Song for Chapter: I'll Be ~ Edwin McCain

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ANNALISA

I don't mean to gasp as loud as I do when I turn around. 

Joey looks so different. Older. His hair is cut differently. The style is very military-like, shaved on the sides fading to longer pieces on top, but still too short that you wouldn't know his hair is curly.

I probably look really different to him, too. Remembering he hasn't seen me since we were both in the Cardinale house.

I notice his right eye is a little cloudy and I wonder if it's functional. Images of his bruised, swollen and beaten face flash in my mind. His face has scars from the damage that was done but he's still as handsome as I remember.

"Joey" I breathe out. A tear slips out and he catches it with his thumb, brushing it away, gently. 

"Don't cry, Anna."

I launch myself at him and hold him tightly, crying into his shoulder. He wraps his arms around my waist and holds me just as tight. I don't know how long we stand there, holding each other before I pull away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sob all over you." I say, wiping at my eyes.

He wipes at my cheeks, cupping my face. "I'm the one who needs to apologize to you. I didn't protect you or Stella. I couldn't stop what they did to you, to all of us. And I'm so sorry." His eyes fill with tears as he drops his hands from my face.

"Joey, you couldn't have stopped what happened. No one could. It wasn't your fault." I hold his face with my hand and he leans into it. He keeps looking at me as he grabs my hand, placing a kiss on it.

"Dance with me."

He leads me to the dance floor and pulls me into him. We keep looking at each other, while he moves us around the dance floor and it feels like we are the only ones in the large room.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't there when you woke up. I...I wanted to be but then I found out that..." I can't even bring myself to say it, it still makes me feel sick, dirty and guilty.

"I know, Annalisa. I heard and I'm sorry about that, too." He brings my hand to his chest.

"Are you...are you doing okay, after everything? When I didn't see you at the ceremony I was worried...that it's still too much..."

He pulls his lips in and moves his shoulders. "I have good days and bad days. I was late because I couldn't make up my mind about coming...But mostly, I feel like I'm living life, watching from the outside looking in. That probably doesn't make any sense." He shakes his head.

"It makes perfect sense." Feeling the exact same, most days.

"But now that I'm here with you. I'm really glad I came. I've missed you...a lot." He tells me.

"I've missed you too, Joey." I lay my head on his chest as we continue to dance. I don't know how many songs have passed or if they were fast or slow songs, but when we pull apart it feels too soon.

"Is Stella with you?" His eyes hopeful, looking around.

I tell him she was working and that I came with our friend, Topo. He stands when we approach the table. Joey shakes his hand introducing himself and Topo follows.

"You know... JP pretty much lost his shit when we watched Stella's fights. Especially when he saw how you were massaging her legs and how she jumped on you after one of the fights. He thinks something happened between you two." Joey tells him.

Topo and I look at each other, and burst out laughing. "No, I like Stella, but she's more like an annoying little sister, I never wanted." I hit Topo's arm, laughing.

"Your parents are lovely. So kind, both of them." I tell Joey. He looks over at the table where his parents are sitting. His mom waves over at us, happily. I wave back at her smiling.

"Yeah, they're great." He sighs. "They keep asking me stop working for Timo. To come out and stay with Mia and Vince for a while or even move back home."

"Are you thinking of leaving?"

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about it, but I don't know what I'd do if I did." He tells us. He rests his arm around the back of my chair. His fingers tracing my bare shoulders and back lightly.

"You always were good with your hands."

I roll my eyes when he smirks at me. "You know that's not what I mean." I laugh. "Same old Joey." I hit his chest, playfully.

"You made that gazebo at Timo's house and you made those planters for Carmela's garden."

"JP said the same thing." He says wistfully. "I don't know, we'll see."

"What about you?" He asks, "What are you doing? What are your plans?" He asks me.

"I don't really have any plans. I'm just trying to survive each day that comes." I answer honestly. "But if you ask my mom I'm waisting precious golden years. I have been doing some training. Stella helped me learn some self defense and then Topo and Zeeko have helped with weapon training, too."

Joey smiles. "Good. Maybe we'll get to do some sparring, some time." I blush, knowing that's not what he really means.

"She'd probably kick you ass, bro." Topo chimes in, not catching on to Joey's insinuation.

"No doubt." Joey winks at me. I laugh, sighing. Feeling really happy in the moment. It almost feels like it did before everything changed. Almost.

"Is your eye okay or did it get damaged from what they did?" His smile falters and he looks down; I curse myself silently, hating that I ruined the moment.

"Yeah, I lost about 30% of my eyesight in it. Everything is blurry or out of focus. The Dr's said it went too long without blood circulation." He says frowning, his fingers playing with a napkin on the table.

"They suggested I wear an eye-patch but I didn't want to in case you and Stella came home, I didn't want it to remind you of...him." My heart clenches and I reach for his hand squeezing it.

"Oh, Joey. Stella wore an eyepatch for a little while, too. Her vision is a little hazy but has most of her sight." I tell him.

He looks at our hands. "When are you leaving?"

"Our flight leaves tomorrow in the afternoon." I smile at Santino, as he joins our table and shakes Topo's hand. He hands each of us a beer. Joey excuses himself and returns with a Cosmo, placing it in front of me. I smile as he moves his chair closer to mine.

"What about you guys? When do you leave? " I ask, taking a sip of the drink he brought me.

"We leave in the afternoon, too." He tells me. Topo and Santino start talking about what part of Italy they are from and where their families are based out of.

