"Gotten a hard time from the missus last night? Because she hardly said a word, she just keeps staring through the window, and since you're here and she's there, I'm assuming there's a little bit of trouble in paradise?" Shannon jumped on the seat on the other side of the aisle, this busride seemed to take forever and all he had wanted to do was make some conversation, pass the time, but she had been deaf and mute to him. "I didn't get anything, if you must know, just let her be, alright? She's just nervous because we're in Italy.." Jared tried to get back to his reading but he only aroused his brother's curiousness, "what's in Italy that makes her so nervous? It's an amazing country, she should talk to Stevie, he'll help her get rid of all her Italian hang-ups" Shannon grinned. "Leave Stevie out of it, you idiot! Harper is Italian too, it's the 'going back home' that's got her upset" he hissed, meanwhile her mind was swirling with memories just looking at the landscape that whizzed by, she still knew it like the back of her hand, this was the country she had grown up in and these were the roads they had driven on so many times when the family assistant/nanny would drive her and her siblings to the airport to be reunited with their parents who had left a few weeks before for the start of yet another one of her Dad's new diplomacy jobs. Was she happier then? As a child? Stupid question, no of course she wasn't, she was the child nobody ever wanted, not her parents who hadn't even planned her, she had been an 'accident', not her older sister and brother, to them she was a little pest, and a convenient punching bag when her father took his frustrations out on her, when all she had ever wanted was to have some attention from her parents, a comfortable chest to snuggle up to, a warm couple of arms that held her through the night that was always filled with monsters under her bed, the only company she had those days. She no longer was nervous coming back home, this was a mistake, simple as that, "hey", she shot up when a hand touched her hair and her bewildered eyes met those blue pools "you ok?" he pushed a kiss against her forehead. "I can't do it, Jay, I just can't, this is a mistake" she panicked, shaking her head ferociously, Jared cupped her face and lifted her head so she would look at him, "it's gonna be fine, I swear, we don't have to do anything you don't want, just take a deep breath". She puffed herself past her panic attack together with him, ok calmer, she felt herself definitely get calmer, "if you don't want to go then we won't, but just don't take any rash decisions right now, we'll go to the hotel, we'll settle in, we'll talk and then you can still decide whether you want to give them a call or not, ok?". He made it seem like no big deal at all, she knew better of course, but maybe this was just what she needed for now.
Blablabla, how much could anyone talk about a show that practically ran itself? She kept rummaging through her bag, while Jared was doing yet another briefing, lately their room seemed to be the center of the Mars-universe, everyone just came waltzing in, nibbling away at her and Jared's privacy. What was she gonna wear? This dress?? wasn't it a bit too formal? On the other hand they had never seen her in clothes like these..her mother was gonna be in shock, hihi..wait no, just call them first, you don't even know if you need to choose a dress or not..no I'm too nervous to do that, get a grip, just call. In the corner of his eye, he could see her walk into the room, obviously lost in her thoughts, heading for the door, "Babe?" his voice stopped the continuous rehearsal in her head of the things she was planning to say. "Yeah, I'm just gonna..you know..I'll be right back" she softly said as she opened the door to have a little bit more privacy in the hall, she was shaking with nerves as she closed the door behind her again, ok calm down, just do it. The phone lay in her trembling, clammy hands, ok..here went absolutely nothing, one ring, shiver down her spine, another one, three.."Pronto?" her mother's voice drifted in her ear and her breath got stuck in her throat. "Ciao Mama, sono io..Harper Coco" she breathed, barely able to find her voice..did she hear her? Why didn't she say anything? "Mama?" she repeated again and held her hand over her heart, "Coco..allora perché mi chiami?". Jared came walking into the corridor to find his girlfriend pacing back and forth, one hand glued her phone to her ear, the other arm folded around her upper body, her head bent and talking in italian. Stevie who came walking out of the room, stopped in his tracks and raised his eyebrows at Jared "uh-oh..sounds like a really heavy conversation, is she alright?", Jared didn't really answer so Stevie just touched his arm "later ,man" and walked away to his own room.
