by Jinsey Reese
He nodded at the brochure in my hand.
“Mind if I tag along?” he said. “If I’m going to have Twice the Fun, I think I’m going to need some help.” He raised an eyebrow at me, his blue eyes twinkling. “I don’t mind being your Plan B if you don’t mind being mine.”
I grinned and shook my head. “I don’t mind at all.”
“Well, then,” he said, offering his elbow, “andiamo! Let’s go.”
I slipped my backpack on and gawked at him. “You speak Italian?”
“Of course,” he said, looking mock-outraged. “What kind of lame-ass American tourist do you take me for?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “How much Italian do you actually speak?”
He laughed. “Just enough to get by.”
“So then you’re just a half-assed American tourist.”
“Ah, quick witted and a smart ass,” he said as we started walking down the street. “My favorite combination.”
Asher was the perfect touring companion. Seriously, if I’d been looking for a good stand-in for Paige, Asher would have been it. We sought out breakfast first, finding a little café where we got ridiculously strong coffee and amazing pastries. It was a good start to the day.
“So,” he said, “where do you want to go today? The Forum?”
“I was actually thinking about the Colosseum first, if that’s okay with you?”
“Anywhere is okay with me,” Asher said. “I’m easy.”
“Duly noted,” I said before I could stop myself. When he looked at me with a wicked grin, I could feel my face heat up—I’m sure turning three shades rosier. Maybe saying what was on my mind wasn’t always the best idea. I mean, I didn’t want this to turn into a flirting thing with Asher. I definitely shouldn’t go there.
Twenty minutes later we were walking through the ruins of the Colosseum and I was bursting from the awesomeness.
“This place was new almost two thousand years ago,” I kept saying, more to myself than to Asher. “Like people actually stood where I’m standing two thousand years ago. Crowds were roaring…”
“People were dying…” Asher said.
“I know…it has a horrific history but it’s so freaking majestic even though half of it is gone. I mean, look at this place!” I waved my arms all around. “It seated like fifty thousand people. It’s the original huge sports stadium made TWO THOUSAND years ago.” I looked around the immense arena, the pinkish stone of the interior crumbling, one outside wall half gone. I was standing on history. “Doesn’t that just blow your mind?”
Asher didn’t respond, so I turned to find him looking at me with this great smile on his face.
“What?”
“Nothing,” he said, still smiling. “I just like how excited you are by all this.”
“Well, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “I am. But so many people come to Europe just to drink and party. You’re not like that.”
“I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life.” I looked around again. “Okay, maybe not my whole life, but for the past four years I’ve been planning this trip. And I was crushed when it wasn’t going to happen. So the fact that I’m actually here—” I swept my arm out. “—standing in the Colosseum in the middle of Rome—I’m not going to waste this experience on getting drunk and ending up in bed with some guy whose name I can’t remember the next morning, going home with a few months of blurry memories. I want to soak this place up and remember everything about it.”
He was smiling at me again.
“What? It’s dorky, I know.” And a part of me panicked for a second that he wasn’t going to like this part of me, that maybe I should pretend to be interested in partying too. But what I’d said was true. It was me, and I was committed to being myself. So I shrugged and blew the hair out of my face that had escaped from my ponytail.
“It’s totally dorky,” Asher said, then laughed at my incredulous expression. “And adorable. You’re adorkable.” He reached out and tucked the hair behind my ear, and I noticed a fine dust still covered his fingers—he’d picked up some sand and let it run through his fingers earlier, and then run his hands over the walls wherever he could. He seemed to experience the world as much through touch as he did through sight.
I kind of liked that. It made me want to touch more of the world, too.
“Hey, Skye! Asher! Over here.” On our way out of the Colosseum, Julia, Shayne, and Tommy were waiting in line to get in.
“You disappeared so early,” Shayne said.
“What do you mean?” I said. “I was up at nine.”
“Oh, see,” Tommy said, placing his hand on Shayne’s shoulder. “Shayne here doesn’t get up until noon most days.”
“And there’s nothing wrong with that,” she said, slapping his hand away and then poking him in the chest. “I haven’t heard you complaining about getting to sleep in every day.”
“Not complaining,” Tommy said. “Just explaining.”
I laughed. “I’ve always been an early riser,” I said. “I used to sign up for the eight o’clock classes just so I’d be done by two and could have the rest of the day off.”
Tommy and Shayne looked at me like I was insane.
“What?”
“I don’t even know what to say to that,” Shayne said. “That’s just crazy talk.”
Julia put her hands over Shayne’s ears. “I do the same thing. But when I’m on break, I creep up onto Shayne’s schedule.” The people ahead of them started walking forward. “Oh! Looks like we’re going in. Meet us on the Spanish Steps like around seven? We’ll go for dinner!”
We waved goodbye and wandered off in search of lunch. Not far from the Colosseum, tucked away on a little side street we found this cute little restaurant where we had the worst pizza I’d ever tasted.
“Pizza was invented in Italy,” I said between bites. Yes, the pizza sucked, but give me a break, I was starving. “Shouldn’t this be like the best pizza of my life?”
“Maybe we just haven’t found the right pizza place yet. Perhaps this should be our Quest.”
