I found myself fortunate whenever Bella took one of her "human moments", time for her to brush her teeth, use the restroom, etc. They gave me time to think, even if only for a few minutes. I now knew that something was wrong with me, or at least that's what it felt like. Try as I might though, and boy did I try, I could not foresee what would happen between us. I looked and looked, giving myself several headaches in the process, but still I was blind to the dilemma. In the dressing room I had been taken off guard, unable to control myself from gawking at her so intensely. I was putting together the reasons behind the actions I had ignored up until now. The excuses I'd made just to touch her, to play with her hair, to feel her warmth. That inexplicable urge to reach out and hold her face, to cradle her gently. There was no doubt in my mind that these feelings went past friendly or maternal. I had known Bella for years, or nearly so, and to think that I had been in love with her the entire time drove me absolutely mad.

She was finished taking her shower, walking from the large bathroom wrapped in nothing but a towel. Her dark hair flowed damp down her back. I could feel her warmth from where I laid on the bed, longing against my will to scoop her up and hold her to me. I pushed the now familiar thoughts from my mind, painting a cheerful smile on my face. She couldn't become suspicious of my feelings or I might lose her for good.

"Leaning Tower first I think, some lunch, a ride in a gondola, maybe a bit of shopping, and…. anything else you want to do today? We can-"

She tugged a few clothes from her bag, dropping her towel to the floor. Her naked body made me falter for a second, forcing myself to look away.

"We can always see more tomorrow…" Don't look, don't look, don't you dare look. I looked. Damn it! Her slender legs were freshly shaven, her skin decorated with tiny beads of water. Her back arched forward as she slid on her pants, stepping into them clumsily. Her hands worked to fasten her bra behind her. I stared-hating myself for it-at her full breasts, her shapely curves. I think my jaw might have actually dropped.

"Minus the shopping and that sounds great." She slid on a shirt I'd bought her-grey with a design in silver-turning to sit beside me on the bed, fully clothed. I smiled, not knowing what else to do.

"Alright."

"What? Are you telling me you're not going to drag me shopping again?"

My thoughts went back to our last shopping experience and I shook my head. "Not if you don't want to go."

"This is some new tactic, isn't it?" she said, a suspicious look in her eye. "My Alice doesn't give up without a fight." I felt dumbstruck. My Alice? How was I supposed to interpret that? Why did it take every ounce of strength I had not to grab her and pull her down on top of me? And why the heck couldn't I see anything? The frustration mounted and I needed to remove myself from the room, taking flight for the bathroom. I knew I was in the red zone now.

"Alice? What's wrong?" Bella hurried after me but I shut the door, locking it.

"I need a vampire moment, Bella." At any other time I would have laughed at saying that.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'll be out in a sec."

"Oh…okay. I'll be right here if you need anything…"

"Thanks."

I went to sit on the toilet seat, holding my head in my hands, praying that she hadn't heard the quiver in my voice. I looked at my hands to discover in horror that they were shaking. That was new. In fact, I couldn't remember feeling this nervous … ever. I shut my eyes, attempting to calm myself. Too bad Jasper hadn't come along. He would have been able to calm my nerves. Of course he'd question me on why I had them in the first place… I needed to get a grip. All I needed to do was get through today, then I could work things out tonight as Bella slept. But right now I was up to bat. The most important thing was keeping Bella happy and oblivious to my freaky feelings towards her. Who knew, maybe they'd disappear in a few days… I rolled my eyes halfway through that thought, knowing perfectly well that I could not push this away so easily.

"Ready to go?" I said, stepping out of the bathroom lightly, big smile pinned into place.

"Yeah. Are you?" she asked, somewhat skeptical.

"Yep. Let's go before it gets too crowded."

"But you're okay?"

I laughed as a response, seeing her relief as I led her through the door.

The crowds were vast, but luckily I foresaw ways to maneuver around them, leading Bella to a perfect view of the Leaning Tower of Piza. This required a lot of hand holding, or at least that's what I told myself. What if we were separated and Bella got lost in the mob? I sighed, not fooled by the pathetic excuse. After about an hour of taking photos and marveling at the ancient architecture, we fought through the crowd again, walking through the streets towards the restaurant we'd picked out, staying in the shadows so I wouldn't sparkle. All the while I longed to simply take her hand again, though I knew that it would seem too out of the ordinary without the mass amounts of people around for even the hint of an excuse. It got worse when she tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. I caught her with ease, but had more trouble with the letting go part.

She ordered some lasagna and lemonade. I nibbled on a piece of fresh bread so as to not draw too much attention to myself. There was live music and wonderful gourmet smells in the air. We talked and laughed as she ate. Once finished, she scooted back her chair and offered her hand to me. I stared at it blankly.

"Come on, dance with me."

"Since when do you like to dance?" I tried to persuade her to sit back down. Being two inches away from her was the last thing I needed right now.

"Never. I don't know. It's this place I guess. Come on, how can you possibly pass up dancing? In Italy no less." I had to give her that.

Not seeing any harm in it, just knowing I had to be careful, I took her hand, getting up and walking with her to the small dance area where a few other people were. The beat was light and quick, lyrics in a thick Italian accent. She took my other hand and began moving with me. I kept expecting her to trip but she never did, moving with more ease than I'd ever seen her before. Almost gracefully. It didn't take long for me to sink into the spell of the music, swaying with her, letting go. Soon she held me around the waist and, not fully alert, I held her back. We danced for several songs. I twirled her lightly and her grin was dazzling, her eyes happier than I'd seen them since we'd been here. I smiled back genuinely, no longer having a need for my charade. Her hair whirled for a final time as the music stopped and she told me she had to stop. She looked tired, but happy. Blissful even. I didn't understand it, but I didn't need to. I paid for her lunch and we glided from the restaurant, both of us afloat.

"Oh, Alice! That was so fun. I've never liked dancing before, let alone been good at it!" She squeezed my hand briefly. My hand would tingle for the rest of the day.

"Aren't you tired?" I asked. She certainly didn't look it. She laughed.

"Let's ride on a gondola next. That was the plan right?"

"Whatever you like, Bell." She smiled at the nickname, hugging me swiftly. I hugged back, feeling her warm skin through her clothes. She smelled of clover. My stomach did a somersault.

The gondola was smaller than usual, but the rower smiled and greeted us in English.

"Welcome! I am Emilio. You come aboard." We stepped aboard the small boat and sat down on the wooded benches that were surprisingly comfortable. There was the smell of river water and a warm breeze. I reached in my purse and took out a fold of bills.

"Do you think you could stick to the shade, Emilio? My friend here is rather warm."

"Of course, of course." He took the money with a large grin, pushing away from the dock with his long oar. We drifted from land, staying between the tall buildings, riding under detailed archways. Bella grinned the whole time, pointing at statues and gasping at the approaching sunset.

"You're happy?" I asked, though I could tell she was.

"Unbelievably," she said, linking our arms. Emilio began to sing in Italian and I allowed myself to rest my head on her shoulder, closing my eyes, relaxing. Nothing mattered but her happiness. She ran her warm fingers through my short hair, it feeling better than I'd pictured. I felt a closeness that we hadn't had until then, taking comfort in it. It even felt good to know that I had no idea what was going to happen next. For the first time in a long while, I could be spontaneous.

A/N: Reviews? Pretty please? -puppy eyes-