From London to Rome

Chapter 13

I must say seeing Luca standing in front of me while working is quite a surprise. He texted me early this morning to let me know he arrived back in London but I didn't expect to see him this soon. I can't deny I'm happy to see him, but I am most definitely surprised. My hair looked like a mess this morning so I quickly tied it up in a loose bun before coming to work. I'm pretty sure the little mascara I put on is smeared all around my eyes. I really hope he doesn't notice my raccoon look, but that would mean he is blind, so I don't know what's better.

Luca waits at a table with another coffee until I finish my shift. I still have around half an hour left of my shift but since there are so few people my boss tells me that I can leave early today. I grab my stuff from my locker and make myself a coffee before joining Luca at his table. He fills me in on how his job in LA went. He got the job right away and he got lucky because his scenes were filmed during the first filming days he could leave within a week again.

Luca asks if I want to go out again tomorrow. My breath stocks in my throat when he adds 'as a date' to that sentence. I'm more than happy to go out with him again, I'm a little less happy when he mentions the activity he has in mind.

"I'm in terrible shape, Luca. I'm not sure I can keep up if we go hiking."

"Don't worry about it, Sky. It's a pretty easy path, maybe not even worth the word hike. We can take it slow. And I'll bring food."

"You should have started your proposal with that." I laugh.

---|---

"Girls! Hurry up! I have to leave in an hour." Madison and Tess have been going through my closet for over half an hour, and they still have not found anything suitable for me to wear. No surprise, since I already went through it three times before I called them to come over to help me. After not telling them about the first date I had with Luca I promised to inform them on all future dates, hence they're trashing my room to find the right outfit for me.

"Okay, how about this one?"

"Sure Mads. The best thing to wear on a hike is a skirt." She looks at her choice again, seeing the issue I have with her pick. Tess has a better option to offer. A pair of black skinny jeans with my Coldplay band shirt and a grey knitted sweater. That will do.

The girls have me ready just in time. They wouldn't let me go without at least some makeup and spending 20 minutes on my hair, putting it in a bun. I insisted on just wearing a bit of makeup on my eyes since I'll probably sweat the rest off anyway. They managed to make me look pretty while keeping my casual go-to style. I wonder how I look after our little hiking trip.

My train arrives just a minute after I get to the station. I'm relieved I made it, even if it was just in time. Luca told me to meet him in a park in Northern London. He offered to come to pick me up at my flat but once I called my friends to come over I texted him not to come. My friends would recognise him right away probably and that's not something I want to risk just yet. The train ride takes a little over half an hour. Plenty of time for me to overthink just about everything in my life numerous times. I'm thrilled to finally be off the train and see Luca again, even though I just saw him yesterday. Just like on our last date, I find myself looking for Luca outside the station. Before I can scan the area, he finds me. I feel his hands around my shoulders and I turn around to face him. He gives me a hug but quickly pulls away before I have time to react to it.

"I didn't know a Coldplay shirt could look this good." I feel my cheeks turning red as he obviously checks me out. I've never had anyone check me out, especially in a way that is this obvious. In the meantime, he is totally oblivious of the female attention he is getting. They may not know who he is but they sure as hell like what they see. I have to agree with them. Luca looks extremely good in his black jeans with a matching black shirt and a hoody around his shoulders. How can guys look so damn fit in just a plain black shirt?

We walk towards Hampstead Heath. I'm rather relieved Luca picked this place. Like he said yesterday it's a pretty easy path to the top compared to most hiking trails. Noah loves to go hiking and whenever we went on a holiday he would have us go on at least one hiking trip for an entire day. I was never an athletic person but ever since I moved to London it didn't change for the better.

"I know there are way better places to go hiking, but they seemed to be a little too far from the city. And from here you have an amazing view of the city."

"This place is great!" In front of us lies a large field with a path right through the middle. A line of trees blocking the busy roads from the park, the city bustling behind us.

We walking for at least an hour, only stopping to take pictures or have a coffee. With both of us being total caffeine junkies, a few coffee stops have to be included in everything we do. With our second coffee in our hands, we continue the trail.

"Okay, so this may sound a little weird and all but... I have told you many things about myself, things I haven't even told my friends. Somehow, I still feel we know very little about each other. It's not that crazy because we have only known each other for two weeks, but still. I want to know more about you, Skylar." Luca rambles on and I'm afraid he forgets to breathe.

"I get what you're saying. It may not be the best way to get to know each other, but what about 20 questions?" Luca agrees and we start asking each other questions.

Soon I find out that his favourite colour is green, his favourite food is steak and his favourite movie is the Fast and Furious franchise. Something about fast cars and cool stunts apparently.

"What about you?"

"My favourite colour is red, my favourite food is pizza and movie definitely Mamma Mia."

"You should try my grandmother's pizza sometime, she makes the best pizza in whole Anzio."

"Does she live in Italy?"

"Yeah. She moved to the UK after my eldest cousin was born, but she couldn't get used to the country so when I was five, she moved back to Italy. Next question."

"Uhm, what's your favourite car?"

"Wow, I did not see that question coming."

"My dad loves cars, he told me enough about them over the years. He always says he had to raise me right. Explaining my Coldplay shirt as well."

"I already like your dad. My favourite car would be a Lamborghini Urus. I don't like those very sporty cars too much." Well, at least he knew what he was talking about. "What about you?"

"Probably an Audi A5."

"Not bad. I have another question. What was your first impression of me? Real-life me."

"In the coffee shop I didn't see your face, I only recognised your voice but didn't know what from. In the bookstore, you started rambling a little, so I thought you were a very talkative person. You sounded really kind and smart. And I thought that you looked way hotter than in the pictures." Why did I have to add that last part? Can I just ever shut up like a normal human being? Luca chuckles next to me, which only makes my face turn a few shades brighter red.

"Well thank you. I thought you were really pretty." And here we go again. If possible, my face gets even redder and I have to pay attention not to trip and fall right on my face. Although, covering my face with mud would hide my glowing cheeks. Before either of us can say anything else, I feel a few drops on my face. I look up to see dark grey clouds hanging above us. Luca notices it too.

"Maybe we should head back to a station before it starts pouring." We are at least twenty minutes away from the nearest station, so I hope we can make it there in time. My hope is all gone when it starts pouring within seconds, soaking us to the bone within a minute.