As cooks bustled about, chatting away in their mother tongue, Sophie basked in feel of the place; the smell, the warmth, the happiness...
Her eyes drifted to the corner as she twirled the hanging pasta around her fingers. She smiled warmly at the figure by the window as he stared idly down at the street. Light streamed through the glass and lit up his face, dancing on his tanned skin. He tugged at the hem of his shirt, shifting a little.
Everything was different now, so different from the time she'd first visited - yet so similar. The boy twisted, glancing her way, his eyes widening slightly without the sun. He grinned at her, and she smiled back.
"Charlie," his grandmother called softly, smiling knowingly at the pair, "taste this..."
He raised his eyebrows at Sophie, curious. She shrugged, laughing a little. Charlie held the small pastry in his hands, inspecting it, she thought with a smile. He'd start interrogating it, any time soon, she was sure.
He bit into it and frowned. "So...?" his grandmother gestured impatiently.
"It's delicious," he shrugged, placing the pastry down and grinning at his grandmother. He strode over to Sophie, brushing the suspended pasta casually from his path.
"You know," she said when he reached her, his hands finding her waist. He hummed in response, tilting his head to the side. "Victor practically danced for two minutes straight after tasting that pastry." She smiled, her hand resting on his tanned cheek, her fingertips twirling a short lock of blond hair.
He smiled teasingly, leaning into her touch. "If I am going to be honest, Sophie," he said as he rubbed circles on her waist. "The pastry wasn't the most important thing on my mind."
"Oh, really?" She raised an eyebrow teasingly. "I thought men couldn't multi task." He scoffed and poked her side gently in response. She giggled.
"Still ticklish, I see?"
She rolled her eyes, trying not to giggle again. He kept brushing her side, poking a ticklish spot. "Yeah, that hasn't changed since last night, Charlie."
His eyes widened and he leant in, "Shush," he whispered, kissing her softly. "They'll hear."
Sophie grinned against his lips, and hummed in response, resting her head against his neck, breathing in everything familiar and everything new. She closed her eyes, her lips pulling into a soft smile. She was so glad she'd found that letter. Without it she would have never met such an obnoxious Brit. Without it she would have never been as happy as she was to day. She was lucky, she decided, very lucky indeed.
Charlie shifted slightly, turning his head to look at her. "Your breath, it's tickling me."
She poked him in the side.