Chapter Five

“Youngest family member?” Alessia asked as she and Noah stood at the terminal, waiting for their flight to be announced.

“Piero. Blonde, tall, talks a lot, worrisome, and cute,” Noah replied, glancing at her before tucking his hands into his pockets.

Alessia felt her face heat up as she nodded vigorously.

“The eldest?” she asked.

“Ricco. He’s married to your ex’s sister. You both have the same hair color and brown eyes. He’s quiet, observant, tall... and cute too,” Noah added, mimicking her words from earlier when she had described her family members. She had made sure to give him plenty of details, as he needed to know them for their 'real' relationship act.

“Okay.” She looked away, watching the crowd of people. Were they all traveling, or were some just waiting for loved ones? The memory of her arrival in America flashed through her mind.

“Your dad’s usually withdrawn, but I should be scared of him. Your mom does most of the talking. We’ll need to charm the pants off your parents,” Noah said with a slight frown, causing a blush to spread across Alessia’s cheeks.

Maybe she had shared a little too much.

“Will you ever tell me what your ex did to you?” Noah asked, meeting her gaze. Alessia froze.

“My sister-in-law has a nice personality,” she said, deliberately ignoring his question. She couldn’t bear to think about how Ricco had met Cecilia. It had all happened while she and Antonio were still together.

Noah’s jaw tightened, and he looked away. Alessia took the opportunity to check him out.

Unlike most days, he was dressed casually in a T-shirt and sweatpants. And oh God, the way his muscles flexed when he moved or how those sweatpants fit him perfectly.

Goodness gracious. And don’t get her started on his chiseled face.

His tousled blonde hair caught the sunlight, and his blue eyes, lighter than usual, reminded her of deep waters.

“Our flight’s been announced,” Noah said, looking down at her. Embarrassed, she quickly nodded and looked away.

She reached for her bag, but Noah was quicker, grabbing both his and hers with ease. He walked ahead, and like every other woman around, she couldn’t help but admire his ass.

Round, firm, and... biteable. She frowned. Why did he have to be so perfect?

“Are you coming?” Noah asked, standing a few steps ahead.

“Yeah,” she mumbled, picking up her pace to keep up with him. But with his longer stride, she found herself jogging lightly to catch up.

It reminded her of the text he’d sent the other night: *Piccolina*. At 5'6", she wasn’t exactly short. Okay, maybe compared to him, but still, she had a decent height.

After their bags were checked in, they headed inside. Alessia frowned as she looked around.

“This is...” She trailed off, her frown deepening.

“We were supposed to be in economy,” she continued, rooted to the spot.

“So?” Noah asked, already seated and crossing his legs. His eyes returned to her.

“This is first class,” she whispered harshly. No one seemed to be paying attention, most were busy with their phones.

She almost choked. Had she somehow gotten the wrong ticket? She was sure it had been for economy class. Two first-class tickets would hurt her bank account.

“I upgraded it,” Noah said casually.

“You did what?” The shriek slipped out before she could stop herself, earning a few curious glances.

Noah remained unfazed, patiently waiting for her to finish.

Leaning in before thinking it through, she placed her arms on the armrest of his seat, almost caging him in.

“You weren’t supposed to do that,” she hissed, trying to keep her voice down. “This was my treat. You should’ve asked me before making such a ridiculous decision. Do you even know how much this costs?”

Noah blinked, looking somewhat rattled—or distracted.

She paused, realizing Noah’s gaze had dropped to her cleavage, which was now directly in his line of sight.

Her face turned red, and she quickly pulled away. A faint flush appeared on Noah’s face, making him look... adorable.

Really? Adorable?

She quietly slipped into the seat next to him. Neither of them said a word until take-off was announced.

Alessia noticed how Noah shifted uncomfortably as they fastened their seatbelts.

“Are you afraid of flying?” she asked, but Noah just gave her a pointed look, saying nothing.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” she mumbled to herself, turning to look out the window. At least she had the window seat.

She tried not to think about returning to Italy after two years. After her heartbreak. To see her family... and attend Antonio’s wedding.

“How long are we staying?” Noah’s voice brought her attention back to him. He was sweating slightly.

Yep, Noah Wilson was afraid of flying. The thought made her secretly happy. It was proof that he was human after all.

“Two weeks, I think,” she replied. Her mother hadn’t exactly told her when Antonio’s wedding was, not that Alessia had asked.

“Okay,” Noah said through clenched teeth. Alessia noticed his knuckles turning white as he gripped the seat tightly.

“You can just admit you’re scared of flying. I promise I won’t laugh,” she muttered, earning a sharp glare in return.

“I’m not scared of flying,” he ground out.

“Your knuckles say otherwise, big boy,” she pointed out, smirking at his clenched jaw. She sighed, relaxing into her seat.

Noah muttered something under his breath before closing his eyes, clearly trying to relax.

Alessia continued gazing out the window, even when the flight attendant came by with drinks. She didn’t look in Noah’s direction. He seemed to be doing just fine on his own.

Suddenly, the plane jerked, almost throwing everyone out of their seats, saved only by the seatbelts.

“Shit,” Noah cursed, and Alessia turned to him. He was visibly panicking.

“Hey,” she said softly, trying to get him to look at her, but he seemed locked in his head, eyes shut tightly

“Hey. I’m here, okay?” she whispered, placing her hand over his clenched fists. She almost jerked at the spark of electricity that shot through her, her heart pounding wildly.

Noah opened his eyes, and she found herself staring into a conflicted pool of blue. She didn’t pull her hand away, even though she badly wanted to.

“I’m here, okay?” she repeated, her voice softer this time. His jaw clenched again, but slowly, he relaxed his grip and enveloped her hand in his.

He squeezed gently, and she squeezed back in reassurance before leaning back in her seat. She watched as he closed his eyes again, his hand still holding hers.

She glanced down at their joined hands. When had they reached this point? And what was that feeling?