She dropped her bags onto the ground, grunting. Andrea should have been waiting at the arrival hall, greeting her with a smile and telling her his car was outside. But instead, there she was standing outside the airport like a lost traveler, with Andrea nowhere to be found.
She cursed under her breath as she reached into her bag for her phone. Furiously, she jabbed at the buttons to dial Andrea's number.
Just as she placed the phone to her ear, a black BMW pulled up right in front of her. "Woah, watch it!" She exclaimed, taking three steps backwards instinctively.
The window rolled down, revealing a young man behind the wheel with an endearing little grin across his face. "My apologies. By any chance are you Erin Coleman?"
"Yeah." She furrowed her eyebrows, "and you are?"
His eyes lit up when she confirmed herself to be Erin. "I'm Mattia, Andrea's friend. He's a little busy right now so he sent me to pick you up."
It took her three whole seconds to process what he had just said. She stared at him, her mouth agape before she burst into laughter. "Really, sir? I'm supposed to just believe that?"
Before he could reply, her phone buzzed in her hand. The screen displayed Andrea Poli and she glanced at Mattia curiously before answering.
"Erin! I'm so sorry I couldn't pick you up. I forgot I have errands to run and I couldn't rush down to get you, so I sent my friend Mattia."
She narrowed her eyes at Mattia, who smirked as if to say I told you so. "Thanks for the heads up, Andrea. He's going to send me to you?"
"Yes!" He paused, and she heard voices in the background, "I have to go, but I will see you soon."
And that was how she ended up sitting in Mattia's car on a chilly Thursday afternoon as he cruised through the streets of Milan. They had sat in silence for the beginning of the trip; Erin simply gazed out the window, lost in her own thoughts, as Mattia was focused fully on the road.
But the silence was becoming deafening and Erin glanced at Mattia, pondering over whether or not to start a conversation.
"So, you're from Wales?" He asked, breaking the silence before she could speak.
"Yeah," she turned her head to smile at him.
"Andrea says Wales is breathtaking," he said, a small smile forming on his lips. "It is!" She said excitedly. She loved talking about her motherland. It not only showed others how truly majestic Wales was, but it also reminded her that there was so much about her country she loved.
"I'm from Llandudno," she explained, "a small, little seaside town."
He halted to a stop at a red light, before turning to face her. "You live near the sea? I've always wanted to live near the sea!"
"You live in Milan?"
He nodded, turning to face the road again. "My whole life."
"I've always thought about living in Milan," she told him. Andrea always spoke so highly about Milan and it never failed to entrance her.
"We could swap homes," he joked.
She laughed, playfully punching his arm. "But you must already know Milan like the back of your hand."
"I know it so well, I could drive with my eyes closed." he glanced at her with a cheeky grin on his face.
They titled their heads in laughter. "Hey, maybe I could show you around sometime." He randomly suggested, gesturing at the road in front of them.
Erin raised her eyebrows, laughing. "Really? We've just met."
"But we are friends! Since you know Andrea and all."
"You're really funny."
"I know," he winked. She laughed softly as she watched him drive. She hadn't noticed it before, but he had a really captivating smile. It was honestly pretty attractive.
The car slowed down as they entered Andrea's driveway. "And, we're here." Mattia announced. He hastily unbuckled his seat-belt and popped open the boot of his car. Erin followed closely behind. Before she knew it, she and Mattia were awkwardly waiting in front of Andrea's door.
After awhile, Andrea threw open the door. "Erin!" He enveloped her into a bear hug, nearly choking the life out of her. "Nice to see you too," she muttered into his shirt.
Mattia stifled a laughter as they separated, causing Erin to blush. How embarrassing.
"Thanks so much, Mattia." Andrea put a hand on his friend's shoulder.
He smiled, "it's no problem, really." He exchanged glances with Erin. "Well, I'll be on my way then."
"You're not staying?" Erin blurted out before she could stop herself. Mattia laughed, his gaze boring into her eyes, "do you want me to stay?"
"I mean, you drove all the way here. I'm sure Andrea cooked something for you," she looked at Andrea for reassurance, trying to resist the heat rising up to her cheeks. But Andrea only frowned, "I was just going to order us some food."
It was Erin's turn to frown disappointingly at him.
"It's fine, I have a physio session anyway," he smiled at her. "I'll see you guys," he waved before turning around to walking to his car.
"Here let me get that." Andrea grabbed her bag and dragged it into the house. Erin found herself watching Mattia as Andrea disappeared into his house. She had the urge to run up to him for some strange reason.
"Mattia!" She called out. He stopped and turned, raising his eyebrows at her. "Thanks," she smiled shyly. He grinned, "See you when I show you around Milan."
She beamed in reply, "sure."
As she turned to walk into her house, a sheepish smile was plastered across her face. She decided that that was probably the best first day of any holiday she ever had.