From London to Rome

Chapter 19

"Luca, where are you taking me?" I know we have to be in the city centre since we got out of the tube at Monument and haven't walked very far. Luca is holding his hand in front of my eyes. He says he wants to surprise me, but I'm getting a little terrified walking through the city without seeing anything. What must other people be thinking seeing us like this? This would be the beginning of a very good thriller.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes, of course, I do. Do you think I would let you do this if I didn't? But I'm guessing people are looking at us weirdly."

"You don't see them, so you don't have to worry about them. And besides, all they will think is that an insanely handsome guy is taking out the most beautiful girl." Luca saying the word beautiful brings a pink hue to my cheeks. I try hitting him on his arm for being cocky, but because I can't see him, I miss and hit his chest instead. I can feel his muscles flex under my touch, making my cheeks burn even more. It's unfair how one single human being can make me blush so often.

"We're almost there. Just a few more steps." We stop walking and Luca turns me around. I no longer hear the sounds of the city around us. I can feel the cool, soft wind around me, so I know we aren't inside. Slowly Luca removes his hand from my eyes. I squint my eyes trying to shield my eyes from the bright sun. Once my eyes adjust to the bright light, I immediately recognise the plant-covered walls in front of me. They belong to St Dunstan-In-The-East, the gardens Luca took me to the first time we met up.

"Do you know where we are?" I feel Luca's hand on my waist, making it impossible to speak without stuttering. Every time his body is this close to mine, my whole system seems to shut down. My knees close to giving out, my breathing laboured, my blood racing through my veins.

"Yes, it's the place you took me to that first time we hung out." Luca's still hugging me from behind, placing his chin on my shoulder. Luca is a few inches taller than me making my body fit perfectly against his. His lips linger in the crook of my neck.

"It's where we had our first date. Where we talked for hours." I lean my head against his chest, breathing in his cologne. "Do you know all of that happened almost two months ago already?" I look up to him, smiling at the memories of that day. I can't believe that it's already been two months since that day.

I still can't grasp how faith was playing with us that day. Running into each other twice in one day. Him buying me the book and writing his number on the receipt. Back then I could have never expected it to turn out like this. I don't know exactly what we have or where it's going but I'm surprisingly okay with that. I know I like him, a lot. I don't know how he feels about us, but I take me meeting his sister the other day as a good sign. And all the flirty comments he makes. And the conversation we had just a few days ago about us getting seen together. My skin keeps tingling under his touch, making it hard to breathe at a normal pace. I try to hide the effect he has on me, not wanting to be too vulnerable. I've struggled with social anxiety a lot in my past. Going to social events, talking to strangers and opening up to people are things I avoided as much as possible. Over the past year, I've managed to control my anxiety and not let it keep me back. It was Abby who showed me how to trust people again. The summer almost a year ago is one I will never forget. She became the friend I had been longing for all those years in high school. If it wasn't for her, I would have never had the courage to befriend Madison and Tess in those first weeks of classes.

I know I've come a long way since I left high school. I've made a lot of progress, I grew up to be stronger and more confident but those old insecurities always remained stuck in the back of my head. What I never would have expected was how easy talking with Luca is. Even that first time when we were still strangers to each other it was super easy to talk to him. When I'm talking to him all of my insecurities seem to fade out of existence. Opening up to him and trusting him was so much easier, he made me feel safe ever since that first time we talked. We don't know everything about each other since we have only known each other for two months but I can tell him all about myself without hesitating or doubting myself.

The more feelings I'm getting for him, the more anxious I start to become. I have never really liked a guy like this before. My crushes were always superficial and even when I liked Luca before meeting him, it was just this image created by the media that I liked. Feeling all these emotions scares me sometimes. Falling for someone does that to you, either you fall and they catch you and all will be good, or you fall meters down onto a concrete floor crushing all the bones in your body.

I'm thinking myself into an anxiety attack if I keep this up so instead I try to focus on my surroundings. The ruins of the church are covered in plants, looking beautiful in the early morning light. A few people are walking through the gardens, none of them paying any attention to us. Now I understand why Luca insisted on coming here this early. This is definitely worth leaving my bed for at 7 am.

"What are you thinking about?" He asks from behind me, his hand still lingering around my waist.

"How beautiful this place is. I can't believe I didn't know it existed until two months ago."

"That's not the only beautiful thing here." Once again Luca makes me blush by just saying a few words. It's these kinds of comments that make me nervous. He wouldn't say it if he didn't mean it right? And if he means it, what does that mean? I'm driving myself crazy once again. Luckily, Luca gets me back to reality as we sit on one of the benches and he takes out a Tupperware container. Now it's getting interesting.

"Adrina made a cake yesterday and she insisted that I brought a piece for you. I remembered that red velvet is your favourite, so..." The cake looks absolutely delicious. We both take a bite a soft moan escaping my lips.

"Thank your sister for me. This cake is amazing."

"I will. Although I have to warn you, she will probably make me bring cakes more often."

"I am totally fine with that." Just thinking about cakes makes me hungry already. We empty the container in no time, not even a crumb left in it.

"There is something I want to ask you." Luca looks hesitant. Seeing him be nervous makes me just as nervous. Some sentences can cause immediate anxiety and this is definitely one of them. "So, we've been hanging out a lot lately and I really enjoy spending time with you. I don't know if this is too fast or if you even want to, you can say no if you don't want to. Where I'm getting at, is this: Skylar, will you be my girlfriend? God, that sounded cheesy. You probably just want to run away now." He keeps on rambling, looking like he is forgetting to breathe. Well, he's not the only one. I was expecting a lot of things, but this wasn't one of them. For hours, no days, I've been questioning whether he likes me and now he asks me to be his girlfriend. He is getting paler by the second, so I have to act fast if I don't want him passing out.

"I'm not planning on running away, don't worry. And yes, I would like that. Being your girlfriend I mean." My nerves are still on high alert but when Luca gets a huge smile on his face I can't help but smile as well.

"You're stuck with me now, Skylar." He laughs into my neck as he hugs me close to him.

"I don't mind at all." I barely have time to finish the sentence before Luca presses his lips against mine. For just a second my mind short circuits, forgetting how to move my body. Once my system reboots I place my hand on his cheek, feeling a soft stubble on his skin. The kiss is soft and sweet but that makes it so much better right now. We can make out another time, maybe when we're not out in a public park.