Fork in the Road

Chapter Twenty-Four

Tony's hand shook as he opened the front door of his home in Italy. There had been a knock on the door and not knowing what else to do or how he'd gotten there he opened it.

"Massi!" Tony exclaimed as he opened his front door shocked to see him in the flesh.

"Antonio, good to see you old friend," Massimiliano said shaking his friend's hand.

His friend smiled the dazzling smile that always had the ladies smiling. His black eyes were sparkling with mischief as they usually did.

"Well, aren't you going to invite me in?" Massi asked with a half laugh.

"Invite you in?" Tony asked still in shock. Why would he invite Massi in?

"Well, are you going to leave me on the doorstep all night? After all, I haven't seen you in all these years."

"All these years?"

"What's the matter with you, Antonio? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm...fine," he said shaking his head. This wasn't right. This wasn't the night he was supposed to return to. "It's been too long. Come in, old friend," Tony said holding the door open.

"Yes, it has. But I have returned home, to stay," Massi said coming in the foyer and went over to the large mirror, set in a gold frame, and smoothed back his long brown hair that was held back in a ponytail.

"We can use a good doctor," Tony said trying to recall their conversation from that night.

Massi turned from the mirror.

"It is a shame that I will be replacing such a fine doctor as Cosimo. His death was a tragedy to all of Italy," Massi said straightening his jacket.

"Indeed," Tony said leading his friend into the sitting room. He stood in shock a moment as he saw his parents. They were alive! Massi laughed at his standing still in the middle of the room and pulled him over to join a conversation.

Tony and Massi conversed with the other guests. Tony tried to remember their names, their faces, the politics of the day. He finally sat down weak legged next to Massi. He couldn't bear what was about to happen next.

His mother shortly entered with Eliana and both Tony and Massi stood from their chairs as she entered. Her long black hair was pulled back with butterfly shaped combs. Stained glass was throughout the combs making different colors for the wings. Her dress was long and red which showed off her dark tan and dark brown eyes. She was as beautiful as he remembered. His heart ached and a lump formed in his throat.

Her parents stood behind her smiling. "Antonio, your betrothed, Eliana," Eliana's father said joining Eliana's hand to Tony's beaming with pride.

"Eliana," Tony said and kissed her hand even though he wanted to take her in his arms and never let go again. "It is a pleasure to...meet you," he finished shakily.

Eliana nodded and her father walked away smiling.

"That is not what I heard," Eliana whispered snatching her hand back.

Massimiliano chuckled.

Eliana shot him a glare and walked away towards the piano and began playing.

"This one will be difficult," Massi said approaching Tony's side.

"Massi. Don't," Tony said seriously to his friend.

"You will not compete for her affections?" Massi asked him raising an eyebrow.

"Eliana and I are meant to be together. You know that. Please don't be angry. I wouldn't change anything about this night. No matter how you feel. Eliana and I will marry."

"Have you lost your competitive spirit?" Massi asked him frowning.

"It is not a competition! It never was. I love Eliana and always will."

"She doesn't seem like she wants you, Antonio."

"She will."

They watched and listened to Eliana play the piano beautifully. The music pulled at Tony's heart and he knew he had to do whatever it took to win Eliana's heart again. He would deal with Massi later. He was sent back to the wrong night. He wasn't going to prevent his marriage to her. He had loved her his whole adult life and his vampire life. They made a life; Demetrio. He wouldn't change anything just to avoid Massi's wrath and whoever else disapproved of their marriage. He looked around the room. It could be anyone.

Throughout the night, Tony used all his charm on Eliana but she refused to respond to it as she had done the first time. Eliana's mother suggested, as he remembered, towards the end of the evening that Tony take Eliana for a walk in his mother's garden. The two abided her wish.

"What have I done to upset you, Eliana?" Tony asked after several minutes of quiet walking.

"You have done nothing," she replied shortly and grasped to pull at her shawl that was falling around her arms closer. Tony turned to her and helped her put it around her shoulders.

"Thank you," she said irritated.

"You have been avoiding me all night."

"You have been avoiding me all of our lives," Eliana said back to him angrily.

"Is that what this is about?"

"A prison, is what our marriage would be? That is what I heard you had said," Eliana said angrily walking away from him.

"Eliana, I am sorry for what you heard. It is true. I had said that."

She turned to him and looked at him furiously.

"But that is before I was ready for marriage. I did not know what marriage was, what love was. But I do now, Eliana. I want that with you. I'm in love with you."

Eliana laughed. "Love me? You have hated me our whole lives, and suddenly you say you love me. You understand what love and marriage is?! Tell me, Antonio, what gave you such enlightenment?" she demanded.

"You. I saw you," he told her gently. She studied him. "Not tonight, although, I feel the same, but I had gone to your house one night. I was jealous. I heard you had many suitors. And this made me angry because I knew you belonged to me. But I was curious as to what would make so many men risk being threatened off your father's property."

Eliana smiled slightly at that.

"I saw you in the window of your dining room. You sat at the table and you were laughing to whatever tale your mother was telling you. And you were so beautiful. I never saw anyone as beautiful in my entire life. And it was not only your beauty that got to me, Eliana. I felt your laughter when you laughed and it filled my heart with such warmth. I wanted to be sitting next to you at that table and have you laugh at my tales. Will you not give me one night to prove to you how much I love you?"

"We will have many nights together for me to laugh at your tales, Antonio, although I hear I will be doing much laughing at how absurd they are," Eliana said taking his hand and smiling as their fingers entwined.

Tony kissed her hand. It fit perfectly into his. Their eyes met and he knew that it was going to be alright. She was the other part of his soul.