🌟sparks🌟 (matt sturniolo)

- 10 - la petite -

"i can't save us. my atlantis, we fall." freyja sang quietly under her breath. it was half past seven, and she was the first one awake. freyja had not slept well. she had tossed and turned all night, and the one thing on her mind had been the Instagram comment. it was so mean. so, so, mean. maybe she was just making a big deal out of it? the tiny problem just seemed so small compared to everything else happening worldwide.

freyja had eventually gotten to sleep at around three am but woke up at seven because she felt like she was going to throw up. she hadn't eaten since the flight, and no one had come to wake her for dinner. when she was sure she wasn't going to throw up, freyja had grabbed an apple, changed into warm clothes, and headed outside.

the snow was no longer falling, and the minivan looked like someone had come in the night and sprayed shaving cream all over it. the sun was making its way out from behind a cloud, and the mountains seemed like they went on forever. 

freyja was wearing a pair of leggings and a hoodie, and she had her airpods in her ears. she was halfway down the driveway when her phone rang. it was nic.

"freyja, where the fuck are you?!"

"I'm going for a run. is everything ok?" freyja began to jog.

"yeah, just no one knew where you were. leave a note or something next time ok?"

"yeah, yeah, of course. sorry."

"where are you anyway?" nic questioned.

"I literally just reached the bottom of the driveway," freyja laughed. she glanced up at the house and saw nic standing at the window in his pajamas, grinning and waving at her. she waved back, before saying goodbye.

freyja jogged down the road, admiring the pretty houses that overlooked the mountains. they were all quite similar to the cabin they had hired out. the snow that had covered the road the night before had finally started to melt, and freyja watched her feet. she bit into her apple, keeping her slow pace up.

when she reached the end of the road, she turned and went down a side street. in the distance, she could see a small cafe. the cafe was made from wood, and the sign on the front said 'la petite'. right before she entered, freyja thought back to what had happened the last time she went out somewhere to eat. she didn't want that to happen again. and although nobody in the dolomites probably knew who she was, she decided to play it safe and put her hood on.

upon entering, there was no one there except a young teenage boy who stood behind the counter. he had short black hair, and the brownest eyes. "ciao. come stai questa mattina?". the boy smiled at her, and freyja blushed beneath her hood. maybe she should have brushed up on her italian on the plane. "umm. english. i speak English."

"ahhhh," the boy smiled. "well that's easy. my mums Italian and my dads english so i can do both. what can i get for you?" the boy's thick Italian accent was calming, and freyja lowered her hood just a bit.

"umm, may i please get a box of your freshest tomato and cheese croissants?" the boy smiled, and freyja saw the name on his apron read jurio. 

"of course" jurio smiled and disappeared into the back of the shop. freyja took a seat and he returned a few minutes later, grinning from ear to ear. "here you go. are you new here? i haven't seen you before."

freyja smiled, and let her hood drop a little more. "umm, me and my friends are staying here for three weeks. we are staying in pineview," she pointed in the direction of the cabin.

"ah. pineview is nice. well, as a welcoming gift, let me get you a drink. its on the house. what would you like?"

freyja smiled at jurio. he was cute and polite. "oh no, its ok." but he just smiled, and freyja gave in. "may i please have a hot chocolate?" he smiled and disappeared again.