Chapter Twenty Two — The Gift That Meant More-Enzo
1838 Words
Monday morning came too quickly.
Far too quickly.
I woke up already knowing that the weekend was almost over.
And I hated that.
For three days, I had watched Azul experience things he had never experienced before.
His first flight.
The resort.
The shopping.
The boat.
The restaurants.
The fireworks.
The movie under the stars.
And, most importantly, I had watched his family enjoy themselves.
That was what mattered to me.
Not the money.
Not the resort.
Not the yacht.
The smiles.
Those were the things I wanted to remember.
Breakfast was quieter that morning.
Everyone was exhausted.
Even Mateo.
And that was saying something.
He looked like somebody had taken all the energy out of him.
His hair was messy.
His eyes were tired.
He was eating slowly.
I looked at him.
“You okay?”
He nodded.
“I’ve lived three different lives this weekend.”
I laughed.
“What does that mean?”
“I mean, I need a vacation after this vacation.”
Azul laughed silently.
I smiled when I saw it.
After breakfast, I told everyone to relax.
“Spend some time in your rooms,” I said. “We don’t have to leave until around four.”
Nobody argued.
They were tired.
So everyone disappeared upstairs.
I went back to my room.
Azul was lying down, looking through the pictures on his iPad.
I could see some of the pictures from the weekend.
There were pictures of the sea.
The resort.
His parents.
Mateo.
And then I noticed something.
There were several pictures of himself.
I smiled.
“You know you’re beautiful, right?”
He looked at me.
Then immediately looked back at his iPad.
I laughed.
He was never going to get used to me.
Or maybe I was never going to stop.
The afternoon passed quickly.
By the time four o’clock came, everyone was ready.
We checked out.
The staff helped with the luggage.
And soon we were back in the cars heading toward the private airfield.
Mateo spent most of the ride talking about the trip.
“I am never going to forget this.”
He looked out the window.
“This was my weekend.”
I laughed.
“Yes, Mateo.”
“My weekend.”
He looked at Azul.
“You took a lot of pictures of me, right?”
Azul looked at him.
Then nodded.
“Good.”
Mateo smiled.
“I need evidence.”
I shook my head.
He was impossible.
But I had to admit, I was going to miss this.
The noise.
The jokes.
The family.
Azul sitting beside me.
Everything.
When we reached the private airfield, the plane was already waiting.
We boarded.
The flight back to Palermo was comfortable.
People slept.
Mateo took more pictures.
Azul sat quietly beside me.
At one point, I looked at him.
He was staring out the window.
I wondered what he was thinking.
I wanted to ask.
But I didn’t.
I simply let him enjoy the last part of the journey.
When we finally landed, the cars were waiting.
Two black cars.
The drivers opened the doors.
Azul and I sat in the back of the first car.
His family took the second.
As we drove toward the Bellini farmhouse, I felt something I hadn’t expected.
I didn’t want to leave.
I wanted the weekend to continue.
I wanted another day.
Another breakfast.
Another dinner.
Another walk.
Another movie.
Anything.
But eventually, the farmhouse came into view.
The cars stopped.
Everyone got out.
Luggage was unloaded.
Elena immediately turned toward me.
“Enzo, please come inside.”
I smiled.
“Of course.”
We went into the living room.
Everyone looked exhausted.
Mateo dropped onto the couch.
“I don’t think I can move.”
Luca laughed.
“You’ve been moving all weekend.”
“I need rest.”
Elena brought water for everyone.
We sat around talking about the trip.
Luca eventually looked at me.
“Thank you.”
I looked at him.
“For what?”
“For everything.”
His voice was sincere.
“You gave us a wonderful weekend.”
Elena nodded.
“It was beautiful. I haven’t enjoyed myself like that in years.”
I smiled.
“I’m glad.”
Mateo sat up.
“Bro, we need to do this more often.”
I laughed.
“More often?”
“Yes.”
He pointed around the room.
“This was legendary.”
Azul shook his head.
Mateo continued.
“I am serious. We should make this a tradition.”
I looked at him.
“You just want another free vacation.”
He put his hand over his chest.
“That’s offensive.”
Everyone laughed.
I couldn’t help it.
Mateo was ridiculous.
But he made the room lighter.
And I liked that.
After a while, Elena said she had ordered pizza.
Nobody had really been hungry after the flight, but she said she was too tired to cook.
The pizza arrived.
I went to the door.
The driver was standing there.
He had the pizza.
And another bag.
The gift bag.
I took both.
Everyone assumed I was bringing the pizza.
I walked back into the living room.
I gave Elena the pizza.
Then I turned toward Azul.
He looked at me.
I held out the bag.
“For you.”
His eyebrows pulled together.
He looked suspicious immediately.
I smiled.
“Open it.”
He slowly took it.
