Chapter 47
Amy
Amalfi
The taxi from Naples wound its way along the coast road, in and out, again and again, close enough to the edge on more than one occasion that Amy worried they were going to plunge in to the dark sea far below.
Not for the first time in her life she thanked her lucky stars that she didn't get travel sick, but she still had to tell herself repeatedly the driver must have driven this road a hundred times before at night so surely I’m going to be safe?
She had the window down, the warm night air blowing through her hair, the smell of the sea carried on the wind.
She had a little knot of excitement in her stomach, thrilled to be doing what was probably the craziest thing she'd ever done, looking forward to the look on Luisa's face when she arrived.
This was an adventure, and coming from the drizzly streets of London that morning it felt like she'd arrived on a different planet.
It was her first time in this part of Italy, and from what she could see as they sped along it was even more beautiful than she'd imagined, glimpses of old houses and stunning views in the moonlight before the taxi left them behind.
Amy sat forward as the hotel came into view, a sprawling collection of old buildings perched on the clifftop, exquisitely up lit. It looked expensive and classy.
As she got out of the taxi, paid the driver and headed towards reception she felt her stomach flutter, whether in nerves or excitement she didn't know. Probably a bit of both.
She wanted to surprise Luisa if she could, make this as romantic as possible. Naomi had been right, as she so often was: why waste the chance to see as much of Luisa as she could when she was so much closer than usual? Anything else, Sarah included, could wait.
At reception, she asked for Luisa's room and got a polite but firm response. "I’m afraid, madam, that hotel policy means we cannot tell you her room number," said in that wonderful Italian accent where the very worst message can still sound completely and utterly charming.
Amy hesitated, thinking on her feet. She could tell the truth, that she was Luisa's girlfriend here to surprise her, but her gut feel was that in a conservative country like Italy that might actually be counterproductive.. And then, she had an idea.
Leaning in close and flashing what she hoped looked like a nervous smile, she said, "It's a bit awkward.
This bag..." She gestured at her hand luggage.
"...it belongs to her. She's one of the models here for the photoshoot.
" The man nodded his understanding. "I have to get this to her and she's..." Amy pretended to hesitate.
"Highly strung, if you know what I mean?
I could get her down here but I really don't want to get screamed and shouted at.
Not in front of everyone else. Not while she's doing her beauty routine.
" The look she gave him mixed anxiety and hope, a look that she hoped would melt his heart.
He thought for a minute, pursed his lips then nodded. "The models are the worst..." he confided in her as he slipped her a key card. "Room 512. I didn't tell you." He winked and she smiled.
“You’re a life saver, thank you so much.”
***
Ok, here we go, she thought as she rode the lift up to the fifth floor.
She checked herself in the mirror, her hair looked kind of windswept so she quickly tied it up in a ponytail, her make-up was ok, she looked a little tired but that was ok too.
And her cheeks were flushed, which she knew she couldn't blame entirely on the heat.
The door opened and she stepped out into a silent hallway.
The thick carpet muffled her steps as she walked.
Her heart pounded harder with each step, a good kind of nervous, the kind that comes before a moment of joy.
In her head she could picture Luisa's eyes lighting up and her smile, just like when they'd seen each other at the cocktail bar in Clapham what seemed like longer than five days before.
The reaction that makes you want to hold that person and never let them go.
She stopped at the door. Room 512. The key card felt smooth in her palm, but she also knew she was sweating, the nerves again. She hesitated, lifted her hand to knock, then hesitated again.
Was she supposed to knock? She wasn't sure. They were an item, in love. You didn't knock on your lover’s door, did you? It felt wrong, it felt like a step back for her.
Amy took a deep breath. She was overthinking this, doing exactly what she told Luisa not to do.
She could let herself in, of course she could. Luisa wouldn't mind. She tapped the card against the reader and it clicked softly, the light going green. She pressed down on the handle and the door opened without a sound, expensive, solid, like everything in the hotel.
And Amy stepped inside.