Katy took off her baseball cap and shook out her short, copper hair as she walked into her small studio apartment in New York. She patted her cat's head as she set down the groceries she got from the Trader Joe's down the street. Sunlight poured in through her large windows leading to her fire escape. She opened the windows to let in the nice day while putting away her groceries. Finally, her mind was at peace. No more stresses about money or what people thought. For a few moments, she let herself just breathe.
Once the groceries were all put away, she opened her laptop and began to idly edit her latest project. She had been hired by Lonely Planet to be a travel photographer and they needed the pictures from her trip to Rome. Her partner had already finished writing the article about their trip, and they needed the photographs to put it all together. Scrolling through her photo album, she stopped on a picture of the Trevi Fountain. She hadn't made a wish while she was there, but now she wished she had.
"Hurry up! We're going to miss our flight if we don't get to the airport, like, right now!" Her partner called from the bathroom of their shared hotel room.
Katy rolled her eyes, "No matter when we leave, we'll still be three hours early, calm down."
Her partner rushed out of the bathroom with the last of her belongings, shoving them in her bag before doing a final sweep of the room. "No offense, but I'm not losing this opportunity just because you think it's okay to just hang around longer than necessary. I need to finish up our itinerary anyway, so the sooner we get to the airport the sooner we can know exactly what we're doing." Her partner grabbed her bag and began walking towards the waiting Uber. Katy followed, but with a bit of a stomp.
They sat in silence for most of the ride to the airport, both buried in their work. They got through airport security in a breeze and made it to the gate with two and a half hours to spare. Her partner immediately began to tell her about their finalized plans; where they were going each day and where they would need pictures. She always left Katy to decide everything else about the pictures, so Katy used this time to research the locations to see the best angles and lighting times for each place.
Once they were finally settled in at the gate, her partner loosened up and began chatting.
"So, what do you think you're most excited for once we get there?" She asked, glancing at Katy from under the brim of her worn baseball cap.
Katy blinked for a second, she hadn't really had time to think about where they were going outside of the pictures. She thought to herself for a moment, deciding on an appropriate answer.
"Definitely visiting Vatican City. Who knows, we may see the Pope!" Katy said cheerfully. If her partner was going to ignore her little outburst this morning, then so was Katy. "What about you?"
"Honestly, I think I'm most excited for the day we'll have at the end of the week where we can just explore and pretend we're locals. Only going to the big tourist places can get tiring after awhile, you know?" Her partner said, rubbing her eyes. Was it the early time of the flight, or was she really so tired from travelling all the time? It seemed like such a great gig, how could you ever get tired of the dream life?
Once it was finally time to board, they got to their first class seats and set up for the long flight ahead. The flight attendant brought them complimentary mimosas, which they both clinked before downing and asking for refills.
After a few hours, they were feeling it from the multiple mimosas they had drank. They had both started with their headphones in, but after awhile they took them out and began joking with each other and people watching everyone on the plane. They would take turns going to the back bathroom, so they could get a good look at what was happening and report back to the other. About halfway through the flight, they both began to nod off.
Katy woke up as the plane touched down. Blearily, she took in her surroundings; jumping up when she realized she had been laying on her partners shoulder.
"Did I lay on you the whole time?" She whispered, embarrassed.
"Yes, but I didn't mind." Her partner responded without taking her eyes off her phone. "Our taxi is here, so when we get off we need to head straight for the outside."
Their hotel was right across from the coliseum, perfect for Katy to get some preliminary shots for the cover of their article. Her partner began unloading her bag into half of the drawers, leaving half of them empty for Katy's belongings.
"There's a really scenic path between here and the coliseum, we should take a walk there this evening to get a better feel for the area." Her partner absently said, mostly to herself but loud enough she knew Katy could hear. She then shut herself in the bathroom to get ready.
When the door opened, Katy couldn't help but stare. It had been awhile since she had seen her partner dressed up. Well, not dressed up dressed up, but casually dressed up. Her caramel hair fell down her back in smooth, loose curls, with half of it pinned back. She was wearing a flowing powder blue and white striped sundress with delicate buttons down the length of the front, with just a peak of her brown braided sandals showing below. She had even done her makeup, even if it was minimal. Katy suddenly felt incredibly underdressed, and blushed as she said she needed more time to get ready.
By the time Katy was dressed, the sun had began to set and was coloring the sky a beautiful purple. They set out down to the path to the coliseum, side by side a foot or so apart. Katy hadn't brought any dresses for this trip, but she felt her black ripped skinny jeans and leather jacket were appropriate for the late evening stroll. They casually chatted and took in the scenery. As they walked, they slowly got closer and closer together, until their hands would slightly brush each other with every swing. Each time Katy felt her partner's skin touch hers her cheeks flushed with nerves.
