Not Giving Up on Forever

by Yana Stevelork

  He lost his smile and offered dryly:

  "Let me take you to the platform where your... friend will find you when he arrives."

  He turned 90 degrees and, making an inviting gesture to Anna, went towards the aero express trains. Anna hurried after him. What did Randall tell him?

  He showed her where she could sit so she could see all the trains arriving and wished her all the best. She showered him with thanks and he left abruptly.

  Little did she know, that she was to wait for two poignant hours more ...

  Chapter 15

  Anna struggled to hold back her tears. How could he be so late? He knew the time of arrival and promised to meet her and turn the next couple of weeks into a dream-come-true holiday. What has happened?

  The platform was already deserted, and fatigue and grievance began to beat her. She looked around silently, not understanding the endless announcements from the loudspeaker. Train numbers and time changed endlessly on the board. Crowds of people came and went through the barrier and again the building was empty. And so on to the next train.

  It's been four hours since she arrived, and here he was.

  Anna saw him at once from the crowd.

  Randall walked through the railing, stopped, and unfolded a huge poster that read:

  "I'm soooo sorry, dear Anna. Randall Parleo welcomes you to Italy."

  Anna stood up and froze. Tears came to her eyes and a smile of relief shone on her face. He came. Randall was finally here. Here he stood before her, regretting, and God! He was so handsome!!

  Reality hit her with all its force. Randall was just any girl's dream. Tall, handsome, with tanned skin and a snow-white smile. His brown eyes sparkled with happiness. Tousled bangs fell over his eyes and he tried in vain to bring his uncomfortable, but super stylish haircut in order. He was like a model from some magazine or a billboard that you often stare at in the city. He radiated confidence and friendliness. Everything was ideal here - from his clothes to Randall himself.

  Anna approached him and felt how all hours of expectation, all the resentment and fatigue dissolved as she looked into the boy's eyes.

  "Sorry, I'm so late." he muttered under his breath. "I got in trouble on the way."

  "Hi. I'm Anna!" she joked, trying to evoke a smile.

  It worked.

  "Hello, Anna. I'm Randall!" he replied with a smile and waved again the poster before the girl.

  "Lovely gesture." Anna estimated and hinted on her readiness to leave. "Well, how long are you gonna keep me in this place?"

  "Oh, I'm so sorry!" he blurted out and grabbed her luggage. "Come quickly! You must be exhausted! Of course, you are! Come on, we need a 15B train!"

  They hurried to the platform and Anna began to believe that Randall could really turn her next couple of weeks into a dream-come-true holiday.

  Chapter 16

  Their acquaintance met all Anna's expectations. She could not take her eyes off Randall, who chatted incessantly about the most ordinary things, showed something of the sights and on the go, as he later admitted, making up historical facts about everything. He had a charming voice and a thick American accent. Anna was afraid that the sounds of his voice would be the most pleasant sound she knew.

  There was something about him, some mysterious charisma that seemed to brighten everything around, and even passers-by smiled when they saw him- four people tried to make acquaintance with them throughout a short way to the abode where Randall planned to settle Anna.

  He was so outgoing and gregarious that it confused and struck usually shy Anna.

  "We're home." he blurted out, approaching a small lodge in Baroque style.

  "I'll live here?" Anna asked, gazing at the house with a smile on her face. She really liked the idea.

  "We'll live here." corrected Randall with a grimace, waiting for a reaction.

  When it followed, he hurried to clarify:

  "I'll sleep on the floor and never touch you."

  "Oh, if you knew how glad I would be if you did!" Anna giggled at her own thoughts, but said aloud: "Dope!"

  They went inside. The decoration inside was marvelous. Unpretentious furniture was cluttered up creatively with various art objects, there was an Eastern mosaic on the walls and floor and in the corners, there were high floor vases with flowers. The windows did not have curtains but bead pendants of fancy shapes and sizes played its role. The original tabletop and playing cards on it were placed in the center of the hall.

  "What do you think?" Randall's voice broke her train of thought.

  "Love it." she confessed. "Whose house is this? Yours?"

  "My friend's." Randall explained.

  Anna was a little puzzled by the answer. She figured Randall would let her stay at his place and it was a little weird that he'd arranged for them to live together for a couple of weeks at a friend's house. It was somewhat illogical, but Anna thought he might have a good reason.

  "Great place." she responded, touching different interior items as if getting acquainted with them.

  "Need a snack. I'm sure you're starving, beautiful! I know a great cafe down the street. We will go there not directly but in a roundabout way so you can see the park. It's just the bomb."

  "The bomb!" Anna laughed at his choice of words. "I do really want to see!"

  "Then let's not waste a minute! Italy is waiting, ola-la!!"

  And they literally ran out of the house, driven by hunger and thirst for new experiences.

  Chapter 17

  The cafe was indeed close by, but the road the Italian took Anna was worth it. They walked through a charming landscape park called Sempione, and Anna learned that Randall lived in the historic part of Milan, where every stone was a landmark. He fervently narrated her the details of this or that place, half composing descriptions that sounded so improbable that Anna could hardly restrain her laughter.

