Chapter 44 Rocco

• We had sat enjoying our coffees with the sun shining in the window for quite some time, and there was a lightness within my heart that I did not want to let go. Aria felt close to me again. Maybe not the way in which she always had, but she was closer than she had been in a long time.
• And now she was so close I did not want to let her go. I was sure I saw a sparkle in her eyes as she laughed. A sparkle I had missed. We were connecting again, I was certain of it. And it was making me reluctant to leave. Not that she once asked me to.
• The conversation flowed freely and easily, and Aria appeared to be appreciating my company, and it was the greatest feeling after weeks of heaviness looming over me. She seemed almost different, and it filled me with hope she was progressing within her recovery.