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In my room, most of my things are already packed. I sit on the bed, staring out at the sky and red-tiled rooftops through the open doors to the balcony. In a few hours, I’ll be back in old, familiar places. I can’t shake the feeling of anticipation and apprehension. On one hand, it feels like moving on would be the best thing, and on the other, I want to hold on to the memories of Tristan. I want to hold on to the magic of Florence and the impossible hope that it’s not over between us.
I register Enzo’s excited voice from downstairs without giving it much thought. The little boy is chattering loudly in rapid fire Italian that despite my best efforts, I still haven’t come close to mastering.
Enzo pauses long enough for me to hear a familiar voice ask him a question. And I freeze. Then I vault off the bed, only stopping when I get to the doorway in front of me. I slow down and tell myself that I’m crazy. It can’t be him. There’s no way.
I take a deep breath and go out ontothe balcony.
Down on the street, Enzo is jumping up and down, exchanging high-fives with Tristan and clutching something that looks like a present.
I blink repeatedly, not sure I can believe what I’m seeing, but my eyes aren’t lying. It is Tristan.
He turns in my direction, and when those blue eyes meet mine, I almost lose the ability to breathe.
“Tristan came back,” Enzo announces, unable to contain his excitement. He grins at me. “He brought me a new X-box.”
“Looks like you won’t miss me so much after all,” I reply in my halting Italian.
Still jumping with excitement, Enzo runs into the bakery, I assume, to show his mother his gift.
“Hi,” Tristan says, looking up at me.
I take a deep breath. “Hey.”
He looks unsure what to say next. “Can I come up?” he asks finally.
Mutely, I nod and wait as he opens the gate and starts up the stairs. I walk out of my bedroom in a daze, opening the main door into the apartment just as Tristan reaches the top of the stairs. We stand facing each other, and I don’t know what to say.
He looks a little different, still perfect, but thinner, with signs of strain around his eyes. He’s been working hard and it shows.
“What are you doing here?” I ask softly.
He doesn’t respond. Instead, he takes me in his arms and claims my lips in a gentle kiss. I melt into his body, wanting to become a part of him in a way that nothing and no one would ever separate us again.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about you,” he murmurs in my ear.
“I’m leaving tonight,” I tell him. “I thought you knew that.”
“I do.” He smiles, his lips crooking on one side. “I thought you might appreciate a companion on the long flight.”
I try to smile but tears are welling up in my eyes. “How?”
He reaches into his back pocket and hands me a printout. Two tickets. First class. “I’d like us to travel together, that’s if you don’t mind.”
“Of course, I don’t,” I reply. “but what about…”
“After?”
I nod.
He’s quiet. “I won’t lie. Not much has changed. There’s a lot happening in my life, but if you’re willing, I’ll do everything within my power to make it work, to make us work.”
That’s all I need to hear. I put my arms around him and kiss him the way I’ve dreamed of doing for the past few weeks. I lose myself in the taste of his lips, in the feeling of his hands on my body. Pure lust unfurls inside me, along with the joy of knowing that there’s hope for us after all.
“Out of curiosity,” I ask later. “When is this flight?”
Tristan grins. “Just a few hours later than your current arrangement.”
“Like...how many hours?”
