Have you ever had that one friend who you keep running into not on purpose but by total accident and yet you don't really mind? Ally was certain that fate had something to do with her doing just that with Austin. By the university, by random bridges, by the ferry to the mainland...everywhere she turned lately, he was there too. But she didn't mind...not one bit. If she had to run into anyone, she'd definitely like it to be him and this was Venice. You were bound to run into the same person over and over again over the course of one day. Especially if you were always around the same places at the same times.
It had only been a week since officially meeting Austin, the musician who she hadn't known about before that day. After leaving Santoli's later that night, Ally had quickly searched him on her computer after getting his full name from Suzetta. She knew that she knew him from somewhere, but from her nose being stuck inside books for the past two years, she couldn't even tell you what Julia Roberts looked like anymore, let alone who Austin Moon, a very hot up and coming musician who was said to be the answer to all our rock n' roll prayers, and what tweens dreams are made of, was. Ally laughed at the last review she read before going to bed last night and even listened to some of his hits. The reviews were right. It was all sugary pop and meant for the ears of tweens. But that being said, it was the type of music she would be all into if she was still that age; and in all honesty, she had to admit that "Who U R" was still stuck in her head.
Ally slowed down her run as she rounded Piazza San Marco, bouncing up and down to keep her heart rate up as she spotted him at the ever popular Cafe Florian, which had some of the best coffee in the world. He was alone, with headphones on his ears, sheet music spread over a tiny table and a little crowd of teenagers standing just ahead of him. Ally watched them glance back and forth, fiddling with little sheets of paper and camera phones and then watched him, trying to drown himself in the music even though she saw him notice the girls.
Zipping up her hoodie over her cold run pullover, Ally pulled her own headphones out of her ears and headed straight to him, ignoring the protests of the host about waiting her turn. "Sono con qualcuno! Lui e proprio li," she argued right back, not caring about her appearance for the cafe, or him. She didn't even care about the sweat dripping down her brow. She pulled out the spare chair and sat down, even though she knew it was going to screw up her heart rate immediately.
"Hi," Austin did a double take at her. "Hi." This time a smile emerging on his face as he pulled his headphones down.
"Thanks for saving me a seat, honey," Ally said a little bit louder to sell the sight to the group of girls. "What did you order?" She eyed him, trying to get him to play the part so he wouldn't be bothered by the fans and he could get back to his music.
Austin glanced up ahead at the fans, who were starting to put their sheets of paper away. "Oh, I ordered the usual," he told her in his normal voice before he leaned forward and started to whisper instead. "You didn't have to do that. I actually like my fans."
"I can get them back, if you want." Ally suddenly felt horrible. He liked his fans - of course he liked his fans. He seemed like that type of popstar who was actually sincere about everything he said and did and when it came to fans, would do anything for them. "I'll get them back," she tried to get up when he pulled her back down.
"Ally, it's okay. They're always around and I'll get them later."
"If you're sure. Sorry about that. I just assumed..."
"A lot of people do. It's really okay," he reassured her, and pushed his sheet music aside for a moment. "I see you did your research though."
She bit down on her lip, and looked away for a moment. "Yea, I did. I got your full name out of Suzetta. I'm the stalker fan that you're probably warned about."
"At least I can pick you out in a police lineup now." Austin and Ally both laughed at the situation. "Find out anything interesting?"
"Lots actually," she admitted as one of the servers brought them a fresh pot of coffee. "I found out that you have the dreamiest eyes according to Cheetah Beat's last four years of polls, that your song 'Gimme Some' is still breaking records and you secretly love Duke Ellington. Is that one true?"
"Very true," Austin nodded. "All his songs are almost like air to me. I used to listen to them to do my homework in high school and fell in love with the era, the instruments, the lyrics. I still listen to him at least once every day, any song, any time. Just has to be once a day."
"Do you have a favorite song?"
"'Sophisticated Lady'." Austin told her without any hesitation. "It's the saxophone and it's brilliant. It's an ode to the instrument with just the lightest piano in the distance and will just take you away to any happy place. When I first heard that song, I don't think my parents saw me for a week because I was trying to replicate it."
Ally smiled at him, truly enjoying as he told her his story about his love for the Duke and his music and the way he had made Austin truly fall in love with the art of music. Austin kept talking about the other songs, 'Creole Love Call', 'Satin Doll', 'Harlem', all of them really and she loved seeing the joy in his eyes about it all. She'd file this away when she would need it. Talk about music, Austin has your full attention.
