Fifteen

Tre

"Come on, Isabella, we've got to leave!" Nari yelled, not for the first time, either. I'll admit, I've been dragging my feet about wanting to go on an adventure today and was slower getting ready than usual but at the same time, I've got to straighten my hair and stuff like that. "If you're not down here in fifty seconds, I'm coming up, so you better be dressed."

Rolling my eyes at his words, I run the irons over my hair one last time before turning them off and putting on a single layer of mascara. I'm not one of those girly-girl types and it's a very rare occasion that I put makeup on but without the mascara, I look like I'm on death's door, so I make an exception on that one. Without looking at my appearance in the mirror, I grab my bag from the bed and run down the stairs holding my Vans in my hand. Reaching the bottom of the stairs with five seconds to spare, I slip on my shoes and do a jazz hands kind of dance to show Nari that I'm ready.

"You're a dork." Nari turned and made his way out the door towards the car that would be taking us into Verona. Margherita and Nonna were already in the car, nattering on and on in rapid-fire Italian. They stopped talking when Nari greeted them with a bright, "Buongiorno."

The drive into the city was unbearable; I hated being left out of the conversation and the way the other three were nattering on and on, I was on the verge of losing my mind and yelling at them to speak English. Thankfully, by the time my patience was about to run out, the car came to a stop in one of Verona's many piazzas. Nari, in typical fashion, gave a polite 'thank you' and darted out of the car, soon getting lost in the thick crowd. 

Giving Margherita and Nonna a small smile, I waved them off as soon as I was on the curbside. Looking around, I tried to look for Nari but being short, I couldn't make him out in the sea of people. You could tell it was tourist season. Knowing it would be futile to stand on my tiptoes to find him, I start to push my way into the centre of the piazza, calling out for Nari. When he didn't reply, I huffed and went climbed a set of steps that were in the centre of the square, surveying the area with narrowed eyes. Thankfully, Nari was tall and had a headache-inducing bright backpack with him which made him easy to spot at the other end of the square when the tourists were done taking photos and dispersed. 

Sighing, I power walk to where Nari is stood, coming to a stop in front of him where I proceeded to tap my foot against the aged stones beneath my shoes. Nari stared at my feet and raised an eyebrow. 

"Are you seriously tapping your foot at me right now?" He demanded, lifting his eyes to my face. When he looked at me, a shit-eating grin split across his features and he doubled over laughing. "Why are you sweating so much?"

I'm not unfit or anything but power walking really isn't my sport and the fact that I had to sprint from the centre of the square to catch up with Nari meant that I was perspiring like a pig. Wiping the gleam from my forehead, I silently thank all that is holy for the fact that I wasn't wearing any make up. That stuff is so expensive that I probably would have cried if it melted off my face thanks to the sweat. Still, I wipe under my eyes just in case my mascara decided to betray me. It's waterproof mascara but that doesn't necessarily mean sweat proof. 

"Stop laughing, you weirdo," I snap at him. His laughter dies down slightly but not enough for my liking. Pushing aggressively at his shoulder, I watch as he stumbles backwards and has to regain his footing. "I really don't like you."

Nari grins. "No, you love me. And I love you. Ti adoro."

"Get lost," Is ay, giving him the middle finger salute. Pulling at the strap of my bag, I look at my surroundings and frown. "Ok, so I'm in Verona. Now what?"

Looking pleased as punch to be my tourist guide, Nari rolls off a list of all the things we're going to do, most of which sound even more boring than the stuff he rattled off last night. Nodding along, I find myself following him as he leaves the piazza and makes his way down a narrow alleyway. Coming out on a busy street on the other side, we walk towards a small cafe and Nari pulls up a seat at a table outside, motioning for me to join him. 

"Ok, so this place has been open since eighteen seventy-three and has been run by the same family ever since," Nari explains, his eyes shining with delight. "They make the best gelato in the whole of Verona and because it's not particularly in the most touristy area of the city, only the locals and those who like to wander off the beaten track know it exists. Verona in the guidebooks is nice but today, I'm going to show you my Verona. I think you'll love it."

I scoff. "Don't hold your breath on that." Then I grin. "Or you could."

"Isabella, you really need to chill out," he says, his New Jersey drawl more prominent than ever. "Ok, you don't want to be here, I get that. I used to hate coming over with my grandparents but you know what? You're here. Suck it up. You can either enjoy it or you can hate it but just remember this- you waste more energy hating something than loving it. By the way, I recommend the cioccolato all'azteca."

"What's that?"

"A combination of chocolate, cinnamon and hot peppers," Nari wickedly grins. "Trust me, once you taste it, you won't regret it."

I shrug. When in Rome.