Flutter |h.s|

41

Grace

Venice is officially my favorite city we've been to on this trip.

Everything about it is straight out of a movie. It's hard to believe that this is even a real place half the time. Like there are actually just canals everywhere. I didn't expect to love it here as much as I do.

As much as I'm worried about Holly, who might I add is feeling better and said they'll meet us for dinner, getting to spend the day alone with Harry was just a dream. Holly has Elias to take care of her. Eli is great when it comes to sick people, I should know since he's the one who always took care of me.

We were still careful about being affectionate toward each other around crowds, but there was like a good hour where we just got to walk around empty streets, talking and holding hands and kissing each other's cheeks.

We stood at a bridge for a while, watching all the gondolas pass by. The canals seem so quiet and peaceful and the gondolas just look stunning. It was funny watching the gondoliers duck down to get under the bridges since they're so small.

It got me really wanting to go on one before we leave. I'm not too crazy about how close to the water they are since I'm nervous it'll flip, but these guys do this all the time, I'm sure it'll be fine. Then again, mine would be the one to flip into the canal.

When I mentioned that it would be cool to go on a gondola, Harry made it his mission to get me on one. I told him it wasn't a huge deal if we couldn't get on one. Plus I figured it must be expensive, but Harry doesn't seem to care about price most of the time. So we walked around for a little longer, before going to find a way to get on a gondola.

It's been nice just getting to talk to Harry. I learned a lot more about him and his interests. For once he didn't talk about his music and touring. I think he's starting to understand I want to know what makes him him, not just about the famous stuff. I couldn't care less about the fame.

We talked about books we've read and why we like them, the sports he used to play when he was a little boy, different bands and music we like to listen to.

I mentioned how I'm a pretty big Taylor Swift fan, which led to him confessing to me that they dated. As if I didn't know. Like I said, I'm a pretty big Taylor Swift fan. And let me say, he does have that James Dean daydream look in his eyes.

Then he offered to introduce me to Taylor and I just about started crying. I'm not sure I'm ready for that. But the fact that he could just call her up and let me talk to her is just like insanity. Like he showed me her contact in his phone and everything.

Imagine talking to Taylor Swift on the phone? I'd die. So would Holly.

As we walk down the street, over a bridge, Harry sees a man with a gondola, just on the side of the canal.

He lets go of my hand and goes to the edge of the bridge, leaning over slightly, whistling to get the man's attention. He asks him something quick in Italian before the man nods. Harry turns to me, grinning. "Let's go." he says.

He leads me down the stairs of the bridge and to the sidewalk along the canal, right to the gondola. He ignores my questions of what he's doing, but that doesn't surprise me. Harry quickly pays the man with a random wad of cash, before helping me into the boat.

I just smile, sitting down and watching him get in next to me. "You are crazy, you know that?" I tell him.

"Well, we either get in here where nobody's looking, or we walk back to the Rialto Bridge and get in over there in front of all the tourists." he smiles. "I told him to avoid the main canal too. This way it's just us."