"You showed me a power that is strong enough to bring sun to the darkest days."
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Matilda Monroe always dreamed of traveling the world. She decides to leave her life behind and spend the summer in Italy.
Matilda comes across the Sunset Lake winery...
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I inhale the smell of sea salt, satisfying my soul like a honeybee finding the perfect dandelion flower. The rays from the sun kiss my face and arms, glazing me with its warmth. The sounds of the sea crashing along the sand is music to my ears.
This morning I decided to pack a small bag, throw my bathing suit on, and layout on the beach. It was only a ten-minute walk from where I was staying.
As I lay on my stomach, I held myself up by my elbows and let my fingers twirl in the sand. I turn my head to the side and see my journal poking out of my bag. I sighed, flicking the sand off of my hands, and pulled the journal out of my bag. I grab my pen and open it.
It's the first of July. The sun is beaming down on me. My body is dripping with sweat, I don't have a care in the world. The sounds of the waves crashing onto the sand boost my brain with serotonin.
I'm on a beach in fucking Italy. What has my life become?!
It's been a while since my last journal entry. June flew by yet felt so slow at the same time. I've realized there is so much more I want to do. I want to travel the coast and see more of what this place offers. I want to jump off a cliff and land in the sea. I want to eat at the best restaurant in town. There's so much yet so little time.
Sometimes I get homesick. It's not that I miss my physical house or America, but I miss my hometown. I miss being in the place I knew my entire life. It's hard adapting to a new country. I'm doing okay but being home sits in the back of my head.
I'm a little better at learning Italian, just a tad. I think that's what stresses me out the most. After my lesson with Harry, which by the way was the most magical night of my life. I felt like I was in a movie. It's come to be my favorite memory of Italy so far.
Anyway, he told me he had a surprise for me. As I was getting ready to go home he gave me an English-to-Italian dictionary. He said he found it at the market and forgot to give it to me. It made my heart melt.
God, that man has a chokehold on me. He's too good for this world.
Butterflies swarmed my stomach the moment I started to write about him. My cheeks become rosy and I roll over from my stomach onto my back. I bring my journal up to my face, hiding my giddiness.
I have the biggest crush on this incredible man and I know he likes me just as much. I can feel it every time he looks at me. There's something in his eyes when I look at them. It's a look of admiration and awe, it's complex but loving.
His eyes say a lot about him, I can see the pain he hides. It's a look I'm familiar with. I see it in my reflection, every morning when I get out of bed or go to use the bathroom or anytime I pass a mirror. That's what I see in me, the pain.
