6. Chapter 6
Admiring the Duomo, I sip on a taste of some sort of red wine.
I zoned out halfway through the tour, bored of hearing the same thing I heard last time we did this tour.
Florence is breathtaking, and there’s so much more to explore outside of this tour that I’m almost tempted to walk away right now and find the small pizzeria that I love.
People move around the Duomo, taking pictures, dogging scammers, or finding their way to some other attraction beyond it.
“I don’t think I like this wine,” Carmin whispers, downing it anyway.
I giggle. “I can tell.”
“I think you need to try and talk to Justin at the next stop,” she declares as we begin moving in a different direction.
“You know,” she says like it’s so obvious. “Ask him about the tour, what he thinks of the city, and ease into asking him to grab gelato with you afterwards. Do not let the outfit I picked for you today go to waste, please?”
Carmin’s sad puppy dog eyes don’t move me at all, and after yesterday, I’m not too sure how feasible this plan is.
I’m too sensitive for this shit. Then I look at Elijah and Melody.
The way they seem to live in such harmony with each other, like the other thing that can balance them is each other.
I want that, and it’s up to me to get it.
“Fine, okay.” I bite down on my tongue as I listen to Carmin’s elated squeal of approval.
Pushing up my glasses for security, I catch up with Justin to walk beside him. Smiling up at him. “Hi.”
“Hey,” he responds. The warmth in his voice helping me to relax somewhat. At least I know I’m not bothering him.
“How are you enjoying the tour? Any wine or food you’ve liked so far?” Nailed that. Totally normal, totally chill.
“Hmm, nothing’s really stuck out to me yet. What about you?”
“No, same,” I agree, knowing damn well I loved the wine from two stops ago that I can’t remember the name of, but took a photo to remind myself to buy it later. Clearly my personality left with my dignity last night. “The city is still just as beautiful as I remember it being, though.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize you’d already been.”
“Yeah, plenty of times.” Twice, to be exact. “I still feel like I haven’t seen enough of it. It’s so full of life around every corner.”
Justin smiles down at me. “You might have to show me around after this. Show me the best place to get a cannoli.” He gives me a wink, and my heart almost leaps out into his hands.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I nod. “I was actually wondering if you might want to grab a pizza with me at this pizzeria I like? It’s not too far from the meet-up spot for later.”
My hands come together as I roll the knuckle of my pinky between my fingers. My chest pounds harder as I wait for his answer, ready to wallow in regret as I’m pushed further back into my hermit shell.
“I would love to,” Justin says finally, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Hope strings me along for a moment. “But I promised one of the guys I’d try out the restaurant he was looking at back on the ship.”
I plaster on a smile as we slow to a stop. “I completely understand,” I assure him. My voice is high-pitched and exaggerated as I begin tracing the outline of my hand, controlling each of my breaths.
“I’m sorry, but maybe you could meet us there for dessert? I saw a few things on the menu that you might like to try. My treat.”
“You know what? Sure.” Somewhat revealed and satisfied with that compromise. “Especially if you’re paying.”
We share a laugh before focusing back on the tour, heading to our last stop right before we finally get a break to get lunch and walk around on our own.
Melody and Elijah warn us to keep track of time and not to stray too far from the heart of the city.
Making sure to get the name of the restaurant from Justin and a general sense of where it would be located, I head to the pizzeria.
I can taste it now. The creamy burrata cheese combined with the spice from the ‘nduja is orgasmic. As I’m trying to relax and recall the taste exactly, an agitating voice sounds from behind me.
“Where are we going?” Leo questions as he strolls beside me like the uninvited pest he is.
“So you are following me.” I shake my head in disbelief, scoffing at his nerve.
“No, I’m going in the direction of a pizzeria I overheard a little birdie talking about.”
Cocking my head to the side, I turn my face up at him. “Are you calling me a bird?”
“Come on, Gina. You know what I mean.”
“What I know is that you’re following me.”
Leo shrugs. “Maybe a little. Want me to leave?”
“I would, yeah.” I stop in front of him, allowing him to recognize the seriousness in my expression. “But we’re already here, so I guess it doesn’t matter.”
Heading inside, I’ve already decided I want to take the pizza to go so that I have enough time to make it back to the restaurant in the opposite direction.
After placing my order, I sit outside on a small set of stairs.
I take in the smells of the surrounding restaurants, practically tasting every herb and spice on my tongue.
Watching people pass on the cobblestone paths, Leo’s familiar pair of white sneakers come into view.
“May I sit next to you?” He asks, and to my surprise, he actually waits for my permission this time. I nod as I wrap my arms around my legs, wishing I’d chosen a more shaded spot. He sits next to me, staring off into the distance with me.
“Any plans after this side quest?” I cave, hating the silence between us since it gives me too much room to think.”
Shaking his head. “Nah, you?”
“Um, I’m supposed to be meeting Justin at this restaurant for dessert later. So I guess I’ll do that. Maybe buy some art from one of the artists around the cathedral to take back home.”
Leo shifts beside me, his voice lighter. “Actually, there’s this cafe close to here that makes the best pistachio gelato. I might head there if you want to join me.”
“Mmm, I love pistachio gelato, and that would be nice in this heat. You’ll have to lead the way back, though.”
