Felix has this idea of traveling through Italy by train. It is sweaty and crowded and ridiculous. Avery loves every second of it.

They first go to Rome, eat pizza and pasta until they can't anymore. Felix is happy, smiling brighter than the sun, making bad jokes, wearing this one hair clip that makes him look like a flustered bird. It is a struggle not to kiss him. Avery is willing to admit a few occurrences where he was too close and she found herself sniffing him.

She means to tell him. Soon. One of these days. Because it is getting more and more serious every day, and it feels wrong that Felix doesn't know. That he is just thinking they are keeping each other company when Avery cannot imagine a future without him.

She comes close one time, at a gelato shop when he is looking through the glass, pondering flavors like it is the most important decision of his life, eyebrows pinched. Then he stops and turns to her with the same worried expression.

"What will you get?"

And that somehow does it. He is so wonderful and beautiful, Avery wants to spend the rest of her life telling him that.

Other days are not so easy either. He falls asleep on trains, waiting for his breakfast at cafes, on the sofa after lunch. It takes a lot of willpower to not watch him. Willpower Avery doesn't have. So she stares at him and contemplates reaching out and touching his hair.

It's August and they are closer than ever, no more awkwardness between them. And it took a long time and a million uncomfortable conversations, so Avery doesn't want to disrupt the peace but she has to tell him.

Soon.

She is just waiting for the right moment. Or maybe, stupidly, she is waiting for a sign. A sign that says he is feeling the same way.

On the way to Naples, Avery tells him about a friend. Felix looks up from his book - Talented Mr. Ripley.

"You want to visit him?"

"Maybe..."

A wide grin spreads over Felix's face. "Do I get to meet him?"

"If you want."

"Yes, absolutely," he says with too much enthusiasm.

Avery can't help her smile. "Chill maybe."

"Hmm... No," Felix says seriously and goes back to his book.

They stay at a hotel the first night, enjoying the clean sheets and a huge shower with perfect water pressure. After a short walk and a quick dinner, they pass out in front of the tv.

Which seems fine while it is happening. They are both so tired and have been sweating all day and it is so nice and quiet and cold in the room.

However, it is not so nice when Avery wakes up first and finds herself tangled up with Felix, who is sleeping peacefully, his warm breath on her neck.

At first, she is so comfortable and cozy, it doesn't even occur to her that something is unusual. She even cuddles a little bit closer, seeking the warmth that radiates from Felix all the time.

Then she opens her eyes.

Panic, shock, fear and embarrassment, all muddle together and settle in her stomach. What is she supposed to do? Can she leave the mess of limbs without waking him up, act like nothing happened later when he is awake?

Or...

Or, she could just go back to sleep. Wait for him to wake up first and deal with it.

It seems like the best alternative -

But.

But Felix doesn't know. He will probably wake up and not even think twice about it. And that feels wrong, somehow. Like she is taking advantage of his friendship.

So with that nauseating thought, and with aching arms, she manages to move out of Felix's embrace.

When she is back in the bedroom a few minutes later, Felix's alarm is going off, and he is rubbing his eyes, pouting.

"Did I fall asleep here?" he asks, voice deep and sleepy, reaching for his phone.

"No, I did," Avery says, which takes all the effort she can muster. "This is supposed to be your bed."

"Oh. Well, I don't mind sharing," he says with a grin, like it's nothing. No big deal.

Avery has to tell him. Soon.

*

On the fourth day of Naples, they go to André's house. The house is far away from the city and Felix is brimming with excitement on the bus. He tries to play it cool, asking questions only every other minute.

"We met while working on a private yacht, became friends and then traveled together. Worked here and there, in people's gardens, picking oranges, making wine and stuff. Then he met someone and decided to stay here in Naples.

"What were you doing on the yacht?"

"Just whatever, really. It was a way for us to travel without paying for it."

Felix seems slightly shocked and impressed.

"We came close to dying on that boat a few times."

"But here you are," he says, beaming.

"Yeah," Avery says, and wants to look away from him. But Felix is watching her with so much openness and something impossibly soft in his eyes.

Soon, they hop off the bus and start the short walk to the house. It's a secluded mansion in the middle of greenery. They walk slowly, enjoying the scenery and the quiet.

"I can't believe you did all these things," he says after a while.

"It was either that or..."