As their conversation continued, Ally found that Austin really wasn't the typical popstar she had pictured. Sure, the tween fans and sugary pop songs were one thing, but his passion was what set him apart. And he had a lot of passion. From discussing jazz, to classical, to the old folk songs of the south, Austin pretty much knew it all and could play it all. He could even play a trumpet through another trumpet. She decided right there that she really wanted to see that.
As he talked to her about music, she couldn't help but reflect on her own failed attempt at that kind of life. Classically trained herself, if anyone pulled out a piano or violin or even an oboe, she could play it. But after flubbing her audition to MUNY, the music school of her dreams, years ago, her life took another turn and she was okay with it. To hear Austin talk so passionately almost made her want to dive back in and start writing again. She wasn't looking to give him any songs of her own, but maybe he could give her some encouragement.
"Wait, is that the time?" Ally pulled his wrist towards her, kicking herself for not paying attention to it. They had been talking and drinking coffee together for the past four hours. Four hours of talking about music and the Santoli's and Venice...and it only made her later for an appointment that she was sure Benedetto would berate her for. "I'm so sorry to leave you like this, with no lire to pay for the coffee..."
"Ally, it's okay."
"But, I feel bad again. After scaring away your fans and crashing in on your writing session, now I'm stiffing you with the bill."
Austin laughed at her, as she stood up from the table and gave him his wrist back. "Really, it's okay."
She bit her lip. It might have been okay with him, but it wasn't with her. "What are you doing tomorrow?"
"Sunday? I didn't have any set plans. Just, you know, writing."
"If you meet me at Santoli's around two, I'll take you to dinner. That's assuming you don't have other plans or a date or..."
Austin stopped her from rambling on. "Good food?"
"The best."
"I'll see you then."
Ally smiled wide at Austin. This was good. "Great. I'll, yea, I'll see you at Santoli's at two and take you for the best, and possibly loudest meal you'll ever have in your life."
Walking out into the piazza, Ally turned around and waved to him before running off again towards her appointment. It wasn't that she couldn't get fitted to her masks for Carnival later on, she could, but getting to Benedetto and Silvana and convincing them to set one more plate out for family dinner would take some convincing. Well, maybe not. But it would take some sweet talk with Benedetto to let him share his cuttlefish with a new person. And she was good at convincing them for things - like staying with them again for a full year. This was just one dinner...with a gorgeous guy who she was getting to know.
Crap, this sounded like a date. But it wasn't a date at all. This was her, a doctorate student, asking a guy, who just happened to be a hot musician, to dinner. With a bunch of loud Italians. No, not a date and she was sure that after this dinner, he wouldn't be asking her on one anyway. They were the Nicoletti's after all.
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He was bad. Well, not really bad, but what he was doing would probably set him back a couple of days...or weeks. He was supposed to be spending the night with Santo at the party he had mentioned the day before, where that cute violinist he had been flirting with since he arrived would be. He should've been anywhere and doing anything else but back in his apartment, going through old papers he took from Santoli's. He was in his apartment and Austin should have been at least working on and recording the base tracks for the new song he just wrote earlier in the afternoon. But once he finished it all at the cafe, he only had one other thing on his mind and it was Ally.
So there he was, on a Saturday night, inside his apartment, translating every article in the old papers with his tiny dictionary. With the promise of a true Italian feast, or so he assumed, with her host family, he actually wanted to be somewhat prepared. There was only so far 'buon giorno' and 'grazie' could get you. The one phrase he did know by heart was about music and he wasn't sure that was going to impress anyone except for Santo.
Austin flipped the page of the second paper, finding another medium sized article to translate word by word and as he wrote out what each of them meant, became even more confused. "In four bowls of soup of President? What?"
You could make an educated guess and predict that Austin did not take Italian in high school for his language requirement. He didn't even take French, or German. No, he took the language of music, of course. Austin still didn't know how he pulled that off, but using his excellent debate skills with the guidance counselor and vice principal, was able to convince them that music was the only language he could and would even attempt to speak fluently. Luckily for him, they said yes and two months into the class, he was picked up by his manager.
But now, at this moment, he really wanted to go back to high school and enroll in just a semester of Italian. He probably wouldn't remember any of it now if he had, but still. It could help him a lot. Trying again, Austin flipped back and forth through the dictionary and remembered Santo once telling him that everything is not verbatim. "There were four bowls of soup for the President."
He wasn't going to lie, he was excited he got that sentence right. Now for the rest of the five paragraphs. Austin ran a hand through his hair and grabbed a drink of the water he had beside him before continuing on. Why and who was he doing this for again? Well, mostly him. But also for the girl who ran like a mad woman at one moment and the next like a woman he couldn't help but stare at as she ran from him in skin tight leggings just hours ago. Remembering how her body looked in them was enough to inspire him for six more albums and then some.
