“I’m so tired,” Sebastian whined from our seats, Silas and Lincoln in the row next to us and Serenity, Winifred, Sidney, and Garett making up the remaining 4 behind us. I had paid to upgrade everyone’s seats, wanting all of us to be together and knew that there were privacy walls between us so we would be able to sleep. We were nearly to Genova now, Sebastian grumpy as he couldn’t sleep well due to the noise of the plane and I had held him during the entire flight, more for myself and fear of planes than him.
“You can nap as soon as we get to the villa okay?” I whispered, pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head.
“I don’t want to waste the trip sleeping. I want to see everything!”
“Okay,” I laughed softly, “whatever ya wish. I will always make it happen.”
“I know.”
We finally reached Italy and after rejoining each other at baggage claim, the 8 of us stood around, making plans together. Sidney and Winifred were heading with Serenity and Garett to a nice hotel, planning to get lunch and go shopping together. Silas and Lincoln were still in awe that they were here, and as soon as we picked up their rental car, they immediately ditched all of us, heading to the beach house I had rented for them.
“Well… that leaves us three,” I laughed, squeezing Sebastian’s hand as Aldo laid on the floor, “are you ready to head to the villa?”
“I suppose,” he smiled, kissing my arm, “it has been years since I’ve been in Europe.”
“Actually, same here. So come on. I want to show ya the home we have here.”
“Oliver?” Sebastian looked up at me confused as I led him out of the airport, “why do you always say we when talking about your homes?”
“Well. You’re my partner. I consider everythin’ I own to be owned by you too. That’s all.”
“That… is so sweet. Are you sure?”
“I'm positive,” I kissed him softly as we reached the rental car, opening his door as he grabbed the front of my shirt, pulling me closer to him, “baby?”
“I…” he panted softly, “oh daddy…”
Gripping the door, I pressed my forehead to his, breathing deeply, “honey are you…”
“Yes. I’m very much… turned on.”
“We just got off an incredibly long flight. Sweaty and gross. How in the world can ya be turned on?”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged with a laugh before licking the tip of my nose, “I just am.”
“Alright let… let’s get to the villa. Patience, my love.”
“I’ll do my best.”
After heading further from the airport, we finally reached the villa, Sebastian staring at the cliff in awe.
“It is up there?” he whispered.
“Mhm. It’s all the way at the top. There’s a reason I only come once or twice a year here. Gotta climb some stairs to get up there.”
My villa in Genoa was absolutely gorgeous, nestled on the top of a cliff facing out to the Ligurian Sea. It was at the very top and we had to take a long pathway through what would have been vineyards at one point as the villa was formerly a castle and winery. It had been entirely modernized except for the foundation of the home, the flooring, and walls. There was a small balcony on the third floor off of the main bedroom which made up the entirety of that floor, beautiful white cushioned lounge chairs seated there so that you could watch the sunset on the sea. When you looked down from that balcony there was a second one that was larger and came from the main sitting room. Down a small flight of stairs from the balcony was an infinity pool with a seating area for meals or drinks. Every room in the villa was small but welcoming, done in whites and soft blues with various paintings and other decor. The biggest area in the entire place was the kitchen, the appliances updated and somehow fully stocked with food. Sebastian had been curious as to how everything stayed stocked as I only came here a few times a year and I explained that when I wasn’t living here, I had a cleaning and landscaping crew that ensured we would have food when we arrived. The most shocking discovery for me originally and now Sebastian had been a wine cellar built underneath the villa and into the cliff itself that was older than the castle, filled with vintage wine. The entire main property was gated so that Aldo could have free run of the place, and there were cameras placed at the end of the stairs as well as the gates so that I would be aware of any surprise visitors.
“This place is beautiful,” Sebastian whispered, looking around after setting his bag onto the couch, “oh Oliver I love it here.”
“If I could I would live here full time,” I laughed, setting my bag next to his, “we have some things to get done today,” wrapping my arms around his waist from behind, I pressed a soft kiss to the side of his throat, “but,” pushing gently, I led him to the door off of the kitchen, opening it to give him a view of the sea, “what do you think of the view?”
“It’s lovely. I… still struggle to believe that I belong here with you.”
“I know,” I whispered softly, “I know baby. But ya do. I promise. You and me, right?”
“Yes. You and me. Always.”
“Good. Why dontcha head up to the second floor and freshen up then we can head out for a bit?”
“Really?” he whipped his head around to look up at me and I nodded, a gentle smile on my face, “I am so excited okay!” he stood on his toes, kissed me softly and raced into the living room, grabbing his bag before shooting up the stairs, Aldo chasing after him.
God… he’s wonderful.
Just the genuine excitement of being here.
