“Save some camera space for when we’re inside the monument,” Lorenzo said with an amused expression on his face. “How many photos have you taken since we arrived? Two hundred?”
“Maybe.” Sheepishly, Sabrina returned her phone to her crossbody bag. “It’s just hit me that we’re in Rome. This istheEternal City. It’s so special.” She pointed to her arm. “I have goose bumps. Rome is so different from the architecture of Florence. I want to capture a memory of everything I see.”
“That’s how I felt when I first moved to Rome. I was keen to explore and be right in the center of the action,” Lorenzo said.
“That’s right, you went to high school here?” Sabrina asked.
“Si. In the Prati neighborhood, not far from the Vatican.” Lorenzo grinned. “It was my first time being on my own. I thought it would be brilliant to be able to do whatever I wanted, like staying up late playing video games, ordering takeaway food, and having friends over.”
“That was me in college.” Sabrina chuckled. “But the novelty wears off quick when you have to be an adult and pay bills, cook, do laundry, and so forth.”
“Si, si. I had a small security team living with me to ensure that I stayed clear of trouble, but I was expected to do all of my own grocery shopping, cooking, and laundry.” Lorenzo rubbed the back of his neck. “It was an enormous reality check. At the palace, we had the staff to assist us.”
This is the first time Lorenzo has shared something so personal with me. He’s given me a tiny glimpse into the man behind the walls. I should do the same.
Yet Sabrina soon became distracted after crossing the street. Although it was only eight in the morning, a long line snaked around the chain-link-fence perimeter of the ruins, three hundred people deep. Her heart dropped.
“I knew it would be crowded here, but I didn’t expect so many people an hour before opening.”
She stared at the kids running around, still-half-asleep parents fanning themselves with maps and brochures, adults fussing with the settings of their large DSLR cameras, and actors dressed as gladiators shouting that they were available to take photos with.
“Unfortunately, the Colosseum is always crowded.” Lorenzo placed his hands on his hips “If we go over to Palatine Hill, there should be another ticketing office. They sell combination tickets to the Colosseum and Roman Forum, and the line will be much shorter.”
In the excitement of the moment, Sabrina jumped up and down and wrapped her arms around Lorenzo. “My hero.” She smelled hints of mint, sage, and lemon upon his person. The cotton of his navy polo shirt was stiff across her arms.
Her sunglasses fell with a clatter to the ground from atop her head. She released him as he bent over to pick them up.
Tread with caution, Sabrina. You must maintain a grip on your emotions. There is a line that is not ready to be crossed. At least, not yet.
Lorenzo returned her sunglasses to her, a coy smile on his lips. His gaze lingered on her face a moment longer than necessary. Sabrina bit the inside of her cheek. Quickly, she asked, “What can you tell me about the Roman Forum?”
Lorenzo ran a hand through his hair. “The Forum was built in the valley between two of the seven hills of Rome—Palatine Hill and Capitoline Hill. Like the Agora of ancient Athens, the Forum held the market, temples, government buildings, and the villas of the wealthiest families.”
They made the short stroll, purchased their tickets, and found the site was already allowing guests to enter. Gravel crunched beneath their shoes. Sabrina forced herself to focus on listening to Lorenzo provide a running commentary on the vast ruins contained within the archaeological site.
You’re in the ancient city center, and all you can stare at is Lorenzo’s glorious mouth and his full lips.
They stopped in front of a drab, towering rectangular concrete building with three windows and a set of green-tinged bronze metal doors. They climbed the steps. She leaned over the rope barrier, attempting to obtain a glimpse of the inside. She made out a series of mosaic tiles, but the rest of the interior was covered in scaffolding for renovation work.
“This is the Senate building. It’s hard to picture now, but it would have been covered in a white marble facade. The real-life Julius Caesar, Brutus, and Marc Antony once climbed these steps and conducted the business of empire within the building’s hallowed walls.”
“Sometimes I have such a difficult time imagining that these figures were mere mortals, just like us.” Sabrina adjusted the strap of her bag. “It brings back memories of my growing up, in the shadow of my older sister, Maggie. She was like Caesar?.?.?. perfect.”
“Caesar may have been a brilliant politician, but he made plenty of mistakes. Nobody is perfect,” Lorenzo emphasized.
They walked farther down the path, near a set of free-standing stone walls covered by a modern wooden roof.
“I know that, but mentally, I’ve struggled for years with my self-worth. I was forever being compared to Maggie and was constantly reminded how I could never seem to measure up to the bar she set. I was always the disappointment.”
They stopped walking. Her chest grew tight, and she wrapped her arms around her body. “I constantly felt like a failure. It was a horrible place to be. It was so dark, cold, and lonely. For years, I had to pretend that I was fine and wasn’t bothered by it all, but internally, it was eating at me until there was almost nothing left.”
“You had to go through all of that, alone?” Lorenzo breathed in sharply. “And I said you disappointed me.” He cautiously moved in closer to her “Sabrina, I had no idea. If I would’ve known, I never would have ever—”
She stared at the charcoal-gray dirt and kicked at it. “You had no way of knowing. It wasn’t something I have ever shared with anyone.” She took a deep breath. “I am the type of person who tends to bury their emotions.”
“What changed?” He picked up her hand. The weight of his was comforting and warm.
“The moment I heard those horrid words tumble out of your mouth, I saw red. It was a moment where I just wanted to scream and tell every single person who had ever treated me like crap that Iwasworthy. It realized that I couldn’t go on any longer as I was. Something had to change.”
