‘For free,’ Veronica adds, as if that’s the kicker.
But the buzz doesn’t fade. I’ll be coming back to Venice. Back to Leo. I’ll have a certificateandwork experience. In art!
I brace for Mum and Dad to object, but they look kind of … on board. The sort of on board that also means I’ll be emptying the dishwasher until I leave home.
‘You won’t be living in the lap of luxury,’ Dad warns. ‘The accommodation’s provided, but it’s in a student dorm that frees up over summer. And you’ll have to work extra shifts at the cinema for your spending money.’
A small smile breaks through Silvia’s serious expression as she catches on to my excitement. ‘It’s no walk in the park. Some assistants have quit after the first day. It gets a bit … chaotic. And the parents areoften high-maintenance.’
That does it. I launch myself at Mum and Dad first, hugging them tight, before thanking the others with a touch more restraint.
Silvia gives me a wry look. ‘I’m sure your parents will be more careful about what they sign in future.’
Jacopo’s mum appears in the doorway, holding a neat stack of clothes. With a wink, she pulls Leo’s hoodie off the pile and passes it straight to me, like she’s noticed it’s already become mine and wants me to take it with me. Then she presses the rest into my arms – neatly ironed T-shirts, and some small, folded squares I vaguely recognize.
My stomach drops. The underwear I left on the radiator.
Uh-oh. Too late.
Leo smirks. ‘Once you try ironed underwear, you can’t go back.’
‘Shut up,’ I mutter, stuffing the offending items deep into my backpack.
Around us, everyone’s gathering their things, the room suddenly full of movement. And I realize … this is it. Time to go.
Leo’s long, drawn-out sigh syncs with mine. He takes my bag and slings it on to his shoulder. ‘Jacopo and I are coming with you to the station.Catrìn’s toosmall for everyone, so we thought we could all get the vaporetto together. It actually takes longer than walking,’ he whispers. ‘So we get a bit more time together.’
It’s just me and Leo at the bow of the vaporetto. The weather’s turned since breakfast, and the wind has chased everyone else inside. My plaits whip around as I lean out over the barrier.
‘We should do theTitanicscene. I could do my hair like Kate Winslet.’
He pulls his beanie over his ears. ‘It’s Ballarin, remember? Not DiCaprio, Nessie.’
Behind me, through the steamed-up windows, I can just make out Grace’s face pressed up to the glass, and Nadia, who turned up with Jacopo, a few seats over. There’s definitely something going on there, but they’re better at hiding it than Leo and I are. It seems Jacopo can joke about anything, but when it comes to his own love life, he’s surprisingly buttoned up.
Leo wasn’t wrong about the ride. The water bus inches along the Grand Canal, stopping every few minutes to load more people and luggage. I’m grateful for every extra second, but it’s a cruel reminder that time is moving on after our slow dawn walk andbrioches shared in the dark.
The train station is heaving too. Jacopo queues with my mum to help her figure out the ticket machine, while the rest of us wait on the platform.
‘You’ll love Firenze,’ Nadia tells me. ‘And we’ll see each other soon,sì? Summer is not long and Alessandra has all kinds of plans for us.’
‘It’s only forty-seven days till Easter,’ Leo points out. ‘I’m going to look for flights the minute I get home.’
I try to smile, but my eyes burn and my nose stings.
Dad pats Leo’s shoulder. ‘Well, the sofa bed’s yours when you want it, Leo. Not as nice as you’re used to, mind. Heck, Evie will get a shock when she gets home tomorrow night.’
That does it.
I’m crying now, caught between already missing Leo and the panic of what he’ll think when he comes to visit and sees my real life.
Oh God. Leo in our flat, eating fish and chips on his knees in front of the telly, sleeping on our lumpy sofa bed. What if he changes his mind about me?
I tug him aside, my voice thick. ‘My place isn’t like yours. It’s not even a house. It’s a flat, in a tiny town. Just walks and lochs and sheep.’
‘Evie, you’re the snob in this relationship, remember?’ Leo cups my cheek and I lean into it. ‘I don’tcare about any of that. We fell for each other long before we knew anything about our families.’
He means all those messages, all those days and nights chatting.
