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Stella drew circles on Elio's back, as he slept. She stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. Though, she couldn't quite place what she was thinking about. It was a jumble of worries, happiness, hunger, and peace.
Elio's eyes fluttered open and he looks up to Stella, a smile almost immediately coming to his lips. "Stella." He whispered, his voice raspy from sleep.
"Elio." Stella copied, meeting his eyes. She leaned down, lips brushing his quickly. "I need to get up." She said.
Elio groaned. "Can't we just stay here?"
Stella shook her head and pulled her arm out from underneath him. "I have pee. And I'm starving." She sits up, scanning the room for her clothes. When she spots them, she climbs out of bed. "You can stay here if you'd like. But I think breakfast is almost ready." She picked up her discarded clothes and puts them away, and then ties on a bikini top paired with shorts.
"Wait." Elio said.
Stella turned back to him. "Hm?"
"Come here." He said into the pillow he was laying on.
Stella sighed, but did it anyways.
He sat up and grabbed her hand. "What do we do now?" He asked, not meeting her eyes, just staring at their hands.
"What do you mean?" Stella questioned, rubbing his hand with her thumb.
"After.. last night. What now?" He continued. He sounded nervous to ask these questions.
Stella bit the inside of her cheek. "I don't know. I guess... whatever we want to do now. We'll figure it out later."
"Later." Elio whispered.
Stella ruffled Elio's hair and then kissed his head. "I'll see you at breakfast."
As Stella made her way downstairs, she's greeted by a beautiful girl. "Marzia! Ciao!" She said, the thoughts of last night replaying in her head. The tiniest bit of guilt surfaced.
"Ciao! Dov'è Elio?" (Hi! Where's Elio?)
"È davvero stanco in questo momento ed è scontroso. Lo lascerei in pace." (He's really tired right now and being grumpy. I would leave him alone) Stella lied.
"Ok." She sighed. "quando si alza, digli che sono passato." (When he wakes up, tell him I stopped by) she said, walking out.
Stella nodded and joined the families outside with a bright, cheerful smile. "Good morning."
