Untangle Me

Chapter 58

Giada

It's four pm the next time we leave the hotel room and although I wasn't able to fall asleep, I don't feel tired. When Andrea's alarm woke him an hour after he dozed off, we took a shower and got ready.

For once, the only steamy thing in that shower was the water. Shame on us, I know. But I'm still a bit sore and I honestly couldn't wait to get outside again.

So now Andrea's taking me to the market. Streets above streets flooded with locals buying their clothes, food, and whatever else they need for a solid euro while tourists get scammed. It'll all be over soon, seeing as it's already Saturday afternoon and they're mostly open in the morning but I wanted to see it nonetheless so here we are.

"Scarpe per solo venti euro!" a saleswoman yells at me as we pass.

(Shoes for only twenty euros!)

"Guarda questo bel tessuto! Costa solo quindici euro! Lo vendo a dieci per te!" a man tells me urgently as we stroll by his rackets of clothes.

(Look at this beautiful fabric! Costs only fifteen euros! I'll sell it for ten for you!)

I don't stop at any of them, too busy taking in all the scents and colors. There are stands for meat, sausages, Italian cheese, and mozzarella. Then there are many people selling clothes, all vibrant cloths and fabrics. In between are little toys, water guns, and all sorts of balls or dolls or even collecting cards of some kind.

I marvel at it all.

And then something catches my eyes and I finally stop. Andrea, presumably following my gaze, leans toward me so his lips are next to my ears and whispers, "Only speak Italian, okay? They'll sell it twice as expensive if they know you're not a local."

"I know how this works," I tell him, smiling a little too proudly. What I mean by that is my father used to tell me stories of how he got every vendor here to lower their price by half if not more.

Thinking of him sends a shooting pain right through my chest. I can envision him here, the brightest, most self-satisfied grin on his face as he and my mother parade through here, speaking with the other locals and exchanging stories with whoever would listen.

They used to be like that, all adventures and goofiness.

I hope they're finally back together, at least.

"Wanna bet that I'll get a better price than you?" I ask, already heading for the stand with the vintage postage stamps. My heart is racing with anticipation but I repeat to myself that I got this. It's in my blood.

The woman selling the stamps welcomes me enthusiastically, rushed words already blubbering from her mouth as she shows me her best stuff. All without letting me say a peep, of course.

When she finally names her price, eyeing me subtly as she waits for a response, it's my time to shine. I respond in Italian, proposing a price in return. One I know is far beyond what I'll get it for but that's just how it works.

She says a new number, one a bit lower than the initial one but still too high. So I shake my head, putting on a poker face as I keep playing the game.

Only when we settle on half of what she initially wanted do I pull out my money and pay double. The woman's been standing out here in the heat all day and probably still made less than I normally would in an hour. Who am I to rob her ten dollars? All the arguing was never about saving money.

I wanted to see if I had it in me and more importantly, I want to win the bet.

Andrea is waiting for me at the side of the alley, pulling me into a kiss the second I'm close enough. "What's that for?" I ask against his lips.

"You're a good person. It does weird things to me," he replies, smiling sheepishly.

"What things?" I hum. I know we're surrounded by a mass of people but none of them grace us and our annoyingly couple-y behavior a second glance.

"I don't know. All fuzzy and happy. Like the luckiest idiot alive."

And I nearly swoon at that moment. "You are the luckiest idiot alive," I tease before catching another quick kiss.

"Mh. But now I gotta show you how business here is done. I'll be right back," he says, pulling away to head to the stand I just came from. He'll try to get the same stamp for a lower price.

I'm praying I bribed the lady enough not to let him stoop too low. Unless, maybe paying so much was a mistake because now she needs less money from Andrea. Shoot! My ego will take a horrible hit if I lose this bet.

Over the heads of the crowd, I'm unable to see Andrea. That means my attention wanders. I look at the by-passing people, silently coming up with names and stories for them as a way to pass some time.

Only when the slight feeling in my stomach that's been bothering me since we arrived here intensifies do I look around me more intently. My skin is pricking, the hairs on my body standing up as I search for the source of unease. It feels like I'm being watched.

Not looked at but actively watched. It isn't pleasant.

"Got it for twelve, what about you?" Andrea's voice drags my attention to him. He's standing next to me, a toothy smile on his face as he presents the old postage stamp in between his fingers. Only after seeing my expression does his excitement fade to worry.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

I smile, brushing him off. "Told you I'd win. I got it for ten, eat that!" I announce, my worries momentarily pushed aside. But Andrea doesn't even look mad about losing. In fact, he's beaming so widely I narrow my eyes at him. "Did you lose purposefully?"

"Definitely not, Amore. You won fair and square."

"Then why do you look so happy?" I ask.

"Because your whole face just lit up and I think it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Sure, I think my heart's about to burst but it's fine. Now let's go before I get any cheesier," he says with a chuckle. Then we're off to our restaurant reservation.

Tonight, we're eating in the village nearby. Later we'll head back to the hotel though since we're still tired from the trip here. Tomorrow we'll hang out at the beach all day and probably go clubbing afterward.

I can't wait.

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Tysmm for 15k!!!

The story is coming to an end, my dears😫 already have a new mafia story planned tho so don't worry too much;)

Wthhh guys so sorry for never posting this I forgot I had the draft💀😭

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