He was definitely doing it to impress Ally. And her family. And maybe himself too.
Maybe he should just break down and use his macbook to get a few phrases to say. That would make this process easier. Memorize a few things, impress the family and Ally...yea, that would work. There was no real reason to learn all of the language, was there? Santo was writing the Italian phrases in a few songs for him, so all he would really need was something to impress. That way, he could get back to the song banging in his head instead of studying.
The song that was buzzing in his head wasn't soft or full of soul, it was actually more on the pop side. When Austin chose to come to Venice, he was looking to make an album full of songs his grandparents would listen to, and for the most part, he was doing that. Then there was a beat that came to him in the dead of night and just couldn't let go. It wasn't anything he had been wanting, but he was rolling with it anyhow. While the music came for it, the lyrics just didn't yet.
Austin made his mind turn off the music, or at least tried to as another article got his attention and he started to translate it. This one was shorter and looked easier...but knowing his luck, probably wasn't. The things he did for a girl...
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She didn't know why she was pacing, or biting her nails, or why the hell she was so nervous. It wasn't like she was taking a worldwide popstar to her rowdy and loud Italian host family's home for dinner or anything. Oh yea, she was. After getting Silvana to set an extra plate out for the family dinner later on, Ally had also convinced Benedetto to let her borrow the boat for a while too. Instead of throwing him right into the middle of the blondes and the older brothers who loved to hassle anyone who came into her or their sisters' lives. They were the typical older brothers and while she loved that about Dante, Lazzaro and Rico, she didn't want to scare Austin right back to the States.
Ally's boots clanked against the cobblestone as she sipped on the hot cocoa in her hands that Suzetta brought out to her just moments ago and she checked the time on the bell tower that was just beyond the little square. Silvana had been in elbow deep in pasta with Seraphina and Paola working on the cuttlefish when Ally left the house and after having fifty or so meals like this with the whole family, predicted she had just about three hours until everything was ready. She usually was put in charge of the desserts, but since she was bringing a guest tonight, they let her off her duty.
Spinning around at her name being called across the way, Ally swirled around and smiled. Somehow, Austin calling her name and waving to her with a smile on his face too, was getting her all giddy. This is just a friendly dinner, Ally. Not a date. Taking a deep breath, she met up with him halfway and told him to go get his cocoa from inside. "I think she has about five cups in there for us."
He disappeared inside for a few moments and Ally tossed the other cup in her hand away before he returned, trying to balance one cup on top of two others. He was doing it too, taking each step carefully as not to spill any. Walking up to help him, she took the top cup from his miniature pyramid. "Thanks. I think you grabbed it just before I was about to drop it."
"Nah, you were doing pretty good there," Ally told him, taking a drink from the warm cup. "So, we have a little time before dinner. How are you with a bit of adventure?"
"Adventure? In Venice?"
"Oh, Austin. Venice is full of adventure, you have no idea," Ally started to walk away and he caught up with her as they headed towards the canal. "When I first visited here just before college, I found this underground party in the old tunnels of the city. Best adventure I've ever experienced."
"Underground parties? Really?" Austin took a drink from one of the other cups in his hand. "You don't seem like that type of girl."
"I'm going to surprise you then," Ally smiled back at him as they arrived at the boat and she stepped down, placing the cup into the dash. "Come on."
Austin raised his eyebrows at her, a surprise reaction on his face. "You can drive a boat?"
"Kind of have to in this city." Taking a seat on the passenger side, Austin leaned back and searched for a seatbelt. Ally stifled a laugh as he looked around him every which way. "Just hold on to the side. I won't kill you. I promise."
"Says the girl who runs like mad in the open squares."
"And don't forget scares away your fans. Sure you want to come with me now?" Ally teased, venturing out into the canal at the slowest speed the boat had. Benedetto had two; a gondola for the annual regatta and then this one, his speed, his eight child. Stealing it away from him for the afternoon was a fete in itself and she was glad he let her. Taking the boat past the ponte and up the Rio Nuovo towards the edge of Canal Grande and the mainland.
Glancing his way, she found him enjoying the slight breeze as they drove by the sun streamed historic buildings and past the places that no tourist ever seems to go. They tend to stick to the main attractions - the Piazza di San Marco, Santa Maria dei Frari, Ponti Rialto, the Dorsoduro - they never ventured through the other canals or other squares.
"So where are we going?"
"Well, instead of throwing you into a swarm of Italians, we're headed to my second favorite place in Venice where I can prep you about my second family. You'll thank me for it later."