“Our quest?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Do we need a quest?”
“EVERYONE needs a Quest.”
“I’m not sure I’ve ever had one.”
“Sure you have. Anything you’ve ever worked for is a Quest. Anything you’ve ever searched for. Quests, whether we name them as such or not, are what make life interesting.”
I looked at him for a moment. “You’ve thought about this a LOT.”
“I have.”
“And you’re trying to make Rome more interesting by questing for pizza? Seriously? Isn’t Rome interesting enough all on its own?”
“Sure it is. But a Pizza Quest makes it Twice the Fun.”
We finished the awful thing and then paid our bill. As we started walking, I fished around in the side pocket of my pack for a roll of mints, popped one in my mouth, and held one out for Asher.
He nodded. “Thanks. I was ready to lick the sidewalk to get that taste out of my mouth.”
“Right? You and me both. Though, I was thinking gelato rather than sidewalk.”
“Brilliant plan! Brains AND beauty.” He laughed as I rolled my eyes.
I squinted at him in the bright afternoon light. “I think if we’re going to go on a quest…” I began, but he cut me off.
“See? You’re feeling the Pull of the Quest, aren’t you. I knew that would happen. I could just tell by looking at you.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Sorry,” he said, though not looking sorry in the least. “You were saying?”
“IF we’re going to go on a quest,” I said again, “it should be for something nobler than good pizza.”
He clutched at his chest, staggering. “Nobler than the Quest for the Perfect Pizza? IMPOSSIBLE. I defy you to come up with one!”
I scanned the area as we walked. Gelato and souvenir stands dotted the sidewalks, looking so out o
f place in this most ancient city.
“Can’t think of anything, can you?” Asher said. “I stand Triumphant. Pizza Quest it is!”
“Not so fast,” I said, and put a hand on his chest. I pointed at some particularly tacky looking souvenirs in a nearby shop. “I submit to the Triumvirate—of which there are currently only two members so it would be a Biumvirate, if there was such a word—the Quest for the Tackiest Souvenir.”
Asher gasped as if in awe and then started laughing. “I Stand Corrected!” he shouted, which made a couple of middle-aged Italian men jump and start yelling in Italian. Asher grabbed my hand and we ran, not stopping until we’d turned a corner and were out of sight, out of breath, and laughing.
Asher went down on one knee in front of me, two hands grasping my one. He bowed his head and brought my hand to his forehead. “I accept your Quest and am honored to be Chosen for this challenge.” Then he let go, stood up, and said, “You know that we’re going to have to stop at every single souvenir shop or stand we come across now, don’t you? You’ve set us up with an Epic Quest.” He grinned wide, looking around. “God, my brother would have loved this.” His smile turned bittersweet, but then he shook it off and said, “But first, let’s start with gelato.”
We bought some from a street vendor, then spent the afternoon exploring the ruins of the Forum. Afterwards, we wandered through souvenir stands, not finding much to suit our quest until Asher grabbed my arm and pointed.
Hanging from a string above our heads were an assortment of boxers. (Souvenir underwear? Really?) And one pair in particular made me gasp.
“Isn’t that…” I said.
“David’s package?” Asher finished for me, and I could hear the suppressed laughter in his voice.
Okay, so I hadn’t been an art history major, but I was pretty sure the naked crotch of Michelangelo’s David was featured prominently on the front of these boxers.
“That’s just…” Asher said.
“…so, SO wrong.”
“And yet, hysterical.” He held up his phone and took a picture. Then he pulled me over to stand with him and took a picture of us standing beneath them. I pointed to the shorts with a cheesy grin as he snapped it.
It felt nice to have his arm around my shoulders, his hand grazing the skin of my arm. A little TOO nice. So I stepped away as soon as he let go, putting some distance between us.
I couldn’t think things like that.
I wasn’t ready to.
At least, that’s what I told myself.
seven
“So, if you were planning this trip for years, why wasn’t it going to happen?”
We were sitting on the Spanish Steps at dusk, a deep blue sky darkening above while street lights flickered on like giant fireflies, illuminating us in rich yellows as we waited for Julia, Shayne, and Tommy.
I couldn’t look at Asher. “I was supposed to get married.”
“No.”
I nodded and chanced a glance at him. He was staring at me, an unreadable expression on his face. My stomach dropped. Was this the thing he wouldn’t like about me? I shouldn’t have cared, I know that. But I did.
“So, why didn’t you marry him?” Asher said, still staring at me. “You didn’t love him?”
I’d loved Blaine. At least, I think I had. But I don’t think it was the right kind of love.
“I don’t know. I guess not.”
“You guess not?” Asher laughed, looking slightly incredulous. “You guess not? Why’d you say yes, then?”
Blaine had proposed at a family barbeque the summer before our senior year. His entire extended family had been there. My parents had come, and at the time it had felt as if we were all this big happy family. Or, well, it had felt as if all of them were one big happy family. I had never really felt a part of things.
