THANK YOU for encouraging me to tell this story, for never giving up and always being with me!

   ***

   We slowly pull apart, smiling at each other.

   "Are you hungry?" Em asks and his voice is slightly hoarse.

   "Very hungry," I answer, still dizzy from the kiss and unable to take my eyes off of his mouth.

   "Then stop staring at my lips and help me set the blankets if you don't want me to drag you straight home and skip dinner altogether," he smirks.

   I pretend to pout but a second later we burst into laughter.

   Em has thought of everything, needed for a romantic picnic on the beach. 

   We spread an enormous, sand proof blanket on the ground and another, soft and fluffy, over it. He brings a pile of throw pillows from the jeep and scatters them around for us to sit. They are beautiful, white, with Moroccan motives on them. The setting looks cozy and colorful.

   A big, wicker basket is placed in the middle. The lid turns into a small table when opened. 

   We settle between the pillows, facing each other and start arranging the food in a beautiful set of plates with decorations in traditional Arabic style.

   "I decided to create some oriental mood, as if we're in a 'One Thousand and One Nights' tale," Em winks. "What do you think?"

   "I think that you're the most romantic person I know," I mumble.

   The food looks amazing. There're grilled chicken, ciabatta sandwiches with mozzarella, tomatoes and fresh basil leaves. A big bowl is full of avocado, red and yellow cherry tomatoes salad and another one of fruit skewers with strawberries, pineapple and grapes.

   To top it all, Em takes out a bottle of champagne and two high flute, crystal glasses. He shakes the bottle and opens it with a loud pop, directing the fizzling liquid into them. He hands me one of the glasses and clinks it with his.

   "For my sweet, beautiful, pink haired kitten," he says with a big smile.

   „For my handsome, mysterious savior," I add and take a sip of the cold wine, blushing profoundly to the tips of my ears.

   "How can you be so cute and shy all the time?" Em coos at me. "When are you going to get used to the fact that I adore you?"

   "I don't know," I mutter, "probably never."

   "Oh, yes, you will, kitty. I'm going to spoil you so much, that you won't be able to recognize yourself," he chuckles. "I hope, however, that you won't stop blushing in this incredibly lovely way."

   "Don't worry. It's incurable. I've tried very hard, you can trust me," I smile.

   "Good! Now let's eat. I know that you can't wait to learn everything about me and the boys, but I don't want you to faint on me out of hunger." He waves towards the food and grabs a sandwich.

   I do the same and dig in the crispy bread. It's so delicious. The flavors of the chicken and the cheese complement each other perfectly. The tomatoes, mixed with the green spices, make them light and fresh.

   "This is so good!" I sigh. "Did you make everything by yourself?"

   "Mhm," Em only nods since his mouth is stuffed with food.

   "Is there anything that you're not good at?" I roll my eyes. 

   Honestly, how can this boy be so perfect?

   "Yeah, washing," he grins. "I suck at it. Yesterday, my favorite white shirt turned pink. I forgot to separate the white from the colored laundry, again. I hate cleaning either, especially the bathroom."

   I start laughing. I really can't picture him, cleaning a bathroom.

   "Do you live alone in that big house?" I ask. "It's surely a lot of cleaning, not to mention after that wild party."

   "Oh, you won't believe what a mess it was. The house was literally ruined. I had to call a cleaning company to make it habitable again. I threw three sets of bed sheets in the trash. Don't ask me why." He huffs in annoyance. "That's why I didn't want to make that party in the first place. But Lucky is worse than a leech when he decides he wants something. He'd whine and chase you tirelessly until you oblige just to be left alone." 

   He looks at me with naughty sparks in his eyes, "But it turned to be the most awesome party ever. Don't you agree, sexy bunny?"

   "I agree," I mumble and take a big gulp of champagne in an attempt to save myself from turning into a ripe strawberry.

   Em ruffles my hair, very pleased with the effect of his teasing.

   "Anyway, to answer your question, yes, I live alone. It was our family holiday house, before my parents divorced. And when I decided to come and study at the local University, dad gave it to me. I have only happy memories here and it feels like home."

     "I'm so sorry, Dārin! I mean about your parents." I take his hand. How silly of me. It never crossed my mind that my confident, smug, popular boyfriend might have had difficulties in his life.

   "Oh, don't be, kitty. It happened three years ago and I really didn't take it hard. I told you that my father is Italian and mom is local, from the capital. The last five years each of them kind of had their own lives. Dad preferred to spend more and more time in Italy to attend to his business. Mom had her own art gallery and did not seem to miss him very much. It was natural for them to separate at some point and pursue their own goals." He shrugs his shoulders and smiles, "There wasn't a big drama. They're still friends. And we really were a happy family during my childhood. Sometimes life goes that way."

   "I'm glad it's not bothering you," I smile back.

   While we're eating and talking, the sun has set and it's getting quite dark. 

   Em goes to the jeep and takes out of the trunk several beautiful vintage lanterns with batteries. He places them around us and lights them on. Then he hands me my additional jacket.

   "Put this on, kitty. It'll soon get colder."

   I do as I'm told. Em takes a spare blanket, sits behind me cuddling me with my back leaning on his chest and envelopes both of us with it.

   "Are you warm?" he gently asks with his chin on my shoulder.

   "Yes, it's perfect," I sigh contentedly.

   "Well, this is the magical view that I promised to show you," he says, kissing my hair. "You're the only person I've ever wanted to bring here with me."

   I look in the direction of the city and gasp with astonishment. 

   Thousands of beautiful lights of every color are flickering in the dark. 

   We can see the city roads, outlined by the street lights and the flushing billboards on the facades and the roofs of the buildings. The streams of cars are moving like huge, glowing snakes. 

   An enormous cathedral, lit in warm golden illuminations, stands in the very center of this fairy tale. 

   The calm sea is glimmering and swaying bellow this beauty.

   "This is the most amazing thing I've ever seen," I say quietly. "Thank you so much for bringing me here!"

"Thank you for being here with me," Em gently whispers in my ear.

_________________________________

A/N

Hello everyone at the end of Chapter 56!

Thank you for reading and supporting! ❤❤❤

You're amazing!

Em starts to open up and more is coming. 💕💕💕

Did you like their romantic escape? 😁

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See you in the next chapter.