Band Imagines

Tony Perry; Lost in Translation

Tony is a great guy. Sweet, sensitive, funny, passionate. We have a lot in common too. One thing we don't have in common though is language. Tony speaks English; I speak Italian. I know a little English, but it's not that good. Tony doesn't know any Italian, whatsoever. It can make things difficult.

I only recently moved to America five months ago to take over a family friends music store. Tony came in to search for a record and he struck up a conversation, although it was slow and difficult. He came back a second time, then a third, then a fourth. He seems to come every three or four days and I've started anticipating his next visit. Even though we can't talk much, his company alone is great.

I hear the door open and shut and look up from the CDs I was sorting. It's Tony, he flashes me a brief smile. He seems anxious.

"Ciao, Tony!" I greet with a wide grin.

"Hi, Y/N! So che è difficile parlare gli uni agli altri; um...but, no, ma penso che tu sia molto carina e gentile. I know it is difficult to speak to each other; but I think you are very pretty and kind," he says sheepishly, his Italian slow but steady; he's rehearsed this. He takes a moment before he starts again.

"Mi stavo chiedendo se si vuolo andare ad un appuntamento con me? Um...capisco se non vuolo, a causa delle nostre diverse lingue. I was wondering if you want to go on a date with me? I understand if you do not want to, because of our different languages." He finishes rather humbly. He gazes hopefully at me, fiddling with his hands. I'm flattered and I feel it's only fair to reply in my half decent English.

"Sí...I would love to, Tony."

* * *
I'm so nervous for my date with Y/N. More nervous than I should be. I rehearsed that speech so many times; she probably thinks I'm much better than I actually am. Oh god, what if I completely mess up and offend her? She'll understand, right? I mean, she doesn't know a lot of English, so she's in the same boat. I've practiced a few things to say, but not many. I take a deep breath and knock on her apartment door. A moment later it opens up and she appears, looking stunning in a short blue skater skirt dress.

"Tony, good to see you! Where are we going?" She says excitedly with her beautiful Italian accent prevalent, stumbling over her words a little.

"It's a surprise." I reply slowly with a smirk and put my hand out for her, which she takes. Her small, soft hand fits well into mine. It's a nice feeling. I lead her to my car and we drive along until we reach our destination. A tiny pizza place. Vic and Mike brought us all here once and it was amazing. The pizza is great.

"Have you ever been here before? The food here is fantastic." I ask, hoping to prompt some English conversation.

"No, I take your words for it. It looks really nice." She replies, a sweet smile on her face. I hold the door open for her as we enter the restaurant. We're quickly seated at a small, intimate table at the back. They quickly take our orders, before leaving us.

"So," I begin. "Where in Italy are you from?"

"Milan, it's a beautiful city. I've not been back since I came. I miss it." She replies truthfully, sighing a little. I try and make the conversation more upbeat.

"Milan; my band and I played there once. I don't think we were there for long, so we didn't get to see much of it."

"It's a great place. I would love to take you one day." She says, gaining confidence in her English and winking at me. I can feel my cheeks burning up and I'm thankful for the dim lighting. Our food arrives and we both tuck into our pizza. Suddenly, she grabs hold of one of my hands. Y/N stares in awe at the tattoos visible on my hands and wrists.

"I love your um...tatuaggi. Sorry, I don't know the English." She apologises nervously.

"That's okay," I reassure her with a light chuckle. "Tattoos. Do you have any?" I ask, genuinely interested as I lean forward to see her more clearly in the low light.

"No. Could I see your tattoo artist?" She asks with a hopeful glint in her eyes.

"Of course. I'll introduce you to him." The conversation rolls, both in Italian and English. After we finish our food, we head back to the car. I've got one last place to take her to. We drive along the streets, still buzzing with activity at this late hour. Eventually we arrive. We reach a cliff, that overlooks the city. It's a stunning view. We hop out and she simply stares out, admiring the light and noise, completely awestruck. I lay down a picnic blanket and a case of beers.

"This is beautiful." She almost whispers, as she comes to lie on the blanket next to me. I prop myself up on my elbows and she does the same, getting comfortable.

"I love it here. I'm glad you like it. I used to come here all the time, just to think, y'know." I tell her as she leans into my shoulder and looks out over the mesmerising skyline.

"My padre, he once brought me and my sister to a beach in the south of Italy. It has these lovely um...rive di ciottoli?... Pebble shores! And beautiful, clear water. It's my favourite place in the world." Y/N  gets excited and it's the most adorable thing. Her eyes light up, the corners of her lips turn up ever so slightly. We talk on for hours, sipping at the beers I brought. The conversation lulls for a moment, but it's a comfortable silence. I turn to look at her, and she catches my loving gaze.

"Posso bere te? Can I drink you?" I ask nervously and she begins to laugh.

"Tony, you said: Can I drink you." My cheeks burn up incredibly quickly. I can't believe I just said that. There's another pause.

"Y/N," I say softly, grabbing her attention. "Posso baciarti? Can I kiss you?" She doesn't even nod, she just leans in. Our lips collide and mould together. It feels like a burst of electricity in my veins. Our warm lips separate before coming back together. She's like a breath of fresh air. Incredible.

A/N: I apologise if my Italian isn't 100% accurate, my Italian isn't the greatest, but it should be close enough. I might also do a second part to this but I'm not sure yet. I hope you enjoyed this! I loved writing it!