SUCCUMBING SALVATORE

natural beauty

~chapter 15~

Venice has well and truly captured my heart.

It is the most romantic city and it fascinates me how it still has Renaissance features to it, it truly is another world.

"Isn't it beautiful here" I say to Aaliyah as she takes a selfie of me and her eating a mango ice cream that we just brought from gelato shop.

"Oh it's heavenly" she says agreeing as we both lick our cones and we giggle at how immature we both are as I feel ice cream dripping down my chin

"This has been the trip of a lifetime" she says leaning against the bridge looking down at the water and watching our reflection swirl.

"It has, we still have a few days left and I can't bear leaving" I say frowning slightly and she nods licking her ice cream pensively.

"Hey you two!" Says Lucas standing next to us and soon enough Brittany, Loren and Grayson join us and I start to feel emotional.

"Thanks for being my friend" I say to them all as we all look into the river and they all 'aw' and hug me and I smile at the contact

"You guys are the best" I say and Grayson cheers making a few bypasses look at us like we're crazy but in that moment none of us mind.

"Come on before we get left behind" says Lucas slinging his arm around Brittany who kisses his jaw and I smile at their intimacy.

Imagine walking around the streets so casually with Mr Romano, only a girl could dream.

After lunch we were took to an Italian art museum and once we stepped inside I couldn't tear my eyes away from the many paintings.

I could also tell I wasn't the only one in my element, as every other minute I would look over at a calculative Mr Romano.

He would stand at each painting for at least five minutes and watch it like it's moving and coming to life.

I tear my eyes away from the descendant of Aphrodite and make my way over to Loren who is looking at a painting.

"You okay?" I ask her and she nods pulling her eyes away from the painting and I look at it thionyl about how beautifully detailed the hummingbirds on it are

"Look at how the artist has done this" she says and I nod finding it fascinating yet so ethereal and beautiful at the same time

"What are the golden lines around it?" She asks me and I look deeper to find that the bird is trapped.

Stuck in its cage, such a beautiful creature hidden to the world. Not knowing what it's life outside of the cage would be like.

I pull my eyes away from the haunting message hidden in the beautiful painting and she looks at me longingly, "it's a cage I think"

"Oh right, shame, I think they ruined it by adding that" she said and gave me one last smile by walking away and I shiver at it walking away as well.

I then stand next to Mr Romano who is looking at a landscape painting of a girl lying down on bed with a gown on her

I look at how bright her eyes are and I wonder if this was painted from life, if it was she must be a beautiful girl due to the dainty aura surrounding her

"Is this a real girl?" I ask him breaking the silence feeling myself getting pulled in and I flicker my eyes at him as he scratches his chin

"I think so, the name of it is Aurora" he says and I look at a plaque underneath the painting and it indeed says 'Aurora' by an artist called Michele Antonio