She doesn't want to talk about those days, doesn't want to bring the mood down but Felix seems to understand.

"I wish we could've met back then."

"That would be -" she pauses, "I think you would have changed my life."

Felix stares at her for a minute, and then quietly says, "You would have changed mine."

They walk in silence until they see the house up ahead and come to a halt. The house, with its columns, vast porch and the ivy that covers the walls is a sight behold.

André greets them on the porch, with wide open arms and a blinding smile. They hug forever and then his eyes find Felix, who is standing there with his own huge grin.

"Ah..." André exhales theatrically, "finally."

He gives Felix a hug. "He really is pretty," he stage-whispers matter of factly. Avery can't do anything but nod. Felix's cheeks go pink.

"Thanks," he mumbles.

"Is that Avery?" a loud and heavily accented voice booms through the house, making them all jump. They all step inside.

Marcelo is coming out of the kitchen with a huge crystal carafe in his hands. He delivers hugs to everyone, including André, which makes Felix laugh like a child.

"Let me give you a tour of the house," André says afterward, with a mischievous smile and drags Felix away. Avery is already being handed a glass of Marcelo's concoction and pulled towards the living room where the AC is on.

"These Italian summers are getting more and more unbearable. I don't know how many more I can take," Marcelo says, fanning his face with a piece of paper. "And to get André to wear sunscreen, my god, it's a hassle -"

"Because I don't need it, honey," André yells from somewhere in the house.

"Yes, you do," Avery and Marcelo yell back at the same time.

"And how are things going with you?" Marcelo asks her with a glint in his eye. "I would assume great, by the looks of it."

Avery sighs, "You have no idea."

Marcelo awws sympathetically, "Tell me, what's going on."

Avery takes a deep breath, ready to tell him everything but right at that moment André bounds down the stairs with Felix next to him, both smiling brightly, bouncing.

"We want a picnic," André announces.

"It is hell outside -" is all Marcelo gets out before André cuts him off, going on a spiel about how he is aware and that he knows the optimal daytime hours for a picnic and the menu of said picnic.

Avery catches bits and pieces of their passionate argument, her eyes fixed on Felix.

Felix, who comes and sits next to her, smiling like the sun. She realizes he hasn't looked this happy in a long time.

"Okay?" she asks him quietly, almost a whisper. He nods.

The rest of the morning goes with easy conversation and too much laughter. André and Avery reminisce over their shared past, which reduces them both to giggles. Avery attempts to tell the stories but most of the time André says something, an inside joke, or brilliantly mimics an expression they both know so well; she can't even finish a single sentence.

André pulls out some photographs. They only have a few, showing them at crowded dinner parties, in front of baskets full of freshly picked oranges, and Avery's favorite, at a desolate bus stop. Going from one adventure to another.

Outside, they settle under the shade of a huge walnut tree and spread out their feast. It is certainly a more spectacular affair than both Felix and Avery's attempts. By the time the sun is setting, Avery is laying down on the blanket, next to Felix who is leaning against the tree, slowly eating a Sfogliatella and enjoying every second of it.

Sounds of André and Marcelo, their laughter, trickles through every now and then, as they inspect their orange tree nearby. Little tipsy from the icy rosé lemonade they all enjoyed throughout the afternoon.

Avery stares at Felix for a long time, unaware of time or anything around them. After a while, Felix looks down, their eyes meet and he smiles. And that's it. The perfect moment, she thinks. It's now or never. It's okay if he is not in the same boat.

But maybe.

Just the possibility is enough to send her into a tailspin. She sits up.

"Felix, I -"

She can't look at him and she cannot possibly say it to his face like that. What if it ruins his day or something. Certainly, it can wait for a few more days. At least until tomorrow.

But now Felix is staring at her with worry, probably wondering what terrible thing she is about to say this time.

"Yeah?" he asks, lips turning down a little.

"I'm so happy that you met my friends today," she says instead. And it is the honest truth.

Felix's face lights up again. "Yeah, me too. Thanks for bringing me."

Avery huffs out a breath and lays back down. "Technically, you are bringing me, since coming here was your idea. So thank you."

"Don't worry about it," Felix says with an exaggerated wink and a horrible American accent, which as always, cracks her up.

"Horrible," she says. But Felix is smiling like that again, with his whole face, dimples out in full force and his eyes are invisible and it is just enough to make Avery's heart hurt.