Letters to Italy

23. Why are you awake?

I thought I would sleep very well that night. But of course I couldn't. The feeling of anxiety tried to infiltrate my mind. I didn't want to feel like that, not now. But I knew I couldn't help feeling like that when I would be back home, about 1500 kilometers away from Italy, away from Gianluca.

But the feeling came earlier than I wanted, I couldn't help but crying. "Please, no!" I said to myself. I wanted to hold Gianluca, but I slept in another room than him. Just because the rooms were not that big. Neither was his bed. So we couldn't hold each other like that one special night. It would be the same if he would be in Belgium. Then he would have to sleep in the room from Jonas, 10 meters from me away. But it sure was better than being on totally different places.

I decided to walk to the bathroom. That's what I always did when nothing else helped anymore to fall asleep. After that little moment in there, I hoped I could go back to bed and fall asleep very fast.

I walked back to the visitor's room, but then I suddenly decided to take a look in Gianluca's room. Maybe he also was awake, you never know. Perhaps we could be awake together then. His room was even farther away than the bathroom where I had been a few seconds earlier. So I walked towards his door, which was not entirely closed but you couldn't see anything through the small opening. So I tried to open the door very carefully because I didn't want to wake him with a door that made noise.

"Whooaaah!" I screamed when someone pulled me into the room. "Ssssh!" It was Gianluca. My heart pounded very fast, this time more from the sudden shock instead of the perfect person that was standing right in front of me, Gianluca Ginoble.

"Ssssh! You don't want to make the whole village awake, no?" I couldn't see his face but I heard in his voice he was smiling and having fun. "Well, it's not my fault if I did! You were the one making me scream like that! And actually it wasn't even very loud!"

He turned the lights on in his room. "Nooo, my eyes!" I said because it was too bright after being in the dark for so long. Yes, even the light in the bathroom were very weak.

"Why are you awake?" I asked.

"Because I can't sleep!" he laughed.

"Makes sense!" I said. I explained why I was awake. Basically, the same reason as his. "So, what are we going to do now?" he asked.

"Eeehm... Maybe we can be awake together?" I tried.

"Maybe that's a good idea! No, it's fantastic! I love it!" he smiled, I could hear that again in his voice.

"So where's your bed?" because I didn't see a lot, thanks to my 'brilliant' idea of not turning the lights on.

"Haha, find it!" he joked. "If you can, I have a present for you!"

"I don't need any presents!" I laughed.

"I know, but thrust me!" he said confident.

"So, this should be easy! I know your room is not that big, and I've seen it before!" It was not that I didn't went to visit him in the morning or in the evening, although I didn't sleep there myself, so I should be able to find it in the dark. But the difficulty was not to hit anything with my feet during the trip to his bed.

"Well? Where are you waiting for?" he laughed.

"Oh, ehm, let's see. I think I should walk to the left now. Or maybe a few steps later. I don't know exactly."

I heard him giggle. "You distract me with your cute laugh!"I reacted.

"Oh, excuse me!" but he kept laughing like that.

"Aaauw!"

"What?" Gianluca suddenly didn't laugh anymore, probably aware this 'game' was going to give me some more bruices and scratches. He immediately turned on the little light on his nightstand next to the bed.

"Haha, got ya!" I laughed.

"Oh, that's unfair, you didn't hit something, isn't it?" He immediately turned off the light again.

"No, I didn't! But now I know exactly where to go!" I ran in less than three seconds to his bed. And fell on top of Gianluca. "Well, hello there, amore mio!"he said.

"Ciao Gianluca!" I laughed and I kissed him on his face, which I could see now because it was very close next to mine.

"What's your present now?" I asked.

"Wow, so curious all of a sudden? I thought you didn't like presents."

"I changed my mind because your presents are always nice!"

I was actually feeling sad a few minutes earlier, but Gianluca had already changed that very fast. He probably knew why I was still awake. So he tried to cheer me up by teasing me and making me laugh again. It worked out, I didn't want to think about leaving Italy again. All that mattered was that moment and nothing more. Living the moment, they say. Well I did.

"What a compliment!" He touched my face with his hand and then his fingers stopped on my lips. This time not because I was saying a bit too much. But probably because it was still very dark and he wanted to find my lips before kissing some air next to my face.

"Your smile is beautiful!" he said.

"How in the world can you see me smile?" I giggled, his fingers still somewhere next to my lips. "Because I feel it!" I felt your lips curve upwards, and I remember you smiling during the day. So I suddenly wanted to say that!" He was more serious now and I didn't really know what to say or do next. But it didn't matter because two seconds later I felt his lips on my lips. "Ti amo" he whispered.

"Ti amo da morire!" I responded.

The rest of the night we were lying in each other's arms. Well, I was lying in his arms to be correct. I felt save and knew he really loved me. So everything was going to be alright in the end? Right? Isn't that what they say? Or was it really only in fairytales. I still didn't know for sure. But I knew I was going to find out soon.