"Paris?" Maine asked, her eyes were wide in surprise. She remembered that she wasn't able to go around the city when she went there. But she never expected to return there with Richard. She had less than three months on this rotation, and they already went to France.
"Yeah," Richard said. "If I read our rotation schedule right, there will be another Paris trip."
Maine smiled at the thought of returning to Paris with Richard. If it was anything like their experience here, it would surely be wonderful.
Their pizza arrived and they started eating. Richard was right when he said that the pizza was great. It was stone oven baked and there was so much flavor, Maine sighed with content. Richard smiled as he just watched her eat, happy that she was enjoying herself. Their conversation continued as they ate, with Maine and Richard learning more about each other. They shared memories and laughed at old jokes as the more they found out about each other, the more comfortable they've become.
After lunch, their next stop was the Colosseo and the Ruins that was right beside it. They took the bus so that Maine would be able to see the rest of the city. The bus was crowded, so they were standing during their journey. Richard made sure that Maine was in front of him, her back to his chest, one of his arm was wrapped protectively around her waist so that she was stable, the other hand was holding the hand-rails, steadying them both. Whenever the bus would stop, he would tighten his hold on her so that she wouldn't stumble. He would whisper to her ear when they would pass by a landmark or a shop, providing her with a bit of trivia. Maine was relieved that she wasn't facing him. She was sure that she was blushing. His breath tickled her ear, and his voice always had a lulling effect on her. Her heart pounded on her chest at their proximity, but she wouldn't have it any other way.
When they got off the bus, Richard reached out and took Maine's hand, holding it tightly. It became instinctual to him to always reached out to her. It felt right. Their hands molded together well, fitting like a glove. He smiled at the thought. He noticed that Maine didn't mind and held his hand as tightly as he did hers. It made him smile brighter.
They walked the short distance to the Colosseo and Richard led them to a group. They joined a tourist group that time, a package that Richard was able to fix the night before. But even with the guided tour of both the Colosseo and the Ruins, Richard was once more in tour guide mode, narrating to Maine quietly the bits of trivia that he heard from the locals. Maine was just happy with the company. She noticed how happy Richard was and he seemed to be enjoying as much as she does.
"Tired?" He asked as soon as they finished the tour. He handed her their water and she drank in big gulps.
But she shook her head and replied, "this place is amazing. So much history and culture! I only dreamed about them in books before."
"And now you're part of the adventure," he remarked with a smile. He reached out and took her hand once more and gave it a gentle tug. "Come on. You shouldn't leave Italy without experiencing their world famous gelato. There's a shop close by that sells the best kind. I just hope that the line is bearable."
Maine laughed at the statement as she let him lead her to that gelato place he mentioned. Thankfully, the lines wasn't too long, but there was still a line. Richard made her choose the flavors that she wanted to try and he got one for himself as well.
Hand in hand they left the gelato place with Richard making sidelong glances at Maine who was enjoying her gelato immensely. He suddenly chuckled as a gelato found its way on the tip of Maine's nose.
"Wait," Richard said as he let her hold his gelato. Using his finger, he wiped the gelato off Maine's nose and licked his finger clean of the offensive sweet. Without another word, he took his cone back and held her hand once more as they continued to walk. Both weren't looking at each other as they continued to walk, but both of them were blushing.
"Is it okay for you to walk a bit farther?" Richard suddenly asked, breaking the silence that came upon them. "It's roughly a 30-minute walk if we keep a very slow pace so you won't tire easily."
"I don't mind," she replied honestly. She liked walking as it reminded her of her younger years when she was required to. "The scene is nice. Where are we going next anyway?"
"Trevi," he replied. "Don't worry. We'll take it slow. And afterwards, let's grab an early dinner before we head back to Milan."
"You seem to know your way around Rome as much as you know Milan," she observed.
Richard smiled and said, "well, I usually go around on my own a lot when I feel like it. I had thought that Martin mentioned that to you. I usually sing at Gian Carlos on my first day in Milan and use the rest of my time to go around Italy. I leave early in the morning and might come back the next day in time to pack up and leave."
"So where do you go off to?" Maine asked as she finished off her gelato. Richard once again reached out and wiped off a gelato on the corner of her mouth with his thumb.
"Around," Richard laughed as he licked his finger once more. "I have a map of Italy. I would close my eyes and point. Where my finger would land, that's where I will be heading. I've been to Monza, Imola, Como, Verona, Piza...some I would come back more often than the others. Rome is where I go if it would fall on a Sunday, like today."
Maine smiled as she imagined Richard on his bed with a map spread out in front of him.
They arrived at the Trevi Fountain and Maine was awed by what she saw. The fountain had just been renovated and it stood proud and majestic amidst the tourists crowding the place and tossing coins while making their wishes.
"Oh my..." Maine started. "I didn't expect it to be this huge!"
"You're pretty lucky," Richard said from behind her as he once again placed her in front of him while he guided her to an open space in front of the fountain. "The last time I came here, the place was being renovated. We climbed up a make-shift bridge where we were allowed to still view the fountain, even take pictures. But there was no water. They placed a temporary wishing well in front of the fountain where people still can make a wish. We were told the water in the well came from the water of the fountain."
He fished out 3 one euro coins from his pocket and handed them to her. He went on, "three coins for three wishes. I was told by a local that if this is your first time here, the first two wishes are yours to make, but the third wish should be a wish to return here to Rome after your first two wishes come true."
Holding the coins Richard gave her close to her heart, she stared at the fountain and just absorbing its beauty and magnificence. She then thought of what to wish for with her first two coins. Richard just stared at her, dazzled by her sense of wonder.
"Are you ready to make your wish?" He asked and she smiled and nodded.
"Can we do this together?" Maine asked.
Richard nodded and turned so his back was facing the fountain. Maine followed suit. They both closed their eyes, took a deep breath and one by one tossed the coins above their head behind them. Maine gave a satisfactory smile as she imagined it was her coins that she heard plopped in the water of the fountain behind them.
Richard finished first and took a glimpse of Maine as she tossed the last of her coin. Eyes closed, her hand holding the coin close to her heart, she smiled as she took a deep breath and tossed the last coin in the fountain. He never saw anyone more beautiful in his eyes than her.
When she started to open her eyes he said, "keep your eyes closed."
Maine looked at him for a few seconds before following his request. Richard fished something out of his pocket and stood in front of her. He unclasped a chain with the St. Benedict's medallion and placed it around her neck, clasping it securely behind her. He fixed her hair afterwards, brushing some strands away from her face, his fingers lingering on her cheeks. Her eyes still closed with lips slightly parted, Richard couldn't help but brushed his thumb on her lower lip. He felt her intake of breath as he slowly lowered his face towards her until his lips were but mere inches from hers.
"Ti Amo, Maine," he whispered before he captured her lips in a kiss.