Destinied Hearts

Part 6

Milana's POV

The air in the small cafe where I worked was filled with the scent of freshly brewed coffee and baked pastries. The owner of this cafe is an old lady, who required someone to handle the front desk. So, it was quite comforting, an aroma that had become a staple of daily life since moving to Italy. The cafe, with wooden tables and an old-fashioned look, had become like a second home. It was a haven of normalcy in an almost strange city.

Sometimes while wiping down the counter with soda water and a rag, all that has happened since leaving Spain to settle in Italy floods my mind. I am taken away from the familiarity and comfort of my family and life that I once knew. In Spain, I knew what my culture was and what type of community I was surrounded by. I had friends there, and my family and I left them for our sanity. Everything here is so different because everything is sprawling, chaotic, and infinitely more daunting.

I was setting out some pastries on the counter. It'd be a few minutes till the morning rush hit, so I commenced self-conversation.

"The city is beautiful, to be sure. The architecture, history-all just so rich. But language barriers, unknown streets. it's quite overwhelming at times."

The bad news about all that was that I was in Italy, where I was there on scholarship to help pay for my tuition. But it wasn't full; to buy things such as supplies for college-things like materials, pens, notebooks, all sorts of texts and so on-I worked long hours at the cafe. Every check, no matter the size, accounted for a huge chunk of my budget.

It was not very easy to make a decision like that: leave. My parents wanted me to settle and get married. When I wouldn't, they withdrew their promise of paying for my education. Such hard words cut deep into my heart; I felt unwanted and abandoned. Leaving Spain became my only option at that point.

"I've been here for some months now. I'm still working out the basics. It is fairly useful having language lessons, but at times one does feel like a voyeur."

Another challenge was the streets of Rome. They were all full and chaotic. The city, while being a maze of narrow alleyways and grand boulevards, seemed that everything was new, and confusing. And then, there was also public transport, which I was trying to understand, sometimes coming across local customs and norms as like endless lists of things to learn.

The mini-break, however, was the cafe. The regulars were friendly, and, from time to time, some friendly chat with a customer or a colleague was quite a welcome distraction. Still, aside from these small mercies, loneliness had won again. Gone, for instance, were easy laughter with old friends, companionship, and the feeling-at-home quality of life that I had blindly allowed myself to take for granted back home.

I was grinning as I handed over a coffee to one of the customers.

"Grazie, buon giorno!" (have a great day)

The conversation was short but significant. I kept comfort in minor things. I found my routine at work, and little by little, adapted to my new environment. I had grown to love the beauty of the city: old ruins along with modern life, the rich flavours of Italian cuisine, and the way that light seems to dance off cobblestone streets.

Yet, as I sat at the small patio of the cafe, one quiet moment couldn't help but make me wish things were different. The date college was about to start was slowly approaching, and it had mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness stuffed in my head. I wanted to really learn the very lines of my studies, get totally immersed in the world of architecture and design; however, the fact that I would do it all without a strong support system weighed heavy on my head.

"It's a new phase on its own: college life. This would surely be a golden opportunity to interact with different people and eventually find my place here. And sometimes I have to remind myself that every step - small as it may be-is progress."

And as the sun set, dusk, in hues of low elements, it wove a warm infusion of its surroundings to stifle every nook and cranny in that cafe, I took in a few deep breaths, reminding myself why I was here in the first place: for my dreams, for my future, and so I could build my life upon my own terms. It was tough, but I wanted to finish it.

"One day at a time. I can do this."

I went back to work from there, savouring the comfort and strength routine was giving to my new life.

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Hello people, Aurora here,

This is a short chapter to introduce our female lead and about her feelings.

What happens when Leo and Milana cross each others paths.

please do tell me your thoughts on Milana and do not forget to

VOTE AND COMMENT.