Hello! Thank you all once again for reading my book.

I love you all and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

~Alex

●●●●●

The trees gave us shade, only allowing small slivers of sunlight to peek through. Harry and I were sitting on a blanket, multiple items of food laid out in front of us. It was the perfect day for a picnic on top of Gianicolo Hill and thankfully there weren't many people around, so it wasn't too crowded.

"Thank you for coming with me," Harry says before popping a grape into his mouth.

"No problem. I've been wanting to go on one too, but picnics are a bit weird when you don't have someone to go with you," I laugh softly. Harry nods his head in agreement, his attention on the view in front of him.

A small notebook was lying beside him and I figured that it was his drawing notebook. He had also brought his camera which was sitting in my lap since I had just used it to take a few pictures of the view. My favorite book was also sitting beside me, a small bookmark sticking out the top of it.

"La tua camicia è molto carina," a small voice says beside me, causing me to jump lightly. A little boy was standing beside me. He couldn't be about five or six with the cutest mop of blonde curls on top of his head.

I smile at him, positioning my body to face him, "Grazie, tesoro. Come ti chiami?"

"Leonardo," he smiles at me, "È il tuo ragazzo?"

"No," I shake my head, glancing back at Harry to see him staring at us with a confused smile, "È semplicemente mio amico."

The little boy nods his head, still smiling at me, "Leonardo! Torna subito qui!" A woman says from a bench a few yards away.

"Ciao bella ragazza," he says, giving me a quick hug before running back to his mother. I laugh, shaking my head at him and waving goodbye as his mother takes him away.

"What was all of that about?" Harry chuckles, "I had no clue what you two were saying."

"He just said that he thought my shirt was pretty and asked if you were my boyfriend," I explain, picking up a strawberry.

"Oh," Harry nods his head, still staring at me, "What'd you tell him?"

"I said no, that you were just my friend," I say before taking a bit out of the strawberry, taking in its sweetness.

"You didn't say best friend?" He asks with a smile.

I shake my head, laughing softly, "Sorry. I can't give you that title yet," Harry laughs with me, his dimple appearing on his cheek. His laugh was so contagious, making anyone who heard it laugh with him.

I pick up my book and start reading it, wanting to finish a few chapters while I was relaxed. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Harry grab his notebook and start drawing.

A slight breeze blows through my hair, causing a few strands of hair to fall by the sides of my face. The hair tickles my skin but I don't do anything to fix it, blocking out everything and just focusing on the words on the page. Nothing was more relaxing than sitting outside with a book in your hands, just enjoying nature. It was something that my mom and I used to do together when she had the time.

Being away from home was a downside of me deciding to follow my dreams. I miss my family, especially my grandmother. She always made the world seem so interesting and fun and when she passed, everything kind of lost its meaning. It took me a while to be happy again and see things the way she saw them, but I eventually did and became a happier person. It's what she would've wanted.

After I finish a few chapters, I put my book down and look at Harry, seeing that he was still drawing in his notebook. He looks up and closes his notebook, sending me a smile, "Done reading?"

"I think so," I sigh, tilting my head back to look up at the blue sky, "Want to stare at the sky with me?"

"Sure."

We both lay down on our backs side by side and stare up at the blue sky, watching the clouds that are floating overhead. The sounds of people talking and laughing fade away to a quiet hum as I focus on the sky. The only thing I can hear is Harry breathing beside me and my heartbeat.

"What is the hardest thing for you to draw or paint?" I ask him, turning my head to look at him.

He turns his head to look at me, his eyes staring straight into mine. Our faces were mere inches apart and I've never felt more inclined to kiss him, "Probably eyes," he hums.

"Really? Why?" I frown, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion. In his paintings, they looked so real. Almost like a picture. You could tell what the model was feeling by seeing their eyes.

"There's so much emotion in the eyes. I find it hard to paint them perfectly and get it right," he says, "I spend hours just trying to even capture the emotion in someone's eyes when I paint."

"They do say the eyes are the window to the soul," I smile, feeling butterflies in my stomach as he stares at me.

The green in his eyes was so vibrant. Whenever he's in the sun, they turn a completely different shade of green altogether. Almost like a pale green. They draw me in deeper with every glance and I find it hard to look away once I see them. I could never tell what he was thinking or describe the look in his eyes, and that's what intrigued me.

When I felt as if I couldn't take anymore, I turn my head away from him, taking a deep breath once I do. My heart stopped beating so fast and my hands stopped shaking. He makes me feel something that words couldn't describe, and he hasn't even touched me. Just his eyes and the way he looks at me causes something inside of me to melt at the core.

"How long has it been since you've seen your family?" Harry asks me.

I shrug my shoulders, watching a bird fly by, "Almost a year. I visit every Thanksgiving and Christmas."

Harry hums in response and I feel his fingers graze my hand, sending a wave of electricity throughout my body, "I just visited a few months ago. My sister is engaged so I went to her engagement party."