The days progressed like this for the trip. Every morning starting as professional partners, discussing the plan for the day. But, as they went about their adventures to every historical destination they could find, they slowly got closer together. They would whisper in each others ears, lightly touch the others arm, little things to touch each other. Katy wasn't sure if it was just her, or if her partner felt these things too. She thought she saw her blush a few times, but could never be sure.
They had two days left in Rome, and Katy felt the tension building between her and her partner. They were sitting in a small, intimate pizzeria, enjoying local wine and each others company. Suddenly, she felt her partner's foot graze her leg. And then she felt it again, this time more deliberate and slower. Katy looked up from her slice of pizza and found her partner's blue eyes staring at her. Watching her. Waiting to see her reaction. Katy's heart began to race and she felt her face begin to burn. She quickly grabbed her wine glass and took a sip, hoping the cold wine would cool her down. Her partner's leg dropped away from her own, and her face showed obvious disappointment. Katy felt disappointment too, why was she too nervous to do anything? That was her chance, she finally had confirmation that what she was feeling had been real! Why did she blow it! They hardly talked the rest of the dinner, both beating themselves up.
As they walked back to their hotel, it started up again. Slowly getting closer together, but this time was different. There was more intention behind their movements, none of them could be mistaken for accidents.
Katy suddenly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, the moon was bright, and shone over her partner's hair and face. It lit up her freckles like stars. The two stared at each other for a moment, thinking of what to do next. Katy pulled her towards her and clumsily kissed her lips. Her partner hesitated for a moment, but then kissed her back with a force that could only be months of pent up emotions. She pulled Katy into a nearby alley and pushed her against the stone wall. She kissed Katy like it was the last thing she would ever do.
By the time they stopped for a minute, both of their hair was a mess and lips were tender. They silently looked into each others eyes with new meaning. Her partner smoothed her hair down while Katy readjusted her jacket, glancing at the ground. They walked the rest of the way to the hotel with the feeling of the other on their lips and their hearts racing.
Once they reached the door, her partner slowly and, with the slightest shake, inserted the room key. The door opened and they stepped inside, not bothering to turn the lights on. Katy immediately pushed her onto the closest bed and climbed on top of her. They began feeling each others bodies, finding all the right spots. Katy pushed her partner's shirt over her head, revealing a lacy black bra. Had she been expecting this? Just hoping? It didn't matter, all Katy could think about was finally getting to do what she's been wanting to do since she started working with her six months ago.
Pulling her jeans down, Katy slipped her fingers down to her panties, feeling the warm wetness she had been waiting for. Katy kissed her way down her body and then slid her panties off.
The next morning, Katy woke up laying on her partner's chest. She had almost forgotten everything that happened last night. It all came back in an instant, the tension, the dinner, the kiss, the taste. It all could have been a dream, if her partner was laying naked with her. She blinked her eyes open and smiled sleepily at Katy.
"So, today is our last full day here, and we have it all to ourselves. What do you want to do?" Her partner yawned.
Katy really just wanted to stay here all day and just hold each other, but she knew that would be a waste of a day of free vacation. They decided to get ready and then just wander the streets around them. Her partner pushed herself out of bed and went to get dressed. She came back in her usual uniform, denim shorts, a plain t-shirt, and her worn baseball cap. Katy smiled at her, and slipped into her own jeans and t-shirt.
They spent the day exploring the side streets, sneaking kisses around corners and in alleys where no one could see them. They brushed each others hands, and the electricity was still there, but it felt warmer now, more like the sun than a shock. They eventually found their way to the Trevi Fountain. Peddlers tried to force selfie sticks into their hands, but they had both travelled enough to know how to avoid them. They slowly maneuvered their way towards the front of the fountain. Katy pulled out her phone and snuck a quick candid of her partner looking up at the sculpture, her skin glowing in the sunlight. Her partner pulled out a coin, closed her eyes, and flipped the coin into the fountain. Katy laughed and asked what she had wished for. Her partner just winked and shrugged. Katy squeezed her hand and gave her a soft smile.
Katy didn't want this trip to end, to go back to New York and wait for their next trip to be planned. Would they see each other back home? Would it be different? Would they pretend it didn't happen? Questions she didn't want to think about right now. So she pulled her partner out of the crowd and towards a gelato shop.
Katy sighed and closed her phone's photo album. It had been two weeks since they returned from Rome, and she hadn't seen her partner since. She leaned back in her chair, debating whether or not to call her partner. She finally decided to swallow her pride, and scrolled through her contacts to find her number and clicked the phone icon.
She listened to the rings, both praying for an answer but fearing the worst. Then, it clicked on.
"Sarah, hey! I.." Katy started, before she was interrupted.
"Finally, I got my wish."