“I know. It’s awful. But he asked me in front of his family and mine, and I just froze. I didn’t know what to do with all of them smiling at me expectantly. If I’d said no everyone would have been upset with me. I would have spoiled the party. I would have spoiled everything.” I shrugged. “It felt like no wasn’t an option. And then we started senior year and my mom was doing the planning, and I just kinda got carried along with all of it until I panicked at the end. I just couldn’t go through with it.”
“Do not tell me you left him standing at the altar. I’ve never actually met anyone who’s done that, and am convinced it doesn’t actually happen in real life. Only in chick flicks.”
“No, I called Paige in a panic about a week ago, packed my bag, then stopped by his house on my way out of town. I called my mom from LaGuardia to tell her, right before we boarded the plane.”
“You didn’t.”
“I did.”
Asher threw back his head and laughed so loud, people around us looked over. My face got all hot and I knew I’d gone totally red, but I couldn’t help it. His utter joy released something in me and I laughed too. And once I started laughing, I couldn’t stop.
It was horrible, what I’d done. I knew that. I put my parents in a terrible position by running off. I was going to pay them back for all the money they’d lost. Eventually. But I had to do it. There was no other choice if I wanted out of the wedding.
And I’d really wanted out.
Tears ran down my face as I found myself sort of half-laughing and half-crying. And then it turned into sobbing. I tucked my face into my hands and cried, mortified at myself. This was a whole level of crazy I never showed anyone, but I couldn’t stop.
His warm hands pulled me gently to him, and he wrapped his arms around me. His chin leaned against my forehead, one hand rubbing my back slowly while the other held me tight.
And he let me cry.
“I’m sorry,” I said when I could finally talk again. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“Hey,” Asher said, his voice soft and low. “It’s okay. You shouldn’t ever have to apologize for crying. It sounds like it was a huge stress for you. And still is. It just happened. It’s okay, Skye.”
“If I’d stayed, I’d be getting married in two days. And my life would be totally over.”
“Then it’s good you didn’t stay,” Asher said. He leaned away and looked right in my eyes. “I, for one, am very glad you got on that plane. I also happen to be happy your Plan A didn’t work out.”
I sputtered a laugh and pulled some tissues out of my pack to wipe my face and blow my nose. How could someone I’d only known for a few days be so good at making me feel better? And not make me feel stupid for getting upset. My tears always seemed to make both my mother and Blaine uncomfortable. But Asher didn’t seem put off at all.
Sitting there with his arm still around me, I was AWARE of him like I hadn’t been before. The heat of his body, the smell of his skin—of fresh sweat with a lingering hint of soap—the pressure of his fingers, and the effect his touch was having on me. It felt good, and not just in a friendly way. My pulse took flight.
I mean, Asher was beautiful. His sandy hair was mussed and long enough to fall over his forehead and get in his sometimes blue, sometimes grey eyes (they looked more grey at the moment). He had the most stunning smile punctuated by dimples on either side. All this, with his laid back attitude and general outdoorsiness, made one Very Attractive Package. It’s not like I hadn’t noticed before, I just hadn’t NOTICED. And I was, right at that moment. Noticing him. Even if I didn’t want to.
He aimed his smile at me and my stomach flipped. And it was one of those moments when everything slows down and your world gets very, very small. I couldn’t hear anything but my heart beating furiously, my own breathing becoming a little ragged as I stared at him. I couldn’t see anything but Asher—his eyes on mine, looking like he’d just recognized me on a deeper level, then his gaze lowering slightly to lock on my lips. We stared at each other in silence and something changed, shifted—I don’t know what. But I felt it and I’d swear he did too, because all of a sudden we were leaning in, pull
ed by some crazy-strong force.
His arm tightened around my shoulders. Our lips were almost touching, and I closed my eyes as I breathed him in, as I gave in—
“Skye!” Julia called out from the bottom of the steps. I straightened, my heart hammering in my chest, and turned to see her waving and climbing toward us, Tommy and Shayne in tow. All I could think was had they seen us and what the hell am I doing?
When I turned back to Asher, his eyes immediately went to my lips again, and my stomach tightened. I shook my head slightly.
“I can’t do this,” I said quickly, quietly, trying to blurt it all out before everyone got to us. “I’m sorry. I just can’t.” Then I stood up and stepped away from him.
I needed space. There was something about him that was drawing me in and I needed to keep some sort of distance between us so it would stop affecting me. I couldn’t believe I’d almost kissed him. I was completely mortified. How could I be doing that—and with a guy I barely knew—when I’d just broken off a wedding? Seriously, what kind of person does that?
I tried to stay away from him as much as possible as we walked to a restaurant Shayne had heard good things about. I listened to Julia, Tommy, and Shayne chattering about their day, and tried to gather myself, not that it was doing any good.
I kept catching Asher looking at me during dinner.
Or maybe he kept catching me looking at him.
Maybe both.
We were both quiet—me because I didn’t know what to do with myself, and him…well, I had no idea. I couldn’t read his expression. And that just made me more and more nervous that he was going to decide he wanted nothing to do with me.
And maybe that would be for the best, in all reality. Maybe I needed to walk away now. Except we’d had an amazing day together—so much better than when I’d been on my own—and I wanted more of that. He was fun, and in many ways I felt as if I hadn’t had that in a long time. I was realizing that Blaine hadn’t been all that much fun.