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Rome was a bustling, vibrant city. She was here to do a job, but part of her wanted to steal away on one of the open-topped buses to see the sights of the city. What chance would she ever have to come back here?
Phoebe licked her lips and looked around. She’d got on a plane. She’d actually got on a plane. And in a few days, she’d have to do it all again. Part of that made her stomach flip-flop. And part of that made her proud. Jason would have been proud of her. Her mother was proud of her. And, she was proud of herself. Even if she was still a little terrified.
It seemed that in the last few weeks she’d made more progress than she had in the last three years. Her first kiss. Her first connection. Her first plane ride. And the one constant thing was Matteo Bianchi.
He turned toward her. “I know you’re probably tired, but it’s best if we try and stay up late, to try and get into the time zone. How about some dinner and some sightseeing?”
Phoebe raised her eyebrows. “You’re actually going to let me see a little of Rome?”
He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Only the most important parts.”
A little tremble snuck down her spine. “Am I dressed appropriately?”
His smile reached from ear to ear. “Oh, don’t worry. You’re perfect.”
* * *
When the car pulled up outside the Coliseum bathed in the oranges and reds of the setting sun, Phoebe almost couldn’t breathe. She twisted in her chair in excitement. “Is it still open? Can we still go in?”
Matteo gave a nod as the car door opened. “Oh, we can do more than that.”
The ancient monument towered above her. Matteo walked around the car and held his hand out toward her. She couldn’t help but stare up in wonder as she slid her hand into his. Tingles shot up her arm as Matteo pulled her toward him and slipped his arm around her waist. He held his other hand up to the magnificent structure. “Some of the outer wall has crumbled, due to earthquakes and stone robbers. What you see now is mainly the old interior wall.”
Phoebe held her hands in front of her chest. “It’s just huge. You can’t really understand the size until you’re standing right here.”
Matteo was still smiling at her. “Can you imagine what this was like? Eighty thousand people crammed in here, shouting, watching the main event—watching the gladiators?”
His words sent a thrill down her spine. There were other people around, late tourists who looked as if they were heading home for the night.
“Can we really go inside?”
Matteo’s gaze connected with hers. “Let me give you a special tour. Then we can have dinner.”
She stared at him for a few seconds then nodded with excitement. Matteo led her to a special entrance and she held her breath as she walked inside.
There were only a few people left inside the structure. The illumination from the setting sun was a perfect backdrop of orange with streaks of lilac. Phoebe took a few tentative steps forward.
Matteo held out his hands. “Most of the arena floor is gone now—as is a lot of the seating. It was arranged strictly by social status.” He raised his eyebrows, “Boxes at the North and South ends for the Emperor and the Vestal Virgins, podiums at the same level for the senatorial class.” He gave a little wink. “They could bring their own chairs, you know.”
Phoebe let out a laugh. “Really?”
“Really.” He pointed to the next row up, “This was for the non-senators or knights, the one above that was for ordinary Roman citizens, split into two parts, one for the rich and one for the poor.”
Phoebe gave a nod as she glanced around in wonder. “Hundreds of years on, and we’re still obsessed with social class. You’d think we’d be past all that now.”
Matteo looked at her thoughtfully. “I know. We should be.” They moved a little further into the amphitheater. He pointed out some other parts. “There were specific sections for other people. Boys with their tutors, scribes, priests, soldiers on leave and foreign dignitaries.”
“Where did the women get to sit, then?” asked Phoebe. “The ones who weren’t vestal virgins.”
Matteo shook his head. “You might guess. The other women were allowed to stand with the slaves or the common poor.”
Phoebe gave a nod and kept looking around. “Well, I love the wonder of the place. I love the structure. The architecture.” She spun around, holding her hands out. “But I’m not sure that I agree with the history of the place.”
Matteo held out his hand again. “Come on, I’ll show you some more history.”
His hand held hers firmly as he led her down some steps. It was darker down here, with some dim lights that only added to the mysterious atmosphere. He gave her a knowing smile over his shoulder. It was colder down here. Threatening. But the warmth from his hand was reaching up all the way to her heart. This was a wonderful surprise. Something she could only have dreamed of. Matteo had done this for her?