  He was in an excellent mood and craved to know the girl. They coquettishly exchanged glances all the time and nudged each other for some jokes. Randall had the camera with him so he kept shooting Anna, crying out the names of the places they were passing as if giving her a command to stop and freeze for a memorable photo.

  "Peace Arch!!" Randall shouted in the voice of a mad guide. "Built in 1807 by the great Napoleon himself!"

  Anna raised an eyebrow.

  "1807? Hard to believe."

  "Shame on you, tourist! This is reliable information, I read yesterday on Wikipedia!"

  "I'll double check!" she giggled.

  Randall suddenly took her hand. Anna was pleasantly surprised and reciprocated. He noticed this and smiled, lightly squeezing her palm a few times.

  "Palazzo del Arte!" he blurted out solemnly and added, not yet dissipating the impression. "Designed by Giovanni Muzio in 2018!"

  Anna laughed.

  "It's a brand new building indeed!"

  Randall blushed and laughed too.

  "I meant the year 1018! Yes, yes!"

  "Well, of course, you did!"

  All the way he showed her picturesque places in the park, not letting go of her hand. Anna couldn't stop looking at him. She made sure he didn't see that she couldn't pull her eyes off him but he didn't seem to notice anyway, as well as views of numerous passers-by girls who shamelessly admired his appearance, groaned, gasped, ogling and giggling, receiving his answering smile.

  They reached a wonderful cozy cafe, owned by a full gloomy Arab who preferred to follow everything that was happening in his cafe from the far corner, so that was the best angle. Anna continually cowered under his intense unfriendly eyes but Randall didn't seem to pay attention to anyone but her.

  All his mind was full of Anna, he inquired if she was comfortable if she liked the food - he ordered for her his favorite dishes which he mentioned so many times in their conversations online, and endlessly asked a variety of questions, trying to get to know her better.

  The phone rang. Anna darted a glance at the screen, trying not to interrupt the story of Randa
ll's school years, which he was telling her in detail, chewing a piece of chicken. Mark's number came up. Anna closed the phone screen with her hand. Obviously, her face showed embarrassment because Randall suddenly asked:

  "Ex-boyfriend?"

  Anna blushed.

  "What? No, no, it's not! A colleague. Work issues." she began stammering. "I hate it when they don't give me a minute's rest, not even… when I take the rest!"

  They laughed and Randall, his mouth full of chicken again, continued the story. Anna swallowed, thinking of Mark. Why was she reacting like this? They were just friends, and she didn't have to answer to him. Last few months they had been talking desultorily, mostly because of Anna's growing resentment.

  The more time passed since their breakup, the more she grew hurt by the unrelenting pain of the way he had broken up with her. She had to move on. If Mark loved her, he would have called for her long ago instead of inviting her over for Christmas vacation.

  What did he want? Why was he even calling? To ruin her time with a handsome Italian? No, he couldn't do that! He better bounce!

  Anna pressed "Cancel Call" and disconnected the phone. She looked up at Randal, who had once again answered the waitress with a loving look that no, thank you, they do not need anything and no, thank you, you can leave the menu on the table, as well as no, thank you, we will decide if we need anything.

  Anna beamed. That waitress had no chance. "Randall is mine!" she whispered with a sneer, but it seemed that the wind carried it to the ears of the cafe worker and she did not approach them anymore.

  Chapter 18

  "Anna, this is Bernardo. Bernardo, Anna." Randall introduced the girl to his best friend.

  Anna smiled affably and shook hands with the modest guy with cheerfully disheveled hair and a sparkle in his eyes. He looked much younger than Randall but his voice was very low and creaky, which gave him several years as soon as he opened his mouth. And he'd been opening it, as she learned later, as often as Randall.

  It's been two days since her arrival to Milan, and Randall had time to show her around. He did not break the earlier promised boundaries and really slept on the floor, despite Anna's pleas to go to bed with her and separate the pillows, if something embarrassed him but he was adamant. It was a little hurting from a purely female point of view. "Maybe I'm not his type after he saw me in reality. Maybe he has a girlfriend? What's wrong with me that a single guy who stays in the same house with me for a couple of weeks doesn't even want to touch me?"

  Her thought was interrupted by the hero himself.

  "I have a surprise for you, beautiful!"

  She made a questioning face, trying to clarify that she wasn't a big fan of surprises. The young man waved his hand as if to ask for an explanation.

  "You gonna like it. We're going to the Milan Mountains for a few days!"

  "What?"

  "Yes! Just a couple of hours by car and we'll be living in paradise, baby! We will go up to the first peaks of the foothills of the Alps, set up camp there. Just me, you and Bernardo. What do you think?"

  The last sentence was clearly messed up. Me, you and Bernardo?? Very romantic. The concept of a third wheel has not yet been canceled by nobody.

  "Wow!" she exclaimed instead. "Great idea! When do we leave!!!??"

  Randall seemed to be over the moon about the girl's reaction.

  "Now! Pack your things!"

  Anna hugged him. She wanted to take every opportunity to be close to this charming guy who whispered in her ear: "You will be delighted with what I have prepared for you, beautiful. It's gonna be a hot night."

