The Italian

February, 2 months later.

I watch as a boat slowly pulls into port and the passengers get off. The sea breeze whips through my hair.

We are sitting in a bar having a late and lazy lunch in Venice. Our guards are strategically out of sight, up against the walls. Andrea laughs at something on his phone before he shows me a meme as he scrolls through Instagram. I smile.

We’ve been here for a week. Drea had a break from work and wanted a short getaway. We’ve laid in the sun, eaten, drank, and laid low. While he’s so relaxed that he’s nearly asleep… I’m not. I’m not sure I even know how to relax anymore.

It’s been such a long time.

“Can I get you anything?” the waitress asks as she smiles down at Andrea.

I smirk as I watch her. She’s been circling him for hours, and knowing him like I do, she will be beneath him in his bed tonight.

“Yes,” he replies. “Two more Aperol Spritz, please.” He gives her a cheeky wink.

“Yes, sir.” She smiles.

I look through the crowd and see a woman in a red dress with blonde hair. I sit up suddenly.

Is that her?

“What?” Drea asks as his eyes follow my line of sight. “What are you looking at?”

“That woman in the red dress over there.”

We both watch, and then she turns. I exhale heavily and slump back into my chair.

It’s not her.

Andrea looks over at me and frowns. “Are you still thinking about her?”

I pick up my drink and sip it. I crunch on a piece of ice as my eyes go to him.

“How long has it been?” He frowns.

“Since what?”

“Since you’ve

seen her.”

I shrug. “A long time.”

“You still picturing her to come?”

I drain my glass, unwilling to answer his question. I don’t know why I told him that. Momentary drunken insanity.

“What are you doing?” he asks.

I shrug. Fuck knows. Least of all me.

“You can have any woman in the world you want. Every beautiful Italian woman on the planet is madly in love with you, yet you choose to pine over an Australian who lives on the other side of the world.” I exhale heavily. “She’s probably happily married to someone else by now, Rico.”

“She’s not.”

His eyes widen. “You’ve been watching her?”

I pick up my second drink and sip it as I stare out over the sea. “Maybe.”