BOOK II.
Four months have passed since Ashton and Ria's relationship fell into ruins. He's convinced that she hates him and she believes he never loved her. Giving up on each other, they attempt to mend their loneliness in the arms of their past; Ch...
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RIA TURNS THE RING towards the early morning sun with a smile plastered across her face. A wedding ring for Ashton; all silver with a deep blue undertone because it reminds her of the color of his eyes and his love for the ocean.
After commanding him to get some rest before they start their day, she snuck out and did a little exploring to the nearest jewelry shop from their hotel. Small lines are engraved across the top and bottom. She hopes that when they have the time, she'll be able to have something engraved on the inside like he did for her engagement ring.
Their hotel is as close to the countryside as they can possibly get without isolating themselves from the true allure of Italy. Seeing as Rome is a wildly popular tourist city, she figured they'd have the most relaxed fun away from intense traffic and tourism.
She skips past a fountain and dips her fingertips in it, shivering at the cool liquid kissing her skin. Even the water seems to be entirely different here. Traveling alongside dirt roads and slightly decrepit sidewalks, Ria contemplates renting bikes to avoid too much walking.
Back in their hotel, Ashton is coming from the bathroom dripping and steaming with a towel dangerously low on his hips. He pushes back his damp hair and smiles at her when she enters the room. "Hey. Where have you been?"
"I thought I told you to rest." She pretends to scold him but fails miserably, simpering like a lovesick fool. This beautiful man in front of her is going to be her husband very soon.
"Like I could actually sleep right now. We're in Italy, you're hometown, and we're getting married in a couple days. I can't fucking believe anything right now."
"I know." She throws her hands up before holding her cheeks with desperation. "It feels too good to be true. Like someone could wake me up at any moment."
Ashton drops his towel and begins digging through the luggage on their large satin sheet bed. Ria blushes and drags her eyes away from his shameless allure. "So...not to be culturally ignorant," he begins as he slips on a pair of briefs, "but there's a really weird thing in the bathroom and I thought it was a sink...until I saw the sink."
"Oh." Ria bites the end of her thumb and sways side to side. "That's called a bidet. American's find it really weird, but it's actually quite sanitary."
"Bidet?" He quirks a brow from over his shoulder.
"Mhm. It cleans the lower half of your body instead of using toilet paper."
Ashton's face scrunches up in immediate distaste. "That's gross."
She giggles, fully expecting that reaction, and inches towards him. "Maybe toilet paper is gross."
He narrows his eyes. "When we move here we are not getting a house with one of those bidet things."
