Chapter Twenty-Four-2

"Your turn," she goaded, offering me a rusted, old coin. "Mine is going to be far less selfless than yours," I warned, throwing my coin into the water with a satisfying splash. "Oh yeah?" "Yeah," I teased, pulling on her hips. The entire front part of her body was pressed to mine; green eyes staring up at me expectantly. I had no idea what she was doing to me but seeing her in such a romantic setting with the lowering sun casting a magnificent radiance over her did unimaginable things to my heart. It didn't just beat anymore, but rather strived to want to. Being told you were responsible for the death of another man was a sure way to stop living. I remembered feeling nothing when I first found out. I was numb and wanted to die. Death seemed like the only justifiable punishment and in the months that followed, I never really lost sight of that. I wasn't suicidal. I could never bring myself to actually end my own life; aware of the heartbreak it would cause my family and friends. But it didn't mean I wasn't secretly hoping to be served a taste of my own medicine. Until Rosie. My sweet girl. No words could ever put into context all she had done for me. Not only had she shown me affection in ways no one else had, she also made me a better person. I'd do just about anything to undo my mistakes, though would be lying if I said I wanted things to go back to the way they were before. Carelessly drunk all the time and shagging far too frequently- that was the old Will and the new and improved one was currently staring into the eyes of the only woman he could see a future with, silently conveying all the love he felt for her. I fucking loved this girl. "What did you wish for?" she whispered, breaking through my revolutionary thoughts. "You," I admitted, shaking with excitement. "All of you." Her beautiful eyes widened to extreme amounts before suddenly mellowing out, replaced instead by a lustful gaze. Both pupils dilated quite excessively and focused on my lips, begging me to make the first move. She was new at this and I relished the feeling of being the one to show her. Slowly but surely, I positioned her hips parallel with mine and lowered my mouth to hers, tasting her for the very first time. Velvety soft and laced in sweetness, her lips pressed into mine so tenderly and made me feel elated, giving me no choice but to worship her body in the middle of Rome's busiest tourist attraction. I gripped harder at her waist and threw everything I had into our exchange, needing her more with each passing second. Kissing her was like feeding on pure oxygen and I was as high as a fucking kite because of it! "Will." Her breathless moan was born out of encouragement and did exactly that. Encourage. I continued to claim her lips as my own and did so by biting down on the tender flesh, erotically so. She shook against the action and grabbed onto each of my shoulders as if their mere existence was the only thing keeping her up. "I love kissing you," I told her, breathing my excitement across her cheeks. She responded by kissing me back and I found it utterly adorable how in order to do so, she had to stand on her tip toes and stretch her spine to its maximum capability. She wasn't a short arse but my tall frame outdid hers to the point where I could've easily picked her up and done with her what I wished. "I can't believe I'm saying this but we should probably stop before we get carried away," I laughed, resting my forehead against hers. In all honestly, I didn't trust myself. "You're probably right," she sighed, closing both eyes. "That was...intense." She seemed to stress such amazingness for her own benefit and whilst allowing her the time to calm down, I caressed both her arms in tender motions. I couldn't disagree. That kiss was out-of-this-world intense and blew all expectations out the water. She may be inexperienced but fuck me, was she a delight. "That wasn't my wish, by the way," I informed, breathing in her heavenly scent before getting us both walking again. "No?" she asked, sidestepping a family of four. The idiots had no concern for special awareness and almost took up an entire width of the sidewalk. "I wished for Jean's family to visit too. I figured two wishes would work better than one." The sudden sensation of being pulled backwards shocked me into freaking the fuck out, though I soon relaxed when I came to realise Rosie was the one to initiate such a movement. She stared at me in complete disbelief before making her thoughts known. "Did you really?" "Yeah. I was gonna wish for your happiness but figured that was a little too generic. I think in order for these things to work, you need to be more specific," I smirked, throwing her a sly wink. "You wanted to wish for my happiness?" she asked, seemingly blindsided. Before I could respond, she mindlessly interrupted. "He used to say that was the most important thing in any relationship." She paused. "My Dad always told me to surround myself with people who put my happiness before their own. I guess I took his advice and flipped it because I've always put other people's needs first," she continued, letting slip a little laugh. "I think your insistence to do that is the nicest thing about you, Rosie," I admitted, truthfully so. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with the way you are. You just need to find the right balance between pleasing yourself and pleasing others." "He would've liked you." she informed, rather randomly. "Who?" "My Dad." Well, shit. "Really?" "Yeah. I think he'd approve," she smiled, lifting her gaze and basking in the sun's warming rays. "You've no idea what that means to me. Hearing you say that..." "Do you believe in fate?" she asked, going all philosophical on me. "I don't, not normally. But I feel like we were supposed to meet. When would my world ever have collided with yours under normal circumstances?" "Probably never," I answered, terrified by such a thought. "Maybe it's luck? Maybe we both just got really lucky after experiencing the shittest year of our existence." It certainly seemed plausible. "Maybe you should get a three leaf clover tattoo?" she laughed, touching my chest. "I could get it next to the rose?" I suggested, pointing to the area where I knew the tattoo to be. "That would be nice" she replied, and just when I thought I couldn't possibly love her any more, she went ahead and landed a meaningful kiss to my left pec, lingering her soft lips on the tattoo that was intended for my sister, but held sentiments to her own Mother. "Can I ask you something?"