Lovers In Pompeii (Ian Hecox)

Chapter 10 - I'm Going Home

 *Ian's Point of View*

"Do I look okay?" I asked Lucia, turning away from the mirror.

"Here let me fix something." She said while sitting up from her chair and walking over to me. "Here." She said while playing with my hair. "Much better." She smiled.

"I'm nervous." I blurted out.

"Don't worry Ian! Just be yourself okay?" She smiled and I nodded nervously.

We exited our hotel room and I grabbed her hand. We walked out of the hotel and down a street towards the restaurant. I took a deep breath before going in.

"Hello Samuel." I said, approaching the table where he was sitting.

"Hello Ian. Please, sit, you two!" He said with a deep laugh. Lucia and I took our seats across from Samuel. "So, where did we leave off?"

"My new job." I replied.

"Ah right! Cheers to that!" He smiled. We each raised our glasses and clinked.

"To Ian's new job, new relationships and to Rome!" Lucia said. We all took a sip. The alcohol helped ease my nerves and clear my mind.

"So, Ian. Tell me, what's your overall goal in life? If my daughter is going to date someone. I'd like him to be ambitious!" He said and Lucia shot him a look.

"Well, it would probably be to get married, settle down, maybe have a few children. In a few years, I'd like to be able to run my own blacksmith shop." I answered.

"All very good goals. What do you do for fun? Do you hunt, farm or something else?" He asked.

"I do enjoy farming. It's quiet and calming. I've never been a very good hunter." I answered.

"Well, you and I will have to try some day! I would love to teach you." He said.

"And I would love to learn." I smiled at him.

"Ian, I'd like to apologize for my wife. She just doesn't understand that there's more to life than money. She can't see what an ambitious and lovely young man you are. So, I apologize on her behalf."

"Thank you Sir. That truly does mean a lot." I said seriously.

"So, Lucia what do you think of Rome?" He asked.

"It's gorgeous here! I wish I would never have to leave." She smiled.

"Well, if you love it that much, you can move out here. With Ian, of course. But, it is just an offer. Nobody's forcing you to do anything." He said.

Ian and I looked at each other.

"What could I do here? For work, I mean." Lucia asked her father.

"There's tons to do here. You could work at the hotel or the coliseum. Trust me, finding work is not an issue." He explained. "Ian, you could get the best blacksmith training in the country!"

"It could be an option. We'll consider it, won't we Ian?" She looked at me and I nodded.

*Lucia's Point of View*

"What do you mean you can't leave Pompeii?" I yelled at Ian. We've been arguing since we arrived back in our hotel room.

"I just can't! Everything is there for me! My job, my home, everything!" He yelled back.

"This is the opportunity of a lifetime for the both of us! We wouldn't have to sneak around anymore! We could actually see each other during daylight hours!"

"I already said no, Lucia. I'm not leaving Pompeii. It's not an option." He said firmly.

"I just don't understand Ian. It's perfect! What's so important that's still in Pompeii?" I calmed down.

"How about my parents! They could still be in Pompeii! You have everything you could ever need at your fingertips! And I don't even know who my parents are! Do you know how it feels to not be wanted by your own parents? No, you don't! But, it gives me the slightest bit of hope knowing that they might still be in Pompeii." He said with tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Ian-" I started.

"No, Lucia. I don't want to hear it. I'm leaving. You just move here and be happy. Find some other guy and have a family. I need to find mine." He said and then he grabbed his suitcase and left the room.

"Ian! Wait!" I ran after him. "Where are you going?" I screamed down the hallway.

"I'm going home, Lucia. I'll see you in a few weeks. Or who knows? Maybe, I won't."