Chapter Four

John held Claire's hand as they stepped toward the Spanish steps, smiling as he watched wonder take over while she looked around at the fountains and gelato shops. "You're so beautiful…" He breathed, stepping toward one of the fountains with the virgin Mary looking down at them. He pulled a coin from his pocket, pressing it between their palms and whispering something in Spanish under his breath before he tossed it into the fountain.

"What was that?" She asked, amused by the odd little behaviors he displayed from time to time.

He smirked, nodding to the statue. "It's an old catholic myth. Supposedly, if you say a prayer and offer a coin to the virgin Mary, she will watch over your life and help you along."

She raised a brow, surprised at how he spoke. "Are you catholic now?" She teased, knowing damn well that John didn't consider himself to be any one religion —though he was spiritual in some ways.

He shrugged, stepping toward a little espresso shop. "You know me, Sweets. You can't fit me into a box." He looked up at the menu, pulling a small translation booklet from his backpack before he ordered to make sure he said the right things. He wasn't horrible at Italian, in fact, it was a lot like Spanish, but he only knew enough to barely get by. "Due caffè, per favore." He smiled, happy that he already knew most of those words in Spanish and could simply change the pronunciation slightly to fit.

The barista nodded and replied before she started on the coffees he'd ordered. "Of course, Sir." She smiled in perfect English. "I'm actually just here for the summer. Originally from great Britton myself." She supplied at the shocked look on his face.

Claire laughed, biting her lips as her husband turned bright red with embarrassment. "You'll have to excuse him. He's not well traveled." She chuckled, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Are you two newlyweds?" She asked, taking in how grumpy the man's expression had become as he pouted.

Claire nodded, kicking John's but with the heel of her shoe to get him to stop pouting like a two-year-old. "We just got married two days ago."

The barista grinned, placing the two lattes on the counter with little hearts drawn in the froth. "Well, this one's one me then."

Claire beamed, kissing John's cheek as he picked up their drinks. "Thank you so much!"

John tipped his drink to his lips, twisting his ring around his finger as he watched Claire's eyes fill with wonder. He pulled out a notebook from his bag, quickly sketching an outline of his wife.

"What're you doing?" She asked, looking down at the sketch.

"Drawing the most beautiful thing here." He smirked, going off of memory now that she'd moved.

She watched as his pencil glided over the paper, revealing the outline of her face. "That's me, you dork." She giggled, noticing how his brows drew together while he drew and how intently he worked.

His hands were those of a working man, rough callouses covering the palms and fingertips, but they were also those of an artist, precise and soft. She could see where the tendons under his skin tightened and relaxed, the way the scars on his knuckles rippled with the strength hidden under his thin body.

He wasn't too skinny anymore, in fact, he'd filled out amazingly since the last time he'd dropped weight. She couldn't see his ribs anymore, and there were only a few small spots where his bones stuck out in his hips —but that was just malnourishment from his childhood— he was still thin, but not sickly.

He nodded, turning the picture so that she could see it. "This is what I see when I look at you." He smiled as she looked at it, able to see that her confidence had grown just from seeing herself from his eyes. "Even when we were kids."

She leaned over the table toward him, pressing a kiss to his lips. "I love you."

"I love you more."