Another Love Story 3

It was a shame that she had picked a cloudy day to get outside. Now there was no way she could sit on the shore of the river to read in the sun. She considered going to the cafe nearby. It had been months since she had been there but the thought of the crowd of tourists in the festival season was not very appealing. She exhaled and went ahead, wondering which bus station she should choose. It was nice to walk a little. She passed the square and spotted a free bench with a few sun lights shining on it. That is odd she thought and without thinking any further she went to sit on the old wood. She closed her eyes to enjoy the warmth of the sun, but it was not strong enough and suddenly it became very dark.

– Hi.

She opened her eyes startled at the sound of someone talking to her.

– how are you doing?

The blond guy smiled at her ignoring the subtle annoyed features forming in her face.

– Hi. She replied in a flat tone. – I’m fine. How are you?

She was struggling to stay polite. Marcus had taken up the habit of writing to her almost every day. Even when she had stopped writing back, he did not seem to understand how annoying he was to her. He was blonde, blue eyes and 22.

– I’m doing great. Long time no seen hu? I haven’t heard anything from you in months, I was starting to get worried. But I guess you are still busy with your work hu? How is that going along? Is there an end in sight? We still have to cook together, you promised.

He ended with a wink and J began to curse herself for having talked to him a few months ago. They had met in class and it seemed, like they had one thing in common: they both loved to cook. But it had not occurred to him yet that that was the only thing they had in common and J was not sure how many Italians did not love to cook. It was a cliché but as it is with those, there are always people that fit that description. It was hard for her to choose a question to answer without giving him the opportunity to set a date.

– Yes, still pretty busy, I’m sorry.

She realized that sitting there was not enough proof to justify her answer so she quickly continued – what are you doing around here?

He smiled and sat next to her, while she watched the sun slowly disappearing behind the cathedral. She exhaled. And there goes my hope for this day. Should have gotten to bed right when I woke up. She thought.

– I’m going to the festival with my parents. That explained him wearing a tie and a blue jacket which she had not noticed before. She looked at him searching for something to say other than “glad that you don’t have time to remain seated next to me.” She settled for – oh, cool.

Not the best answer but it could have been a hint for him to just go and leave her alone. He looked at her and without noticing anything, he went on talking about his day complaining about the new car his parents got for him and other stuff she was not listening to. She was starting to wonder if he would notice her getting the book out of her bag as he excused himself. – The festival is starting soon so I have to go but it was really nice to see you again. Text me as soon as your work is done and if you get bored you can text me anytime. What are you doing later? Maybe we could grab a beer after the festival? Of course, he would not let it go.

– So sorry but you know the festival is too expensive for normal people so I’m not staying for that, I’ll just head home in a few minutes.

He did not get the subtext, but he waved and was finally gone. She leaned back, considering if it was still worth to start reading. She got the book out of her bag. Stared at it and put it back with a groan. She stood up so quickly, that she did not see a guy walking by and almost ran into him. He was tall wearing a cap and sunglasses. She could not see past them, but she felt him staring at her – I’m sorry she mumbled. He continued staring at her without saying anything until she went on with a grunt. Rude was all she could think about. As soon as J was home, she went to bed, attempting to erase that awful day from her life.