Model Behaviour

Pizza? Pizza. (28)

"Gracie. Gracie, get up, we've landed princess." A velvet voice tries to shake me awake.

B-b-but my dream was getting so good! "Let mumph sleep"

Tom chuckles, and undoubtedly gets closer, because I can feel his breath fanning my face with spearmint. "Get up or I'll kiss you again."

Both of my eyes open in synchronisation, glaring at Tom's attractive and perfectly shaped lips. "Don't you dare Tom-"

He smirks. "Rules are meant to be broken sweetie, and we landed in Naples ten minutes ago."

I crane my neck to look at the rest of the plane, and true to Tom's word, it's empty save for the odd stewardess pottering around. Out of the small window I can see the rest of the student body trailing inside to get through security.

It's starting to merge into dusk, the small insects keeping the merge between the occasional roar of aeroplane turbines smoother than without.

Tom's hand takes my own in his strong grasp, and carefully pulls me up, walking me down the gangway towards the cabin doors and stairs. "Do you want me to carry you?"

I pale at the thought, imagining myself tumbling down the stairs along with a teenage boy undoubtedly getting broken in the process. "I'll pass."

He literally pouts. "Next time."

My head moves from side to side, in exasperation. "Sure, whatever." I giggle.

As I stumble stiffly down the stairs onto the Tarmac, the almost-too-familiar scratching of my shoes on the rough surface. Italy. I've missed the strange, stifling cigarette smoke infused air, the curvy roads atop mountains and the small miniature towns.

A palm comes in contact with my own, undoubtedly Tom's. My heart jumps erratically up to my throat. Glancing up to see who is holding my hand, I smile. "Tom." He looks down at our interwoven hands. And smirks cockily.

"Princess."

"You're so stupid." I roll my eyes, secretly loving the immense feeling of butterflies in my stomach. I no longer was afraid of the butterflies, but I welcomed them with open hands and mind.

.~*~.

We checked into the hotel and this time, with separate rooms. I was a little disappointed to be honest, but I'm planning to catch up with Lily anyway and finding out what happened between her and I.

I was emotionally drained and mildly irritable, just tired from the journey.

Lily followed me into the hotel room and coughed delicately. And that began our bonding session. "How are you?"

"I'm okay, how are you Lil?"

She sighs. "I don't see you anymore, and I'm hurting to see you build walls that only allow for one boy to get through."

"Lil-"

"And I said I wanted for him to fall because of me, and now he's falling for you; it's bittersweet." She sniffles, and her guileless eyes shine with moisture.

Instead of replying I envelop her in a rather awkward hug since the difference between our heights- my arms find no other place than her neck to hold on to. Her fingers clutch the back of my shirt, before she allows herself to release a heart-wrenching singular sob.

And she cries for a good fifteen minutes, my shirt looks like snails have conquered the material. I want to call my family's therapist, but he's undoubtedly indisposed.

After she stands up from the bed we transferred to after the first two minutes of the sobbing and washes her face, she looks fresh and Lilly-like. My stomach rumbles and I eagerly flick through a pizza restaurant that can deliver here.

"Pizza?"

"Pizza." She beams and frowns at me, or more like my shirt. "-I'm sorry I've ruined your shirt."

"It's just a shirt Lilly. I can get new ones but I can't get a new best friend, so hush." I smile and point to a pizza that seems foolproof to try and conquer.

"Pizza al prosciutto!"

We both burst out laughing at her terrible impression of an Italian who runs a pizzeria.

"How did your show go?" She smiles as she changes into her pyjamas.

I grin as I prepare to tell her my story. "Mom gave me free reign on my poise. I took off my shoes and danced along with Tom in a wedding dress." She nods and I search her eyes for any attachment towards Tom. When I'm satisfied with the depth of her eyes, I carry on.

"-And then Tom got hurt." I add quickly- missing out the kiss and the patching up. There's no need to try and goad her, and frankly, it's too personal.

"He likes you Gracie, and I'm thankful that you've came into my life and made me realise that he's only a boy."

Only a boy.

Is he really only a boy? Well, to me anyway. Undeniably not, he's my saving grace (pun intended) and even though I've inflicted so much pain on him in our first few days- he's not just some boy.

We ordered the pizza and lazed around for the good twenty minutes or so, checking our social medias and swapping each other's details on snapchat etcetera.

Lily suddenly pulled me down on the bed, while laughing and taking a few thousand selfies. Some of them were pretty good, so she airdropped them to me so I could post them on Instagram. Halfway through writing the caption on some random social media, the hotel phone rang to announce that the pizza delivery was awaiting for us to collect it.

"Behind every successful woman is a substantial amount of coffee, chocolate and Italian food." Lily laughed before slipping on some shoes to accompany me to collect the calorie bomb.

Of course, I didn't care about my intake; I cared more about people around me and charity than counting calories. Yet I still had to keep in 'shape'. I had felt more freedom now than I ever had in my life, and I relished the feeling with grateful hands.

.~*~.

We munched through the pizza and still left a few slices for leftovers, Lily licking the remnants of the pizza she decided to eat. I ate pizza like a New Yorker, folding it in half and dripping the oil onto the plate. Well, I've never been to the city that never sleeps, but the idea has been reinforced by some TV shows.

At around about the eleven pm mark, I decided to go to bed. Lily had left a good twenty minutes before I fell into a sleep promising sun, warmth, laughter and Tom.

.~*~.

Sucky, I know. I've literally had the worst writers block in history but I'm determined to get a chapter up before Christmas. Or New Year. Whenever I have internet, because guess what guys? I'm going back to my grandmas for Christmas so I'll complain about no internet or good TV. I guess I'll be a creep and spend four hours in McDonalds stealing wifi. AGAIN...