I sat on the couch after changing in the bathroom downstairs, looking at my phone as a flood of texts came from my siblings, Winifred and Silas continually saying thank you for making this trip happen.
“Oliver?” Sebastian called softly as he came down the stairs and I looked up for a moment before turning back to my phone, my head snapping up when I realized what he was wearing.
“You… look amazin’,” I whispered, my voice catching in my throat.
Tucked into a pair of white leather shorts that barely came to the middle of his thighs, Sebastian was wearing a white turtleneck with his favorite leather trench coat. I watched as he zipped a pair of matching combat boots, and placed his bag along his chest, pulling his hair out of his face slowly.
“Really? It is not too much?” he looked down at his outfit, “I am a bit more dressed up than you are.”
“I wear the same seven outfits,” I laughed softly, “but I can change if my jeans and sweater don’t work for ya.”
“Don’t,” he walked over slowly, coming to a stop between my legs, “I love how comfortable you look.”
“Okay,” I softly rubbed the outside of his thigh.
“Where are we going?”
“Shopping. We need to get you a suit for the wedding. I already have mine. Then we’ll get lunch and come back to spend a relaxin’ day here. Maybe swim and share a glass of wine on the deck before we make dinner? Does that sound like somethin’ you’d enjoy? I want ya to have fun.”
“That sounds amazing. Are we bringing Aldo?”
“No, we'll take a different car. Did ya see it in the garage?”
“I was too busy staring at the castle. Why can’t he come then?”
“It’s a coupe. He’s not gonna fit in it.”
“Ah. Okay,” he smiled as I got to my feet, taking his hand to lead him out of the villa and down the massive flight of stairs, making the small turn into the garage, “Oh… Miel this is a beautiful car,” Sebastian whispered, running his fingers along the hood, “hm. 2017 Ferrari Portifino right?”
“It is,” I laughed, opening his door to help him in, “I forgot that ya love cars as much as I do. What’s your favorite model?”
“Do you mean a car I want to own or one I’m fond of?”
“Fond of first,” I climbed into the driver's seat and opened the roof to make the car a convertible as it was a beautiful day.
“A 1952 Rolls Royce Dawn Drophead.”
“Oh, those are amazin’. Beautiful. Expensive,” I laughed, “and what vehicle would ya buy if ya could?”
“Black Audi A3. Or a white E-class.”
“A Mercedes? Interesting,” I pulled out of the garage and slowly headed onto the road.
“What is the first vehicle you had?”
“1990 Ford F-150. It was Hunter’s.”
“Oh those are big trucks! That makes sense actually,” he laughed, pulling his leg up to rest his chin on his knee, “I had a Skoda Citigo in Paris. The cheapest car I could buy.”
“Those are cute but I barely fit in this, I can’t imagine tryin’ to shove myself into a Skoda.”
“It would be fun to watch.”
“Shut up,” I snorted, reaching over to rub his thigh.
“You have so many nice cars.”
“The only one I won’t let ya drive is my Aston Martin. But you can drive anythin’ else when we’re at the houses and places everywhere.”
“I’m overwhelmed,” Sebastian whispered and I squeezed his leg.
“I know. I can tell. You are slowly sinkin’ into yourself. I know how vastly different things are compared to what you had. I had time to ease into it as I built it all up myself. But you’ve been whisked away. You deserve this life of comfort though, baby. You’ve earned it. What can I do to make it easier on ya? To help you adjust. Other than what we already do back home.”
“I have no idea. I worry that… you may think I deserve it. But I… I am struggling to think that I do. Can you explain how I have earned it? That will help too.”
“Outside of being my boyfriend, you’ve earned it through how hard you work. The late nights makin’ sure that all of the companies financials were solid and the projects made sense to me. Quickly had a grasp on everythin’ I needed of ya and made my life better by managing my schedule. The fact you can send files, make plans, and schedule appointments quicker than Lauren ever did. Takin’ care of Aldo without question. He bonded to ya. It shows me you have a wonderful and gentle heart. A strong work ethic that matches mine. You’ve earned it by bein’ yourself. A genuine, gentle, kind man who works harder than he honestly needs to. Your dedication to me and your job is why you’ve earned this life. But I promise that if it is overwhelmin’, we can find ways to make it easier on ya. What’ll help with that beyond what I’ve shared?”
“Um… maybe bringing my embroidery kit along when we travel. I know that… it is weird but it keeps me relaxed to create pieces.”
“And why didn’t ya bring it this time? I’ve seen ya usin’ it in the office between work.”
“I wanted to focus on the trip,” he whispered, “I wanted to see the world around me and convince myself that I belong here with you. That I am your partner and should focus on us.”
“I think I know what’ll help with that. This is gonna be a bit more overwhelmin’ I believe but… I also think that it might help.”
