‘I promise I won’t.’
Pulling her closer to the railing, he set her hands down on it.
‘Can I open them now?’
With the colours of the city lights illuminating her face, Matthew wasn’t ready for the big reveal. ‘Just a moment.’ Something told him to capture the moment, so special and one to be remembered. He withdrew his phone from his pocket and took a photo of Sarah, eyes closed, awash with the light of Florence lit up at night. He quickly checked the photo, tucked the phone out of sight and stood close by her. ‘Ok, you can open them now.’
Sarah’s eyes blinked open, then widened. Stretched before her was Florence, drenched in iridescent gold hues, the city seemed to glow from within. ‘Where are we?’ she gasped, turning over her shoulder to place herself.
‘Piazzale Michelangelo.’ They weren’t alone. The piazza was buzzing with activity and excitement. ‘There are lots of amazing places to capture the city from, but this is my favourite.’
Sarah leaned her weight against the balcony’s edge and exhaled. ‘This is breathtaking.’
‘I used to come up here when I was younger. I used to try to time myself, like a race and I only had myself to beat.’
‘What was your best time?’ Sarah asked, smiling.
‘I think fifteen minutes, from memory.’
‘From the hotel to here?’
He nodded. ‘Not bad, hey?’
‘Impressive.’ She cast a look over her shoulders and noted that the vast majority of those around them were couples, plus the odd family. ‘But what would you do up here?’
‘People watch, mostly.’ He leaned against the balcony and their shoulders touched. ‘But I just loved the view. I couldn’t get out at night. Nonno always had me under lock and key, so my visits were always during the daytime. I used to fantasise about coming here at night, when it was really dark. I used to assume that everyone would be asleep in their beds and that I would have the place all to myself.’
Sarah reached across and gave his hand a squeeze. ‘That’s so sweet.’
Matthew drew in a breath and held it pensively. ‘I used to tell myself that I would bring my wife here one day. I wanted to share this with her.’
‘You had that thought as a child?’
‘Yeah. Maybe eleven or twelve years old.’ He smiled inwardly. ‘I wanted to be just like one of the other couples. They always looked so in love. Hugging, kissing. I never saw that at home. It fascinated me.’
Sarah turned to face Matthew. ‘Well, on a technicality, you’ve achieved your wish tonight.’
Matthew’s eyes scoured the sky before falling on her. ‘I did.’ He let out a sharp exhale. ‘Twelve-year-old me would be so proud.’
Sarah pressed a hand affectionately to his chest. ‘Let’s take a photo. Capture the moment.’ She pulled her phone from her bag only to find it turned off. ‘Shit. This has been off all day. I turned it off when I went into the treatment rooms.’ She turned it on and the light emanating from the screen illuminated their faces. Within a moment, they were both poised for the selfie, and Sarah did her best to counter the low foreground light. They were scrutinising the shot when suddenly a text message appeared on the screen.
Matthew:Hope the day is going well, beautiful.
Matthew’s eyes closed as his shoulders dropped.
Sarah looked up at him. ‘You, Matthew, are the beautiful one.’ She reached up and caressed the side of his cheek. ‘I’ve had the most wonderful day. Thank you.’
Finding his voice, he whispered, ‘You’re welcome.’ Without thinking, he ran his fingers through her hair, then caught the underside of her chin. It was soft and warm. Matthew didn’t know if it was the idyllic atmosphere, the romantic setting or the spark in Sarah’s eyes, but he suddenly felt an all-consuming urge to kiss her.
Sarah read his desire and his slightly parted lips allayed any misconceptions. They had only kissed once before, but the peck Sarah had stolen in Margherita and Riccardo’s company had only been for show.
This time, it wasn’t Sarah and Matthew playing the married couple. This time, it was them; lost in the sea of tourists and Florentines alike. Just one couple among the masses.
Insignificant.
Invisible.
Matthew wanted to taste her lips. He yearned for the tingle to return, for the heady lightness he had experienced during that last brief encounter. For a moment, all he could do was trace the lines of Sarah’s face with his eyes before he slowly lowered his head just enough so that the tip of his nose grazed hers. He felt the gentle flutter of her exhaled response against his cheek.
