Dom could pick the
place out of the pilot's mind and he wasn't to know.
    As you wish. He drove over to the car ferry.
    Once we were on the ferry,
my mind seemed to drift away. It went to a place I had never been.
It was a land filled with so many shades of green. The earth was so
full of life. I watched as I silently flew over fields with
crumbling ruins mixed in as part of the landscape. I saw livestock
grazing on the grass to their content. I had never been here, but I
knew this place- Ireland, Mike's
homeland .
    The thought of his name sent my green
scenery into a flashing blur of smells and brilliant shades of
green. When it all came to a stop, I was panting for breath as I
floated near a restored castle. I saw people wandering the grounds,
but from where I was, I couldn't see much detail.
    The castle, on the other hand, was huge. The
stones were rounded and worn smooth, clearly from weather and age.
The ancient carvings in the walls were faded, but still showed the
Celtic drawings that had been carved into them so long ago. Ivy
crept up the North wall and moss covered the foundations. It looked
like something out of a storybook about knights and Camelot. And
then I heard something that caused my world to shift once again- a
laugh.
    I knew that laugh better
than any I had come to know. Mike . Hearing his laugh drew me
closer to the castle. I was over some sort of inner ward. The
height didn't stop me from seeing him. His auburn hair was spiked
as it had been back in my stupid small town with my stupid simple
life. I watched him move while he spoke to a group of people, one
of which I noticed was Acacia- my heart panged with
jealousy. It was your choice! Remember
that dammit. I reached out for him and
suddenly I was standing right behind him. I could smell his scent.
I closed my eyes and exhaled his name, “Mike.” He turned to look
directly where I was, as though he had heard someone call him, but
he didn't see me.
    Ahem. Miss Emma? The driver's voice brought me back to where I
was.
    Yes. I wasn't sure where I was or what had happened.
    We've arrived at the
airport. As your grandfather instructed I've not thought of where
we were going. I did see a car follow us for a while, but I managed
to lose it. If you'll be requiring my services upon your return,
here is my card. A pale hand gave me a
small white business card.
    Thank you. If I need a ride
I'll certainly call you. I grabbed my bag
and hopped out of the car.
     
    I had never been in an
airport before, let alone an international one. Needless to say, I
was scared shitless. There were people everywhere and they all seemed to be
going somewhere. Since I wasn't checking luggage, I got my ticket
rather quickly. The woman directed me to my gate in Italian and I
thanked her. I walked in the direction she had pointed to. I was
nearly run over by a man wearing a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt
with buttons threatening to burst off at any moment. He didn't even
apologize, stupid jerk. I wished I had taken the private jet. I'm not
even going to talk about the security checkpoint because it felt
surreal and more like a cattle call than anything else. I went to
the gate and sat down, I still had an hour before they were to
begin boarding, or at least that is what the sign said. The ugly
gray hard chairs were filled with lots of different types of
people. I saw a group of men