“For sure, and we’ll be quick too. I don’t want you missing out on your date with Justin.” Leo’s sarcasm isn’t lost on me.
Rolling my eyes, I stand up to grab the pizza a waiter brings out to me. Thanking him in what I’m sure is the worst Italian he’s heard all day. “It’s not a date.”
Leo grabs his pizza and starts to walk in the direction of the cafe. I don’t realize I’ve decided to go with him until we’re already a ways away from the pizzeria.
After a while, Leo speaks up again. “Do you want it to be a date?”
“Does it matter?” I ask.
“Well yeah, I’d think so if it’s something you want to pursue.”
I bite down on my tongue, fiddling with the cardboard edges of the pizza box on my hip. “Then yes. It wouldn’t hurt if it were a date. It’d actually be really nice if it were.”
Leo doesn’t say anything the rest of the way to the cafe, but the hardened expression on his face doesn’t go unnoticed.
Taking us down small pathways and alleys, Leo takes the lead until we finally reach the place.
A somewhat large crowd is gathered in a line outside, and I’m wary of whether we’ll make it in time.
Luckily, the line moves pretty quickly, and we retrieve our gelato in a decent time.
Leo pays for us both and holds my pizza so that I can enjoy the creamy, rich pistachio flavor as it hits my tongue in a burst of gratitude for the cold treat.
“Fuck, this is good. I definitely doubted you,” I say as I scoop more of it into my mouth.
“Told you.” He chuckles proudly. “I know a thing or two about Florence too.”
“Alright, alright.” I wave him off with a laugh as we continue walking.
A bustling of people sounds from an alley, I peer around the corner to see what appears to be a small marketplace of random goods.
I look to Leo, who nods at me to continue down the path, weaving in and out of people.
I tell myself I’ll only stay a little while since we’ll need to be back soon, but five minutes easily turned into twenty as I look through several of the vendors and their handmade goods.
“Ah, this is perfect.” I pick up a hand-painted ceramic shot glass. “I’ll take it,” I say to the vendor. Fishing through my small coin purse, I realize I’m a little low on cash. I frown.
“I got it,” Leo says. And before I can protest, he’s already handing over the cash, and the vendor begins wrapping it for me.
“You didn’t have to do that. You paid for the gelato.”
“I wanted to. It’s for your shot glass collection, right?”
I nod, impressed that he remembers that. “Yeah, I collect one from every city I go to.”
“I remember. I always thought it was funny considering you don’t really drink.”
Laughing to myself, I tuck the glass into my bag. “I know, but everyone’s got a thing.”
“And yours have always been fascinating.” Leo tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, sending a shiver down my spine as his finger grazes the shell of my ear. He looks down at me with a sparkle in his eye, and my gaze falls to his lips, recalling the way he kissed me that night.
Shaking myself out of it, I pull back and begin back down the path again from where we came. ‘Thank you, by the way.”
“No problem.” Leo smiles.
We joke some more as we walk the next few blocks and turns together. I’m enjoying myself truly until I notice something doesn’t look quite right.
“Wait,” I say, holding my hand up to stop him. “Where are we?”
“Getting us back to the meeting point?” Leo looks at me, confused.
“No, we’re not. None of this is familiar, Leo.”
Leo looks around at the buildings and then back at where we came. “Shit, I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?” I exclaim as I begin to pace back and forth. “We’re lost in a city we don’t live in, and a language we don’t speak, and all you can muster up is a pathetic ass ‘I’m sorry’?”
“It’s not like I did it on purpose. I thought I could take a shortcut.”
“And since when do you think?” I let out a frustrated groan as I pull out my phone and try to open up a map. “No service. This is perfect.”
My mouth starts to tingle as I notice my breathing is short. My stomach turns into a pile of thorns and feathers as I sit down on the curb. My head rests in my hands as I exhale and release the tension in my muscles slowly and steadily.
“Hey,” Leo says, trying his best to soothe me as he crouches down at my side. “It’ll be okay. We can ask for help or look for the Duomo as a starting point.”
Shaking my head, all I can do is laugh. “I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you.
And over gelato of all things. It’s not about getting help; it’s the fact that you took a wrong turn on purpose knowing that I have somewhere else to be, but you’re too self-involved to care.
” I let out a deep breath as the tingling spreads to my fingertips.
Leo’s expression deepens with concern. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I shut my eyes as I focus on my breathing, tensing and releasing my muscles. “Let’s go.”
I stand abruptly and start looking around for the height of the cathedral.
“Gina, we can take a minute if you need to—”
“No. I’ll take a minute when we find our way back.” I start back toward where we came, hoping that I can at least remember the path he took. Thankfully, a couple turns the corner with gelato in their hands, and I know where to start.
Leo says nothing to me as I find my way back to the cafe, and subsequently back to the pizzeria until we’re finally back on the right path. My anxiety has turned into seething anger by the time we finally reach the spot where everyone is waiting.
“Gina, wait.” He grabs my hand, pulling me back toward him. “I really am sorry.”
I scoff. “Save it. I’m sure you did it on purpose because you and Eli loved to see me in a panic.”
“That’s not what this was.”
“I don’t care. Please leave me alone. I’m only asking you this once.” I stalk off toward the group before doubling back to him and snatching my box from his hands. “And give me my pizza.”