“Oh, is this the tailor?” he looked out of the car at the beautiful building that I had parked in front of.
“Mhm. I want you to pick the color of your suit. It needs to be white or black but I want ya to make the choice. Not me.”
“I… I get to pick?”
“Mhm. Every detail. They’ll help ya as well. I’ll simply be there to translate and pay. Does it help ya to make these choices?”
“It does. Rather than looking to you to know what would be right for formal events.”
“Then that’s how it’ll be when we shop. I might recommend things, but I want ya to decide. I apologize for takin’ so much control. It was all new to ya, I assumed that would be best. I realize now that I should have acted as a guide. Ya would’ve adjusted better. Can I have your forgiveness?” I took his hand, holding the back of it close to my lips.
“Yes. You have my forgiveness and appreciation.”
“Thank you,” I whispered and softly kissed the back of his hand.
“You’re very welcome.”
“Are ya ready for this?”
“Well. Oui. I feel calm now.”
“Good,” I twisted his arm slowly and lightly kissed the inside of his wrist, “then let’s get this over with. I hate these stuffy shops.”
We headed inside, my hand gently against Sebastian’s lower back as he looked around in awe. Every shelf was made of hardwood stained a deep cherry color, there were beautiful chandeliers every few feet that gave everything a warm glow, and the floors were made of genuine marble, polished to shine.
“Buon pomeriggio,” I smiled at a smaller man behind a counter that held ties and pocket squares.
“Ah! Signor Hope!” the man smiled back and shook my hand, “Cosa vi porta qui? Non ti vediamo da tanto tempo.”
“Io e il mio ragazzo andremo a un matrimonio tra due giorni. Ha bisogno di uno smoking. Voglio che sia lui a scegliere i colori e tutto il resto. Ho le sue misure per voi. Non si sente a suo agio con il tatto,” I softly touched Sebastian’s arm and he smiled up at me, “Bas this is Signor Gallo. He is a lovely tailor. I’m gonna give him the measurements we had ya get so that he doesn’t have to do them. Oh!” I smiled, turning back to Mr. Gallo, “La camicia deve essere un po' più stretta sul petto e se i pantaloni possono essere un po' più stretti in vita, anche questo lo aiuterebbe.”
“Assolutamente sì. Quali sono le sue misure?”
I reached into my pocket and grabbed my phone, quickly writing down Sebatian’s measurements and handing them to Signor Gallo who smiled and nodded.
“Dammi qualche istante. Ne ho alcuni a portata di mano che andranno bene.”
“Grazie,” I smiled as Signor Gallo headed through a large set of doors, “okay. So. I’m wearin’ all black. Can ya pick out a pocket square for me? Anythin’ ya want.”
“I can pick?” Sebastian bounced excitedly.
“Oh absolutely,” I tucked a loose strand of his hair back and he turned to the case, slowly scanning them before gasping softly, “What is it?”
“That one,” he pointed to a clearly hand-crafted soft pink pocket square, “it is made of silk. The edging is made of actual metal thread. Silver. It’s perfect. It will look wonderful.”
“I would never have thought to get pink. Most of the ones I own match my ties and I only ever wear red, black, or yellow ones.”
“Signor Hope?” Signor Gallo called and we both turned to find him pushing a clothing rack filled with tuxedos, “Questo è quello che ho nella sua taglia.”
“Perfetto. Bas? Go take a look.”
Sebastian did his best to hold back his excitement as he rushed over, looking at all of the suits and finally setting on a beautiful black one, his eyes wide as he ran his hand down the sleeve of the jacket.
“It’s perfect. Beautiful. Soft wool. From… Tuscany?”
I translated his question and Mr. Gallo nodded, clearly thrilled someone else recognized his talent.
“I’ll take this one then,” Sebastian handed the suit to Mr. Gallo who immediately carried it to the counter, Sebastian coming to my side.
“Pick one,” I gestured to the case that held the pocket squares again and he immediately pointed to a black one inlaid with white squares, “ah I should have known. That’s the one I would’ve gotten ya as well. Signor? Prenderemo questi,” I pointed to the squares Sebastian had picked, “E voglio quell'orologio da tasca d'argento.”
“C'è altro?” Signor Gallo started to package our purchases.
“No. Qual è il totale?”
“Duemilacinquecentocinquantuno euro.”
“Grazie,” I nodded, handing him my credit card before taking the bags from Mr. Gallo.
“Non c'è di che. A proposito, il suo ragazzo è un bell'uomo.”
“I know,” I laughed, kissing Sebastian on the top of the head, “honey are you ready for lunch?”
“Absolutely! Addio, Signor Gallo.”
“Addio.”
This was wonderful.
Thank Goodness.
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