31

31
ARIA

"Amore mio, do you want anything else?" Sandro asked, pushing the trolley through the bright aisle. He had been packing in all of my favourite snacks, including a few new items that he wanted me to try. I couldn't get him to stop and after a brief exchanging of words, I finally gave in.
"That's more than enough, Sandro. Thank you," I said, redirecting the trolley towards the tills.
"Knowing you all of this is going to be done before the night ends," he said, smiling while he looked down at me. I scoffed, giving him a slight push to which he barely moved. He raised a brow, almost mocking me and saying 'you tried'
Together, we walked over to the tills and I started unpacking all the items onto the counter. I greeted the lady with a smile, and Sandro pulled his card out of his wallet.
After paying, we were both carrying the paper bags to the car. There was hardly anyone around, and I found comfort in it, hoping that I wouldn't run into a familiar face.
While we were packing the bags into the boot, I was overwhelmed by the delicious aroma of warm cinnamon and sugar. I straightened up, my eyes landing on a small dessert shop located next to the grocery store. It was empty, but the open sign shone a bright pink.
"Donuts. They smell good. Do you want one?" Sandro asked, nudging me on the shoulder with a cheeky grin on his face. He knew I couldn't resist anything sweet, especially if it smelled as good as that shop did.
"Of course I want one," I said, setting the last bag down. "I'm going."
"I can-" he was interrupted by the blaring of his cell phone.
Sandro closed his eyes for a couple of seconds, visibly annoyed. "I thought I told them not to bother me. It's Carlo, bellissima. Must be urgent. Just let me take this quickly and-"
"Sit down on your ass and wait here, Sandro," I said firmly, knowing that Sandro was going to argue with me but I wanted to have a good look at the treats. "I want to see what else they have, and I won't be long. Answer that call."
Sandro smirked, "yes, ma'am."
I guess the boss liked being bossed around sometimes.
I grabbed my purse from around his shoulder, slinging it across my body before giving him a kiss on the cheek.
When I turned away from him, I heard him greet Carlo in Italian. I could feel his eyes on me as I approached the shop, pushing the door open and when I did, the smell became even more intense. It smelled so good, and it was absolutely adorable inside. I was surprised that it was empty.
There wasn't anybody behind the counter, but there was a bell that read 'ring for assistance' While looking around at the pastries, I hit the bell a few times and a man's voice let me know that he'll be out soon.
I tapped my fingers on the glass, deciding on what to get. Sandro's favourite was anything vanilla or blueberry, and the rest of my family didn't care as long as it was delicious. It had been a few minutes of waiting, and I was starting to feel impatient.
"Aria? No way."
Fuck.
I had to stop myself from letting the wince show on my face.
I looked up, meeting eyes with someone I didn't instantly recognise. "Uh-"
"It's me. Joey. We went to the same high school," he said, dropping a rag onto the counter separating us before rounding it. I squinted, trying to put a face to a name. Shiny and straight blonde hair, blue eyes and a charming smirk.
"We used to be friends," he said slowly, rolling his hand in a circle. It took me a few seconds but eventually, I remembered him. Friends? I didn't recall us having any sort of interaction in our small high school, but he seemed to be under the impression that we knew each other.
Joey stepped closer, and my head automatically turned to Sandro – who was currently having a heated conversation with Carlo in the distance.
"Oh, right. It's so nice to see you again, Joey. Can I have a-" my sentence was cut off midway.
"It's nice to see you, too. Wow. It's been like three years," he said, smiling as he stepped even closer. I had no idea that he was planning on hugging me until I felt his arms circling around my back. What the fuck- I didn't hug back, too in shock to even say anything. Thankfully, he kept it short. I swallowed hard, feeling highly uncomfortable.
"Yeah, it feels like forever. Can I please have a-" again, I was interrupted by him.
"Yeah, it does. How long are you in town for? Or are you moving back?" he asked, resting his elbow on the counter. Joey looked interested in having a conversation, and I wanted nothing more than to return to Sandro.
I sighed, "I'm just visiting my family for a few days."
"Only a few days? Well, if so, then we have to hang out before you leave, don't you think?"
No, I don't think.
"That's probably not a good idea, Joey. I'm with someone," I said, hoping that he'd back off and give me my damn dessert.
"So? We're just friends who need to catch up," he said, grinning at me as if my words flew right over his head. I looked at him confused.
