On an Evening in Roma

When in Rome do as the Romans do...

I was planning to end their journey in this chapter but then it would have been at least 7k words long 😞 and didn't wanted to keep you guys waiting...so here it goes...

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2:27pm, 15th August 1940.

'Bici & Baci'

Rome, Italy.

Bondita Das tested out the feel of the handlebars of the little yellow Vespa Scooter that she insisted on renting...

When in Rome do as the Roman's do, right?

Anirudh was still inside the rental shop talking to the owner of 'Bici & Baci'...Bondita had another giggling fit at the name of the shop...

On a serious note she really was considering consulting a psychologist about her laughing problem, its kinda getting out of hand. It started out as a defense mechanism...during her first year in London she realized when she laughed, giggled or smiled even, her friends would get distracted from their conversation. She has noticed the same about strangers and her teachers...she didn't know why, maybe she made some kind of weird expression or something but whenever she laugh people would stop talking and look at her strangely, after being caught they would just fake cough and look away. It took her a while to use this as an advantage, every time she gets stuck in an awkward situation she laughs to create the distraction she needed to escape the situation.

She used the same tactic today when they fell from the wall, only this time she did it to hide her own fear and nervousness. She had no idea what happened to her when his nose brushed against her ear...her skin burned but at the same time she felt paralyzed...she felt her blood rushing to her cheeks, her breath get caught on the throat...and then there's his scent...the fragrance of his fusfus has always been a comfort for her, it associates with a feel of reassurance...a sense that she was protected.

But today when his musky perfume hit her nostril a strange tremor run through her body...quickening her heartbeat in a whole new way.

The thing was, she wasn't used to man's touch. Even though, ninety-nine percent of her friends were of male population, her interaction with the opposite sex was limited to handshakes. She liked her personal space and all her friends knew and respected it.

But her Sakha Babu wasn't just anyone. He was part of her, like she was part of him. Then why did she felt so nervous remembering that moment? And why did she want to relive that moment again and again?

It's an uncharted territory for her, one she was both scared and thrilled to venture into.

Anirudh walked out of the rental shop and saw her testing the controls.

"Are you sure you know how to drive this thing?" he asked as he took the back seat, very carefully.

"I'll figure it out."

"What do you mean you'll figure it ou--" his words got cut off as started the engine and the scooter jumped forward and without meaning to Anirudh had to hold her waist to stop himself from falling off of the vehicle.

The scooter drove erratically along the side of the road for a bit, but it was long enough to scare a few pedestrians and the passenger in her back seat who was still holding her waist in death grip without realizing his touch was the reason for the driver's bad control over the scooter.

She let out a shriek in sheer delight as she got the hold of the controls and the scooter start to make a smoother journey.

"Relax! I've got this!" his grip loosened on her waist, "I promise, I won't let anything happen to you." The sincerity in her voice made him loosen up a bit and he moved his hands from her waist and kept them over his thighs, unbeknown to him she furtively heaved a sigh of relief.