Bella Notte Read Online Free Page A

or
mine?” he asked with a wicked grin that showed off his perfect
smile.
    “ Got an extra
helmet?” I asked in doubt.
    “ Of course I
do, and it's black with green flames on it!” He knew he had me
there.
    I tossed my bag in
my Jeep and grabbed the helmet. I shoved it on my head and pulled my
long black hair into a pony tail. No
use giving anyone whiplash with my hair.
    He was on the sleek
bike and waiting. I clamored on behind him, and wrapped my arms
around his waist. I took a deep breath and inhaled some of his
cologne- spicy, yet minty. I enjoyed it.
    He revved the little
beast up and we were off.
    Since the town was
so small, it didn't even take five minutes to get to the little deli.
We still had a full twenty-five minutes to eat and get back to
school. I got off the bike and handed him the helmet. Man,
it is a beautiful machine.
    I watched as he
swung his leg over the bike and stuck both helmets on the handles. He
hooked his arm through mine and we walked into the deli.
    The smells were
delicious. Fine cheeses, meats, and fresh vegetables twisted right
under your nose, drawing you closer to the sandwich bar. We didn't
really have time to have everything made right then so I steered us
toward the 'made fresh this morning' section. I grabbed a roast beef
sandwich, a bag of corn chips, and a grapefruit soda. His selection
was the same as mine except he got a coke instead. We went to the
register to pay.
    “ Hello, Emma,
how are you doing today? I had the best tennis match with your
grandparents this morning, soon enough, I'll never win,” Mr.
Stevenson said as I reached inside my wallet to pay.
    “ I'm doing
great, Mr. Stevenson. I'm glad you're still giving them a run for
their money though; they need someone to show them they aren't the
best all the
time. Oh, this is Michael O'Shanold, by the way.” I liked Mr.
Stevenson, he was a nice old man and he was always nice to me. He
used to give me Italian sweets when I was little.
    “ Hello, Mike,
I know your family, although I haven't seen you yet. You guys live
quite a ways out there. Out by the lake if I'm not mistaken?
Beautiful house though. It’s nice meeting you. Keep our little
Emma out of trouble, okay?” His smile made the skin around his
eyes wrinkle under his wire-rimmed glasses.
    “ Thank you,
Mr. Stevenson. Yes, our house is out by the lake. I usually went out
of town before, but since I enrolled in the high school, I should be
in town more often. And I promise to try to keep Em out of trouble.”
He smiled back as we paid for our food.

    We went and sat at
the little table outside and ate in silence. It was great to be able
to sit with someone without them trying to fill every second with
endless chatter.
    When we finished our
meal we threw the trash away at the little red garbage can at the
edge of the store and went back to the bike.

    The ride back to
school was as quick as before. This time, when I handed him the
helmet, he stuck it in the hide-away compartment under the seat and
put his on the handles. We stood there for a minute in an awkward
silence.
    “ Thanks for
coming to lunch with me, and introducing me to Mr. Stevenson. I
really enjoyed it. Perhaps we could do it again sometime? Maybe I
could take you out to do something soon, something new for you?”
He blushed but looked down at his boots to try and cover it.
    “ I had a great
time this afternoon. I would love to go out again. Maybe we could
discuss where we know each other from too. I have to get to History
and you don't want to be late for Gym, even on the first day Mr.
Williams will make you do push-ups for being late. I probably won't
see you after school though; I've got to hurry to get home as I have
an instructor coming over to help with my dancing. My parents don't
want me making a fool of myself on my eighteenth birthday. So, I'm
going to cut out of Art early, but I'll see you tomorrow morning. Oh
and here's my number in case you want to call.” I handed him a
small