The knock disturbed the peacefulness of her apartment. Aria sprang up and checked the messages. There was still no reply to the 'Hey' that Jess send.
She didn't expect anyone else at this time but it was unlikely that it was Alessandro.
Being a single woman and living on her own, she was instantly panicked. The small hairs on the back of her neck stood up on attention. Her breath sped up and she grabbed the pepper spray from her handbag on the way to the door. She tried to look through the peephole but she saw no one. Not a good sign. Maybe her brain tricked her into hearing the knocking?
She slowly opened the door. Her heart stopped as she noticed the tall man leaning against the wall.
Aria took a step back, clenching onto the pepper spray. Alessandro shifted and leaned against the doorframe. His cheeks were flushed in red, his eyes glimmered, sweat pearls rested on his forehead, he was panting. His suit and hair were soaking wet.
"Good evening, Angel." He said in a raspy low voice.
"Alessandro?" Aria looked at him with concern trying to work out what happened to him. Her heart raced. "Are you drunk?" She noticed the particular shine in his eyes.
"No." He shook his head. "Tipsy, maybe. Not drunk." He corrected her.
"What are you doing here?" She said, feeling stupid straight after. Jess messaged him so he must've thought that Aria messaged him.
"Well…" Alessandro scoffed more at himself than Aria. "I saw your message whilst at a work function. My phone…" he took out a phone from his pocket. It was all wet. "It run out of battery when I was about to reply. So, I run over as fast as I could. Couldn't find a single taxi, there are no buses running this late, and I couldn't contact my driver."
"You've run?" Aria looked shocked.
"I've said that I will come over when you message me." Alessandro smiled, still panting. "I came straight here. Actually, no…" he corrected himself. "I did stop by the shop." he showed his hand with a bouquet of flowers and a plastic bag.
"You're drenched."
"Ah yes. It's raining." His voice was so matter-of-factly as if his actions weren't completely bizarre.
"How far did you run?" Aria grew concerned for his state.
"About… 10 kilometres? I've gotta tell you that this was my record time." He pointed at his watch that was recording his exercise.
"Oh, come on in." Aria said with a shy smile. She just remembered that she still held onto the pepper spray. Aria walked towards the countertop to put the pepper spray back in her bag.
"Are you alright?" Alessandro furrowed his brows at it when he noticed it. "Is someone bothering you? Is that for me?"
"I just didn't expect you." Aria admitted. She quickly went to her bedroom and came out with a clean towel, passing it to Alessandro.
"I am sorry. I was going to check if you want me to come over, but as I couldn't I felt like I couldn't stand you up in case you did want me or need me." Alessandro explained putting down the plastic bag on the table. "Those are for you. Unfortunately, those were the only ones they had in the shop I went passed so… I'm sorry." He passed her the flowers and started drying his hair. Aria looked at a bunch of small roses and smelled them, smiling. Her body seemed to slowly relax. She was at easy now that he was there.
"You didn't have to."
"Oh, and chocolates." Alessandro remembered as he took the box out of the plastic bag.
"Thank you." Aria blushed.
"It's so good to see you." Alessandro blurted out. The words came out of him in an almost continuous string. Aria looked up at him. "I was so anxious that you didn't message me. I was second-guessing whether I accidentally gave you the wrong number, maybe there was a typo. I was so worried that you might have tried to message me and I didn't get the message." Aria's lips parted as Alessandro hectically spoke, feeling a pang of guilt knowing that she still didn't message him but Jess did. "Uhh… I smell absolutely rancid." Alessandro continued talking. He took his suit jacket off and assessed the situation which included a lot of sweat from his run. "I shouldn't have run. I am afraid that I am as far from dignified as physically possible." He declared as he took his tie off and undone the top two buttons of his shirt. "Ewww…" he grumbled at himself. Aria chuckled when he scrunched up face after smelling his own armpit. "But… I was so looking forward to see you." He walked up closer to her and pecked her on a cheek. "Did you eat yet?"
"I did, thank you. Did you?"
"Yes." Alessandro nodded, his eyes locked on hers. "And don't worry, I will keep the distance between my armpits and you."
"Would you like to have a shower?" Aria offered. "I can hang your suit to dry."
"Would you be okay with that?"
Aria nodded.
"Thank you." He started to undress there and then. "I have no idea what kind of rain that was but even my underwear is soaked." He continued to grumble. Aria blushed and quickly went to put the flowers away as to not stare at him.
"It would have been so much easier if you just went home and charged your phone to reply." Aria suggested the obvious solution.
"But it would have taken even longer to come here." Alessandro came closer. Aria turned around and came to face his chest. "I didn't want to waste a single moment." He caressed her cheek, his upper body undressed. He leaned in and kissed Aria, his kiss was ravishing, as if he tried to satisfy insatiable hunger. Aria tasted the champagne in his mouth, his stubble tickled her chin, his breath was still sped up. In an instant she forgot every single worry she had, yearning for his embrace. She squeezed his biceps, drawing him closer. His skin was sticky from sweat but she didn't mind. "Sorry, I forgot to grab a toothbrush." Alessandro continued as he broke off the kiss. He run a hand through his hair nervously.
"I have a newly bought toothbrush that you can have." Aria said with a smile. She bit her lip, trying to stop herself from kissing him again. She couldn't resist. She had to tiptoe to reach his lips which she pecked delicately, and then she gently bit and pulled his bottom lip. Alessandro closed his eyes, obviously enjoying what Aria just did.
"I'll get the shower and then…."Alessandro had to fight his temptation. "Then we will continue."
Aria nodded, letting go off him as he walked into her bathroom. She picked his clothes up discreetly, hanging his suit on the radiator.