I get butterflies as Joey reaches for my hand and then interlaces his hand with mine. I feel like a kid again, holding my crushes hand, for the first time. "Let's get together before we have to leave." He tells me quietly. I smile shaking my head, laughing. "Oh Joey." 

He laughs with me. "What? That's not what I mean, Anna. I meant like, get breakfast or lunch or both before we go. I just really want to be around you longer." His other hands caresses the back of my neck as he places a soft kiss on my bare shoulder. A shiver runs through me.

"Okay we can do brunch then." I smile at him.

"Good, let's dance some more, doll face."

He pulls me again, from my chair and leads me to the dance floor, holding me flush against him. I'm overcome with the feelings of safety in his arms and I can't stop the smile on my face.

His hands run slowly up and down my back as I hold on to him. The steady rhythm of his heart, is soothing as I lay my head on his chest and he rests his head on mine.

****

The next day, I wake up excited for the first time in a long time. It feels so foreign to have something to look forward to.

I didn't want the night to end yesterday, feeling happy, really happy being among old friends but mostly it was because of Joey.

I get dressed quickly and wait anxiously for Joey to come by to get me. Topo chuckles at my nervousness and laughs even harder, after I jump when Joey knocks on the door.

Topo let's Joey in. "Hey gorgeous, you ready?" He holds his hand out to me and I take it. I nod, telling Topo bye and he reminds me to text him when we're on the way back.

When we arrive at the restaurant, he sits next to me, instead of in front and it makes me feel giddy.

As we look at the menu, he moves his arm around me and begins caressing my neck like he was the night before and I find the gesture, so calming and soothing.

"Do you know what you're getting?" I ask, noticing he keeps watching me instead of looking at the actual menu.

"Yes. I usually get the same thing whenever I eat breakfast out." He tells me. His finger tracing the skin on my neck and down my back.

"This is brunch though, not breakfast." I remind him, smiling. He shrugs in response. The waitress comes by and takes our order.

"Do you ever think about how different things would be, if nothing happened?" I ask him.

He nods, "But honestly, you would still be somewhere just as far or more than you already are and I would just be doing the same thing I'm doing, or traveling more with Timo."

"Yeah, maybe...but, I feel like some of the things I felt were important, are really not now, after what happened." I play with my napkin.

"Like what?" He asks me, his finger tracing is really distracting but in a good way.

"Like...I...I...stupid things." I shake my head at my rambling. "You know, like when you like someone, but then you worry about all the what if's and then when it comes down to it, it doesn't really matter, because you know you'd rather be with that person than without them."

"I mean, if you're talking about JP and Stella, it could have been avoided for sure. But as stupid as what he did was. I also can't blame him for trying to get her to leave. To be away from everything."

That's not where I was going but, he doesn't get it either. "Yes, but I think what we all didn't see then is, that something like what happened, would have happened regardless if they were together or not. If they didn't get her in New York, they would have found her in Paris. I guess what I'm trying to say is that instead of being honest with each other, they hid behind the reason why they shouldn't be together, does that make sense."

He nods his head and our waitress comes by with our food. We continue to talk as we eat. He tells me more about his mom and dad. And I tell him about my toxic relationship with my mom.

At one point, after we've eaten, we are just sitting there talking, when he grabs my wrist and traces the matching tattoo I got with Stella, but then his fingers trace over the scars where I cut myself. 

I try to pull my hand away but he holds onto it firmly. I can feel his eyes on me but I can't bring myself to look at him. Shame and embarrassment come over me. 

He brings my arm to his lips and places several soft kisses on my scars. I peek up at him and he's looking back at me. He brings his other hand to my face and traces my jaw line, then my bottom lip. I never wanted someone to kiss me so much as I did in that moment.

"I wish I could have been there for you, Anna. So you didn't feel alone, especially after Stella left." He tells me quietly.

I tuck some of my hair behind my ear looking down before I meet his eyes again. "You're here now, Joey."

Driving back to the hotel, I can't help but notice how at ease it feels to be around him. Almost like we haven't been apart but there's still that commonality that connects us in way that we both know, we don't want to be there. The connection of going through what we did.

He holds my hand as we walk through the lobby of the hotel and wait for the elevator. Despite going through what he did, I like that he still carries himself confidently. The scars on his handsome face give him more of an edge.

I don't know if he feels it but there's a humming or ringing I feel, being so close to him. As we step into the elevator and he pushes the button, I remember to text Topo as the doors close but then he grabs my phone out of my hands.

"Anna" He says my name breathlessly before he captures my lips with his. He moves us back until my back hits the wall. His kiss is soft, almost uncertain but I reach up and pull him closer to me.

I moan softly as he continues to move his lips over mine. He deepens the kiss and it becomes more passionate as he holds my face and presses his body against mine.

We don't hear the elevator ding, signaling our stop or even notice that the doors have opened until someone clears their throat. We pull apart and an older gentleman steps in as we walk out. My legs feel weak and I'm not even sure how I managed to get them move, in the first place.

When we get to the door, Joey leans down and kisses me again. This time just brushing his lips lightly against mine. "I don't want to say goodbye." He whispers, pressing his forehead on mine.

"I don't either." My phone chimes and it's Topo. He's texted back that he went to fill the car with gas before we have to return it.

"Topo's out getting gas for the rental" I look up at him through my eyelashes. My eyes stay on his until I look at his lips, slipping the key card in.

I push the door open and pull Joey inside the room with me.

~~~~~~~~~~~

**Ahh! I love these two! 

Hope you liked Annalisa's POV ♡