We spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon sunbathing until Nancy begged me to go into the ocean with her.
"Heidi, please! We can be mermaids together," she says and snatches my book out of my hand. I send her a glare at her man-handling my book with such aggression. I was going to say yes, anyway.
"Yes, fine. But, only when you give me my book back and nicely," I bargain and she hands me my book back with a sweet smile, almost instantly. Placing my book under the protection of another towel, I allow her to grab my hand with her clammy one and drag me down towards the water.
My parents, Nico's parents, Vienna and Terrone continue their longwinded conversation as I finally seek refuge in the blue void we call our oceans.
"Be careful! Don't let Nancy go out too far," my mother calls from behind us and I scoff in utter dismay. You'd think she'd trust me by now but, obviously not.
As we reach the shore, Nancy fiddles with her armbands, dragging them up her arms to make sure they're secure and in place. "I thought mermaids didn't need armbands?" I question and she throws me a pointed look.
"I'm a beginner mermaid... I won't need them when I am older," she crosses her arms before dipping her toes into the water.
"Ah, I see," I smile, following in her footsteps.
The water is like a bath, heated by the thick rays of the afternoon sun. Water so clear you can see for miles. Back home, you're lucky if you can even see your hand just below the surface on a sunny day.
"Cmon!" she cries as she drags me further into the water. I laugh as she splashes it my way and I return the generous gesture.
Due to the shallowness of the water, where we stand, we are both able to sit down whilst still having our heads above the surface. I wade my fingers through it, watching as it ripples. Each ripple crashes into the other like dominos and I find myself entranced.
"Do you like Vernazza?" I ask and she nods her head. "Should we have an underwater breathing contest?" I suggest and excitement floods her eyes.
"Yes!" Nancy plugs her nose with two fingers.
"Okay, on the count of three. One... two... three," I say and we both dunk our heads under, the water rushing over my head and muting the sounds of laughter and chatter. I decide that it's only fair if I let her win, despite my competitiveness.
Coming up for air, I notice her still under and I laugh to myself before tapping her shoulder for her to know she's won. Nancy gasps for air and wipes at her eyes, trying profusely to get rid of the water. Not opening them until her pale skin is bone-dry.
"I win!" she shouts and I nod my head.
I continue to amuse her for a while until my mother calls us back over. "You need some more suncream on, Nancy," she shouts and Nancy groans before getting out and stalking back over to where everyone sits.
I trail behind her, the sand sticking to my wet feet. I visibly cringe at the feeling. There's nothing worse than sand after getting out of the water. Sand seems to get into places I never even knew possible.
Vienna dishes out some snacks she brought with her - several share bags of crisps and homemade sandwiches. "This is just to keep us going before dinner," she says as she throws a sandwich wrapped in foil my way and a bag of crisps.
"Thank you," I say as I unwrap the foil and take a bite. The delicious taste of cajun chicken with lettuce and mayonnaise fills my mouth. I revel in the blend of flavours as I take another bite. "It tastes great."
"Terrone made them, so I am highly surprised by your opinion," she says as she takes a bite out of her sandwich - pretending to gag.
"Hey! I make good sandwiches," Terrone defends himself and Vienna rolls her eyes at me. "Thank you, Heidi. I'm glad someone appreciates my chef skills."
"I'll give it to Terrone, that is one good sandwich," my father says and I smile at their bickering. Yes, they're good sandwiches. Does that mean that Terrone is a good cook? Probably not. But we can accept his skills with bread and condiments.
"My sandwich is yum," Nancy says as she piles more crisps in between the slices of bread. Everyone laughs.
"Should we go to the Emiliano's for dinner? It feels like a betrayal if we go anywhere else," my mother says and we nod.
"Don't be ridiculous, Michelle," Mila speaks up. "Go wherever you see fit," she professes.
"Your food was great when I went... I wouldn't mind going again," I voice my opinion. The pasta was out of this world. I'd certainly have to lay off the pinot this time around though, I wouldn't want another scenario with my mother.
"Then it's decided, Emiliano's, it is," Terrone smiles and Mila sighs in defeat.
"Well, I'm glad you're taking your time to support us."
