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For the umpteenth time that day, Anna sighed heavily. She knelt on to the hard stone of the floor, her jeans picking up any residual dust and grime there. Over the past few weeks, she had been hard at work unpacking their new home. Thankfully, she was on to the final room: the library. And though she loved the work, that doesn't mean it was fast moving.
Reading had always been an important part of her life. Every time her father would go away for business, he would always bring her a book back. She never cared what genre it was; be it mystery, fantasy, sci-fi, romance, or even horror, she always loved them. Anna loved to lose herself in the words on the pages, it let her be anyone. A knight rescuing a beautiful princess, a scientist advancing a new field, or even a normal girl who was finding her way in the world. All of those stories, right at her fingertips, yet so out of reach for her true self.
Anna had always thought that she would never be able to live any of those lives, let alone be a normal girl.
And then her father hired Giulio.
Giulio changed her life. He helped her feel normal. He showed her how to interact with people that weren't her father. Giulio taught her, albeit unintentionally, how to have a friend. She knew the feeling of pure, unrestrained, romantic love, because of him. Anna absolutely, unapologetically, adored him.
Her train of thought was cut off by a hum.
Anna turned her head, finding Giulio standing in the doorway. His frame was relaxed, but there was a happy look in his eyes. He leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest, a small smile on his lips. He was wearing a pair of light brown, linen pants that were loose around his ankles. Giulio's shirt was a light green button up, with one side roughly tucked into his pants. His hair was down, the deep red strands framing his face. He was beautiful.
“Dusty in here, isn't it?”
She sent a smile his way, one so soft and tender that she was able to watch as a blush found its way to his cheeks, “I know, I meant to clean up first, but the last of what could be salvaged from the estate just arrived.”
Most of her old home had been destroyed by the Gollini family, but not all. Many legal documents, paintings, and heirlooms had been saved. But the thing she had been most grateful for was her personal bookshelf. It stored all of the books that meant the most to her, dating from when she was a child up until the last month her father was alive. Anna was immensely thankful for the town’s folk there for their willingness to assist her in recovering these items, although she supposes the money she gave to them helped a bit.
“Let me help?” Giulio asked, as he pushed off the door frame and stepped into the room, his metal leg whirring quietly as he did so.
“I would love that.”
He knelt next to her, close enough that their shoulders brushed with every movement. They worked in unison, dusting off each book and setting them on a shelf, Anna would have to go through later and reorganize to her liking.
Giulio plucked a book at random, and unfortunately, Anna immediately recognized the cover; a raunchy romance novel she had ordered online out of boredom. And to her absolute horror, he opened to a random page in the middle of the book and began reading. She could feel a deep flush overtaking her face as she practically fell over herself trying to grab it from him, to no avail. As Giulio lifted it high out of her reaching hands, his eyes still tracking the page.
“ ‘His hands shredded my bodice, sending its buttons flying. “I’m going to bed you until you can think of no other name than mine.” He growled.’ Really, Anna, this is the best you could find?” Guilio didn't even try to hide the laugh in his voice as he finally let her snatch the book away.
“I-it was well rated online?” She tried, her voice was little more than a squeak, she couldn't even look his way now as she clutched the offending book tight to her chest.
He raised an eyebrow, still smirking, “Is it really? Well, do you just want me to leave it on your nightstand then?”
Her mortification managed to rise another level, “G-giulio!”
He just let out a full bodied laugh, clutching his sides as he doubled over. With such contagious laughter, Anna couldn't really hold on to her embarrassment and began giggling. Eventually the two composed themselves, and continued working though the boxes of books.
Anna picked up one of the older books her father had brought back from one of his trips. She smiled faintly at the worn cover, the pages yellowed with age. “You know, my father gave me this one right after he hired you,” she said, glancing over at Giulio. “It’s about a knight who saves a princess from a fae creature, though I’m pretty sure the princess ends up rescuing him by the end.”
“Hmm, maybe I’ll have to read it eventually. Your father always did have a unique taste.”
Anna’s fingers traced the edges of the book’s spine, each bump beneath her fingertips was like a path she had traveled over and over. Anna could almost hear her father's voice, teasing her gently as he handed her the book, his warm smile so vibrant in her memory. She could feel the lump forming in her throat, the way the air in the room seemed heavier with ghosts she couldn’t quite get a grasp on. She blinked rapidly, trying to will the tears away, but the ache in her chest only grew stronger. And although she had been surrounded by memories of her father all day, this one seemed to be her undoing. Tears welled up in her eyes as she brushed off the surface of the book, revealing the stylized cover. Anna sniffled quietly and felt Giulio's heavy metal hand rest on her shoulder, and even though it wasn't warm, its weight was comforting.
With a weak smile, she turned to him, “He really did, didn't he?”
Wordlessly, Giulio pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on her shoulder and rubbing small circles into her back with his flesh hand. She hiccupped and cried, tear after tear spilling over until no more could be shed. All the while, Giulio reassured her with softly spoken words, she could tell he didn't know exactly what to say, but that was what made it so comforting. He was trying for her.
When she finally pulled back, she looked into his blue-green eyes that always made her feel like she wasn’t alone.
“I’m really glad you’re here with me,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Giulio’s smile softened, and he brushed a strand of peachy-blonde hair behind her ear, his touch gentle and affectionate. “Me too,” he replied quietly. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”