Sing For Me

by Grace, Trisha

“I can’t believe we’re here.” She took the bottle he handed her.

  He smiled as he heard those words. She’d said them several times over the past few days.

  They leaned forward at the ticket counter.

  “Due biglietti.”

  Chloe’s eyes widened. “Very good.”

  After listening to Chloe order all the train and bus tickets over the past few days, he’d figured out what some of the words meant.

  “Let’s go!” Chloe widened her steps. “ I can’t wait to explore it.”

  They took a couple of photos from the outside before walking up the path lined with wooden planks. Halfway through the path, the wooden planks came to an end and were replaced by large, uneven gray stones that led to the ancient city.

  They walked through a passage that had the same Roman arch they had seen everywhere in Rome. The only difference to the arch was the rough cut of the grayish stones, which were the opposite of the smooth and cool marble stones that never failed to amaze him.

  Once they stepped out on the other side of the passageway, they stopped and sighed.

  Chloe hooked her hand on his arm. “I can’t believe I’m really here with you.”

  He cupped his hand over Chloe’s and pulled his arm closer against himself, tugging Chloe along.

  The years that he and Chloe spent away from each other disappeared. All the disappointment, with himself and with where his singing career was gravitating toward, forgotten.

  It felt as if he’d only been sitting by the river with a seventeen-year-old Chloe yesterday, and they’d set out on this adventure together today. He turned his face toward her and took a deep breath, breathing in the scent of her shampoo, the same one he used at the hotel.

  “Come on.” She tugged on his arm before running ahead.

  Remnants of houses without roofs and with partial walls lined both sides of the roads.

  Chloe slipped her hand from his and ran ahead, hopping onto one of the three round elevated stones lying in the middle of the street. The surface of the stones had all been filed flat. “Let me test you; do you remember what these are for?”

  He grinned. “For pedestrians. So when it rains, they … can step on these elevated rocks and … keep their sandals and feet from getting wet.”

  “Great memory.”

  He held out his hand, and she took it as she hopped down onto the lower pathway. Despite the uneven sizes and shapes of the rocks, the top had all been filed down, resulting in a rather flat and smooth walkway.

  “Let’s go.” She grinned brightly and pulled him along.

  He knew Pompeii was well-preserved, and he knew it was a town by itself, but he didn’t think it was that huge. They walked around for hours, listening to the audio guide on Chloe’s phone and taking pictures along the way.

  “Let’s take a seat,” he said when they got to an area where the columns that used to line a house had fallen over, leaving short stubble-like columns that now served as a fantastic resting place.

  Chloe nodded while he pulled out a bottle of water from his backpack.

  “Here.”

  She took the water from him and took three gulps before handing it to him. “Thanks.”

  “Are you … tired?” he asked.

  “A little.” Chloe pointed to the next stubble-like column. “Sit and rest.”

  “I’m fine.” He looked around at the large area in front of them. Several tourists stood in what used to be Pompeii’s plaza, the gathering area for its citizens, and posed for photos under the shadow of the surrounding buildings.

  There was nothing left on the square except for the gravel that covered the entire area.

  He glanced toward the far right, where most of the tourists were pointing their cameras toward, and saw the peak of the volcano that brought about the doom of Pompeii.

  Taking a step back, he took a picture of Chloe with the volcano in the background.

  “Are you having fun?”

  “Of course.”

  She grinned and stood. “Let’s continue before the sun sets.” She got up, forgetting that her phone was on her leg. “Ah!” She bent over to grab the phone.

  The moment she straightened, Christopher knew something was wrong.

  The focus in her eyes faded, and she swayed unsteadily. One of her hands reached toward him while the other went to her temple.

  He took a large step toward her and wrapped his arm across her waist, stabling her. “Chloe.”

  She leaned her weight against him and took a deep breath. “I’m fine,” she said. “It’s just my head; it’s spinning.”

  He sat her down and knelt in front of her, pushing her hair aside.

  Her eyes remained closed until he tipped her chin up with his finger. “Chloe, are you all right?”

  She nodded and smiled. “I think I got up too quickly.” She rubbed her fingers across her forehead. “I’m fine.”

  “Here, drink some water.” He watched her as she took a sip. “Have we been walking too long?” He brushed his thumb against her cheek. “Maybe we should go.”

  She cupped her hand over his and pulled his hand from her face. “I’m fine.” She gave his hand a squeeze. “Don’t worry.”

  She took a step back from him. “See? I’m all right.”

  He narrowed his eyes even as she looped her arm around his. He checked the time and looked around, but there weren’t any shops. All that stood around them were the ruins left behind by the devastating volcano eruption. “We should get you something to eat.”

  “I’m fine, Chris.”

  “Have you been skipping meals again? You know your blood pressure gets too low.”

  “I’ve been with you the past few days, and I’ve been eating more than I usually did in months.” Her lips parted into a grin, but her brows suddenly drew closer.

  “What is it? Are you feeling faint again?”

  Her lips morphed into a grin again.

  “What’s so funny?”