Austin laughed at her as she turned south from the island city and back to the south of the mainland. She wasn't lying when she told him it was her second favorite place in Venice. San Giorgio in Alga was her thinking place and whenever she could - well, more when Benedetto let her borrow the boat - she drove out here and just relaxed. Since she was only a few months out from actually graduating and getting her Ph.D., it was something that she needed and craved. Once upon a time, a very long time ago, the island was the home of a monastery before it was turned into a prison. But now, it was abandoned. Not even the Venice police came around the place. The only thing that was still left standing was the actual prayer chapel.
Ally started to slow the boat down, turning off the engine and let it do a dance towards the dock around the tiny island. While it wasn't the coldest of the many cold days in January, it was chilly and she fastened her coat tighter around her before throwing her line onto the latch and securing it tightly. Lord forbid that she didn't do that and they'd be stuck on the island indefinitely. That would go over well with Benedetto.
"Ready for some adventure?" Another laugh was held back as she saw his expression. "Don't worry. I'm not going to feed you to the water. This is actually a cool little island."
"Where exactly are we?"
"San Giorgio in Alga. It used to be this amazing monastery in the 1100s. Lasted for centuries before it caught fire in the 1700s. What you see now is all that's left. It's not much, but it's beautiful. Sometimes when I come out here, I can still hear the bells that once chimed. But that's only if I clear all the stuff in my head that's going on," Ally went on, leading him further onto the island and into the house that stood in silence on the water's edge. "During World War II, it was used as a secret base for the Germans. They took the monastery and turned it into something it was never meant to be."
As Ally talked, Austin followed and listened to her. It was rare that someone, anyone listened to her go on and on about Italian history and buildings that meant something. She could tell you all about Venice, from top to bottom, from island to island and it wasn't the boring facts you'd get on a museum tour. They were facts and tidbits about the people who lived there, what they did, why they built the buildings. In six months time, she'd hopefully be telling everyone the facts that were in her head and preserving every piece of Italian history she could.
"How often do you actually get to come here?"
She looked back at him, as they climbed up the broken stairs to the top of the old chapel home that was missing it's roof. "Not as often as I like to."
"Woah," Austin stopped once he saw the view and went straight to the edge. "That is...wow."
"It's all about the view." And it was the truth. From the top of the building, you could actually see forever. The city of Venice sparkled like a shiny penny in the distance and beyond that you could see faint lights from Lido and the other islands around the former kingdom, and if you squinted enough, you could catch a glimpse of the banks of Croatia. But that was only if your eyesight was perfect, and hers really wasn't.
The sun was starting to drift down into the horizon, and the sky lit up with golds and ambers and yellows like no other. It was like they were in an actual amber stone and she felt a pair of eyes on her. Looking over at Austin, Ally smiled back, and prayed this was a good choice. A little bit of calm before the storm.
"So, dinner," she interrupted their silent stare. "There's going to be so much food that Silvana, my host mom, will try and stuff you with so I hope you are on an empty stomach."
Austin laughed like she hadn't heard him laugh before. It was more goofy and she liked it. A lot. "I'm a guy. I'm always hungry."
"Well, there's cuttlefish and saor, which Benedetto kind of lives on, and Silvana, she's originally from Naples, so we have the mozzarella di bufala, which I love, so if I eat all of them, you were warned," she told him, getting him prepared. "We've got insalata caprese and pizza fritta. But go easy on that. Vittoria made it tonight and she's just learning how to cook."
"How many people are going to be there again?"
"Sure it won't scare you away?" Ally asked, and saw him shake his head as he sat lightly on the edge of the building. "Ten, well, eleven including you."
"Eleven people?"
"I've scared you away, haven't I?"
He shook his head again, laughing a little as he did. "If you scared me, I wouldn't have said yes to dinner. Just, eleven is a lot."
"Big Italian family with ties to everything," she admitted, looking back out to the horizon and coming close to stand by him.
"Tell me more about your studies."
Ally looked back at Austin, surprised he was asking. Besides the Santoli's, no one ever asked her about it. Not even the Nicoletti's. They knew a bit about what she was doing, but they didn't want to know the details. They all had other and bigger things in their own lives to worry about. "You want to know? Like, really want to know?"
"Yea. It's why I asked. This is what new friends do, isn't it?"
Ally couldn't help but smile big at that. Friends. "Settle in then. It's long."
+++
Ally had been right. The Nicoletti's were loud and talkative and tried to stuff him with every piece of food that was on the table. Austin loved it. Every single bit, especially the saor that he didn't know were actually sardines until Ally explained it to him. Normally, he was not a sardines guy, but the dish might have just changed his mind about it all. These sardines were caramelized and mixed with pinenuts and raisins and yea, he could go for another helping right now.
