The Artist's Muse

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. 5 January 2007

Isabel waved goodbye to her parents and joined the long line for security. Unlike the last trip, this time she felt confident as she got through the checks and sat at her gate to wait. Not that she had to wait long; just ten minutes later her boarding group began filtering through the bridge and onto the plane.

Upon reaching her seat, she tucked her bag of snacks and video games beneath the seat in front, buckled in, and moved the headphones from around her neck to her ears. Late 70's and early 80's rock kept her company throughout the takeoff process and well into the flight.

The repetitive blue of the vast ocean and consistent hum of the plane eventually lulled her to sleep. She was awoken by her neighbor when the flight attendants took meal orders, and spent the final leg of the flight attempting to beat the Elite Four again on her well-loved copy of Pokemon Sapphire.

Vernazza, Italy. 5 January, 2007

Anxiety didn't strike until she took her first steps into the Genoa airport. "Maybe agreeing to be picked up at the airport by my long-distance, 'we've only met once for an hour' boyfriend in a foreign country wasn't the brightest idea..." she muttered as she followed the crowd from her plane toward what she hoped would be baggage claim.

As she walked, she couldn't help feeling the same pull she'd felt in Paris. How silly was that? Obviously it was just the anticipation, but it was fun to think something otherworldly was directing her toward Sebastian.

And then...there he was. Standing back from the crowd in a black leather jacket, fingerless gloves, and jeans was Sebastian. He'd pulled his long hair back into a tight man bun, which exposed the sharpness of his jawline. Like something out of the movies, he held a piece of cardboard with "FRANTZ" written on it in black sharpie. Isabel felt her heart flutter and her pace increased.

They locked eyes and Sebastian's face lit up. He tossed the cardboard to his feet and opened his arms wide. Isabel ran the last few yards and jumped into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck. His strong arms encircled her waist and he spun in a slow circle as they stared into each other's faces.

Isabel couldn't help but notice how strong he was, yet gentle. Sebastian set her back down and ran his fingers through her hair. "I can't believe you're here! No waiting for letters, just standing in front of me to hug and talk to. And maybe kiss?"

"I don't know about that, yet," Isabel giggled. "But I'll take another one of those hugs after we get my bags. I don't want them to wander away without me." She watched the carousel for her blue Jeep suitcase and, when she saw it, rushed over to grab it. Her second bag, a smaller grey one, wasn't far behind.

No sooner had she dragged them away from the rotating belt than strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind and pulled her in close. A soft breeze of vanilla and leather dominated her world and Sebastian whispered, "I'll take those for you, dolcezza."

Her chest tightened and her heart flopped again. She leaned back into the embrace and closed her eyes, baffled by how familiar this all felt. "Thank you." Sebastian gave her one more squeeze and took both bags, lifting them as if they weighed no more than a handful of cotton.

"Follow me. We're going to take the volabus into the city center, then the train to Vernazza. I know you've already had a long trip, but we're still a couple of hours away from our destination. Are you going to make it?" Sebastian led Isabel out into the salty evening air while she nodded.

"Yes, that's okay. At least the bus and train should hopefully have more leg room than the airplane!" She shook her leg in emphasis and Sebastian chuckled. He led her to the blue and white bus, purchased their tickets, and helped her inside before validating their tickets and joining her.