Summer Figs

I took a deep breath, then went back to eating.

When dinner was over and we were still working on the wine, she leaned against my side, and held my hand as she spoke to everyone. Elena sat next to me, and I asked her some more about her teaching career.

I played with Emmi's fingers as I heard her musical voice, trying to focus on what Elena was saying at the same time.

I was going to miss the warmth of that foreign place when I went back home. The humid air, the twinkle in everyone's eyes, the way the language oozed into your brain and wrapped around it, the closeness of Emmi, and feel of her skin.

The sky started to darken, so we started to wash everything and throw trash away. I set myself up at the sink with Emmi right next to me drying what I washed. I looked around and found us alone in the kitchen.

"Em?" I whispered.

"Hm?"

"Dario doesn't like Paola?"

"I don't know. I no think. Why?"

"Feddi likes Paola."

She whipped her head to look at me, hitting me in the face with her hair as she did so.

"Yes?"

"Yeah. He told me."

"Wow."

"Do you think she might like him back?"

"I don't know! She is only for Dario all summer. But maybe. She is strong, Feddi is sweet and calm. They are good."

"Yeah. I hope Paola notices Feddi. I really like him."

"He is sweet."

We kept working, and eventually everyone started to leave.

We were just left with Nonna, Nonna's close friend, Maria, Paola, Anna, and Feddi. We collapsed in the living room, exhausted. I closed my eyes as everyone spoke in Italian.

Paola stood to leave, and we all said our goodbyes. Feddi scrambled to leave with her, and we said goodbye to him, too.

I looked at Emmi, and we shared surprised expressions.

"Buonanotte, Nonna. Ce ne andiamo." Emmi stooped to give her a sweet kiss on her cheek. "Tutto era delizioso."

"Grazie, tesoro. Dio vi benedica."

"Grazie, Nonna. Ti voglio tanto bene."

She smiled at her as Emmi retreated. "Veek, come." Emmi said softly.

I stood up and said goodbye to everyone individually with air kisses. When I got to Nonna, she grabbed me by my shirt to keep me close to her face.

She put her finger in my face as she spoke in a murderous voice. "Non sono il tipo che prende le lucciole per lanterne, ma se fai male a quell'angelo, ti preparo le polpette."

I didn't know what she was saying, but I was pretty sure I understood perfectly. I nodded seriously.

"Bene." She let go of my shirt.

"Grazie, Nonna. Buonanotte."

She let out a disparaging sound, and went back to her conversation with Maria. I made eye contact with Anna, then she winked at me. I frowned, then retreated to leave with Emmi.

As soon as we were far enough away from the house, I let out a huge breath. Emmi giggled at my nerves.

"What on earth did she say?" I asked.

We walked on in the cool night.

"Eh — hard to translate, but she say she know what we do, and if you are bad, she make you into meatballs."

I huffed out, half in amusement and half in actual fear. "I'll keep that in mind."

She chuckled.

I took her hand as I relaxed after the long day.

She walked closer to me and grabbed my bicep while I resisted the urge to flex.

I pressed her knuckles to my lips as we walked.

"Look!" She pointed at the house I'd stolen the gardenia from the first night we'd met.

"Oh, yeah! It smells beautiful."

She smiled as she went over to pick one. She came back to me to slip it in my hair. I grinned widely. No one ever gave me flowers.

If one is gay and butch, they're generally expected to give the flowers. The same was true if you were a guy. Poor guys never got flowers, either. I'd always thought anyone should be allowed to give anyone flowers, despite gender, age, or even for no reason at all.

"Thank you!" I hugged her to me as I neared her lips.

"You welcome." She breached the distance to press her lips to mine, as the crickets serenaded us.

My heart exploded over and over again as I dipped her slightly in the embrace.

I dug my nose in her neck, and she squealed as I tickled her. We separated with a few chaste pecks, then kept walking.

My mind wandered to Feddi. "Do you think Feddi kissed Paola?"

She shrieked as the mental image formed in her head. "I don't know! I — Feddi kiss her? I don't know what Paola do."

I hoped she would suddenly realize how sweet Feddi was, and how smitten he was with her... for whatever reason. I was not especially gracious to Paola, but would never say it out loud.

She sighed heavily. I stole a glance at her. She was frowning. I squeezed her hand and swung her hand between us in exaggeration.

She giggled and I spun her, moving our arms back and forth in some imaginary big band song.

