Meeting you.

The couple had been talking for about an hour smiling sheepishly and laughing heartily. Bellissima found him to be extremely sweet and could see herself spending the rest of her life with the man 

"I thought you to be rude" she answered when he had asked what she had imagined of him.

"why?"

"men usually are"

"you think I'm handsome?" he raised his brows at  her

"you know you are"

The man looked at her for a long time then forced himself to look away she was attractive, very attractive.

Bella wanted to ask what the man thought of her, if he had thought her to be beautiful, but she restricted herself from doing so, that would be very embarrassing if he said no 

"tell me about someone you love the most"

"Hmm, tough one" she pretended to think and he looked away holding a laugh.

"Emilia Cassato" she said after a short while "my sister" 

"and what makes her to be loved the most by you?"

"She's literally the sweetest person I've ever met" she spoke smiling 

"and the others?"

"Urgh, Renata is the worst" Bella chuckled 

"I wonder what it must feel like having so many people around"

"it's terrible!" She exclaimed and they both laughed "like I mean every word it's the absolute worst" 

"I think that's just too much" he smiled bringing forth his hand to help her over a puddle.

"Thank you" bella replied blushing, at his gesture"

"so you're saying, you hate every one of your sisters asides Emilia?"

"Not hate, hate is not the word, although I do not particularly like the second Renata" they continued to walk besides one another his hands at his back as they moved.

"your turn" she turned to him giggling

"ask whatever you want"

"I do not have anything to ask, tell me about yourself"

"there is not much to know about me, nothing dramatic" she rolled her eyes and he squinted, the two laughing hysterically.

"I'm sorry, if you found that disrespectful" bellissima spoke 

"It's fine"   "do you speak Italian?" Dominico asked after a short while of Silence 

"yes I do" 

of course she did, they all knew how to, all her sisters and sometimes they communicated with each other in Italian. While they grew, her father had deemed it necessary that they all learnt the language and at that time she had found it very annoying and was pissed but now she was actually very grateful that she had learnt it 

"How well?" He smiled at her, stretching his hand for her to take it. She blushed when their hands were together, she found the gesture intimate and her stomach was instantly flooded with butterflies 

"try me" he widened his eyes and she giggled excessively 

Stop giggling bellissima, she scolded herself, you're acting like a child.

"sei mai stato con un uomo?" He asked his voice coming out sweet like melody to her ears.

(Have you ever been with a man?)

"what?" she turned to him, laughing at how absurd the question he had asked was.

"Hai?"  He raised his brows at her.

(Have you?)

she smiled and looking at her shoes.

"No" 

Dominico turned to look at her after she had spoken, perplexed.

"Perchè?"

(Why?)

"Perchè?" she repeated shocked he'd ask her why, the man nodded and she realized he had actually asked why she had not slept with someone. How could she 

"because...."

"Italian please" he interrupted not even sparing her a glance.

She looked at him taken aback this time. Had it  been her mother that had been interrupted, the woman would yell 'guarda il tuo tono' meaning 'watch your tone' and she would immediately muster a smile and apologize but she couldn't say that to him, he was her fiancee and that would be very disrespectful.

"perché sono fidanzato"

(Because I am engaged)

"and if you were not engaged you would have done otherwise?" he squinted.

"I don't know I have never thought of that"

she wanted to ask him the same question he had asked her, had he slept with someone else, but she kept her mouth shut.

"so could you please tell me about yourself now"

He turned back to her and smiled a little, not saying anything, after that Bellissima frowned and decided to keep to herself.

They kept moving, both quiet, "did I do something wrong?" she asked after a short while.

He stared back at her and smiled sweetly, moving his head to say no.

"so why are we not speaking?" she asked again, her heart racing that she had done something wrong.

"Nothing"  he looked at her, she appeared so innocent when she spoke and he couldn't tell if it was a facade or not, he just hoped it wasn't.

"You're the one saying nothing, I've asked the same question a couple of times" she moved her eyes to look the other side 

"I beg you then to ask me particular questions" bellissima stared at him excitement filling her eyes.

"I hear you stay with your cousins?" Her voice came and he shook his head to say no 

"my cousins stay with me" 

Bella remained quiet, feeling some kind of way but she shook the feeling away.

"Which one of them do you like the most"  she looked at him, putting her hands behind her.

"I do not have a favourite" 

In truth,  he did not like any of them, apart from the littlest one, aurora, but that didn't count, because she couldn't even call his name properly.

"How many are they?"

"Four" he turned to smile at her and met her grinning from ear-to-ear, dominico then realized how much joy the conversation brought to the girl and decided to be more enthusiastic about it.

