Chapter Twenty-Three-2

Those were the last words I heard before falling into yet another dreamless sleep, awakening some time later by my phones alarm. It was 8.20, meaning I had forty minutes before I had plans to meet Yazmin and Roxy for breakfast. I still needed to shower and eventually set about doing so by layering myself up in all the complimentary shower gels and shampoos. By the end of it, I smelled like lavender and resembled that of an exfoliated goddess, having taken Zoe's advice to shave (everything). I had no idea of Will's preference but decided to go with what my best friend said, seeing as she had considerably more experience than me. Because really, I knew nothing. Drying off was pleasant, given the towels in this place were lighter than clouds, and by the time 8.50 rolled around, I was ready to tackle my first day in Rome, freshly showered and lightly makeup'd. Knocking on Yazmin first, I was surprised to find Roxy already waiting for us; her image nothing like how I imagined. Rockabilly through and through and wearing a concoction of crazy colours that I would never normally place together, she certainly stood out from the crowd and drew attention to herself in all the right ways. "Wow! I can see why Will is so smitten. Look at you, you're gorgeous," she admired, throwing strong arms around my body. I matched her hug full force and offered her my biggest smile. "I can say the same about you. No wonder Johnny always has a bee in his bonnet whenever you're not around," I laughed, loving her perfume. Its fragrance was fruity and reminded me of peaches. "Just a sec, girls!" called Yazmin, flapping around her room in a panic. "Can't find my bloody key." "This it?" asked Roxy, snagging an object similar to that of a key card next to the fancy-looking coffee machine. Our room had one similar, though I didn't dare attempt to make myself one. The thing was as complex as cracking the enigma code and I was hardly in the correct mind-set to deconstruct such modern technology. "Yes!" "Chop, chop then! I'm starving," she motioned, encouraging us all out. As suspected, breakfast took place in the hotel's main restaurant- a rather elegant room positioned on the far side of the building. We decided to dine outside on the wooden decking, subjecting ourselves to a great view and ensuring the immediate start on our daily intake of vitamin D. "Have you both been here before?" I asked, tucking into my first ever Italian coffee. The waiter had seemed genuinely appalled by my request for milk, though proceeded to splash some into my mug nonetheless. It was expected to take it straight here but I couldn't possibly stomach such strangeness. Dad would've happily obliged to this rule had he been here to adhere. He always did take his coffee black. "I haven't, I think Rox has though?" "Yeah, I come a lot with work," she explained, sipping her juice. "Oh, yeah? Will tells me you work in fashion?" "That's right. I own my own business back in the States. I'm hoping to bring it overseas in the next year or so," she smiled, proud of her baby. "So is Johnny," laughed Yazmin, imputing her opinion. "That man is counting down the days he gets to make you a British citizen." "Well, all he has to do is pop the question," replied Roxy, flaunting her left hand in front of us. "Green card, ladies!" I couldn't help but laugh. She could joke all she wanted but in reality, all that was just legality. Getting married may well grant her British citizenship but it wouldn't be the reason behind such an event. She loved Johnny something fierce and couldn't deny it even if she tried. "Do you think he'll do it soon?" I questioned, gaining an odd sense of excitement over the situation. "Definitely!" overjoyed Yazmin, thoroughly invested. "He might do it this weekend?" "Can you really imagine Johnny down on one knee?" scoffed Roxy, prompting a rather hilarious image to come springing to mind. Johnny displaying any emotion other than 'leave me the hell alone' was hard to believe yet oddly enough, not impossible. "I can!" I delighted, truly meaning it. "Me too!" agreed Yazmin, perking up some more when the waiter reappeared with our food. Eggs benedict arrived three times over and graced our senses with a delectable hollandaise sauce; rich in smell, bright in colour. Nothing more was said as we all dug into our dish, enjoying each flavour as it passed over our tongues. It was a comfortable silence and one born out of hunger as opposed to there being nothing to say, which was always awkward whenever it happened. Roxy and Yazmin allowed everything to flow naturally and never once struggled for conversation. I'd known the publicist all of a few weeks and Roxy, a measly hour yet it felt as though we were old friends, reunited. It was nice to have such a strong connection so early on and I liked the thought of Will being surrounded by people like them. I imagined it was easy for a band to go down the wrong path if influenced to do so by the wrong people, yet I could see Johnny had kept all boys on track. Sure, they each had their moments but that didn't make them bad people. In fact, they were the polar opposite of that. They were the nicest group of friends I had ever met and I could only hope this was the beginning of a great friendship. Because for once, I was out of my comfort zone and meeting people I wouldn't normally meet in my everyday life. I was doing things I wouldn't normally do and seeing sights I wouldn't normally see. I was doing something completely different and loved it. I loved this version of myself. I loved Wi- Oh my... #### Shopping was always fun. Shopping in Rome, however, was even better. Not only did I have Roxy on hand to help with any fashion advice but I also had the excitement of Will taking me out hanging over my head. Right after breakfast, he had sent a text to ask if I would accompany him to dinner that evening and insisted that if the answer were yes, I should show up in a dress ready to kill (his words, not mine). I had brought plenty of my usual summer dresses along for the trip but decided against any of those, wanting to do something special instead. "What about this one?" asked Roxy, holding up a rather daring black number. Its lace material and plunging neckline was a little adventurous but I added it to the maybe pile. The whole point was to step outside my comfort zone and if wearing such an outfit would ensure a positive outcome, so be it. "I do like it but I was thinking maybe something with a little more colour," I stated, scouring the racks for anything yellow. Yazmin was over by the shoes, having expressed her need for a new pair of strappy delights (again, not my words). "I hear ya, chick. It's great that you want to try something different but it's important to keep elements of yourself in what you wear," claimed Roxy, knowingly agreeing with me. "Exactly, I usually wear yellows and reds. Sometimes white," I explained, still searching. "Red would look killer on you. I bet Will would think so too." "Yeah?" I wasn't so sure. "Yaz, Red. Yes or no?" "HELL YEAH!" she replied, fussing over a pair of green wedges. "See?" laughed Roxy, finding me the perfect dress, as if to prove her point. It was lace, like the black one, only slightly longer with a more modest neckline. Still, it was definitely something I wouldn't consider 'my usual' and that alone was what prompted me to purchase it without so much as trying it on. I couldn't wait to see Will's face when seeing me in it for the first time. Would he compliment me? Would he hate it? Perhaps we wouldn't make it to dinner after all? Now there's a thought...