the sun always warms the summer

The day Summer arrived in southern Italy was a completely normal sunny day to everyone else. But to her it was the best day of her life. The day she would finally be writing the article that would get her into the internship she wanted. The internship that would change her life. The internship that would make Summer change as a person.

This Summer that left the train that morning is not the same Summer that would enter that train months later. But for a completely different reason that what she thought would be.

Her first week was normal enough. She talked to Samuel Perlman about her major – archeology – and what she wanted in that article, she met Mafalda and had the pleasure of a taste of her food, she spent long hours speaking to Olga Perlman about everything. But most importantly she met Elio.

Elio is quiet, that's for sure. At least when she is in the room he is. But Summer doesn't mind, she can't bring herself to mind when she is so shy herself. Summer can't bring herself to feel different when Elio avoids her. She stole his room after all. He moved to the guest room connected to his by a balcony and a bathroom when she arrived. Even if she insisted – she asked "are you sure?" really quietly. But for Summer this is an insistence – it wasn't necessary. And now he avoids her like she is carrying the foulest aura around her.

But, during her second week of stay, he showed her around. Around everything. He went with her around the dreamy town of Crema and walked her to Monet's cliff and made her lose her breath. Before stepping foot in Italy Summer could have sworn this place was just like any other. But now that she is here she knows italian summer can take your breath away. And she can almost say that any italian season could take her breath away.

By her third week Elio had already warmed up to her. And she could pinpoint exactly the moment if you asked her.

It was a random afternoon. Summer had just been back from the beach and, with her hair still damp, she sat by the piano and played a random melody. really it was simply the first thing that her mind thought of. She can't even remember the name of the song but she surely can remember how Elio's steps walked closer to the living room unsteadily and how he stopped at the doorway. And he didn't say a word. Not even when she stopped and turned her gaze to him. Not even when she saw how something changed in his eyes. Not even when he turned around and walked up the stairs.

It was a saturday when Summer just couldn't sleep. It was the same saturday when Elio woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of someone softly strumming an acoustic guitar.

When Elio finally decided to walk out to the balcony that connected his room to the spare room – Summer's room to his room, as anyone but Summer would say – and found Summer sitting on the floor, her back rested on the wall while she was humming a song. Her voice so quiet he couldn't even pinpoint what song she was humming.

As she was focused on remembering the chords to the only song she can play on that guitar she hears the faint sound of footsteps getting closer, footsteps she has grown accustomed to. It's a slow, languid pace that makes her think he is trying not to disturb her.

But soon enough her fingers stop their movement and she turns her head in Elio's direction when the sound of ruffled clothes approaches her. He sat down on the floor beside her on the floor.

"Scuza if I woke you up," she says. Her tone still faint as a whisper, as if she was trying not to disturb the night.

He shakes his head as if to say "don't worry" and raises his gaze to the night sky. "Why are you up?" he questions when his gaze falls back on her.

"The night is too beautiful to be wasted on sleep," she explains. Her tone so obvious it seems like she is telling him water is wet. Maybe she is saying a simple fact, To her it is a fact.