Friend Of A Cannibal

Chapter Fifteen

Wednesday, 6:15 AM.

Hannibal locks the house up while Eleanor and the taxi driver loads their luggage into the trunk. He joins them and then they get in the backseat. He directs the driver to the airport, and their journey to Italy begins.

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Wednesday, 8:30 AM.

They sit next to each other on the airplane in the first class section which is thousands of feet high in the air. A flight attendant comes by to check on them and Hannibal orders two glasses of champagne for them. "So have you ever left the country?" He asks her.

Eleanor turns to him from where her gaze was set on the blue ocean beneath them. "I've been to Canada. Well I drove through Canada to get to Alaska to visit my uncle."

"Europe is filled with many beautiful countries. Germany, Italy, France... I'd love to take you to all of them someday. And maybe I'll even take you to Lithuania someday too." The flight attendant returns with their champagne and Hannibal hands a glass to Eleanor.

"I would love that. I haven't done much traveling in my life. I've been to many states in the U.S. but never flown across the ocean." She sips her champagne happily.

"We must change that then." He clinks his glass to hers in a small toast.

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Wednesday, 9:23 PM.

Hannibal and Eleanor are settling into their luxurious hotel suite. "Are you hungry? Perhaps we could dine at the restaurant downstairs." He asks her.

"Yes that would be lovely. I'm just going to change into something nicer and freshen up." A dark blue dress and a strand of pearls. Black heels. Hannibal stands in the mirror and straightens his tie.

He takes her hand and they walk to the elevator. The hotel is beautiful, 5 star quality. Eleanor feels like a princess here with her prince. All she needs now is a tiara.

The waitress seats them and they look over the menu. But he's distracted by how gorgeous she looks. "How did I get so lucky?"

She's a bit stunned. "What?" She says, closing her menu and placing it on the table.

"I love you, Eleanor." He says. The waitress comes back to take their order before she can reply. They both order their dinner and the waitress pours them some wine and takes the menus and leaves.

She looks at him, thinking of what to say. She thinks she loves him too but she's just a tiny bit unsure. She doesn't want to say it if she's even the slightest unsure. That's just the kind of person she is. He reaches out and takes her hand, the one that's not holding a glass of wine.

"Don't feel pressured. I just wanted you to know how I feel." He says.

"I care about you deeply. You make me happy and I don't want to be with anyone else." She says. "No one could treat me as good as you do."

"Thank you for sharing that. Even if you're unsure, I still love you." He takes her hand and kisses it affectionately.

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St. Peter's Basilica, a renaissance church in Rome was their first destination. It is the burial site of Saint Peter, one of Christs's apostles as well as the very first Pope. The inside is decorated with beautiful mosiac pieces all over the walls and ceilings and the famous dome was originally designed by Michelangelo. Eleanor couldn't believe how a such an old historic building could still look the way it did the day they finished building it. Every room took her breath away.

The Galleria Borghese, an art gallery in Rome. It features century old renaissance pieces by artists like Giovanni Bellini, Caravaggio, and Raphael. Eleanor brought a small sketchbook and pencil to scribble the ideas for inspiration that she got from looking at the art.

After a few more art galleries, Nora's sketchbook was full of possible fashion ideas. They ate dinner at a cafe in Venice and now it was about 8:00 PM and they were in a gondola sailing slowly down the Grand Canal.

"May I see what you've drawn today, my dear?" Hannibal asks her.

"Sure, it's mostly somewhat defined scribbles." She hands the book to him. He turns to the first page, looks for a moment and continues on page after page, a smile on his face.

"You took these ideas for fashion from looking at renaissance art?"

"They're rough drafts. I was inspired by the mixture of dark and light colors, cream, red and olive green on top of brown, black and dark orange. Whenever I'm looking for inspiration for fresh modern fashions I look at contemporary or modern art. But these galleries here in Italy have given me a inspiration for a kind fashion I've never thought of before." She said, taking her book as he gave it back to her and putting it in her bag. Hannibal moved closer, sitting next to her.

"I'm excited to see those fashions when you bring them to life. You have such an extraordinary and unique eye." His gaze is loving, set upon her sky blue eyes, hand taking her to lock their fingers.

"This trip has been amazing beyond belief and we've only been here one day. You make me feel a kind of love I've never felt before, Hannibal. It's a love without fear. I do love you." She squeezes his hand.

His eyes light up. "I love you too. You've lived a life of fear and pain. I want to show you how beautiful the world is. You don't have to be scared anymore."

He wraps his arm around her. She rests her head on his shoulder. They sail down the canal, in love with each other, both hoping this feeling will never end.

[A/N: Hi readers! I updated my bio and I am now taking commissions. Message me for more info if you're interested. Thanks!]