The sunlight peeked through the green leaves of the trees above me while striking chirrups called back and forth from the birds. I breathed in the humid air to fill my lungs with moisture as my eyes opened and closed in lazy pleasure.
The simple fact everything was different than my normal life was enough to swirl inside my skull and alter my senses.
I'd brought a book with me, but I couldn't help and take a moment to lie on my back to think about the life thrumming in the forest. Insects buzzed in the distance, and the secluded area I'd found vibrated with life.
I was quietly contemplating all this when I heard the delicious melody of the native tongue weave through the trees.
"
Faremo tardi! E se Dario si chiedesse dove sono?
" The voice sounded frustrated.
"
Calmi, questi fichi sono così dolci, solo qualche altro,
" the other lovely girl's voice said in reply.
I leaned up on my elbows as they ambled into my clearing.
The girl I'd heard speak last looked at me, then froze. "
Scusa! Non volevo disturbarti!
" She apologized for disturbing me, I think.
"
Vai tranquilla.
" I looked at her as she looked at me. Her dark hair was in a ponytail, but some dark waves stuck to the sides of her face in the heat. She had a little basket full of figs, and her hands were blackened with the tint of the dark figs.
"
Ti lasceremo in pace,
" she said softly as her friend caught up with her.
"Er..." my Italian wasn't that great, and I had no idea what she'd said. "
Per favore,
" I stuttered my practiced phrase out, "
potrebbe parlare più l-lentcha—lentamente?
" To be perfectly honest, it didn't matter how slowly the gorgeous girl spoke, no way in fucking
hell
was I going to understand her.
She smiled lopsidedly, then cocked her hip as she rested her basket on it.
"
Che lingua parli? Francais? Deutsch? Eenglish?
"
"English! Yes!
Inglese.
"
She smiled widely, then came over to my blanket to kneel on a corner. I sat up quickly to hug my bare knees. Her friend floated behind her, scowling.
I took the chance to practice my stilted Italian. "
Mi chiamo Victoria. Come si chiama?
"
She smiled as if she found this all very funny. I couldn't be mad because her pearly white teeth shone out and her plump lips stretched to accommodate her brilliant smile.
"
Piacere. Mi chiamo Emilia. Emmi.
"
"Emmi." I repeated. "Vic." I pointed to myself.
"Veek."
It was my turn to smile. I had to tear my eyes away from her dancing doe eyes to acknowledge her friend. "
Come si chiama?
" I gestured to her.
"Paola. Nice to meet you.
Emmi, andiamo!
" she hissed.
"Wait! I want to talk my new friend." Her accent was adorable.
"
Beh! Ti lascio!
" Paola said angrily.
"
Va bene.
"
Her friend scoffed, then glared at me before she left. I raised my eyebrows. I wasn't sure why she hated me already.
Emmi was looking at my picnic as her friend stomped off.
"I trade you. Figs for cheese. And maybe
vino
— wine," she said.
"Deal!"
As much as I was enjoying my solitude in that gorgeous place, having a pretty girl join me made it that much more sharply enjoyable.
I sliced the Gorgonzola, then offered her some crackers.
She placed her basket between us, then took out a water bottle to rinse out her sticky hands from picking the figs earlier. Her jaw was beautiful, all straight angles and a slight rounded cleft in her chin at the end. Her nose was long and straight, rounded with a little ball at the end. Every single surface of her body made me want to trace my fingers over her skin, top to bottom.
I took a dark fig and bit into it. It was syrupy fibers where the sweetness came in through your nose as well. My eyes widened at her, and she giggled as I inhaled my first fig.
"Wow!" I exclaimed.
She hummed in agreement as she spread Gorgonzola over a cracker, then placed a slice of fig over it after cutting it deftly with her switchblade. Her eyes rolled back as she bit into it.
"
Squisito!
" She mumbled over a mouthful.
I only had one plastic cup, so I served her some of the Tempranillo wine I'd brought with me, then used the top of my water bottle as a makeshift cup for myself.
"Cheers!" She grinned at me.
"
Salute!
" I touched my cup to hers.
We ate in a companionable silence for a few minutes, then she started to get more comfortable, tossing off her shoes to the side.
"Why was your friend mad?" I asked her as I ate.
"Paola always mad." She rolled her eyes and did a little flourish with her hand. "Today she want to go to—eh, how say—
falò
—fire?"
"A fire?" I frowned. "A bonfire?"
"Yes!
Buon
fire! Good fire!"
I chuckled. "You don't want to go?"
"Maybe fun, but loud. I like eating."
"I like eating, too."
"You read Italiano?" She pointed at my copy of
I Malavoglia.
"Trying to. When in Rome, you know..."
"Eh. When in Roma, do as the Romans do?"
"Right!"
"We not
in
Roma." She smiled.
"No, this place is much nicer."
"You pick a sad book. Where are you live?"
"I live in New York."
"Just like
Friends!
I love New York!"
"Yep! Where
Friends
was."
"How
you
doin'?" she quoted while she tilted her head up at me.
I laughed loudly. "Pivot! Pivot! PIVOT!"
We laughed until tears ran down my eyes. It was so silly that despite the geographic and linguistic gaps between us, we could still laugh at something in common — not to mention, the mutual interest in awesome food.
"Tell me more about New York!" she said excitedly.
"It's loud, fast, and fun. You can dance all night until it's almost morning."
She giggled. "You no sleep?"
