The Cursed Prince of Italy - Volume 1 - The Cursed

Chapter 6- A new start

Romina watched Lorenzo board the ferry. Even though she had told him she would not change her mind, she was still a little sad to see him leave. She stayed where she was until the ferry left the terminal and sailed into the distance. With a last glance, she left the terminal. The beach was scattered with tourists, young and old couples and families with children, all enjoying the warm spring weather.

Romina made her way towards the town on the footpath. She wanted to go look for her necklace at the castle, but Lorenzo's words kept coming back to her. Instead she decided to give priority to finding a place to stay.

Once she arrived into town, Romina found a newspaper agency and bought the local paper. She searched the classifieds until she found the accommodation section. She circled a few to contact.

'Hello' said the voice on the other end of the line.

'Hello, is that Monica?'

'Yes, who's this?'

'Hi, my name is Romina. I am calling regarding your ad in the classifieds...'

'Oh yes, hi! Thanks for calling. The room is still available. You can come around anytime to inspect it'

'Could I come now? I'm actually close by - only about 20 minutes away I think' Romina asked.

'Yes, that is fine. Once you come, I can show you around.'

Romina made her way towards the address Monica gave her. Once she got there, she could see it was an apartment complex. Not knowing the exact unit number, Romina called Monica again.

'Hi, I'm downstairs' she said.

'Oh, just wait there. Yep, I can see you' said Monica as she put her head out the window. Romina could tell she was of similar age to her.

'C'mon upstairs to the seventh floor' said Monica over the telephone.

Romina went inside the building and got inside the lift. Monica was waiting for her when the doors opened.

'Good morning, I'm Romina' Romina said cheerfully, extending her hand.

'Good morning Romina. Come on this way' Monica said shaking her hand.

'I apologise for the mess, I didn't get much time to tidy up. I didn't expect to get interest in my ad so soon' Monica said, opening the door to her apartment and letting Romina in.

Romina smiled as she walked past. Monica, who had short blonde hair and was wearing denim cutoffs with a white t-shirt, seemed friendly, easy going and someone who was easy to chat to.

'I only moved in here recently. Since it's right in the middle of town, it's a bit pricey, which is why I thought to find a flatmate. I used to live here with my boyfriend, but we broke up and he moved out. So it's just me at the moment. There's two bedrooms, and both have en-suites so it makes things a little easier in the mornings,' Monica said chatting away.

Romina took a liking to Monica and her easy going behaviour. She liked the apartment. Once they finished the walk through of the apartment, they stood in front of the front door.

'So let me know if you like the place and want to rent the room. Have a think and get back to me' Monica said.

'I like it' Romina said without hesitating. They both smiled at each other, both feeling it was the start of a new friendship.

After a few days in Rome, Romina moved to Elba. Lorenzo assisted her move her belongings. By then, Monica and Romina had become firm friends. Romina was excited about having a new friend. After arriving in Italy and starting her relationship with Lorenzo, she had found it difficult to find a close friend. Lorenzo on the other hand, unable to cope with all these changes in Romina's life was a bit wary of Monica.