  She cupped her hand against his face. “You’re not stuttering.”

  He frowned. What was she talking about? Of course he was stuttering; he always did. “You’re … dreaming.”

  “No, I wasn’t.” She shook her head and waved it off. “Never mind. Come on.” She tugged on his arm, but he didn’t budge.

  He held her by her arms and leaned in. “How are you … feeling?”

  She looked him right in his eyes. “I’m fine,” she said slowly.

  With his concern fading, he realized how close her face was to his.

  He wanted to lean in and close the distance between their lips, but he cleared his throat and stepped back before he did anything stupid. “Let’s go.”

  Chloe placed her hands against the opposite sides of the stone wall. “The tower is really tilted,” she shouted over her shoulder at Christopher, raising her voice over the strong wind swooshing down the dark, spiral stairwell.

  “Be careful.” Christopher had his hand pressed against the side of the wall he was leaning on.

  She laughed and trotted up along with the rest of the group.

  When she stepped out from the stairwell, she leaned back against the wall, almost falling back due to the strong winds.

  Christopher was right next to her immediately, holding her waist and supporting her weight. “Told you to be careful.”

  She held her hair down. “The wind is so strong.”

  The exit of the stairway was too small for both of them to fit through, but Christopher kept his hand on her waist while she stepped through it. He remained next to her, his arm across her waist, as they strolled around the top of the leaning tower.

  She turned her face toward him and said, “It didn’t look that slanted from below.”

  “What?” He bowed his head lower just as she tipped her head back to speak into his ear.

  Instead of his ears, her lips ended up on his cheek.

  She stepped back. “I’m sorry.”

  His hand remained around her waist, p
reventing her from moving away. “The wind is strong. I don’t want to you to fall.”

  She pointed at the wired fence that circled the edge of the leaning tower. “I seriously doubt I can.” She didn’t dare to go too near to the edge, though. She could feel the force of the wind pushing her against her will. In the short amount of time she had been standing out on the roof, the wind had already taken over her sense of control several times.

  He gave her a non-committed shrug.

  She broke into a small smile and reached up to rub at the shiny lip imprint on his cheek. “You have a little shimmer on your cheek. But don’t worry, it brightens up your face.”

  “Really? Maybe I should get that shimmer on the other side as well.”

  Her condition gave her a better understanding of what people were saying. She could often see their real feelings behind their words, but with Christopher, she seemed to be getting it all wrong.

  His pinkish words hinted at a flirtatious nature, but his actions over the past few days said otherwise. They were close; they had always been before the eight years apart, but she thought there was more.

  It was only her imagination, of course.

  The trip to Italy brought them back to where they’d left off—as great friends. That was all.

  “Sure.” She reached into her bag and took out her lip gloss. “Here you go.”

  He took the lip gloss and tapped it against her nose before dropping it back into her bag.

  She licked her lips and went along when he tugged her toward one of the giant bells covered with patches of green corrosion.

  There was the proof that she was wrong and was being silly over an accidental kiss.

  Christopher clearly wasn’t interested in kissing her again.

  There had been several times when she thought he would, but he always moved away.

  She needed to stop dreaming.

  Whatever feelings she thought they shared were all in her head.

  He might have been interested in kissing her eight years ago, but he definitely wasn’t interested now.

  Chapter Ten

  Chloe stepped out of the train station and smiled as she heard the swooshing of water from the canal and the groaning of engines from the motor boats. “Venice,” she said as a UPS boat carrying stacks of parcels went by.

  She looped her arm around Christopher’s. The whole trip with Christopher had been fun. It was as if they hadn’t been away from each other for eight years, and she didn’t want it to end.

  Childish dreams of leaving everything behind to travel the world with Christopher resurfaced.

  They used to talk about traveling together, about seeing all the wonderful places in Europe. They were childish dreams, and she was no longer a child.

  Still, as much as she enjoyed being in Venice, she couldn’t ignore the undeniable sense of dread that had been growing on her.

  This was the last city they would be visiting together.

  Christopher hadn’t talked about leaving.

  Well, actually, she hadn’t asked him about it.

  He had planned and booked their flight to Milan; he’d probably booked his ticket back as well. She hadn’t asked, and she didn’t want to. She couldn’t bear thinking about it.

  She sighed softly, but quickly forced a smile when she noticed he was looking at her. “Do we need to take the boat?”

  “No, we can walk … there,” he said. “Just let me … get my bearings.” He adjusted the map in his hands and looked around at where they were standing.

  “Do you need help?”

  Chloe and Christopher looked up and saw a couple who appeared to be in their late twenties.

  The man wore a slightly oversized white jacket and a pair of faded jeans while the lady wore a brown leather jacket with matching boots and a dark pair of jeans.

  “It’s al—”

  “Which hotel are you staying at?” The man moved and stood next to Christopher, looking at the map.

  “Where are you from? America? Are you on your honeymoon?” the woman asked. Despite the sweetness in her voice, the dull red bubble surrounded by a cloud of gray gave Chloe a sense of disquiet.