Her smile was so wide, and I got to see it so much these couple of days. I thanked all the saints that this country believed in for meeting her.

"Da... dah! Da... dah! Dah! Da-dah-da-duh! Da-dah... DAH! I love you, baby! And if it's quite all right... I need you, baby, to warm the lonely night." I spun her around as I sung softly. She giggled madly as we danced up the hill. "And let me love you, baby. Let me love you..."

I took her head in my hands, and kissed her oh-so-softly. She gripped the small of my back, pulling me harder into her.

Her eyes shined at me in the gloom as we pulled a tiny bit away from each other.

"Come! Hurry!" She suddenly ran up the hill while pulling on my hand. I laughed loudly as I tried to keep up with her.

We got to the Morelli house and I pressed her into the front door as I fumbled with the front door lock.

We shushed each other as we tumbled up the stairs and into my room.

We froze at my door as we heard a thump down the hall. I carefully opened the door as quietly as I could, then collapsed on the bed, chuckling softly. We kissed as we rolled on our sides. She held the back of my head as we tangled our limbs together.

A soft knock sounded at my door. "Room service!"

Our eyes widened in panic. I stood up and checked my clothes for any disarray. She motioned urgently for me to come closer. She fixed my hair, and wiped something off the side of my mouth.

I waggled my eyebrows at her, and she laughed before clapping her hand to her mouth.

I went to open the door, expecting Elena. No one was there. Instead there was a platter with figs drizzled in honey and a wheel of Brie cheese. Also a bottle of Prosecco. I grinned as I brought everything inside the room.

"Look." I showed Emmi everything I'd found outside the door.

I set everything down as I went to go get the wine glasses that were in our room, rinsing them out quickly.

"Cazzo. How embarrassing."

"No!" I argued as I came back to her. I took the bottle, opened the foil, and popped the cork. "She is sweet."

"Ugh!" She put her hands over her face.

"Elena is nice. You will be a teacher soon. You'll have students, like she had students. Then they'll grow up."

She pushed her hair back as she took in my words. She sighed, then accepted the glass I was holding out to her.

She moaned as she tasted the decadent bubbly.

"Thank you," she said suddenly.

"No, thank you!" I frowned as I tried to express my affection for her.

"I —" she hesitated. "You are good friend. You are..." she patted my chest. Her eyes eventually found mine.

"You are — an amazing friend, too." I spoke softly, really not knowing what else to say.

She drew a breath, then smiled widely. "So! Food?"

I smiled, too, as I got the plate. We fed each other, digging our fingers into the sticky Brie wheel.

I licked her lips, tasting the honey, then she did, too.

"Take you clothes off." She whispered.

I stood up to obey, flicking off some lights and opening the doors to the balcony.

She bit at the tip of her finger as she watched me.

There was a soft orange glow of one lamp lighting up her skin. She just had a small spaghetti strap tank on and worn cutoff shorts. Her navel was visible, so I clawed my nails down her tummy to unbutton her shorts, then pressed my lips to her salty skin at her pubic bone.

She moaned as her hips rolled. She took off her own top and bra off. I looked up to gaze at her breasts and protruding rib cage.

I struggled to stay in control of my breathing, refusing to give my senses up to the reeling sensation preceding sex.

I took her bottoms completely off, then slipped my hands under her to grip her ass, kissing the top of her thigh.

"Ugh." She groaned lightly, going to bite her knuckle again to quiet herself as I settled in.

I pressed her thighs down, and admired her center as it contracted in arousal. Licking her inner lips, we started moving against each other as I supported her ass under the mattress with both hands; it lifted with the wild tensing of her body.

Her hips floated up to my mouth while she wrapped her legs around my back. I sucked on her lips as she pushed herself into me desperately. I relented, and put my mouth over her clit as she cried out. I'd given up on shushing her at that point. It was up to her how wanton she was willing to be. Everyone loved her, and she could probably get away with murder in her community as evidenced my our complimentary sweetheart room service that night.

She jerked as I sucked on her clit softly, tensing harder, then gripping at the sheets.

The view of her breasts moving with her body and the sheen of sweat in the valley of her breasts was turning me on just as much as her taste.

I let her clit go now and then to lick a stripe straight up her center, making her chase my mouth up and down. We rose impossibly high as she tensed her body, then her legs trembled around me as she came. I brought her body down gently, mouthing softly now as she came down from her climax.

I massaged her pelvis as I felt the sympathetic tingles along her lower torso.

