All I Believe (Firsts and Forever, #10)(7)

“In a minute.”

“I really have to go. I don’t want my mom to worry if she wakes up and sees I’m not there.”

“I know.”

I hesitated and said, “I hate to say goodbye.”

“This isn’t goodbye, it’s just so long for now. I don’t know when or where, but I’ll see you again someday, Clark.”


“I hope you’re right.”

He smiled at me and said, “Oh, I am. I’m always right about everything. You and I are meant to be, I’m sure of it.”

“Think so?”

He nodded. “Absolutely. Who else besides Bruce Wayne would be good enough for Clark Kent?”



“What are you doing?”

I jumped a bit as my eyes flew open. Jessie was standing right beside me, dressed in flip flops and green pajamas with a repeating pattern of cartoon T-rexes all over them. I blurted, “Nothing.”

He sat on the edge of the fountain and said, “I saw you from my balcony when I got up to let in some fresh air. You okay, Nico? You looked like you were a million miles away.”

“I was just remembering my first kiss. It happened right here, when I was fourteen.”

“That’s awesome. Who was the guy?”

I shrugged and said, “I never knew his name. We met here, talked for a few minutes, and he kissed me. Then I went back to my family and never saw him again.”

“Looks like you never forgot him, either.”

I shook my head. “One conversation and a kiss, and he made himself totally unforgettable.”

“He must have really been something.”

I said, “Have you ever met someone who felt totally right from the very beginning? That’s how he felt.”

“I never have. I’d love to find that.”

“You will.”

“I need to go back to bed now that I know you’re alright,” he said. “This jetlag’s kicking my ass.” I got up, held my hand out to Jessie and pulled him to his feet. Dawn was breaking, and a couple delivery trucks rattled into the square.

Once we were back in the hotel, I returned to my balcony for a few minutes and watched the piazza slowly wake up. The baker slid racks of fresh bread into a delivery van, while another man unloaded produce from the back of an old, blue pickup at the farmer’s market. A woman came outside and began sweeping in front of her restaurant, and a tall man in a dark suit left the hotel and crossed the plaza. He reached the café just as the lights came on inside, went into the building and came out a couple minutes later with a white paper cup in his hand. I expected him to hurry off to work, but instead, he stood beside the fountain and watched it while he drank his coffee. Right before he finally turned and walked away, I could have sworn he said goodbye to the statues in the fountain’s center. That made me happy. It was nice to know I wasn’t the only crazy person out there.



*****



I managed to fall back asleep for a few more hours. When I awoke a second time, I was lucid enough to be disgusted by the fact that I still smelled like bacon. I stripped myself completely, leaving my only outfit on the bed, and went into my bathroom to take a very long shower.

As I stood under the warm water and scrubbed myself with a washcloth, the bathroom door burst open and my grandmother yelled, “Are you alone in there, Nico?”

I covered my genitals with the washcloth, just in case she decided to throw back the shower curtain, and said, “Of course.” When would I have had time to pick someone up?

“I’m going to take Jessie sightseeing. You want to come along?”

“No thanks. I’m still pretty tired and think I’m going to take it easy today.”

“Alright, Nicky. Don’t spend all your time studying though, you hear? You’re on vacation, remember that!”

“I’d actually like to go for a swim since I’m stiff from that long plane ride. My luggage hasn’t shown up yet, has it?” I called over the running water.

“Not yet, but don’t you worry about that,” Nana said. “Jessie and I went out and did some shopping for you. I know you like to swim so I bought you a bathing suit, along with a couple outfits.”

“Thanks, but you didn’t have to do that, Nana.” Knowing my grandmother, I could only imagine what she’d picked out for me.

“I know, but it was fun. I’ll drop your lubed-up stuff at the cleaners, we’ll be going right by there. Have a good day, Nicky, and remember: no studying!”

“Nana, wait,” I called after her, but she’d already shut the door. I quickly rinsed the shampoo from my hair, then turned off the shower and hopped out. As soon as I wrapped a towel around my hips, I went after her, but she was long gone. I returned to my bedroom, a sense of doom building as I shook the contents of two shopping bags onto my mattress. “Holy crap,” I muttered.

It was all so much worse than I’d imagined. Everything was tight, shiny, sheer, made of leather, or some combination of those elements. I picked up a scrap of fabric and stared in horror at the tiny, lime green Speedo. “Oh my God, seriously?” I said out loud. The only pair of pants were black leather. There were a couple tiny pairs of white shorts, too, which Nana must have found in the missy petite section, and a few stretchy t-shirts that looked like they’d fit a child. I was surprised when I read the label and learned they were actually the European equivalent of my size. Apparently they were intended to look painted on.