1.1 | When In Rome ✓

02 | milkshakes

02

m i l k s h a k e s

Olivia guessed it correctly: She couldn't stand the hotel. At all. 

Everything in the hotel reminded her of Jackson. There was his favorite sweater in the closet, a suitcase full of his things, and a photo album of her and him. That was the breaking point for her. 

She guessed the hotel didn't clean out the penthouse because it was privately owned, but she wished they did so she could at least spend more time in the hotel, instead of blindly walking around the square and trying not to look like a tourist. 

Olivia hated this. She hated what happened, she hated that they went to that party, hated the stupid truck driver, and hated the fact she still carries Jackson's phone, which was the only thing his dad didn't throw out in his bout of sadness and anger. So, Jackson's mom let her keep it. And she kept it, wanting something, anything of Jackson's so that she could still be close to him. Because it was hard to be close to someone who was 6 feet under. 

She wanted to get rid of the phone, she wanted to stop remembering. But, she couldn't. That's why her mom sent her on this sabbatical; to help her find something that would help her accept it and move on, claiming that it helped her when she was a kid. Olivia doubted it would, but she couldn't say no to her mother, the famed politician, Lydia Manchester. So, she went along with it like she always did. 

But now, she needed to get out of this square and find a good place to get food. Olivia figured the best option would be a milkshake because she just had breakfast at the hotel, and wanted something sweet and loaded with fat and calories. 

She called a taxi, then got in, directing them to the nearest, small-town milkshake shop, to Gelateria Valentino, then stepped out of the taxi, thanking the driver after paying them. 

She stared up at the small shop, before blowing out her cheeks, and then going inside. Walking up to the counter, she looks at the menu really quickly before ordering. 

"May I have a strawberry milkshake?" Olivia asks as nicely as she could, not having the energy to translate it to Italian. 

The woman smiles at her, before making the said milkshake. "That'll be $2.30, please," she says, smiling, her rosy cheeks aglow. 

Olivia tries to smile back and then goes digging through her purse for the cash. "Um," she says, looking sheepish as she returned empty-handed. "I can't find my money." 

The woman's smile dims a bit. "Oh. I'll just hold onto this until you can find your-" 

"I'll pay for it." A boy her age comes up to stand next to her, and Olivia stares at him suspiciously as he orders for himself. "Could I have a chocolate ice-cream with sprinkles in a cup and not cone?" 

He slides over a $5 bill before grabbing both the milkshake and his ice-cream and setting them down at a nearby booth. 

"Uh," Olivia says awkwardly. "I kind of intended on sitting alone." 

"Yeah, and I intended on only paying $2 for my food here, but I ended up spending $5. It's amazing how things work out, right?" He says, grinning at the distraught expression on her face.