But he didn't, only because he was enjoying how red Ally's face was getting while Vittoria, the fifth child, if he recalled, was outing the most embarrassing story about her during her first Carnivale a few years before. Apparently, her ugly swan costume was the target of many jokes and Austin couldn't help but laugh along even though her swats begged him to stop.
"I'm sorry, it's funny."
"Fine. No sfogliatelle for you," she spat back, and brushed her hair over to the side. "You can stop now Vittoria."
"No," Vittoria shook her head, with her smile beaming back. "Mi piace imbarazzante. Soprattutto di fronte al vostro nuovo fidanzato. E'divertente."
If possible, Ally's face became even more red. "Non mio ragazzo. Siamo nuovi amici."
That's when another sister got involved. Seraphina, Austin recalled, the eldest who was married to Massimo, the guy who looked like he could just look at you and you'd be pulverized to pieces.
"Come non hai pensato di chiedergli di Carnevale. Avrebbe guardare cosi caldo in costume," she winked at Ally. Yep, her face was now a tomato.
Austin couldn't tell what they were exactly saying, but he did pick up a few new words by translating the paper the night before. He heard embarrass and boyfriend, and Carnival and hot. Stringing the phrases together would be something he'd do later on. A groan escaped her small body and she slipped her head into her arms on the table. "You okay?" He watched her shake her head as the girl on his other side, Gianna, placed her hand on his shoulder.
"They're embarrassing her. It's a ritual whenever one of us brings someone home. I got it with Vincenzo. Seraphina got it really good the first time Massimo joined us and Dante, I think his was the worst."
"Oh, it was," Laurenza, Dante's wife, confirmed with several head nods. "But I still married him."
After the clan of Nicoletti's finished up dinner and Austin tried to keep up with the conversation between them all, Ally stole him away again. Following her once again, down to the main level, they slipped into the other side of the home that to his surprise, was a museum. A little tiny museum that was dedicated to the history of the family, their contributions to the city and the War of the Fists. The so-called war was a heightened rivalry between the Nicoletti and Castinelli families that started in the 1300s. He walked around, looking at the detailed paintings and books and documents that preserved for tourists and those interested in the history of the island.
"This actually happened?"
"Oh yea. Bloody, bloody fights too. The Ponte di Pugni isn't far from here."
"You'll take me?" Austin turned towards her as she took a seat on one of the benches.
"You want me to?"
Austin nodded, coming towards her and looking at the painting behind her for a moment before down at her. "Yea. You probably know this city better than anyone else I know and I can actually understand you."
"You know that I'll make you learn more Italian if I show you. Although, you did impress me with what you said tonight."
"I tried...and failed."
"You know that saying, 'it's the thought that counts'? Definitely applies here." Ally told him. "Did you enjoy the dinner?"
Austin's eyes lit up at her question. Did he enjoy the dinner? He didn't just enjoy it, he wanted more of it. He'd been in Venice for three weeks. That was three weeks of eating whatever fresh vegetables and pre-prepared meals he could and eating it solo in his temporary apartment. Sure, he had dined out with Santo and a few officials from the conservatory when he first arrived, but eight times out of ten, it was just him in his apartment and in between strumming notes on his guitar and keyboard, he had some kind of veggie or fruit in his mouth and that was it.
The dinner was much more than just a dinner to him. It was friends, it was family, it was food and it was something he wanted an invite to every week until he left. But he knew that would be rude if he just invited himself to every one of their meals from here on out. It was nice to have the people around, even though he had no idea what half the conversation was about. It was the feeling, the warmth that he loved. It made him miss his own family a bit, especially his best friends family, which was maybe a bit crazier than Ally had pitched the Nicoletti's as.
"The dinner was great. I haven't had family around for a while and this...how do I even say it?" he paused, trying to find the right words and say them right. "Questo significava molto di piu di quanto possa dire," his voice was a bit shaky as he looked at her and hoped he got that all right. "Did I get that right?"
"Si. Un buon italiano. Benedetto liked that you liked the saor and by orders of Silvana, I'm to invite you to any and every meal for your entire stay. If you want..."
"Yes." He didn't wait for her to continue her sentence. "A million times over, yes. Thank you for inviting me."
"I'm glad you liked it."
"I loved it. I have five songs to work on and finish, but I needed this."
"Five songs? You sure you're up for me being your tour guide?"
"Definitely up for it. This city is inspiring and with the best tour guide around, how could I go wrong?"
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Quick note: If anyone is wondering about the Nicolettis, here's the order: Seraphina (m. Massimo), Dante (m. Laurenza), Mercede and Paola (twins), Vittoria, Gianna, Lazzaro and Rico.