"You are so beautiful."

"Cazzo! I never feel so good."

I brought her legs up gently, then crossed them. I took her hips, then rolled her over smoothly so she was on her belly.

She squealed as I flipped her, scrambling to bring her arms with her as she rolled.

"Veek! You are bad."

"Shh. Don't tell Nonna. She'll make me into meatballs."

She giggled as she brought a pillow closer to lean on.

I massaged the globes of her ass as she moaned in pleasure. I leaned in to lick at her center, not quite getting to her hole since I didn't want to overstep.

Sitting back up, I stuck my fingers in my mouth to lube them up. I ran the tips of my fingers over her clit for a moment. Her ass went up a little as she enjoyed my touch.

I slipped my index and middle finger inside her wet slit, drawing out a ragged groan from her.

"Feel good." She muttered.

I shifted to straddle once of her legs and moved my throbbing clit over her thigh. She collapsed flat on the bed and instead moved her arms and legs as I worked her up. I humped her ass cheek and skin of her thigh as I drove in my fingers over and over again.

She moved back against me, ramming into my center harder.

"Fuck, Emmi. You feel good, too."

She whimpered as her hands clenched over the covers. Her legs bent and tensed, pressing me harder into her.

I panted as I got closer, vibrating her g-spot, then adding my ring finger. She bucked wildly at that and I rode her as I moved my hips faster. She squirted over the mattress as her body shook, then muttered a low string of profanities under her breath.

I slowed my fingers even as I speeded my humping. She grabbed my wrist shakily, so I left her pussy, now having more space to hump an ass cheek. I shifted up a little more so I could use the flesh of her cheek to get myself off. She moved her hips in rhythm with me, tensing and relaxing her muscle.

It was so hot riding her like that, it made me so wet, I easily slipped over her skin.

The coil in my groin tightened and I slowed down my pace as I came down from my orgasm. I separated my pussy from her ass and a string of juices stretched unbelievably long between us, connecting us together.

"Oops! Hold on. Don't move." I rushed to the restroom to dampen a cloth with warm water and coming back to wipe my come off her ass lightly, then dipped between her center to wipe off some of her juices. She rolled over as I wiped myself, too. She'd made me drench myself.

She smiled at me from where she was lying on the pillow, then stretched her arms towards me. She opened and closed her hands quickly in the universal sign for "cuddles, please."

I tossed the washcloth somewhere, then snuggled in her arms. I rested my head in her warm neck, and she scratched at my back. I felt like I was going to melt in a puddle of goo, touching her soft side.

She nuzzled her face in my hairline, and we lazed in bed for an indeterminate amount of time. It was all just hazy, warm, and comfortable.

"What time you leave tomorrow?"

I frowned as she pierced my idyllic bubble. "The flight leaves at ten in the morning, tomorrow but the airport is over an hour away, plus need to be at the airport early. So I have to leave at six. Tomas offered to drop me off."

"How nice!" She ran her fingers over my forearm.

"Can we keep talking when I go back?" I hesitated. "I'd like to stay friends with you."

"Yes! You say I can visit, yes?"

"Yes! Whenever you want! You have a place to stay." I leaned over to hover over her face. "However long you want." I grinned, and she mirrored me.

"Okay.

It was already ten p.m., and I panicked briefly when I realized I'd be on a plane in twelve hours. I sighed heavily.

"You need sleep." She patted my belly.

"No." I crawled over her to kiss her neck. "I need more you. We have plenty of time."

She chuckled as she held my head. She flipped us over and worked her way down my body.

I relished her hot breath over my chest. She sucked on my nipples as if she'd been having lesbian sex for years. I whimpered as she grazed her teeth along my erect nipple.

She gripped my hips as she kissed the skin below my bellybutton. She licked slow paths through my cleft as if we had all the time in the world. I let myself slip into a heavy lust as she ran her gorgeous hands all over my legs and pelvis.

My brain rolled in my skull, it grew then contracted as if it was muscle instead of gray matter. I had no idea how the fuck she did that to me, but I wasn't about to complain when I felt so good.

As I started to near the peak, she stopped.

"What?" I asked drunkenly.

She shifted to slip a leg under one of mine, then her other leg over the other. I leaned on my palms as I watched her and the blood in my face drained to rush into my groin as I realized what she was doing just as she slotted her center against mine.

"Oh, fuck." I muttered.

