Strawberry Kisses Phavy Prieto (bookstand for reading TXT) 📖

sneakers and I assumed that we were going to walk for a while, even though I didn't know where. We went to the underground parking lot of his building and I figured that, whatever the destination was, we would go there by car. It seemed like an adventure, and I decided not to ask for anything, because it was much more exciting to find it out little by little.

"Do you have your driving license with you?" he asked mysteriously.

"Of course," I said as if it was obvious. "I always carry all my documents with me." I double-checked right after. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason. Just in case."

When I saw the airport from afar, I had an adrenaline rush. We passed by it and I calmed down.

How the hell could you think we were going to leave the country? These things only happen in romantic movies, Maria...

As that thought went by, I saw the sign of a private airport: at that point all the alarm sirens in my head went off.

"Where are we going?" I asked confused.

"To the private airport," he said casually.

"Didn't you say we were going for a walk?" I asked jokingly. I thought that the program was going to be an hour flight with an ultralight aircraft or something similar.

"Yes, we are going for a walk but in Italy, specifically, in Rome," he said bluntly.

What? Italy? Rome? The Rome of the Romans? The one with the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain? It had to be a joke! I didn't even have my cell phone charged enough to take pictures!

But it wasn't a joke, it was all true. The aircraft of his company was waiting for us, and as soon as we got on, it took off and headed for Rome, where, to my surprise, we were going to spend the night. And I didn't even have spare panties with me.

"May I know why you didn't tell me anything? We don't even have a change of clothes. I don't even have a charger!" I yelled agitated.

"Sometimes doing things on the spur of the moment is a lot more fun than when everything is planned in advance. Relax, have fun! We are going to spend thirty-six hours in Rome and we are going to live those hours intensely. It will be just you, me and the experiences that the city will offer us."

I had to admit that Rome was beautiful and magical, despite its chaos and noisy traffic: cobblestone streets, tourists everywhere, history in every corner. We had dinner in a small Italian restaurant where we savoured a delicious carbonara accompanied by an excellent red house wine. On the way to the hotel we walked hand in hand while Damian told me an infinity of things about the city. And finally we got to the Trevi Fountain, which was wonderfully lit.

"Here. Make a wish," he said, offering me a coin. I stared at him suspiciously. I didn't believe in such things. "Come on! Stand with your back towards the fountain, make a wish and toss the coin with your eyes closed."

"But that's nonsense," I muttered. "It's nothing more than..."

"You are here now. We don't know where we will be tomorrow. One day, remembering this moment, you might wonder what could have happened if you made a wish."

He made me smile. Damian had a great power of persuasion, he managed to convince me to say yes to all his proposals. I squeezed the coin tightly in my fingers and thought about what I could desire most at that moment.

I already had a job that I loved. I was in good health. I certainly couldn't complain about that. I didn't have great friendships, but I didn't feel the need for them either. Love... Well, that was another story. It was something I always wanted in my life, something that could last forever, and I'd never had it. With that thought I closed my eyes and made a wish.

"May what we have between us now last forever!" I thought just before tossing the coin into the waters of that enchanting fountain.

Chapter XVIII

When we got back from Rome on Sunday afternoon, I knew I fell in love with that city. So did Damian. He had been like Prince Charming from Snow White. Everything was like in a fairy tale. The evil witch and the seven dwarves were the only thing missing. Well, them and my singing. My voice was not at all angelic, it was more like a voice of a choking duck.

Once we arrived in Madrid, it was strange to go back to Damian’s luxurious penthouse instead of the apartment where I had lived for years. What were we supposed to do? What did couples usually do when they came back from a trip? In my brief experiences with my exes, everyone went back to his own place until the next time we met. But considering that Damian and I were going to live together for two weeks, it wasn't clear to me what I was supposed to do. On Sunday evenings I used to prepare for the upcoming week and review my planner with extreme attention, which reminded me that my planner was still in my car.

"I want to get my briefcase and my planner from my car," I told Damian as we drove back to his place.

"Sure," he said without taking his eyes off the road.

When we parked in the garage, I went to my car before going home. Home. It was strange to call Damian's apartment "home". I couldn't call home a place where I was going to stay for less than two weeks.

"What do you usually do on Sundays?" I asked just to break the silence as we walked into the elevator. We had no suitcases, apart from my handbag and two bags with souvenirs and T-shirts I bought