Chapter 17★

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Federico

"Keep your eyes closed, otherwise you'll ruin the surprise. And we wouldn't want that would we? Lotta." I teased her with my mischievous comments.

"Feds you could just tell me right now." She attempted to pull my hips and align them to hers, but I caught her wrists before she's even gotten the chance.

"Not on my watch, beautiful." She forced a sigh to travel out of her body and relaxed her shoulders once again.

Today, my amore is turning the magnificent age of twenty and her skin i still caressed with all her youthful years still ahead of her, I couldn't help but gawk at her beautiful reflection and admire her without her knowledge.

Whenever I speak her name, the mellifluous, sweet sound pleased my ears and sent aquiver down my torso, warming that special area on my chest I left only for her.

My little Lotta, the bare thought of her turns my insides to mush.

Te quiero con toda mi alma.

I love you with all my soul, every single piece of it.

"Feds where an earth are you taking me." Her lip quivered in anticipation, she looked adorable.

"That's for me to know and you to find out." I kissed the tips of her fingers teasingly.

I'd never realized the entirety of a soul consuming love until this creature wavered into my life, just at the right moment; I've been beyond thrilled there after.

So it's that day of the year, where I'm given permission to bend over backwards to please this woman, who already seems so content with how everything in her life that is circulating.

"You know by many of my friends would take the tube blind folded amore. What have I got myself into, again." She huffed impatiently as I held onto her entire body carefully.

"Because you love me, that's why amore." I wrapped my hand around her waist and squeezed her closer amongst the cluster of people on the underground platform.

It's her birthday and I was bubbling with pleasure at the thought of celebrating it.

That means that my job is already made a million zillion trillion times harder. But I think I've pinned these celebrations down to a fine art.

Hopefully she won't accidently pour the vodka over me, thinking it was water like she did last year, although it did amuse me immensely.

"Fede, take it off now, I feel sick, please, baby." She whined in response and pouted her lips just in order that I wouldn't be able to resist them.

I could tell she was fooling around because she stroked my chin, just the way I liked it.

But her savage tactics weren't going to swede my decision; not today at least.

"We're five minutes from our destination." I mimicked the SATNAV voice and guided her along the path that I'd mapped out for the whole of last week.

I hadn't realized how difficult it was to find, a remote private spot in London, until I actually tried looking for one.

Thankfully Terrence had told me about this sweet little pavilion in the depths of Hampstead Heath which apparently is one of Char's favorite's spots; although somehow she'd never mentioned it to me before.

She entwined her fingers through mine in a comforting gesture, confirming her trust in wherever I was guiding her.

I love this woman with all my heart.

It was almost like one of those trust exercises where you have to put complete faith into the person leading you; otherwise paranoia would crack you.

"Amore be patient." I whispered into her ear before pecking her cheek. Although it may of not been much, I'd still tried my best.

"I'm always patient Federico." She insisted.

"Well then trust me, I love it when you are so demanding amore."

"Well it's a good job I trust you, then isn't it amore." She ran her fingers across my lips as the blindfold hid my formal attire.

All day I'd been trying to arrange this and make sure everything would be perfect.

Candles illuminated our table, I'd planned on cooking the meal myself, but then I realized that Lotta would have preferred me at my finest, which is relaxed whilst gazing into the perplex of her.

I'd asked some favours from a couple friends from our favorite restaurant to help out; such kinda souls they agreed and would make the evening ineffably rememberable.

I hope she likes it. I gulped anxiously.

"This looks incredible." I exclaimed subconsciously.

"Hey, no fair I wanna see too." She fumbled with the blindfold but I knew she'd struggle with my tightly formed knot.

As I led her towards our table I realised that I'd left something rather important in Lotta's flat, more specifically the bottom draw of her dresser, underneath all of her warm jumpers. Murde.

I started to rack my brains and see if there was any way I could get my forgotten item here, without leaving her presence.

I could say I needed the toilet and grab it?

No, it's too far.

"Watch your step Lotta, I don't want you falling head over heels for me just yet."

Somehow she must have been lost in the moment as she tripped on the third step and landed directly into my arms; she wasn't the most gracefully duckling, but I never really did wanted a swan anyway, too high maintenance.

