Gabe turned his attention toward the magnificent pyrotechnics display above. Reine, however, grabbed his hand. Pulling him back into the building, she led him past the throng of people now exiting the grand hall toward the balcony to watch the fireworks. "Come on!"
She didn't let go until they'd run down the stairs and left the palace. Grabbing the large hoop of her skirt, she raised the hem off the cobblestones.
She glanced at Gabe one more time. From the looks of his wide smile, her wild antics amused him. With a laugh and a wink in his direction, she took off running out the courtyard's gate.
The light show above St. Mark's was going full swing. Thousands of revelers danced under the colorful, bright flashes to the very modern, neo-classical metal arrangement of Canon the rock band on stage was playing.
Surrounded by people on all sides – most in masks hiding their identity – Reine pushed her way through the masses. The whole piazza moved to the same rhythm, and the crowd undulated like the waters of the lagoon in a strong wind. Not quite sure of where she was going, she let herself enjoy the moment until someone grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him.
After a brief hesitation, she willingly obliged the man just looking for an impromptu dance partner. He spun her around a few times and passed her on to someone else, before continuing the routine over and over again.
She occasionally glanced back, but Gabe was never too far away. She only lost sight of him after the dancing turned into a long snake-like procession of partiers weaving across the worn stone. The atmosphere was exhilarating, but as they neared the edge of the square, she stepped away from the masses.
She was out of breath, and a sharp pain stung her side, as the last riffs from the electric guitar solo echoed through the air. Standing at the end of an alley facing the canal, Reine was suddenly overcome by trepidation at the thought of being lost in this dark, maze of a city.
When Gabe also emerged from behind a corner, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well, that was fun," he said, sounding neither quite serious nor fully sarcastic. Sometimes she just couldn't tell the difference.
"I thought it was." She smiled, stifling a yawn. "But I should really be getting back to my hotel. I haven't slept in what seems like a week now."
"I'll let you get going then. It was good seeing you. Enjoy the rest of your stay in Venice." He lightly bowed before turning to leave.
Widening her eyes, she was again on the verge of panic at the thought of being left alone. "Wait! Do you know where we are? I actually have no idea how to get back from here."
He looked around. "Do you prefer land or sea?"
"What?" she asked back, suddenly confused by the question.
"We can either walk to your hotel or we can find a gondola and go on the canal. Which would you prefer?"
Although she tried to avoid travelling by boat – particularly when given a choice involving precarious ones like the gondola – her aching feet made the thought of walking any further out of the question.
As if right on cue, a vacant craft appeared from under a nearby bridge, and the oarsman slowly drifted it towards them.
"I guess it's sea, then," she said while gestured toward the boat.
Stepping inside one-by-one, they had a bit of trouble settling into the narrow, leather-covered seat. It was obviously designed to force couples close to each other. While usually it may have added romance to the experience, Reine's large hoop skirt now made it extremely uncomfortable. She had to shift in several directions before finding a way for it to rest so that it wasn't exposing her undergarments or jabbing Gabe in his side. In the end, she had to lean against his chest and allow his arm to drape around her shoulders.
After telling the gondolier the hotel's name, she kicked off her shoes underneath the gown's ruffles and wiggled her sore feet. The canals and alleys in this part of the city were now completely empty, and an eerie quiet surrounded them. The fireworks had either ended or they could no longer be seen from the high rooflines of the adjacent houses.
Reine still didn't know how far away her hotel was or how long it would take to get there, but at least the gondola moved at a brisk pace between the ancient brick houses. They only occasionally slowed to glide under a low stone bridge, which forced the gondolier to bend at the waist and duck to avoid being knocked off.
A thin mist had developed above the waterline, and it slowly crept toward the embankment. It would gradually envelop the pathways and then the rest of this ethereal city built on the sea.
Although they were surrounded by this increasingly chilly, wet air, Gabe's arm around her shielded Reine from the intrusion. His cheek also rested against her head, and she could feel his chest rise and fall with each barely audible breath he took. Against her usually better judgment, she peacefully closed her eyes to fully enjoy the moment.
She couldn't deny that she liked him. She liked him a lot. He made her smile, and his innocence was endearing. And she definitely wanted him to kiss her earlier. However, she couldn't decide whether it was all just based on physical attraction, or if there was something more. The former she could handle. The latter could potentially be disastrous.
The sound of the splashing water from the gondolier's paddle periodically broke the silence until they stopped at the back of a large building. Almost immediately, the weathered wooden door opened, and out stepped a doorman wearing the uniform of her hotel.
Suddenly very aware of their closeness, Reine jumped up from the seat. "Goodnight, Gabe. I had a lovely evening."
She wanted to add something more, but she wasn't ready to divulge exactly how she felt. She was still trying to figure it out herself. She had spent the entire boat ride thinking about it, but hadn't reached any conclusions. While she'd been ready to invite him back to her room that first night they met, all of their interactions since then had made such a decision now a lot more complicated.
"Goodnight, Reine. See you back in Washington?" He asked, watching as the porter helped her out of the gondola.
"Uh-huh." She couldn't think of a more eloquent reply, realizing the next time they'd see each other would be back in the real world and away from the fantasy of the last few hours. Anxious to hide her disappointment, she hurried up to her room alone.