When In Rome

4. Sex and the City

Heavy feet stomp down the winding stairs as the sound of Cora's Doc Martens echo through her apartment's stairway. Her legs stand bare under a black leather mini skirt, and her white baby tee has the words SEX WITH YOU SUCKS printed in thick black letters. Eli trails behind as they descend towards the front door, still dressed in his white t-shirt and fitted jeans. The two look well-paired, especially considering how swollen both of their lips are.

"C'mon, we're late." Cora states as she pushes the heavy door open and steps into the streets of Rome.
"Yeah? Whose fault is that?"
"Yours," Cora snaps back playfully, "You couldn't keep your fucking hands off me."
"I didn't see you stopping me," Eli speaks quietly, poking the bear. He follows closely behind her as they begin walking down the rather busy footpath. Accidentally bumping shoulders with strangers, Eli struggles avoiding the sea of people rushing past him. "God, I didn't think it'd be this busy on a Sunday," he says to the back of Cora's head, not having the space to walk next to her. The girl doesn't respond as she's too busy looking in the small mirror held up in her hand, frantically trying to fix her smudged dark lipstick.

The colour on her lips is paired with a matching dark eye look, the black eyeliner accentuating her green eyes. Her brown waves fall messily over her shoulders, which are covered by Eli's heavy leather jacket. It fits her loosely, but comfortably. The 'couple' connotations of her outfit make her smile as she wonders if her friends will be able to contain their excitement. Cora gets distracted by her own imagination as her body moves in autopilot; she knows this is Eli's last night, and she also knows that the next time he'll be back in Rome, she'll probably be back in Ireland. Her stomach tightens as the thought of saying goodbye grows larger and larger in her mind. She can sense Eli's figure close behind her, and in an attempt to rid herself of her thoughts she reaches a hand behind her, hoping he'll notice. Almost immediately, Cora feels his fingers intertwine with hers, and she sighs a breath she didn't know she was holding. Focused on reaching the pub a few minutes away, she doesn't look back at Eli.

"You alright, love?"

Cora jumps at the sound of Eli's raspy voice in her right ear, the brunet having leant closer to her. But it wasn't his close proximity that made her jump, it was the pet name. It reminded her of how he teased her with it at the club the night before, but this time, there's sincerity behind his words. She squeezes his hand and takes a deep breath; "Yeah, thanks... hang on." Tugging on the strong hand she's holding, Cora quickly pulls Eli around the corner and into a quieter side-street. He repeats his question: "Cora, are you okay?"

A flustered Cora forces a nod towards the worried man in front of her, who's two hands now hold both of hers. Absentmindedly, she squeezes them tightly as she attempts to steady her quick breathing with deep inhales and slow exhales. Eyes screwed shut, her head feels heavy, and her thoughts too loud, so she drops her head forward. Breathing fast and shallow, Cora's mind fills with worry and doubt; about her feelings, specifically for Eli, and the whirlwind of their weekend together. She knows he's leaving tomorrow, but she knows her feelings will last longer.

Tears threaten to well in Cora's eyes as she feels her nose pinch and she hopes to God they don't spill, her perfect eyeliner on the line. She sniffs her nose and bounces on the balls of her feet to ground herself again. The rhythmic sound of her boots knocking on the stone ground helps her steady her mind. She counts the taps, and squeezes Eli's hands to the beat. He squeezes back, matching her rhythm, and he even begins to hum along. The deep sound makes Cora lift her head to look at him, a smile creeping on her face as the tears disappear. The brunet smiles back at her, eyes flicking between her eyes and her lips. Cora's eyes stay on his as she slows her breathing, waiting for his next move. She thinks he'll kiss her but instead, he pulls her hands to his waist and lets go, wrapping his arms around her shoulders to pull her closer. Holding her tightly, his leather jacket cracks on her shoulders under their embrace.