We spent an hour or two more at the beach before we went back to the townhouse. I had a shower and then changed into a white satin dress that flows beautifully. Blow drying my hair, I put it into the same braid over my shoulder. Adding some light makeup, I spray some perfume on my wrists and neck.
"Ready," I say and see everyone waiting on the sofa for my appearance.
"Took your time," my mother teases and I throw her a smile. "Let's get going then shall we?" she questions and everyone joins her in leading out of the door.
The same golden lamps are aglow, the stairs just as rickety as before. Despite the sun playing hide and seek between the buildings, the air is still just as warm.
"I must say, Vienna, I haven't a clue how you are functioning in this heat. When I was pregnant with Heidi I remember even the slightest temperature change would send me over the edge," she laughs and I join her. My mother never really spoke about her pregnancies.
"It's a battle but if I want to enjoy Vernazza then it's something I'm just going to have to deal with," she shrugs. Props to her because pregnant or not I think I will always be sensitive to temperature changes.
Eventually, we reach Emiliano's and we are seated quickly. Unfortunately, Mila wasn't able to join us but she wished us a good time.
I could notice that charming smile from miles away as those blue eyes move closer towards us. "Fancy seeing you here," Nico says, his eyes flickering between people - lingering on me for a while longer. "Can I get you any drinks?" he asks and everyone orders until he reaches me.
"I'll just have a water, please," I say and the left-hand side of his lips curve upwards.
"Wise choice," he says, writing down my order. "I'll put your drinks through and let you look through the menu for a moment," Nico explains as several thank yous flutter throughout the table.
Everyone rifles through the menu, all of us finding it hard to settle on one thing. I hope to try as many things as I can off of this menu before we leave. It's then that I am reminded that in a few weeks, I'm going to be saying goodbye to this island... goodbye to Nico.
I push the thoughts to the back of my mind. There's still plenty of time.
Finally, I decide on the pasta e fagioli. It sounds beyond delicious and I cannot wait to leave here on a full stomach. I'm still torn about whether I should make an appearance at the bonfire. I figure that it is probably safer to invite Nico to tag along with me.
When it finally comes around to ordering, everyone orders what sounds like the most delicious dishes to exist and I wish that I could order one of everything on the menu.
Digging in, I once again appreciate how decadent the flavours are. I've never experienced such rich foods filled with so much taste, it's truly amazing. Everyone eats until they feel like stuffed chickens.
The soft breeze sifts its fingers through the loose strands of my hair and I close my eyes with a full stomach. Opening them again, I notice Nancy across from me looking as though she is on the verge of falling asleep. I laugh at the sight.
"I'm just going to go to the toilet," I break through the conversation before standing and following the signs.
After doing my business and washing my hands, I rake my fingers through the back of my hair, trying to get the loose strands to fall back into place. Brushing my fingers under my eyes, I try to wake myself up and not let my body succumb to the richness of the pasta.
Leaving the restroom, I am about to walk back to the table but a hand wraps around my wrist, softly. Turning, my eyes are met with those blue ones that I am growing far too comfortable in seeing.
"You look beautiful," Nico's voice is low, the restaurant almost drowning his voice out completely. The sound of plates crashing and glasses clinking fades when his words settle in.
"Thank you, you don't look too bad yourself," I smile before brushing a loose strand of hair off of his forehead. Figuring that someone could see us, I quickly drop my hand. "Um... there's this bonfire going on down at the beach and I wanted to see if you'd come with me."
Nico cocks a brow. "Who told you about the bonfire?" his voice is calm, steady.
"I went to go get a drink earlier and the guy behind the counter said I should go," I shrug and Nico's jaw tenses. "It's fine, we don't have to," I say, hesitant.
"No, we'll go," he forces a smile my way and I nod my head.
"Okay... well, I'll wait for your shift to be over," I say and before another word can be uttered, Nico turns on his heel and pushes the kitchen doors open, disappearing behind them.
I furrow my brows before walking back to the table and seating myself back in the chair. We finish up and I tell them that I'm going to wait for Nico. A few questionable looks were thrown my way but I chose to ignore them.