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‘I didn’t realise you were a model!’ My eyes popped. I wasn’t surprised, becausehello,look at him.

Romeo nodded solemnly.

‘That was the career path he wanted me to follow. He wanted me to be successful and have the money and women like he did.’

‘And you didn’t want that?’

‘In the beginning, I thought it was cool. Even though I hated the way he treated Mamma, he was still my father and he was kind of famous so I looked up to him for that, not the way he treated Mamma, so it felt good that he was proud of me and that I was following in his footsteps. And I will admit, I liked the attention. I was just a kid at the time and at that age it is good to be popular, no?’

‘Yeah,’ I said.

‘But when my skin started to break out, things changed. Some brands would use make-up and retouching, but because I did not fit that mould of perfection any more they did not want me. And that affected me. A lot.’

‘How old were you?’

‘Fourteen or fifteen, I think.’

‘Shit. Dealing with rejection as an adult is tough, but it must’ve been extra shitty at that age.’

‘It was. When I finally got through it, I knew that I did not want to pursue a career based on my appearance. That is why I get frustrated when people judge others, including me, by the way I look. Of course I enjoyed the benefits in my twenties, so that does make me a hypocrite, but now I am old enough to know it does not matter. I am more interested in the beauty of someone’s heart.’

‘Really, though?’ I cocked my head to the side. ‘You’re seriously saying that any woman, even someone who let’s say was at the back of the queue when God was giving out good looks, has just as much chance of dating you as a supermodel?’

‘Why not?’ He shrugged his shoulders.

‘Bullshit!’ I shook my head. ‘People say that looks aren’t important, but it’s the first thing people see. It’s what first attracts you to someone, right?’

‘That is true, but I can tell you from experience that even if someone who the world considered to be the most beautiful woman in the world was standing in front of me but she had an ugly personality, it would mean nothing.’ That made sense. I’d dated loads of hot guys who were horrible people and the attraction fell flat. ‘Looks catch your attention, but it is someone’s soul that will keep it.’

‘So, what did you think when you saw me for the first time?’ I said, then wondered if I really wanted to know the answer.

‘I thought you were very beautiful,’ he said without hesitation.

‘Awww,grazie!’ I blushed. ‘But that proves my point. You judged me by my appearance.’

‘I had not finished.’

‘Uh-oh, that doesn’t sound good!’

‘You are right. I thought that you were beautiful, but when you started talking about jet lag and drinking…’

‘You thought I was a bimbo!’

‘Bimbois too harsh. I just thought perhaps you were not someone that I would be interested in. But truthfully, I was not ready to be interested in anyone.’

‘So… considering what happened yesterday, I’m guessing something changed?’

We still hadn’t discussed what it meant (although I was pretty sure it was nothing), so now was the perfect time.

‘I got to know you better. Which is exactly my point. You are beautiful, but that alone was not enough. There always has to be more.’

‘I hear you,’ I nodded. The waiter put our dishes down on the table and I deliberately stayed silent until he’d left before continuing what I wanted to say. ‘Speaking of yesterday…’

Romeo’s phone vibrated loudly. He reached into his pocket then pulled it out.

‘I have to get this. It’s Victoria.Ciao,’ he answered. ‘Sì, she seems happy. I will keep checking on her. I know.’

Romeo’s expression turned serious. Soon afterwards, he ended the call.