Letters to Italy

19. Only hope

Aline's POV

I decided to play a song on the piano. A song I was thinking about all the time. It was like it was written for me. For us. I was going to film it with my camera and send it to Gianluca. He didn't know I could play the piano. So that could be a surprise to him.

I started to learn the song on the first day after coming home, and I finished it three days later. Then I really was able to play it without making errors. So I put my camera on the table next to the piano.

"Hi Gianluca! I have a little surprise for you! I learnt a beautiful song on the piano! You should listen the real song one time! It's called 'Only Hope' from Mandy Moore. It's like she sings the words I want to sing to you! But unfortunately, I can't sing that well, so I'm going to play the melody on my piano. Both hands of course!

Oh, and I miss you! You're my only hope!"

I blew a kiss to the camera, imagining Gianluca was standing behind it. And then I started to play.

During my little performance, I heard the words she sang in my mind. I never played that good before! It was like even my piano skills were becoming more passionate now I dedicated it to Gianluca. So it were not only the feelings I had in the airport that were different since I met Gianluca.

"To be only yours I pray! To be only yours, I know now, you're my only hope!" I sang in my mind during the song. How was it even possible this song seemed so perfect to me. Well nothing as perfect as Il Volo songs of course, but I thought he would already know his own songs.

I sent the video to his facebook page, the one I was never able to find before he said which one it was. Luckily he had one, so I could send him messages via facebook. Otherwise, I wouldn't have enough money to call him all day, and text him. But he already solved that problem by calling me instead of letting me calling him.

The same day I received a sweet video message from Gianluca. He was really enthusiast about my piano skills. "I didn't know you played the piano that well! I actually didn't even know you could play the piano at all! I'm so surprised! We should do a song together someday!" He sent me a lot of kisses but ignored the subject about when we would see each other again.

The next day I started writing a new letter, this time to my brother. "Hi Jonas, I want to thank you for helping me with Gianluca! Because, I wouldn't even know him if you didn't met Il Volo. So I owe it all to you! ..."

I also received a letter from Gianluca that day, nice but weird, since that was way too soon. It wasn't possible to send a letter from Italy to Belgium in just three days or so! But apparently he started writing that letter, when I was sleeping next to him, that one special night.

My sweet principessa,

I just woke up, and apparently it's not even 3 am. So I slept one big hour, holding you! And I can tell you, it's amazing! I can watch you for hours like this. You lie here so peaceful. You're now a sleeping beauty! And yes, I'd like to be your prince!
You just asked it so sweet to me. "Will you be my prince charming? Forever?" Like you wouldn't love anything more than that. You can be so happy with just one kiss, one hug or one promise! Not to forget about a song! Nothing touchable, nothing expensive, just that! And although I really want to buy you a lot of presents, I won't do it. Because I already know you would think I'm 'buying' you!
I will always search for perfect gifts! Not the most expensive but the most valuable, the most perfect presents for the most perfect girl. And if that still costs a lot, well, then it feels right to spent so much! I'm even going to give you something already. Tomorrow! I can say that, because you already received it, I hope.

I'm probably missing you a lot right now, because you're at home reading this letter and I will be somewhere in Italy, thinking about you. Only you!

When I first saw you in the audience at the concert, I knew you were the one. My special one! How wonderful is that? Love at first sight AND true love at the same time! It's like... a miracle, you're my miracle!
I always thought I would be alone until I die. That only girls who loved attention and fame would want to be my girlfriend. But I was wrong, when I looked into your eyes that night, I felt like I could fly. (I know, it didn't really look like it. But it really felt like that!) I was never that speechless before!

And now you're already lying next to me. It went fast! Luckily! Otherwise we would never be a couple like this. I am your brother actually very thankful! I love him! Not like I love you of course! But I can really imagine him being my brother in law someday!

I hope we will meet again very soon after these few days! I hope your parents let you travel a lot because otherwise I don't think we will see each other often. It already hurts me to think about that. But I will do everything to make it possible!

kisses

your prince, Gianluca (but you can call me Gian)

Receiving a letter like that could make your day. Take it from me! I really felt the happiest girl on earth that moment. And my whole day couldn't be better thanks to that thin piece of paper!

I agreed with most of the things in his letter. And it was so wonderful he called me his miracle. Just like I called him, my miracle. But there was one little thing, I didn't really like 'Gian'. It's not bad. But 'Gianluca', that sounds like a million violins playing the perfect melody!

...Together with a bunch of angel voices (like those from Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca himself), alterated with the beautiful sound of a harp AND a piano! So I sent him a message to tell him that in a slightly different way.

"I prefer to call you 'Gianluca'! Because that's the most beautiful name I ever heard. To me it's unique because I never heard it before. And obviously I don't know any other Gianluca on this planet. So it's unique. And I always use to say 'unique, c'est magnifique!' You know, 'Gian' could be the abbreviation for a lot of names."

He immediately sent me a message too. "Then I'd like to change my name to Gian. And only you can call me Gianluca, the others have to say Gian. Haha."

A few days later I received another letter from Gianluca. He told my how special I was. Again. But it was nice to read and I knew I was not really the best, the most beautiful, the most talented girl ever existed. But I was happy Gianluca thought I was. That was all that mattered. And studying for my exams of course. Which I hated. Really.

But not all letters could be that beautiful. The last letter before my birthday wasn't a letter I wanted to remember. Even though it was almost just as perfect as his previous ones. No, it was the last sentence that changed my mood from happy to sad.

"I know, I should've told you this sooner. And I'm really sorry too! But I can't come to your birthday party the 21st, which is probably one of the next days."

That's how it ended. Like he didn't care. Was my little nightmare coming true? If it was, then I didn't want to go to sleep anymore. Matter of not having more nightmares like that, which could come true.

I called him, to ask why he didn't told me the news before. And suddenly, when I heard him cry, I felt sorry for him. Sorry for him feeling sorry for me. Complicated. But that's how it goes when you're in love. You feel everything double. If he feels sad, I'm even more sad. If he is happy, I jump from excitement. That's how it is. That's how it should be.

But when we finished that one phone call, I really was sad. Not for him feeling sad. Alright, of course also for him. But especially for me. It was my birthday the next day. And he just told me he wasn't going to come. I thought all the time he was planning a surprise visit to me, because he always ignored the subject. But I was wrong. 'Too perfect' was really 'too perfect'. And now I felt the consequences from it.

So that's how I went to bed. Feeling very sad. Still hoping, he would be there the next day.