Broken Promises and Ripped Dresses

Overseas

Chapter 11. Overseas

Flying over Arizona is definitely a sight to see, even at night.

The moonlight illuminates the mountains surrounding the city, and you see patches of green or brown grass scattered about. There's also a few swimming pools here and there. By far though, the mountains are the most beautiful things.

The red rocks are arching beneath you, towering over clumps of shrubs and caves. There are hills and flat surfaces, and the view from down there must be beautiful, but this angle definitely gives you a different perspective.

Goodbye home, I thought, giving a small wave to nothing in particular.

"Are you excited?" Andrew asked from beside me, nudging my shoulder.

"Yeah. I guess I should be excited to find Mandy's dress," I answered, taking my eyes off the window. "It will save my friendship after all."

"No, not the dress. Just about being in Rome in general? Excited to see the Coliseum, the Trevi fountain... the Pantheon?"

"Are we even going to have time for all that?" I asked incredulously.

"Sure we will," he answered, "we're not leaving without at least seeing those three sites."

"Andrew..." I said solemnly. "I can't just stay another day in Rome because I didn't get to see some statue; I need to get home as soon as possible."

"Well, I'm not just letting you sit around in the hotel room for two days either, so I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that we get to these places in good time. And you won't be a minute late in the end."

"Promise?"

"Pinky promise," he said, and he hooked his pinky around mine.

"Good boy," I said, laughing.

"What am I? A dog?" he asked smirking.

"You've always been a dog," I answered.

He shrugged, "I can deal with that."

"I hope the hotel allows pets."

"I'm sure they'll let a dog as cute as me stay," he said, snickering. "Hey look at that!" He pointed to something outside the window.

It was a full moon tonight. It was so wide and looming, and it cast a dull light over the whole landscape. There were dark clouds on all sides of it, making it seem very mysterious.

"I know, it sure is beautiful, huh?" I said.

"Imagine the moon over Rome," he said dreamily. "I can't wait."

He looked so cute with his wide eyes staring out the window. There was a sparkle in them as if he'd never seen anything more beautiful. It reminded me of a little kid on Christmas morning seeing all the gifts under the tree.

I really had the urge to kiss him right then. But I didn't of course.

"Well, I don't mean to be rude, but I think I'm going to plug my earphones in and try to get some sleep," the man named Patrick said abruptly, pulling Andrew and I out of our trances.

"Oh sure, that's fine," I said smiling, "I'll try to keep Andrew here quiet for you."

"Hey! You're just as loud and talkative as me," Andrew said, poking me in the ribs playfully.

"Thanks dear," Patrick said, chuckling and putting his earphones in. He closed his eyes and leaned all the way back in his chair.

"So, what are we going to do for the next..." Andrew looked at his watch, "twelve hours?"