She gyrated her hips experimentally. It was less stimulation than her mouth, but so, so hot. I helped to push into her, too, to complement her movements. I was already so worked up with her earlier ministrations, so the feel of her hand on my breasts and her harsh grip on my hip made me come within minutes.

I arched my back as my lower body trembled. As I came down, she slowed down. She kissed me silly, and I didn't have a chance to slow my panting. Her voracious nature was like nothing I'd seen before. I clawed at her back then gripped her hips, pulling her up.

She sidled up my body to float over my face. I'd never forget that moment as long as I'd live. I looked up at her beautiful figa, pulling her thighs down to bring her to my lips.

I ate her up, her and all her honey. As I looked up at her rolling body, she grabbed her breast and the headboard, suddenly pushing the hair out of her face, now and then.

The side of her face pressed pathetically against the fabric of the headboard. I exulted at her unraveling. She started to hump my face lightly. God, she's sexy.

I followed the rhythm she set, then escalated it myself. She cried out louder as she got closer. I moaned my enjoyment out as well. I attached myself to her clit, and sucked in a rapid staccato. I grabbed her ass to massage the flesh.

She came with a broken, keening cry. I slowed down but it became too much for her anyway, jumping off me, then collapsing on the bed next to me, her legs draped over mine.

I wiped at my mouth while I caressed her thigh.

She muttered some more profanities under her breath. I was learning so much Italian from her! I smiled in complete satisfaction.

We dozed a bit for a while, then came to our senses for kisses and cuddles. Her leg draped over my side as I dug the pads of my fingers in over the skin of her ass. We kissed, then she moaned at her own taste in my mouth.

I grabbed her head and slipped my fingers in her hairline. I wanted to see her face fully; her flushed cheeks and burning eyes, lit up from lust.

I pecked her lips and smiled. That moment would be the moment to profess my undying love. Yet, she had a future. She was going to be a teacher, she had her Nonna, and a whole community that loved and supported her. I — I had a life back in New York. I had my mom I looked after since my dad had died, friends, a career, and it was ridiculous to uproot either of our lives after just three days.

This wasn't a movie or a fantasy. She was a gorgeous soul that I couldn't handcuff to me just because she was the most amazing thing I'd met. She deserved more than that.

"Veek." She put her warm palm on my cheek. "We meet again."

"Yeah. Of course." I kissed her and laid her down to steal as many kisses as I could, anyway.

"Veek... sleep now."

"Yeah. Yes. Um — I'm very happy I met you."

Her smile said very clearly she knew what I actually meant.

"I go toilet." She grinned as she pecked my lips before she got up to pad into the restroom.

I chuckled, then got up to get some fresh covers from the closet. I finished changing the sheets as she came back in the room.

"Now, I go toilet!" I said with a wide grin as I went to brush my teeth and pee.

As I looked at myself while I brushed, I thanked all the saints I could name that I was able to take this trip. My skin was nut-brown and my eyes were dancing. I felt like my heart sang out, too.

I snuggled up next to her in the cool sheets.

She kissed my cheek before saying, "Goodnight, Veek."

"Buonanotte, Emmi." I held her to me as I slowed my heartbeat.

It was the last night I would spend in that country with her, for the foreseeable future...

The fresh wind came in through the wide-open balcony to snuggle with us, too.

——

I awoke before her the next morning. Breathing deeply, I snuck out from under her.

After a while I heard her rough morning voice. "Veek! Veek?"

"Sh..." I came back in through the balcony doors to sit on the bed next to her. "I'm here."

"Oh!" She brushed her hair out of her eyes. "What time?"

"It's five in the morning."

"Okay. I shower fast."

"Really?" I grinned as I slipped my palm up her naked side. "Wouldn't you rather..."

"No! Veek! You dress, go away."

"Fine." I exaggerated a pout that she leaned in to kiss off my face.

I finished getting my things together, and left a hefty tip for Elena and Tomas.

She got out of the shower naked as she was drying her hair. I froze as I was zipping up my luggage. Why in the fuck was I leaving today again?

She dressed as I gaped at her. Once she had her clothes on, I mentally slapped myself to get going again.

"Emmi?"

"Hm?"

I was sitting at the foot of the bed, so she joined me.

"I want you to have this." I handed her my book.

She looked down at it and frowned. I didn't blame her, it was bound with a million rubber bands over the hardcover. Also, the few pages I'd read, were the dreariest I'd ever read even with the language gap.