Letters To Rome

4

     The golden rays of sun spilled over the cobbled streets. I took a deep breath, the crisp morning air scented with freshly baked cornetti and roasted espresso beans from the small cafés that had already opened. I grabbed my phone with my hands still feeling pretty sticky from all the gelato that dripped down the bowl to take a picture of this cute flower shop I walked past.
     *You have 4 new messages*
    I clicked on the notification. Of course 3 of them were from my mom.

     mom: hii darling!
     mom: where are you??
     mom: can you pls bring your mother more of my migrane medication? thank you!

     But the fourth message was already from the gelato guy. I tapped on it, my thumb circling around my keyboard while I thought about a response.
     You know what? Nevermind that. I'll respond when I'm back home. I swiped off messages and took a few pictures of the charming flower shop I spotted, then sat down on a wooden bench to start sketching it on my journal.
     I reached for my jacket's pocket so I could smoke a cigarette, but I felt a small rectangular object inside. I pulled it out together with my malboro pack. To my surprise, it was Lorenzo's black Bic lighter.
     How the hell did that get in there? Because I remember giving it back to him...
     I examined it like I was looking for a clue, but it just looked like a normal lighter to me. I fiddled with the lighter between my fingers while I thought of endless possibilities on how it ended up in my jackets pocket. I couldn't stop turning it over, tracing the grooves with my thumb.
     That's when I noticed it — a tiny carved heart etched into the side, with a letter M next to it. It looked clumsily carved, the metal nicked and uneven, like someone had done it with a pocketknife. My stomach flipped. Is M his girlfriend? Is this why he didn't ask for my number? I froze, suddenly questioning every interaction from before.
     I tucked it back into my pocket, telling myself to just forget about it. I grabbed my sketchbook from the bench and tried to focus on the flower shop across the street — the way the lilies blossomed and the ivy spilled over the windowsill, the straw baskets filled with lavenders perfumed the air close by.
     I didn't feel like smoking anymore, so I slid the cigarette back into the pack and set it aside. Pencil in hand, I stared at the page and then started to sketch a few lines. The heart on that lighter kept flashing in my head, I couldn't concentrate.
     With a sigh, I shut the sketchbook. Whatever, I'll come back later. I zipped my bag shut and headed down to the closest pharmacy to grab my mom her meds, and then headed straight home.

     "Mom, I'm home!" I said as I placed the plastic bag on the counter, "your meds are on the table".
     I then went to my room and shoved my head on my pillow. I still haven't responded Gelato Boy. I grabbed my phone and stared at his message.

    gelato boy: hey bella, let me take you out tonight.

     I furrowed my eyebrows then sighed loudly. I started to type:

     me: hey! my name's francesca.
     me: maybe.

     I was trying to keep it mysterious. Maybe I would just ghost him. I threw my phone on my bed and buried my head in the pillow. Not even a minute after, I felt my phone buzz.

     gelato boy: don't be boring.
     gelato boy: how long are you here for?
     gelato boy: you look pretty in pink ;)

     And then I thought to myself. Why not? I'm not here for long, let's just have fun. I'm twenty one, single and in Rome. I'll never be this young again. I sprawled across the bed, chin propped up on one hand, texting while I kicked my feet behind me.

     me: pick me up at eight. don't make me wait.
     *location pin sent*

     I heard my phone vibrate again. I flipped it up and saw he had texted me back, quicker this time. I looked at the time and figured I had a few hours until Gelato Boy came to pick me up, so I decided to start with a steamy shower to relax my mind.