coffee shop

14

Jo

I open my eyes to warm morning light streaming in through our window. It's early, but I'm not tired; yesterday's adventuring wore us all out, and after seeing some of the major tourist attractions—St. Mark's Basilica, Doge's Palace, Piazza San Marco, and a few museums—we had all hit the hay rather early.

The floor is cool under my bare feet as I slip out of bed, pull on a sweatshirt, and pad towards the balcony door. The hinges groan quietly, but the lump of comforter that is Beth doesn't stir. I step outside and breathe in crisp morning air, then lean over the railing.

The path below is quiet, for the most part, save a few vendors preparing their booths and chambermaids preparing linens for their next houseguests. The canal is quiet, too. Across the waterway, a man is polishing his gondolas for another day of tourists.

As I glance to the left, I see that there's another balcony just a ten feet over—and standing on it, wearing a jumper and pajama bottoms, is Lou. He waves at me. "Good morning."

I resist the urge to bury my face in my sweatshirt and instead wave back, then cross my arms awkwardly over my chest. "Morning."

"Bit early, innit?"

"Starbucks sleep schedule," I say. I expect him to ask what that entails, but he seems to understand right away.

He grins sleepily. "Same here." His eyes shift to the door. "Beth awake?"

"Not yet."

"Conor isn't, either."

"Doubt they will be anytime soon. You people sleep late."

He quirks an eyebrow, his warm grin transitioning into a sly smirk. "What do you mean by you people?"

"You... European people," I say, waving in his general direction.

"Technically, the U.K. isn't part of the European Union anymore."

"Whatever."

He shifts closer to me on his separate balcony, leaning forward in my direction, now. "Well, at any rate, you're right; they won't be up for another few hours at least."

"What do you want to do until then?"

I hadn't meant it in a flirtatious way, but Lou's smirk deepens anyway. "I could think of a few things."

I roll my eyes, though no amount of feigned coolness can stop the blood already rushing to my face. "Shut up."

"No need to be embarrassed, little country girl," he says with a radiant smile. "I was only suggesting a little adventuring."

As I struggle to find words, Lou redirects his gaze back to the canal, staring down into the clear water and inhaling deeply. "It's nice out here before it gets busy, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is."

"I feel like we should take advantage of it. Fancy a walk?"

I absolutely would.

I pretend to consider it a moment, then shrug my shoulders. "Sure."

"Don't sound too excited."

"Just trying to keep your ego in check, Lou."

"Don't worry," he says, pushing off the railing and standing up straight, "you're already very good at that."

Ouch.

Before I can answer, he's opening the door to his bedroom. "Meet you at the front door in ten minutes?"

I nod.