One Way Ticket to Anywhere | ✔️

Chapter 5

February 25th, 8:13 pm
Gritti Palace, Venice

If we're being honest, the Gritti Palace didn't look much like a palace, but more just like a very big building.

When we got out of the boat, I started making my way toward the big line at the front, but Anette stopped me.

"We're getting in another way." she said.

Sebastien smirked (oh my God) as if he'd been expecting this. We followed Anette around the building to the back where a really buff Italian man waited by the door.

"Fabio!" Anette squealed, after kissing him on both cheeks. "Thanks for agreeing to our little, ah, arrangement!"

Fabio led the three of us inside where I was shocked at what lay before me.

This was a ball. Not the high school dances I was used to with streamers and Christmas lights and soda and chips where everyone just gyrated to the music.

No, this looked like something Cinderella should be in. With chandeliers and a live orchestra and everyone dancing in partners like it was the 1920s.

It was amazing.

I felt Sebastien appear by my side. He held out his hand. "Dance with me?"

I blushed and avoided eye contact. Anette was nowhere in sight. "Sure."

Sebastien put one hand on my waist and held my hand with the other.

"You seem so at ease here, is this your scene or something?" I asked. And he did. He glided around the dance floor as if he'd been doing this for years. He held himself as if he was an aristocrat. Maybe he was. I knew nothing about him.

But Sebastien just laughed. "When you've been traveling long enough you learn to blend into any situation. Suddenly everything becomes your scene."

Oh bullshit. I was getting so sick of his "experienced traveler" persona.

Instead of saying that however I clenched my jaw and we danced in silence for a while. I avoided looking at him because I was actually afraid of swooning. He was that gorgeous, even if I was annoyed with him.

But eventually I couldn't hold back any longer. "It's just that I know nothing about you."

Sebastien raised his eyebrows. "Well what do you want to know?"

"I don't know! Basic stuff: where you're from, your last name, your favorite childhood memory, how old you are."

Sebastien gave me a hard look. I gulped. I wondered if somehow I'd gone too far. "I'm from a small fishing village a few hours outside of Zanzibar, Tanzania. My last name is Koyombo. My favorite childhood memory is watching the sun rise over the Serengeti from Mt. Kilimanjaro. I'm twenty one. I can legally drink in every country." he said, giving me that iconic smirk.

But this time it didn't work on me. I just gaped at him. Did he really expect me to believe that? "I'm serious, Sebastien."

His smirk faded. "So am I."

Wait.

Seriously?

He wasn't joking?

Wow.

I didn't know what to say. My mouth opened and closed like a goldfish.

Luckily, Sebastien just laughed. "It's alright, Raegan, you're just an uncultured American. We can work with that."

After that time became a blur. The next few hours or minutes or whatever were filled with dancing and twirling and laughing and hands down the best time I'd had in my life.

A man then came up to us. He said something in Italian. Although I had no idea what he was saying he seemed very angry. His face was red and splotchy and he kept pointing at us.

I felt Sebastien reach for my hand. And then we were sprinting, weaving in between the waltzing couples. I heard the Italian man screeching at us from behind. Once we reached the doors we didn't stop running. And suddenly we were running through the streets of Venice again. We were laughing and crying and gasping for breath all at the same time.

We collapsed on a bench overlooking the canal. We were still laughing.

When we finally calmed down, I asked, "Why did that guy get so mad at us?"

"Oh Anette probably tipped him off that we snuck in."

"Why would she do that? She snuck in to."

"It's probably because of something I told her earlier."

"And what was that?"

"That I wasn't interested anymore." he said giving me a small smile.

My heart fluttered. He told off Norwegian Sex God Anette? For me?

Oh my God.

I was grinning (on the inside of course).

But when I saw Sebastien's lips inching closer to mine, I panicked.

I jumped up, but in my panicked state my clumsy ass tripped and fell right into the canal.

I came up for air sputtering. Sebastien was there with his hand outstretched. He was laughing so hard there were tears in his eyes. My heart did that fluttery thing again.

I took his hand and he pulled me out of the canal.

I was shivering and dripping wet and not to mention filthy. Sebastien laughed again as he pulled a piece of trash out of my hair. I punched him lightly on the shoulder. "It's not that funny!"

He laughed again. "Yes, it is. I've never had a girl rather fall into a canal than kiss me before, but that's what makes you unique."

I shrugged. "I guess I just haven't fully convinced myself yet that you're not a serial killer or anything."

Instead of replying he took off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders. Then he took my hand. We walked in silence under the moonlit streets.

"So did you have a hotel in mind or did you just plan on shacking up with a stranger?"

"A hotel! Oh my God, I totally forgot! Do you have one?"

"No, I was actually on my way out of Venice before I met you."

"I'm sorry." I said, not knowing what else to say.

"Don't be, there's always tomorrow."

Tomorrow, right. In the morning Sebastien would leave and Emma would arrive. I'd never see him again.

We walked into a few hotels but all of them were booked.

"It's Carnival. Everything's been booked for months." The lady at the front counter of the latest hotel said.

We finally found ourselves at the entrance of a youth hostel.

"You don't happen to have any available rooms do you?" I asked.

The man looked at his computer. "We have one bed in the group dorm upstairs."

"We'll take it." Sebastien said.

I gaped at him.

I insisted on paying because Sebastien had paid for my dress that I'd ruined by falling into the Grand Canal.

When we got upstairs everyone else was already asleep. Sebastien pulled a tattered sleeping bag out of his backpack and started unrolling it. I once again smiled on the inside. Of course he hadn't planned on cramming into the twin bed with me.

I found the bathroom and pulled on a pair of pajamas. When I came back into the room Sebastien was already sound asleep.

I laid awake thinking about what would happen tomorrow. I'd only known Sebastien a day but I didn't want to say goodbye. If only somehow we could stay together, just for a little while.

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That was chapter 5! What do you think is going to happen to Raegan next? Will she stay with Sebastien or not? Don't forget to like, comment, and share!