Disclaimer: I do not own Angles and Demons, but it would be awesome if I did. Anyway, Dan Brown has that privilege.
A Year's Wait
Robert Langdon looked up at the Eiffel Tower that stood majestically above him. He shoved his hands in his pockets, letting a quiet sigh escape through his lips. The symbol of romance reminded him of Vittoria, and the promise they had made almost exactly a year ago. Every six months, they had agreed, they would meet somewhere new. Sadly, it was a promise neither of them had bothered to even try to keep.
Robert's cell phone rang. He didn't recognize the flashing number in the display, but he still flipped it open and put it to his ear to answer.
"Hello?"
"Robert," a soft voice greeted him. It was a voice that Robert would recognize anywhere, anytime. A voice he had memorized until it was just as familiar as his own.
"V- Vittoria?"
"Of course. Who else would it be?"
He grinned sheepishly, unable to come up with an intelligent response.
"Do you remember our promise?" Vittoria asked. "To meet somewhere new every half a year?"
"Yes. I mean, how could I possibly forget?"
"Great. Would you like to?"
"T- to what?" Robert stammered. He was still in a state of shock that Vittoria had called him a full year after the last time they had spoken at the Roman airport. He remember that last kiss, and the painful final goodbye. Until now, he hadn't realized how much he had missed her. Just the sound of her voice was enough to bring him to his knees.
"To meet. Try to keep up," Vittoria teased. "I knew I should have picked a younger man."
Robert froze. It was exactly like the recurring nightmare he had been having since they met. The one where she laughed down at him for being too slow from the top of the stairs. The one where he couldn't keep up with her and meet all her demands. The one where he had to give up his love for her.
"Robert?" Vittoria asked. Concern was obvious in her voice. "Are you there?"
"Yeah. I'm still here." For you, he added mentally. I'm always here for you.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Vittoria."
"I hope so. Well, what do you say? To meeting again, I mean."
"I say that I'd love to see you again."
"Great."
"Um… When and where?"
"Here and now."
"What?"
"Turn around, Robert."
Robert blinked, and slowly did as he was told. He desperately searched the landscape for Vittoria. There she was. She sat on a wooden bench about twenty feet away. Their eyes met, and Vittoria smiled warmly at him. Robert snapped his phone shut, not taking his eyes off her. Vittoria glanced down at her cell, frowned, and put it in her pocket. She stood and strode toward him, taking her time. With a unique grace, she wove around the groups of tourists and noisy teenagers. In Robert's opinion, she was even more beautiful than he remembered, if that was even possible.
"It's not very nice to hang up on people," Vittoria said with a playful smile.
Robert didn't say anything. He just wrapped his arms around her, gently pulling her up against him. She laid her hands on his chest and gazed up into his eyes. Robert felt a stronger attraction to her than he had ever felt toward anyone else. He wanted her to be his. He wanted Vittoria to love him back, and more than anything, he never wanted her to leave again. The year they had spent away from each other had been the longest year of his life. The separation had only strengthened his love for her, and sharpened the painful longing in his heart.
"It's not nice to keep men waiting," Robert finally said.
"Let's not wait any more," Vittoria whispered. She stretched up to press her lips to Robert's.