"Armando, Giargo, Carlo and Aurora"

"aurora is such a beautiful name, will definitely name one of my children that" she spoke quickly and shut her mouth after that "I'm sorry, I talk too much"

"No, you don't" They looked at each other in silence and she suddenly asked 

"do you want me?"

"why would you ask that, what exactly do you mean?" he replied laughing and it took Bella some minutes before she understood what he meant.

"Oh God, no!" she exclaimed and they both laughed.

"I don't mind getting married to you if that's what you mean, I don't see any problem in that"

she noddeed hoping he wouldn't turn and catch the redness of her cheeks from excessive blushing "I don't mind getting married to you too" she added "I know you didn't ask, just thought to say it"

Dominico chuckled finding that unnecessarily sweet, he held her hands when they approached another puddle to help her get by and she smiled sweetly to thank him 

"you're such a gentleman" she tapped his arm Softly and he laughed 

"what if this is all pretense?"  Bella Stopped moving "is it?"

She pulled her hands away from his and the tall man stood before her staring at the woman in amusement

"If I say yes does that assure you I'm being real" 

"No" she frowned at him "it doesn't but please say yes"

"I would say yes not because you asked me to but because I want to"

They continued their movement around the garden over and over again talking about nothing relevant and cracking jokes with themselves.

Dominico really enjoyed the company of the girl, at first when the girl had arrived she seemed to be uncomfortable and he planned to have a discussion with his father to post pone the Wedding but while they spoke he saw the woman's personality and loved it.

She was down-to-earth, laughed whenever and however she wanted to, not minding how she appeared before him, she didn't treat him like he was some sort of royalty or he differed greatly, most times when he communicated with people they treated him exceptionally and tried to act the most formal they could around him, sometimes he wanted to be treated that way but only when it was necessary not when it was uncalled for.

Bellissima had spoken to him as a friend and that made him certain that she was someone he would like to spend the rest of his life with, he wasn't in love with her but he could see himself falling in love with the girl sometime in the future.

And she was so beautiful, someone Dominico would be proud to take around the town as his own.

"can I see your room?" she asked him and he turned to her in shock.

"Well, if you say so" he picked up her hands from her side and walked with her passing a few workers. The both of them moved quickly, bellissima saying nothing as they walked, she observed her surroundings just in case, but she calmed down assuring herself nothing could go wrong.

After a long walk, Dominico opened a large door and they stepped in, bellissima paused her mouth ajar,  she stared around in shock at how luxurious one's room could be.

Oh she wished  it was her place, so much space, the bed was extremely large and designed magnificantly, paintings filled the room, a large corner with various canvas around it 

"you paint?" She asked in whispers and he nodded. she walked quickly to them and placed her hands on them.

"These are so good!" she exclaimed chuckling "could you paint me someday" she smiled sweetly at her fiancee.

Dominico had no words for her, he just stared at the beautiful young girl before him 

"You would?" she looked at him widening her eyes and smiling excessively. He hadn't realised he had said yes or nodded, perhaps that made her say that but he supposed he did one of those.

" why wouldn't I?"  She tilted her head her lips stretching so far in a smile.

Dominico laughed after watching the girl act childishly, it amused him, to see someone so innocent 

"what photo would you paint of me?" she looked at him, her eyes still wide in excitement.

"Leave that to me"

she frowned but smiled shortly after, roaming about his room.

"who is this?" bellissima pointed at a painting that was hung behind his bed, they both stared at the picture, it  was the face of a very beautiful woman and Bella had felt some kind of way, eager to know who the lucky woman was

"She is unreal, a painting of how I imagined you to be"  she looked back at the painting and frowned, this woman was obviously more beautiful than she was.

and for the first time, she wondered if Dominico had considered her attractive.

"Such a disappointment it must be" 

"Perché?" 

(Why?)

"This looks nothing like me!" She exclaimed, laughing, trying to hide her pain with her sweet sounds of laughter 

"Obviously" the man said and she could swear her heart ached "you look much better" Dominico bent his head to touch the door frame, still standing beside it.

Even though Bella knew they were fallacies, it still made her smile that he said something of that sort to her "I'd take that as a compliment, thank you Dominico"  she nodded slowly at him and he smiled back, his lips stretching as far as they could go.

"Pergo Bellissima" 

(You are welcome).

----------------

"Your father is asking for the both of you sir" A man spoke to the two behind the door.

"Grazie Malakai, we'd be down shortly" 

(Thank you)

Dominico stretched forth his arm to his fiancee and she took It.

They walked majestically down the stairs, hand in hand.

Ahlas it was time for the beautiful woman to leave. Dominico felt a brief wave of sadness fill him, but it was gone after his father had said.

"Bellissima would be back tomorrow"

and so Dominico took the hand of his bride-to-be and kissed it gently,  speaking softly to her.

"incontrarti è un grande dono"

(meeting you is a great gift)