I left her touch for a brief second to pull out her a chair, where she gracefully perched herself.

"Fede, can I take my blindfold off now?" She pined adorably,"I've figured out where we are, I know you didn't think I would actually this time, but I've got it."

I knew she was lying because I'd been doing that dirty old trick on her for the past five years and every guess was already incorrect and she was an awful liar.

"I would love to hear you say the right one this time, Charlotta." I untied my hancerchief and allowed her eyes to welcome their change in environment.

She gasped, I hoped that was a good sign.

"It's perfect." She breathed.

"Should I be offended that you doubted my abilities in knowing everything you want before, you even know yourself?" She embraced me for a while and then whispered in my ear.

"I thought we were going somewhere completely different but this is so much better than I'd anticipated."

This was her usual response but it still had the same  impact on me, I was all hers from the point onwards; like putty in her hands.

"Did I ever tell you how much I love you?"I pulled away from her touch and sat down myself.

"Only once I can really recall," She fondled my humor with a smile.

"More than words can really express; but if they could it would be the span of all the galaxies combined into one sentence." She raised her eyebrows in awe, only half mocking my answer, she was adorable.

"Well Señora, that sounds like far too much for one girl to handle, but I'll accept your offer. If that means I will be eating soon, I'm starving." Her tone of voice withheld the flirtatious tone which she knew I loved so much.

The night sequenced along just as I had planned it to, we ate delicious Italian food and drank far too much expensive wine, but it made the evening that much more magical.

Although her makeup masked most of her rosy cheeks, I made out a hint of them and that was enough for any man to feel accomplished.

"So how did you know, that this spot was just the right one?"

"Natural instinct, some might say."

"It's my one secret spot, and now you've found it." She stuck out her tongue playfully, but I could tell she was a little surprised, maybe even a little annoyed.

"We'll now it's our secret spot, then." I winked in her direction.

"What have you got planned for the rest of our evening." She twirled her hair through her fingers, changing the subject.

"We'll that part is up to you." I flashed my teeth in her direction.

"Well I wouldn't mind keeping the blind fold off this time, travelling on the tube blind folded is a step in our relationship I will only concede with once every blue moon. " She wet her lips seductively.

"How about we go home and set off some fireworks like we usually do and then see where the night leads us." That mischievous grin returned, the one I couldn't resist.

"Sounds like just what I was thinking."

I adore this woman, she looks so beautiful in her little number that I couldn't wait to see decorate the bare floorboards in her apartment.

Somehow we'd made it home in one piece, I wasn't completely sure how, considering the amount of alcohol that had been consumed throughout our evening, but we had.

The serendipity in events that were on the verge of occurring could only be the experiments of time granting me with a wish I had yet to ask for.

We'd hiked up to the highest point of her building and had made a nest of blankets. The mood was just right.

I began to reflect on how extraordinary the evening had been, due to the generous hands that belonged to Terrence;I had been able to purchase something that I'd hope would conclude our memorable evening in all the right ways.

I needed to remember to thank him for creating an evening that I would hope to never forget.

I stroked the match against the first batch of fireworks and left them to weave in and out of the night sky however they chose to.

I knew that my next action would take Lotta by surprise, maybe even myself as well.

Last year I brought her Tabitha her little kitty; which she adores. I knew this year needed to top all the gifts that I'd given to her up to this date.

"Lotta I brought you something today and ... and," I found myself shaking with a nervous stutter, she brushed my arm.

The problem was it wasn't supposed to be any form or means of a marriage proposal at all but somehow it felt like even more than that.

I know were both so young and marriage hadn't even cropped up in my thoughts until the words had slipped out of mouth, without a filter to safe guard themselves.

"And . . it doesn't mean anything more than I want this moment to last forever with you right now and . . . and . . . and I love you."

I dangled a ring that only represented that longevity of our love to continue, no commitments or set dates or dowries; just a promise that I'd be with her, through it all and I welcomed her mouth onto mine.

But she didn't return my sentimental phrase back to me.

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  ―  Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies. ―

― Aristotle ―

✶This couple is honestly just goals can we all take a minute to appreciate how adorable they are. I want my own Federico,isn't he just the sweetest?✶