Take Flight - Josie's journey #Wattys2017

Chapter 16: Confessions

Sitting on a roof above the buzzing streets of Rome felt like finding your very own oasis. We were surrounded by flowers in all colours and little paper lanterns were hanging between branches and on the fence. The sun was shining down on us and I felt the tingling warmth on my back as I looked at the variety of plates on our table.

"I could get used to this, you know."

Andrew was chewing on a piece of olive bread. He'd taken such a huge bite it was hard to understand him but judging from the smile on his face, he was enjoying our breakfast a lot.

"Olive bread?"

I asked while I tried to cut the piece of watermelon on my plate.

"Bread in general. Like freshly baked bread. All we get in England is toast."

Andrew replied just as the piece of melon slipped away underneath my knife. It almost fell off the plate and I couldn't help but sigh in frustration. This happened for the fifth time already.

"Whatever."

I mumbled to myself and grabbed the piece with my bare hands. My eyes met Andrew's just as we both took a huge bite. Andrew looked ridiculous, he reminded me of a hamster with his bloated cheeks. According to his reaction, I didn't look any better. We both managed to put one hand in front our mouth before snorting with laughter. I tried hard to swallow without spitting it all over the table but looking at Andrew didn't make it easier.

"Look at us! What a bunch of greedy pigs we are."

Andrew exclaimed between a fit of laughter when he finally could speak again. I was holding my stomach which slightly hurt from all the giggling while peeking over my shoulders. We were the only ones on the terrace.

"The Italians probably think we've never had any decent food in our entire life!"

I added while massaging my abs. Simultaneously I tried to remember the last time they hurt from laughing so hard.

"Well we can't help it, can we? It's not our fault their food is so delicious!"

Andrew shrugged his shoulders and grabbed another piece of bread, this time putting some Prosciutto di Parma on it. The melodious tune to his voice made me smile. I loved the English accent and enjoyed listening to Mim and the others talking. But only Andrew's husky voice added something to it that made my heart feel like melting.

"What did we think when we ordered all of this food?"

Serving myself grapes and some cheese, I wondered how much more I could eat. In the distance behind Andrew, I could see the belfry from an ancient church, the clock telling me that we'd been in this little café for almost two hours already.

Nibbling on a grape, I thought of a way to tell Andrew about Dominic. It hadn't felt right yet, not when we were talking about our vacation plans or the day ahead. Now that we sat in silence, I knew I had to bring it up. The mere thought made me feel nervous and I felt my palms getting sweaty. Suddenly, my mouth felt dry and I sipped on my orange juice, eyes still fixed on the church.

"Everything okay?"

Andrew looked at me with concern in his eyes as I put down my glass. Apparently, he'd sensed my discomfort. I took a deep breath and avoided eye contact when I answered.

"Actually, no."

My pulse was racing and I played with my napkin to calm my nerves. This wasn't going to be easy.

"You wanted to know why I'm here right?"

I looked up and into his brown eyes. They seemed lighter than last night, probably due to the rays of sunlight. My question was rhetorical, I didn't wait for him to answer. I put down the napkin before I could tear it into thousands of pieces.