  He smiled slyly and hugged her back even tighter.

  There was a sudden crunch. Bernardo opened a pack of potato chips.

  "Have no doubt." Anna rolled her eyes.

  Chapter 19

  How they reached the mountains and settled, surprised Anna a bit. Randall and Bernardo were constantly whispering and arguing about something as soon as it came to paying for travel, buying food and camping supplies.

  Anna suspected that the guys did not have enough cash for the trip and several times unsuccessfully tried to find out the situation. What made matters worse was that she had very little money left, having calculated everything wrong, and earlier had asked Randall to help her, and she would have paid him back surely but he was waving hands, telling her not to worry about money at all, that he had everything under control.

  Still every time Randall frowned about the money matters, she had a terrible sense of hopelessness and a desire to help that could not be fulfilled. Anna went on inquiring if everything was all right, to which she received a snorting Enough, Anna, everything is under control, but Randall and Bernardo's disgruntled faces overshadowed the whole trip.

  "Why do we even need these mountains? I should have stayed in the house and just walk everywhere." she exhaled.

  But seeing the Milan Mountains, Anna immediately understood why. They were unspeakably great. When they finally reached the place, her eyes witnessed breathtaking scenery. The Bergamo Alps were lined with a huge number of paths that climbed to the top.

  "Serio!" Bernardo shouted into Anna's ear and pointed to the waterfall in the distance.

  "The highest waterfall in Europe, baby." Randall added, dropping the bags on the ground. "Ten thousand cubic meters of water falling down, just imagine!"

  Anna made a disbelieving gesture with her eyes and raised an eyebrow.

  "For real!" Randall laughed, remembering what little credit he had as a guide. "And behind it is just a super valley called Maslana. You'll be thrilled. We will definitely go there."

  "Yeah, I love waterfalls." Bernardo muttered in the affirmative.

  "Where are we even?" she asked admiringly, looking around.

  "On the route to Rifugio Curo." Randall explained. "You'll see. But first, we have to eat."

  "Let's eat in the valley. I'm too lazy to cook." offered Bernardo with a drawling voice for the greater confirmation of fatigue.

  "Bernardo, I need to talk to you for a sec." Randall's smile faded. "Anna, just a minute."

  Guys went off the grid. Anna sighed sadly. She was sure that the money question had come up again. Surely to "eat in the valley" isn't cheap since Randall got so down. Friends returned in a few minutes, and Anna did not expect mood swings - Randall shined.

  "You can try the casoncelli in the valley. It's a local ravioli, you'll like it. And they make great polenta."

  What a drastic change.

  "Meaty! I love meaty!" Bernardo was also in a good mood.

  "Meat??" Anna snorted. "I'm a vegetarian!"

  The men froze. It was clear that they found some ingenious way to solve the financial conflict and were willing to fork out for the Bergamo lunch, and then Anna with her gastronomic remark destroyed everything.

  "Oh." that's all Randall could get out.

  "What is this "vetarian" thing?" Bernardo asked simply.

  Anna could not help but notice the comical note of the whole situation and burst out laughing. Randall caught up and they both, barely glancing at the calm Bernardo, who was waiting for clarification, again rolled up laughing until he frowned and said:

  "So, I see you have fun. But my stomach is already cramping with hunger, so I advise you to start climbing into the valley."

  Randall took Anna's arm and blurted out:

  "Yes, of course, of course, we go. I'm starving, too."

  He approached Anna's ear and whispered seductively: "We will think of something on the spot, for sure there will be a replacement for the meaty for the vetarians."

  He winked and kissed her, lightly tapping her lips. That shocked the girl but again they laughed leaping. Bernardo shrugged his shoulders.

  Chapter 20

  Anna's days have become like a fairy tale. She forgot about all the attainments of civilization - her phone went off on arrival in the mountains, the hut in which the company settled, became her home for the next few days. A hot kettle, heated on the fire, was her
shower, and fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices were her favorite meals throughout the whole trip.

  She recalled Mark much less often, as in the presence of Randall it was even sinful to consider. He surrounded her with such care that it was merely inappropriate to think of anyone else.

  All together, they went swimming in the waterfall. Anna even grew fond of Bernardo as she was learning more about him. It turned out that he was just an excellent cook - every morning and evening he cut, cooked, boiled, fried on the fire different goodies, and after he learned what vegetarianism was, he took this point into account in the menu with respect.

  Anna still wanted to get private with Randall. Every time the situation became romantic, Bernardo seemed to smell it and appeared between them with an innocent face. For him, the idea that young people would like to be alone was not even existing in the galaxy.

  And now, when Anna lost her mind and attacked Randall with a kiss, Bernardo cheerfully shouted behind:

  "Some tea, guys!"

  Randall barely separated from Anna's lips. His head swirled with such a sudden rush of passion, and he pulled her back to him. His plump lips were biting hers, and she passionately wrapped her hands around his neck, afraid to let go of the moment. Both were breathing heavily.

  "Tea!! Where you guys at?" Bernardo crawled along the cliff to the waterfall where the couple was.