Six Nights to Love

Julia nodded gently.

"I already loved you. Everything that happened this week was just a confirmation of that. And I can't imagine a future that didn't have you in it."

"I don't want to spend a single day without you in it," said Julia. "I want a future with you. I always had this feeling about you and seeing you this week only deepened it. It was nothing all those years apart from you could ever dampen. Seeing you made it come roaring back, and I realized that you were the one. You're the one that I want to marry and raise a family with. You're everything to me, Andy."

"And you're everything to me."

"I can't believe you came back for me," she said while shaking her head in disbelief. "They're going to be so pissed at you," she said with a giggle.

"Let them. You're more important."

She kissed him again, another long, passionate affair that had him wanting more. The sun was just starting to rise, the morning light illuminating the apartment and casting a fresh perspective on the day. In a way, it was rising on a new relationship as well.

After several minutes of long, tender kisses, Julia slipped out of his arms and began to drag him inside.

"What are you doing?" he said with a laugh as she got behind him and pushed him toward her bedroom.

"I need to make love to you right this instant," she said with a giggle. "We're going inside that bedroom, and we're not coming out until tomorrow."

Andy chuckled. "Yes, ma'am!"

As they stripped down their clothes and climbed into the covers, Julia beckoned him to slide his body on top of hers. She wrapped her arms willingly around his neck and moaned as his cock brushed against her slick, wet folds. He pushed inside her easily, their passion discarding any need for foreplay.

"That's it," whispered Julia as soon as he was inside. "I'm complete now."

"We're complete. This is what we really needed."

"I love you so much, Andy."

"And I love you," he said as his hips pulled back for the first time before coming crashing forward in the start of a steady rhythm.

For the rest of that day, nothing else mattered.

EPILOGUE - 6 MONTHS LATER

"How about saying hello?"

"That's easy.Ciao orbuongiorno," she said with a grin.

"Hmm, you're right, that's almost too easy. How about restaurant? How would you say that?"

She slapped his wrist playfully. "Ristorante, duh!"

"How do you say thank you?"

"Grazie, signore!"

"And what would I say in return?"

"Too easy, Andy! You'd sayprego!"

Andy leaned back and chuckled. Her Italian was getting a lot better than it had been even just a few weeks before. It was a busy day at the Spanish Steps in Rome, and people watching had become their new favorite activity after sightseeing and Italian lessons. It never got old for him, and there was still much of the Eternal City that he hadn't seen. Especially considering the fact that he almost didn't get there at all.

It had been six months since he and Julia had confessed their love to each other. And six months since he had to admit to his boss that he deliberately missed his flight to Rome, and that he was requesting several more weeks before having to fly out. That meeting didn't go so well. There was a lot of yelling, a few choice curse words, and even a broken coffee mug.

Thankfully for Andy, they let him keep his job and even the manager posting in Rome, although he did end up having to pay for the missed flight out of pocket. He guessed he had earned enough for a second chance after all the years spent working for Joe. And also quite thankfully, Joe granted his request to stay a bit longer after he explained the situation with Julia. Especially considering their history and their love for each other.

What ended up working out even better was that Julia was able to put in a request to transfer. The one took a little convincing on Andy's part, being that she was still a new employee, but they were still able to get that one through just barely. She became the second employee of the Rome branch, after Andy of course, and started working immediately on Italian marketing. It was a deal that couldn't have worked out better, especially considering she already had a place to stay once she got there.

Julia leaned in to nudge him. "What are you thinking about, babe?"

Andy snapped back to reality. "Nothing really. Just about how different these last few months have been."

"Different in a good way?"

"Oh yes. It's been out of my comfort zone for sure being here," said Andy as he looked around some of the old, European architecture. "But I'm also glad it's been here with you. I'm grateful for all this time spent together."

Julia smiled and then kissed him. "Me too. Even though we moved kind of fast?"

Andy laughed. Moving fast for them was just an accepted fact. They were already like an old married couple now in just about every avenue. Despite the sex, which was still just as vigorous as when they first started their relationship. "You know, I wouldn't say we moved that fast."

"You wouldn't?"

"Not at all. After all, we've known each other for twenty-six years. In a way, it took us a long time just to get to this point."

Julia giggled. "If you want to look at it that way! But I'm happy where we are. I never thought I'd be living in a foreign country basically on a whim, but here we are. It's worth it. You're worth it and I love you, Andy."

"I love you too," he said with a smile, leaning in to kiss her.

"Now come on," urged Julia. "Will you teach me some useful Italian phrases now? I'm good with the basic stuff already. Give me a hard one!"

Andy smiled and remembered something in the front of his pocket. He'd been waiting for just the right moment and her last words gave him an idea. He turned to look at her, and gave her one, simple Italian phrase.

"Ti amo, vuoi sposarmi?" he asked in a low voice.

Julia gave him a confused look while she tried to decipher it. "Amo means love, I know that. You love me, right?"

Andy smiled and nodded.

"But what does the rest of it mean?Vuoi sposarmi?" Julia went fishing into her Italian dictionary, never noticing that Andy had slipped off the step and now appeared on his knee in front of her. From his pocket, he pulled out a golden ring, the diamond sparkling as soon as the sun caught it.

As soon as she looked at him and put it together, she clapped her hand over her mouth. Her eyes already started to turn watery.

"Vuoi sposarmi means will you marry me?" said Andy, offering the ring to her. "I love you with all of my heart, Julia Barnes. Will you marry me and be my wife?"

He slipped the ring on her finger as she started to nod excitedly. She wiped tears from her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yes! A thousand times yes! Oh, I love you so much, Andy!"

They sealed their happiness with a passionate kiss, earning funny looks from nearby people. Andy couldn't have cared less. Just knowing that now Julia was his forever was a comfort of its own. Now their real future could begin.

"This ring is so incredible," said Julia while marveling at it. "You picked the perfect one. I couldn't have asked for something more beautiful."

"Neither could I," said Andy, while looking into her eyes. She smiled as soon as she realized he wasn't talking about the ring.

"I can't wait to be your wife," she whispered as soon as their next kiss ended.

"Do you want to elope here in Italy? Or wait until we go back home?"

She started to grin. "Why not both? I'd love to do it in front of our families but I also wouldn't mind marrying you as soon as possible!"

Andy started to laugh until Julia stood up, grabbing his arm and dragging him away from the Steps. He quickly realized they were going in the wrong direction.

"Where are we going? I thought we were going to go to thePiazza del Popolo before it gets too crowded?"

"Change of plans," said Julia with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I want to make love to my future husband right now!"

He stopped resisting and actively started rushing with her. "What are we waiting for then?"

*****

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