Patting her pockets, she found two one-euro coins.
If I toss two, will that double my chances at being able to return? Worth a shot.
Lorenzo gave her a thumbs-up and positioned the phone to capture her toss. Bringing the coins to her lips, Sabrina turned, and with her right hand, tossed the coins over her left shoulder. Then she turned and looked into the water, amazed at all the glistening coins within.
Lorenzo joined her a moment later. “Did I see you toss two coins?”
“Yes,” she answered slowly. “I thought it might double my luck.”
He swallowed hard. The Adam’s apple in his throat bobbed up and down. “Tossing two coins into the fountain signifies that you are in Rome hoping to find love.”
Sabrina dropped her head forward. “It does?”
“Si.”
Silently, Lorenzo returned Sabrina’s phone. Methodically, he reached into the top right pocket of his trousers. They locked eyes. He opened his hand and turned it over. Two silver coins shimmered in the light. Without so much as a glance, he tossed them over his shoulder and into the fountain as she had just done.
Two coins. He is here to find love.
Her body suddenly heated up as if it were on fire. Her throat grew dry. She moved in closer to Lorenzo.
In a husky voice, he whispered, “Miss Hill. I am terrible at reading hidden signs and symbols. Please, tell me point direct, are you giving me a second chance at a relationship?”
Her stomach clenched. “I’ll do you one better. I’ll show you.”
Sabrina’s confidence ignited in a lightning spark. She reached up for the collar of Lorenzo’s shirt and pulled him toward her. She crushed her lips on his, and it was as if she’d been stranded in a desert and was drinking her first drink of water in a long time.
She could taste the vanilla gelato upon his lips and smell his sage cologne. The fuzzy stubble on his cheeks grazed against her soft skin, tickling her nose. She ran her fingers through the ends of his curly hair, reminding her of a thick lion’s mane.
They broke apart, breathing heavily. “I’ve waited so long to kiss you like that. You’ve been taunting me for weeks,” Sabrina said softly. “Since coming to Italy, I never needed to look for love, because you’ve been right beside me this entire time.”
“You, Miss Hill, have made me a happy man, indeed.” He tenderly placed a hand under her chin and raised her head. “You aren’t the only one who has been trying to repress feelings of desire.” With his thumb, he traced the shape of her mouth and stared longingly into her eyes. “Now it’s my turn to show you howIfeel.”
With her eyes half closed, they kissed a second time, gentler than the first. Their noses nudged. Lorenzo’s lips were warm and soft. A thousand butterflies danced dizzily in her stomach. This was pure bliss.
* * *
The tires of the bicycle bounced up and down against the worn cobblestones of the Appian Way. Through the dense layer of trees on either side of the path, the sun had begun to lower itself against the horizon. A gentle breeze swept across the yellowed field of grass and daisies.
Lorenzo stopped pedaling. Sabrina pulled up right behind him. They unsnapped their helmets and took a swig from their water bottles. Sabrina spied the arched stone ruins of the Roman aqueduct, stretching as far as the eye could see.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” Lorenzo said. “Fresh water was carried for miles from the source across these bridges by gravity. Some of them, like the Aqua Virgo, still supply water to places like the Trevi Fountain.”
“This has to be one of the highlights of today. I loved the Pantheon, and of course, the Trevi Fountain”—she winked at Lorenzo—“but being here in the quiet, outside of the city, is so special.”
From the front basket of his bicycle, Lorenzo removed a red-and-white-checkered cloth and spread it out a few feet from their bikes. He sat down and patted the ground. “I thought we could enjoy watching the sunset together.”
Sabrina clapped her hands. “It’s so romantically cheesy. I love it!” She dropped down right beside him, scooting her body as close as possible to his. “Is this what you had planned all along?”
Lorenzo ran a hand over the stray blades of grass near the edge of the blanket. “Not exactly? The original itinerary called for us to watch the sunset from atop the Victor Emmanuel monument, but when we decided to, um, become a dating couple, I wanted to take you somewhere more special and intimate.”
“Today has been incredible!”
“I never thought I’d ever be lucky enough to find myself in a relationship again, and yet here we are.” He wrapped his arms around her body. “When I was with Noemi, we would always spend our nights out at posh restaurants, clubs, or other events. It always felt empty and unfulfilling. I told myself that I just needed to give our relationship more time, and eventually, maybe the feelings would emerge from the void.” He played with a lock of her hair. “But they never did. Instead, I found out that everything I thought I knew had been a lie. Noemi was using me to have access to my money and to have a shot at becoming a princess.”
Sabrina nuzzled her head into his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. It was like a drum. A steady staccato.
We both erected strong fortresses to protect ourselves.
