Insecurities

The alarm blared out the most obnoxious sound known to the humankind in what felt like a blink of an eye. Aria lazily opened her eyes, questioning her sanity of whether her memories that started to come back were real. An arm reached over her to get her phone which made her jump out of her skin. She sat up and looked at the man who the arm belonged to, and watched as he turned her alarm off and put her phone back on the bedside table. He struggled to open his eyes and he was still there. It never once crossed her mind that he will still be here when the morning comes.

"Isn't it a bit early?" Alessandro asked with a yawn and a stretch. Aria didn't expect him to be there. No one ever told her what happens in the morning after the one night stand which now wasn't a one night stand at all but two nights. What am I supposed to do with him now? "Good morning, gorgeous." He gave her a big smile as he moved her hair off her face. "Although a very early morning." He furrowed his brows and rubbed his eyes, another yawn escaping him. "Do you have to get up this early?"

"Yes." Aria replied shortly, still trying to process the situation. Why is he still here?

"That's a shame." His dimples made her melt on the inside. Somehow, he looked even more attractive in the morning light. Aria was still very naked and so was he. It was bright enough in her bedroom that he could see her properly now. She grew self-conscious and very aware of her fat rolls. She pulled her knees up to her chin as if trying to conceal herself and make herself look smaller. Her thin blanket didn't feel enough to cover her up. 

"What time do you finish work tonight?" Alessandro rolled onto his side looking up at her.

"What?" Aria didn't compute the question.

"I could meet you in the evening." He suggested. Aria run her hand through her messy hair in worry. "What's the matter, Aria?"

"I'm-…" Aria wasn't sure how to tell him that she was about to have a panic attack. He was meant to be a one night stand and he was in her apartment. He knew where she lived and worked. He could be a psychopath or a stalker. He was a stranger and he laid in her bed. She was full of shame and a smidge of regret.

Alessandro noticed that something wasn't quite right and he placed his hand on hers.

"I'm sorry, I have made an assumption." He sighed with a flash of disappointment. "Did you enjoy last night?"

"Yes." Aria closed her eyes trying to calm down her thoughts.

"Are you seeing someone?"

"No." She was inwardly outraged at a thought. She wouldn't be in bed with Alessandro if she was seeing anyone. 

"I can book a hotel so we give your neighbours a rest or we can meet in my home." He suggested with a wink.

"What?" Aria uttered in disbelief confused by his idea.

"Why would I stop something that is this good?" Alessandro asked in return. "As long as you enjoy it too, we should keep doing it." He furrowed his brows. "Plus there's more toys in that drawer that I want to see you use. So there is a lot of reason to come back." He pulled her back into a hug. "So?"

"Hmmm… I need to consider it." Aria avoided the answer. She was uncertain if it was a good idea to hook up with that impossibly stunning man on the regular basis. Actually, it felt like a very bad idea. She needed a voice of reason to tell her what to do and it wasn't her voice right now.

"Okay." Alessandro's body tensed up briefly but he seemed to regain control over it quickly. "Let's take it one day at a time." He proposed and grabbed her phone again. He laid back on the bed beside her, still holding her hand while looking at the locked screen. "What's the passcode?"

Aria hesitated. He was a stranger but she also had nothing important on her phone. She had nothing to hide. He is a stranger. The thought was startling. 

"1207." 

Alessandro typed in the passcode and went into contacts, creating a new profile. Aria looked at what he did with curiosity, her insides twisted in a knot. He typed in a phone number and 'Alessandro'. Now she had a proof that he was real, that this was real.

"There you go. Drop me a message and I'll come over." He smiled in such an endearing way that Aria's brain seemed to loose all its power next to him.

"Ehh… thanks." Aria's body started to relax. It felt like Alessandro was giving her the control over whether they were going to see each other again.

"Is there a significance to 1207?" Alessandro asked as he started to draw circles on her arm.

"It's my birthday." She said shyly. "12th of July."

"Oh, your birthday is soon." Alessandro smiled with excitement. "Do you have any plans for it?"

"No, not yet." Aria admitted. "When is your birthday?"

"It was just a few weeks ago." Alessandro smiled. He seemed to evade an answer which Aria noticed but decided not to push on the matter.

"Would it be weird if I asked now how old you are?" Aria blushed. She should have known that before hooking up with him. 

"Not at all." Alessandro seemed very relaxed beside her. "I am 30."

"Oh." Aria wasn't sure how she felt about it. He seemed ageless to her and it was weird to have a number.

"What do you fancy for breakfast?" He asked instead. She half-expected him to ask her age but he didn't. 

"I tend to eat something at the cafe. We get the fresh pastry delivered every morning." Aria admitted. "Sorry, I do need to start getting ready."

"Go ahead." Alessandro looked at her with satisfied smile as Aria walked towards the bathroom.