One Way Ticket to Anywhere | ✔️

Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

"You know, I never got your name." Sebastien said as we rowed down the canal back into Venice.

"It's Raegan. Hey, I meant to ask earlier, but I forgot. What's with all the masks?"

"It's Carnival!"

"What?"

"Carnival! It's the Italian's version of Mardi Gras. It goes on for two weeks in February each year. It why I'm here actually." Sebastien stopped the boat. "Okay this is where we leave this."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because it's not exactly mine. I found it here a week or so ago. I leave it here for a while each day, but no one ever comes by to claim it."

Add thief to my list of doubts about Sebastien.

"How do you feel about getting lost?" Sebastien asked, as we both stepped onto the sidewalk.

"Excuse me?"

"Getting lost. Running through the streets until you can't breathe and then just wandering around until you're so turned around, you couldn't get back to where you were if you tried."

"And what would be the fun of that?"

He grinned. "Only one way to find out." Then he grabbed my hand and started running down the street.

I could've let go. He wasn't forcing me to go anywhere. But I didn't want to. I wanted to get lost in Venice with this Sebastien.

So we ran. Past cafes and over bridges. Passing canal after canal. We ran until my feet couldn't move. I finally let go of his hand, clutching my knees and gasping to catch my breath.

Sebastien stopped too and grinned over his shoulder.

"Do you have any idea where we are?" I asked, finally regaining composure.

"Not a clue, and I've been here an unusually long time."

"Oh yeah? How long do you usually stay in places?" Who was this guy?

"Oh I don't know. It all depends. When you're on the road long enough, switching time zones and not worrying about the bustle of normal life, time ceases to matter. I spent three months in Cambodia once, but I only spent one day in Paris."

I just shook my head. I didn't know what to say. "How are we supposed to get back?"

Sebastien studied me for a moment. "Back where? Do you have a hotel or something?"

"Well, no, I don't."

"See it's perfect then! No strings attached."

"Well I'm supposed to meet my friend tomorrow."

"Then we'll worry about that tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah okay."

I don't know if it was the jet lag or the fact that it was my first day in a foreign country or something else entirely, but I felt as if the world was endless. Full of endless possibilities. That I could do anything and be anyone.

I felt free.

Free of the suffocating town I grew up in. Free of the expectations I felt I had to live up to. Free of the anxiety. Free of the pressure.

If only I'd known before that it just took one plane ticket.

Sebastien looked around for a moment, probably lost in his own thoughts too. "What do you feel like doing?"

I surveyed our surroundings. In the distance there was a clock tower. "There."

Sebastien grabbed my hand and grinned. "Okay."

We half walked, half ran over to the clock tower. A man stood by the entrance. Sebastien said something to him in Italian, (he knew Italian?) and the man replied, "Benvenuto, San Giorgio's Tower."

Sebastien turned to me as we walked into the tower. "Well I guess we know where we are now, San Giorgio's Island." He sounded sort of dejected as he said this.

"If it helps at all, that doesn't mean anything to me. We can still be lost."

He gave me a slight smile as we started up the staircase to the top of the tower.

It wasn't too crowded here. Probably because it wasn't put on TripAdvisor's "15 Things You Must do in Venice." (I'll admit, I read it on the plane).

Once we reached the top, neither of us spoke for a while. I stood at the top of the tower and just stared at the city before me. I still couldn't quite believe that I was here, in Venice, after being stuck in Idaho for so long.

Eventually my thoughts drifted to Sebastien. The fact that I'd met him was a mystery onto itself. If I'd gotten in a different cab, or if I'd told the driver to take me to a hostel instead, we'd never have met. And even though I'd only known him for a few hours there was just something about him that made me feel totally safe.

Sebastien turned to me and looked at me with such intensity that I had to look away. He picked up a lock of my wavy blonde hair and held it between his fingers. Slowly, I turned to face him. His blue eyes still pierced my gaze. His lips inched closer to mine.

"So are you about ready to go?" he asked.

Huh?

What the fuck just happened?

I blinked. And blinked again. "Uh..."

"Perfect," Sebastien said smirking. "Because I have a surprise for you."

"You do?"

"I do. It's one of my favorite places in Venice. A tad touristy, though."

We walked back down the stairs in a silence that wasn't quite comfortable but not quite awkward either. Was this Sebastien guy just a player? A tease? A lead on? Well, if he wouldn't kiss me, I wouldn't kiss him either.

As we reached the bottom, I risked a glance at Sebastien. He was smirking at me.

Oh my God. I was going to kill him.

Appearing not to notice my frustration, Sebastien walked over to one of the Gondolas and slipped the striped shirted man a bill.

"Come on!" He called. "You can't visit Venice and not ride in a gondola!"

Okay, that was true. And even though I was mad at Sebastien for leading me on and causing me to make a fool out of myself, I didn't exactly have anyone else, until Emma arrives tomorrow.

So I hopped in the gondola and enjoyed the silent ride down the canal. With the masks, the charming cafes at every corner, the history, I don't think I could ever get tired of the City of Water.

Sebastien pulled a worn bandana out of his pocket. "Would you wear this for the rest of the ride? That way it can truly be a surprise."

I said yes, even though I was pretty sure there was a movie out there where someone got kidnapped like this. I trusted Sebastien, though I didn't know why.

I don't know how long it was before I felt Sebastien tug at the blindfold. When he let it drop, I gasped at where we had arrived.

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That's it for this chapter! Come back in a week to find out where Raegan has arrived. Don't forget to vote and comment what you think!