"When is the wedding?" I ask, my heart racing as he keeps his hand right beside mine, our skin just barely touching.

"September. They've been engaged for over a year now. I'm not sure why they're just now having an engagement party," he chuckles.

September was when I was supposed to get married. We both had wanted a fall wedding, it being our favorite season. You'd think a florist's favorite season would be spring, but mine has always been fall. I love the cold and how you can sit by a fireplace and read all day without anyone judging you.

"I'm sure she's excited about getting married," I smile, wondering if Harry approved of the man she is about to marry.

"Yeah. She can't stop smiling about it," he sighs, "I'm just glad she chose a decent guy."

"Ah, so the brother approves," I laugh, sitting up and stretching my arms above my head.

Harry sits up beside me, smiling at the ground, "I do approve, yes."

I grab my phone, checking to see what time it was. It was only one in the afternoon, meaning Harry and I had been here for two hours, "Do you need to leave?" Harry asks.

"No. Do you?" I reply, hoping his answer would be no as well.

"No," he shakes his head with a smile, "I haven't had gelato in awhile. Would you like to get some with me?"

●●●●●

The streets were somewhat crowded as we walked down them, a cup of gelato in our hands, "How come every time we're together, we always end up walking?" I laugh.

Harry shrugs his shoulders, taking a bite of his gelato, "We do don't we?"

"I don't think I've ever walked this much with someone," I smile, our shoulders brushing each other's every few steps.

"Me neither," Harry chuckles, "I like it," he tosses his empty cup into a nearby trashcan, taking mine once I'm finished as well.

It was rather hot this afternoon but the gelato seemed to cool me down. The streets weren't filled with tourists, rather couples going on their afternoon dates or people walking home from work, "Did you mean what you said back there?" Harry asks, clearing his throat.

"Mean what?" I hum, looking up at him.

"That I was your friend."

"Yeah," I say softly, wondering why he was asking that question, "Why?"

He stops, turning to look at me, "I guess I've just never had a friend who was a girl before. I always rush into dating someone, assuming the only reason they want to be around me is to get into my pants."

I nod my head at his words, smiling at him, "I find that being friends with someone always seems to bring two people together closer than they would be in a relationship," I reply.

Harry doesn't say anything as he looks at me, a small smile on his face, "You know. I've never met anyone quite like you, Aurora Honeycutt."

"Is that a good thing?"

"It's a good thing," he chuckles.

"Then thank you for the compliment," I smile.

We continue to walk down the street, a few words being exchanged here and there. Neither one of us knew where we were going. We just walked down the sidewalks, not caring where we were at.

Italy takes you wherever it feels like taking you and you don't question it. You just let your feet lead you to wherever they want to go. I honestly had no idea where we were, but I didn't mind. It was nice being able to casually walk with someone with no destination in mind. We could just relax and enjoy the afternoon sun without worrying about anything.

Having Harry by my side felt comforting and every time our shoulders brushed each other's, he would always look over at me and smile. His smile instantly warmed my heart and I couldn't help but smile back at him. I knew that these feelings I had weren't feelings you felt for a friend. Whenever I wanted him to kiss me or touch my skin, it made me realize exactly how much I wanted him but couldn't have him. Not just yet anyways.

"What are you thinking about?" Harry hums.

"A lot of things," I shrug my shoulders, not wanting to say that I was thinking about him, "Mostly about how you took all of my white roses."

Harry laughs, causing me to laugh with him, "I'm sorry. I offered to pay and you refused," he smiles, nudging me with his elbow. I smile back at him, genuinely happy.

"I know. I'm still not letting you pay."

Suddenly, I recognize where we're at, my heart dropping once I do. The stairs leading up to my apartment building were looming in front of us and Harry's smile had disappeared from his face. Although we didn't have to part, it was kind of obvious that we needed to. It was now five in the afternoon and Harry had mentioned he needed to do some work.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," I sigh, turning to face him. He does the same, a small yet sad smile on his lips.

"I guess so," he says, "Thank you for a lovely evening."

He leans in, pressing a small kiss to my cheek, his lips lingering a few seconds too long. The same feeling of warm electricity flowing throughout my body returns, causing my cheeks to turn a light shade of pink, "Bye, Harry."

"Bye, Aurora."

The walk up my stairs seemed excruciatingly long and I glance over my shoulder, seeing Harry still standing there. He waves to me as I open the door and I wave back. As the door closes, he starts walking away, glancing over his shoulder one last time before disappearing around the corner.

What he said to me about us being friends warmed my heart. We were taking the steps in the right direction to leading off with a beautiful friendship but I wanted to be so much more.

I stuff my hands into my coat pocket, feeling something crinkle as I do. I pull out a wad of money, gasping as I realize how much it was. Five hundred dollars with a small note attached had found its way into my pocket, and I knew exactly who had put it there.

'I know you didn't want me to pay for the roses but I'm going to anyway. Love, H.'