"Friends? I've never spoken to you before. Actually, I don't think we looked at each other once," I stated as if it was the most obvious thing, but the expression on his face didn't falter.
"You weren't looking but me...on the other hand," he murmured, inching closer to me and I backed away from him. His intentions were clear, and I suddenly didn't want anything anymore. Just as I made the decision to leave, the bell above the door signalled that someone had just entered.
"I'll be right with you, sir. Aria, give me your number and we can finish this conversation later," he said, and I noticeably cringed because I knew Sandro was standing directly behind me. Shit.
"Please. Your little boyfriend doesn't need to know. What is he? Some control freak?" Joey said, even when I waved my hand for him to shut the fuck up. You fucking idiot.
I spun around, but Sandro's arm was already around my shoulder and then I felt his lips on my temple. "Bellissima, have you ordered yet?"
Joey's face paled, contrasting against the redness of his cheeks. "Sorry, man-"
Sandro gave him one look, but it was deadly and even I felt the power behind it. He gazed down at me again, asking the same question and I shook my head.
"Why not?" he asked, scowling. "You've been in here for a while."
"I was just kidding around," Joey said, chuckling sheepishly. The scary part was that Sandro completely ignored him.
"I know. I was just talking to Joey, a friend from high school," I said, purposely including the friend part in an attempt to deflect the situation. What was the situation, anyway? I went in there for a few treats and I was met with a man who had to make such an innocent exchange inappropriate.
"Mmm," Sandro hummed. "Is this your place, Joey?"
"No-uh, I just work the tills. Can't bake to save my life," Joey chuckled, and it was clear that he was uncomfortable. Sandro nodded.
"Sandro," I tugged at his shirt. "Let's just leave."
"Leave?" he frowned. "But you haven't gotten anything yet,"
"Sandro," I whispered through gritted teeth.
"My love," he said, and he knew he had softened me up when my hand dropped from his shirt. "Let's order."
"What can I get for you?" Joey asked, eyes darting between me and Sandro. The tension in that tiny shop was thick, and nearly choked me. But I licked my lips, deciding on letting it go because it seemed like Sandro did.
We ordered a bunch of donuts, and a few puff pastries. Joey was treading on egg shells the entire time, and Sandro appeared to not have a care in the world. Eventually, Joey was handing me the pink box and I couldn't help but notice how shaky his hands were.
"Thanks, Joey," I said, happy that the ordeal was over. He offered me a tight lipped smile, awkwardly giving me a salute. I used my hip to push the door open, and when I had it halfway, Sandro gave me his car keys.
"Go wait in the car for me, okay? I'll be out soon," he whispered, and I was quick to glare at him.
"Sandro," I said warningly, knowing what he had in mind. "You better not."
"I'm just going to talk to him, bellissima. That's all," he said with a small shrug, and I could see Joey's eyes widen in the background. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words failed me when Sandro closed the door. Fuck. I pursed my lips, sighing through my nose. Of course Sandro wouldn't let it go, especially if it was a man trying to get with me.
When he had his mind set on anything, it was hard to steer him away.
I shook my head, turning around to head towards the car. I unlocked it, opening the door to sit in the passenger seat.
It was about five minutes later when Sandro returned, and I had no time to question anything before he was reaching over and his lips were on mine.
He kissed me hard, holding my cheeks and I was a little caught off guard but I kissed him back. It wasn't gentle, or slow. It was rough and impatient. But I liked it. I moaned against his lips, holding his wrists. When I went to pull away, just for air, Sandro followed through and never stopped kissing me.
"Sandro, don't make me fuck you in the middle of a parking lot because I will," I said, and I felt his lips stretch into a smile that matched mine. He let go, raising his head to look around us at the parked cars.
It wasn't a good idea, but it was nice to think about.
"Don't say stuff like that and be surprised when I actually do it," he said, giving me one last peck. "For now, let's get these groceries to your mama,"
Disappointed was a statement too weak for what I felt in that moment.
My breathing returned to normal, and I fanned my face with my hand. "You're unfair," I said, just teasing him. Whenever Sandro kissed me like that, it left me with a terrible ache between my legs.
"I'll make it up to you. I promise," he said, and I believed him.
I cleared my throat, "what happened with Joey?"
He looked at me once. "We had a nice conversation about manners."
My definition of conversation was a lot different than his, but I nodded anyway. "Sure."
He started the car, reversing out of the driveway while I could think of nothing except how badly I wanted some privacy with him.