  “From America,” Chloe said and looked over at Christopher, who was listening attentively to what the man was saying to him.

  “Are you on your honeymoon? The two of you look good together.”

  “No, we’re—”

  “Is this your first time in Venice?”

  “Actually—ah!” She staggered back as someone walking by rammed into her shoulder.

  The woman whom Chloe was speaking to reached out, and Chloe’s hands instinctively moved toward her.

  Instead of pulling her back, the woman ended up pushing her. Before Chloe knew it, she was on the floor.

  “Chlo!”

  “Oh, are you all right?” Black blots spewed from the woman’s words while she knelt next to her and dusted down her jeans and arms.

  Chloe blinked, and as she did, her eyelids wiped away the blotches just as windscreen wipers did.

  “I’m all right,” she told the woman and leaned back. She didn’t like people she didn’t know touching her. “I’m all right.”

  “Chloe, are you hurt?” Christopher asked as he took her hand.

  She turned to him. “No.”

  He pulled her to her feet and stepped between her and the woman.

  Thanks, she mouthed.

  “What happened?”

  “I’m not sure.” She kneaded her shoulder. “Someone rammed into me and …” She thought she felt the woman pushing her, but she couldn’t be certain.

  Christopher took her hand and gently turned it over. “Are you sure you … aren’t hurt?”

  She looked down at her other arm, checking her elbow. “I’m fine; just shocked by what happened.” She glanced to the side, to the woman who was with her.

  The woman was nowhere to be found.

  Christopher pushed her hair behind her shoulder. “Let’s get you to the hotel so you can … rest.”

  She nodded and adjusted her handbag, shifting it higher up her shoulder.

  Wait. She frowned and shrugged her bag off her shoulder, pulling the handles to her wrist.

  Her bag seemed to have gotten lighter, much lighter.

  She unzipped her bag and tipped her head back. “I knew something was wrong.” She put her hand through the slit at the bottom. “My wallet, phone, and passport are gone.”

  Christopher turned and leaned to the side. “So is your luggage.”

  She sighed and ran her fingers over the bottom of his backpack. “And your stuff, but I think they only got one compartment.”

  Christopher swung the backpack over and checked his bag.

  He groaned and closed his eyes. “The envelope with your … money is gone. I’m so sorry.”

  “Whatever for?” Even if she’d kept some of the money, it would be gone as well.

  She licked her lips while her eyes scanned the area. There wasn’t a point, though. The couple was long gone.

  She sighed again when several tourists strolled past them, staring at them with part skepticism and part confusion.

  She’d never been this uncertain in Italy.

  Now, standing outside the train station of one of the most beautiful cities in the world, she was overwhelmed by an ominous feeling that their jovial holiday had come to an end.

  She inhaled deeply through her nose while she tried to focus. What should she do now?

  “Chloe—”

  “I need to call the bank and cancel my cards.”

  He nodded and pulled out his phone. “Here. Why don’t you do that while I get us to the hotel?”

  “Okay.” She took his phone, but she didn’t even know what the number was. “I need wi-fi.”

  “The hotel should have … it.” Christopher took her hand and cocked his head to the side. “Let’s go.”

  Christopher sat on the edge of the bed and watched Chloe’s hands gesture while she spoke on the p
hone. He’d never seen her this worked up.

  Once they got to the hotel, she explained to the receptionist that her things had been stolen and she didn’t have her passport. The hotel staff called the manager who said they couldn’t provide the room without a passport.

  Chloe dove into another heated conversation, this time in Italian, and the manager was kind enough to change their reservation to a room with double bed until Chloe could get some form of identification.

  And since she got her hands on the wi-fi password, she had been on the phone.

  He couldn’t understand what she was saying, but he could see she was agitated.

  Besides her opening line of ‘buongiorno,’ which Chloe had told him meant either ‘good day’ or ‘good morning’ and the ‘si, si, si,’ which meant ‘yes, yes, yes,’ he couldn’t catch anything else.

  She was speaking too fast.

  She continued pacing the room, occasionally sitting on the chair and propping her hand on the table for a couple of seconds.

  “Ah! Forget it!” She hung up the call and sighed heavily.

  “Is it bad? Have they used … your credit cards already?”

  “No, it isn’t that. There were a few small transactions, but the operator says the bank will process the return once I submit the police report. The problem is, I don’t have access to my money until I have some form of identification.”

  He frowned, but her passport and wallet were gone.

  “Exactly,” she said.

  Christopher nodded slowly. “So … how do we get you another passport?”

  “We need to go to the consulate.” She paused. “In Milan. But we don’t have the money to get there.”

  Now he understood why she was so upset.

  “I tried explaining that to the bank, but all they would tell me is that they can’t allow me to access money from my account until I have proof of my identification. They just don’t get it that I can’t get my identification without my money!” She sighed and sat next to him. “I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have yelled. I just … I don’t know what to do.”

  “Actually …” Christopher went to his bag and dug into one of the compartments. “I have some money; not a lot, but I hope it’s enough to get us to Milan.”