Tide Changer

Epilogue

According to my mom, I became an adult the day of my university graduation. If someone asked me, I'd say I reached that milestone when I moved to Italy.

During my first weeks in Milan, I was no different from the tourists who took pictures of The Duomo Cathedral from every angle and roamed the streets, marveling at the most mundane things the locals didn't seem to notice. At first, I stayed at one of Rys's hotels, but as soon as my paperwork was ready and I started working at the boutique, I rented a tiny studio apartment in the historic part of the city.

Once I had a place to live, I enrolled in a language school. I wanted to make friends, help customers who only spoke Italian, and do everyday things like grocery shopping and using public transport with confidence. Now, almost five months later, I could finally say my tourist days were over. My Italian was far from perfect, but I learned to push my shyness aside and used the language every chance I got.

"What a day!" Ginevra hung the Closed sign on the door and turned to me, beaming. "You're always one of the last to leave. You need to get a life."

"I have a very busy one," I said, glancing at my watch.

My boss's laughter rang out clear across the boutique. "I know. And I'm sorry to make it even busier."

"What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "A promotion and a raise. I need you as one of the store managers. You're excellent at working with people, and lots of them enter the store because of your displays in the windows. You deserve more than what I pay you."

I could've said it was because I enjoyed creative tasks more than sales and doing what I loved wasn't a chore, but I bit my tongue and gave her a broad smile. "I'm honored. I'll try not to disappoint."

Ginevra brushed her dark curls away from her face with her fingers. "I know you won't. Go get some rest. I'll close."

"Thank you. See you tomorrow!" I grabbed my coat, waved goodbye, and left the boutique.

Chilly air nipped at my cheeks as I quickened my strides, dodging clusters of people taking pictures of the lit cathedral across the square. Ten minutes later, I unlocked my apartment door and darted inside, shrugging off my coat and kicking off my shoes on the go, my finger already on the call button as I rushed to the kitchen area.

I was late to our date. When the face I adored popped up on the screen, I breathed out, propping the phone against the coffee maker so Rys could see me better.

"I was a minute away from calling you," he said. "Are you okay? It's almost ten."

And almost twelve p.m. in Ellingworth. I braced my hands on the counter. "I'm great. Sorry it took so long. Something came up at work. Your meeting must be about to start."

He was at his office, and I knew his schedule like he knew mine. Not that the knowledge stopped me from sexting him in the middle of important meetings.

"I was just worried." Rys twirled a pen, frowning. "Despite knowing your neighborhood is safe."

"And you helped me choose it."

"I did. I just..."

"Miss me."

He gave me a small, melancholic smile. "You have no idea how much."

Rys visited me whenever his schedule allowed, but it'd been over a month since we last saw each other in person.

"I have an idea," I said. "Because I miss you too. How was your morning?"

He clasped his hands under his chin. "Busy, mi cielo. I needed to do several things fast, but I postponed my next meeting so we could talk."

"You shouldn't have."