Mateo leaned forward.
“What is that?”
Azul opened the bag.
Then froze.
He looked inside.
Then at me.
Then back inside.
The blue Birkin.
The exact one from the Hermès store.
Mateo stood up.
“Whoa!”
Everyone looked at him.
He pointed at the bag.
“That is the hundred-and-something-thousand-dollar bag!”
I laughed.
Mateo looked at Azul.
“Bro!”
Then he shook his head dramatically.
“Azul, you’re living the life of a princess.”
Everyone started laughing.
Even Luca.
Even Elena.
Azul was still holding the bag.
He looked at me with the most suspicious expression.
He pulled out his iPad.
Why did you buy it?
I smiled.
“Because I wanted to.”
He stared at me.
I continued.
“I got it for you as a gift.”
His eyes dropped to the bag.
“And because it matches your eyes.”
That did it.
His cheeks turned pink.
He looked down.
And I smiled.
God.
That blush.
I could watch it forever.
Mateo looked between us.
“Oh, my God.”
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
He grinned.
“Couple things.”
I shook my head.
He was never going to let us breathe.
We spent another little while together.
Just talking.
Nothing important.
Nothing complicated.
Just family.
And somehow, that felt perfect.
Eventually, I stood.
“I should go.”
Azul followed me outside.
We stopped near the cars.
I looked at him.
I didn’t want to leave.
I pulled him into a hug.
He went still for a second.
Then relaxed.
I kissed his forehead.
Then his cheek.
“My life.”
He looked at me.
“I’ll miss you.”
He gave me a look that said, We just spent three days together.
I laughed.
“I know.”
I stepped back.
“But I’ll still miss you.”
He looked at me.
I smiled.
“I’ll call you when I get home.”
He nodded.
I got into the car.
Before the door closed, I looked at him one more time.
Then I left.
⸻
When I got home, I changed immediately.
The moment I walked into my office, reality came rushing back.
My phone was full.
Messages.
Reports.
Documents.
Calls waiting.
People needed decisions.
Money needed moving.
Deals needed approving.
And then there were the things that couldn’t be written down.
The other side of my life.
The side that didn’t belong anywhere near Azul.
I was about to start when my phone vibrated.
A message.
From Azul.
I opened it.
It was short.
But I read it twice.
Then three times.
Thank you for everything you did for me and my family this weekend. I don’t know how to properly thank you for everything you gave us. You gave my family memories that we will always cherish, and I know my parents will talk about this weekend for years. I had a beautiful time. Thank you for making us feel so special. And thank you for the flowers and the beautiful gift. You didn’t have to do any of it, but you did. I am very grateful.
I stared at the screen.
For a long moment, I didn’t move.
Something tightened inside my chest.
He had thanked me.
Not because he wanted something.
Not because he was trying to make me happy.
He genuinely meant it.
I smiled.
A real smile.
One I couldn’t stop.
I typed back.
You don’t have to thank me, my life. Seeing you and your family happy was enough for me. I’m glad you enjoyed it. And the bag belongs with you. I told you it matches your eyes.
His response came quickly.
You really didn’t have to buy it.
I smiled.
I know. I wanted to.
A few seconds later:
Thank you.
I looked at those two words.
Then typed:
You’re welcome. Now get some rest. You have work tomorrow.
He replied:
I know. The bakery doesn’t run itself.
I laughed.
Exactly. So sleep.
Then:
Goodnight, Enzo.
I stared at his name on the screen.
I smiled.
Goodnight, my life.
The conversation ended.
I put the phone down.
For a few seconds, I just sat there.
Thinking about the weekend.
The way his mother smiled.
His father’s quiet happiness.
Mateo’s ridiculous behavior.
The fireworks.
The boat.
The movie.
Azul resting his head on my shoulder.
And that message.
That simple little message had touched me more than I expected.
I had spent my life surrounded by people who wanted something from me.
Money.
Power.
Protection.
Favors.
Business.
Fear.
And then there was Azul.
He simply thanked me.
Because I had made his family happy.
That meant more to me than it should have.
I leaned back in my chair.
Then I looked at the mountain of paperwork waiting for me.
The smile slowly disappeared.
Reality.
Business.
Responsibilities.
The legitimate side of my empire was waiting.
Contracts.
Investments.
Properties.
Shipping.
Construction.
Hospitality.
And then there was the other side.
The illegal shipments.
The men waiting for instructions.
The territories.
The money.
The problems.
The people who needed to be reminded who was in charge.
I picked up the first file.
The weekend was over.
The peaceful version of my life was over for now.
Tomorrow, Azul would be back at his bakery.
And I would be back in my world.
A world he didn’t fully understand yet.
A world I didn’t want touching him.
I looked at my phone one last time.
His message was still there.
I smiled.
Then I opened the first file.
And went back to work.
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