The Beauty of Florence ✔

Three

As eager as I was to be on plane and get rolling, I came to realize that there is a layover somewhere before I ride the plane to Italy.

An email of the e-ticket was sent to me earlier and I could only grin in excitement.

I found out that the flight will take almost half a day long, with approximately 13 hours and more.

I was thankful that I didn't get much into trouble applying for Schengen Visa as I have a relative there who is already a citizen of their beautiful country.

I will be leaving the country at eleven in the morning and will be arriving in Italy at around one in the afternoon the next day.

Schedule of the trip is set on Friday the week after this so I still have ample time to double check everything that I need to bring.

I just came home from graduation practice today and I was too sleepy to move a muscle. I wearily dragged my small bag as soon as I opened our main door to the stairs up to my room.

Mom isn't coming home tonight due to an out-of-town conference she has. She's a dentist and is known among her field.

Dad, on the other hand, is a police officer. Well, he's barely home lately because he got assigned in different shifts.

Just like what he told me earlier, I made sure I have locked the door and checked everything before I surrendered myself to sleep.

As inviting as my bed is at the moment, I cannot afford to sleep in my jeans and shirt. I tiredly rested for a few minutes on my couch inside the room and then proceeded to the bathroom to clean myself up.

Once done, I dried my hair using a blower and lazily sat on my bed and rested my back.

It hasn't been that obvious to everyone but I have long been enduring this scoliosis when I was diagnosed with it about two years ago. It was found out that it was a 12 degree curved scoliosis.

I closed my eyes and tried to relax my nerves.

Practice can be quite tiring but we are required to do so for the activity to be executed properly.

I wasn't sure what time it was when I fell asleep but I woke up with the sun down and stars shining outside my window. I yawned and glanced at the clock. Seven in the evening, it says.

We had a half-day practice today yet it felt like forever.

Since, graduation day is fast approaching, the professors and university administrators decided to lighten up our practices schedule in the hopes not to wear us out even before the graduation even has begun.

According to them, their target was to only have three meetings with us, graduating batch, next week. Monday will be intended for the reminders and two dry runs. Wednesday will be dedicated to the distribution of our togas and Friday for the Baccalaureate Mass. And, of course, graduation day itself on Saturday.

So much for not wearing us all out.
We have been practicing for almost everyday this week.

Oh well, I cannot blame our professors, some students tend to get rowdy and unruly since schoolworks have finally and at long last, ended.

I yawned again and stretched my arms. I was thinking of what to eat for dinner when my stomach groaned on cue.

I grabbed my phone which was resting on top of my dresser and shove it in my pajama's pocket before I turned off my lights and aircon.

I headed straight to the kitchen as soon as I reached the landing.

I was about to open our refrigerator when two knocks on our main door broke my reverie.

Frowning who it was, I tiptoed silently to the side of our door and peeped into our curtains and my jaw dropped open in surprise.

I hurriedly opened our door and pulled him inside. I locked it immediately before facing his tall physique and handsome face.

"What brings you to my doorstep, Ephraim?" I asked and crossed my arms over my chest. I suddenly became conscious of myself as I was inside my home.

Ephraim Gerardo was my ex-boyfriend. We had a rough patch that remained broken as he didn't give me any explanation why he suddenly left me in our two-year relationship.

Why am I even talking to him and letting him inside my house? Simply because, I know him. I know he can get really loud and cause a commotion with his attitude. He just doesn't seem to understand why I never asked him for his reasons. Maybe, a part of me secretly wished he would outgrow that behavior soon or realized his mistakes. Or, maybe, I just wanted to be out of our toxic relationship.

"Simply because I miss hanging out with you! Let's work it out again, please, Flo?" Ephraim cooed and tried to sweet talk into me but I shook my head. "Why not? I promise you, I will be good! I won't be that toxic boyfriend again! I won't force you to sleep with me! Just please, give me another chance?" He pleaded and handed me the bouquet of lilies he was holding.

"Just quit it. I am not taking you back. I don't plan to. I am not having another chance with you. So just give up." I said and looked at him directly into his eyes.

"But-" Ephraim tried to object but I opened my door widely.

"Go. The door is wide. Take that bouquet with you and quit bugging me again." I said and I saw how his eager expression turn into dismay and walked out of the door silently like a lost puppy.

I sighed and was about to close the door when a familiar hand stopped it.

My eyes raised to meet the person who stopped me from closing it.

"Patrick." I said and he grinned.

"I bought food." Patrick said and held up a paper bag from our favorite restaurant.