Chapter VIII

When she woke up the next morning, it took a few seconds for Anna to remember where she was. Looking up at the ceiling, she let out a big yawn and jumped in surprise when a voice across the room wished her a good morning. Sitting up, she saw John seated at a small table by the window, reading the morning paper and drinking coffee.

''Good morning,'' she replied, blushing. She had completely forgotten that they were sharing a room…and a bed.

''What time is it?'' Anna asked, when she saw that he was already fully dressed.

''Past seven,'' he replied, looking at her intently. She looked absolutely adorable with her hair mussed. She definitely wasn't a morning person, he thought.

''Seven?'' She looked at him in alarm. ''Aren't we supposed to have our meeting in less than an hour?!''

''Yes, but apparently Mr. Moretti's flight from New York was delayed, so we are meeting him and his team at two for a late lunch,'' John explained. ''Coffee?''

''Yes, please.'' Anna finally slid out of bed.

''Uh…you wore your bathrobe to bed?'' he chuckled, when he noticed that she was still wearing the white hotel robe from last night.

''Well, like you, I wasn't expecting we'd be sharing a room.'' Anna sat down opposite him, but not before making sure her belt was tied securely around her waist. All she had packed was a pink nightie that barely covered her mid-thighs, and she wasn't about to walk around him half-undressed.

''I see.'' She could see a faint grin on his face. ''Sugar?''

''No, thanks.''

She shook her head and poured some milk into the cup. ''May I?'' she asked, pointing to the apricot crostata on the plate.

''Be my guest.''

''So...'' Anna began, after a few moments of silence. ''...what are we supposed to do until then?'' It would be hours until their meeting, and Anna wasn't about to spend them indoors. She was in Rome, for god's sake!

''You're in Rome, Smith. You can do whatever you want.'' John voiced her thoughts, his eyes glued to the newspaper.

''Well, I was thinking of going for a short walk. I've always wanted to see the city.'' She bit her lip.

''Good,'' John replied, still reading the paper. Or at least pretending that he was reading it.

''Would you...I mean, you don't have to, but…ummm...would you like to join me?'' she asked, surprising both herself and him. A part of her hoped that he would say no. She didn't want him to ruin Rome for her, especially with his grumpy behaviour. But another part prayed he would say yes. Something she had seen in his eyes that one day, when she had stopped by his office and caught him unprepared, had made her believe that there was more to him than he let on. There simply had to be. And she was ready to find out what it was.

John's mind froze. Was she really asking him to go with her? After everything he had said and done? Because he had really tried not to be overly polite to her; he just couldn't take the risk.

''Well...'' he hesitated, speechless. He knew that it wasn't a good idea, but a part of him - the part he had tried to ignore for the past few weeks - ignored his better judgment. ''…O-OK.''

''Great.'' Anna smiled and stood up. ''Just give me few minutes to get ready.''

''I'll wait for you in the lobby,'' John added, as she went into the bathroom.

xXx

15 minutes later, Anna walked into the lobby but John was nowhere to be found. For a second she thought he had left without her, but a young woman behind the counter quickly informed her that Mr. Bates was waiting for her in front of the hotel. Thanking her, Anna quickly walked outside and gasped. He had changed into grey jeans and a black polo shirt, and Anna had to admit that he looked fabulous, especially with his black sunglasses resting on his nose. But what surprised her the most was the fact that he was sitting on an old blue Vespa Piaggio, holding two helmets.

''What's all this?'' Anna asked.

''Well, you said you wanted to see Rome. So I thought...'' He shrugged his shoulders and pushed his sunglasses on top of his head, hoping that he hadn't crossed the line. ''...you know.'' He handed her the helmet and hoped she would take it.

At first Anna had no idea how to react. It felt like he was once again playing with her feelings. He had been cold and distant back in their room, but right now he seemed shy and even…charming. It confused her, but in the end his soft look weakened her and she accepted the helmet.

''Where are we going, anyway?'' she smiled as she fastened the strap.

''You'll see, Smith.'' He gave her a broad smile - a kind of smile she had never seen on his face until now. It suited him.

''Do you even know how to drive this thing?'' she asked.

''Unfortunately I do.'' He put his own helmet on with a boyish grin, and if Anna hadn't known better, she might have thought that he was flirting with her. ''Come on, then. We only have a few hours to do this, and Rome is a big city.'' He put his sunglasses on.

As Anna sat awkwardly behind him, John could sense that she had no idea where to put her hands. ''Um...'' Anna hesitated, realizing that the only place her hands could go was around his body…his broad, strong body. She swallowed.

''Hold on!'' John said, before pulling into traffic, forcing Anna to wrap her arms tightly around his waist. And my god, it felt good. He felt good.

xXx

It was a sunny April morning, and they had spent two hours driving from one famous site to another, making stops along the way so that Anna could snap pictures to send to Gwen and Jane later. The traffic had been a complete mess, but somehow John had managed to zigzag around the cars, making detours that allowed them to move between the sites as quickly as possible. He knew his way around the city without satnav or even a map, which made Anna suspect that he wasn't new to Rome.

''Do you like ice-cream?'' John asked, as Anna took another selfie with the Coliseum as a backdrop.

''What?'' Anna turned and looked at him in surprise. He hadn't spoken much in the last few hours. He had told her about history of the city at their various stops, but other than that he had remained quiet.

''Ice cream - do you like it?'' he repeated the question from his seat on the Vespa.

''Who doesn't?'' Anna smiled, walking toward him. ''Why?'' She stopped in front of him.

''Well, I know a place that has the best ice cream you will ever taste. It's just a few minutes away, and I thought…maybe…you might want to...you know.''

Anna just stared at him.

''So…what do you say…?'' he asked hesitantly.

''Yes,'' Anna finally replied, and once again took her seat behind him on the Vespa. No longer feeling shy about holding onto him, she boldly wrapped her hands around his waist and enjoyed the feel of his muscles under her fingertips.

It was just five minutes before John parked the little Vespa on a small square hidden between buildings.

''Here we are.'' He nodded at the old building across the square, a sign above the door reading "Gino's Gelateria."

''How do you know your way around the city so well?'' Anna finally summoned the courage to ask, as they walked toward the shop.

''I lived here for a year when I was a student.''

''Oh yes - that's right!'' It finally made sense. ''You were one of the two chosen to study abroad after winning the RIBA award! I read about it in one of the articles I found when I googled you the other day-'' She stopped when she saw him staring at her.

''I see,'' he grinned, and his smile widened when he saw her face redden.

''I mean, I…I...well...'' Oh god, Anna! Just stop talking! The last thing she needed was for him to think she was gathering information about him on the internet like some kind of stalker. ''You're one of the leading figures in UK architecture, and I just...''

''It's OK.'' John smiled softly.

''I just…''

''Smith, it's all right. I…''

''JOHN!'' They both jumped at the sudden shout.

''Gino!'' John smiled as a large older man barrelled toward them and wrapped his arms around him.

''Sie tornato!?'' the man asked, beaming.

''No, I'm just here for a meeting,'' John replied with a grin. He hadn't spoken to the man much in recent years, but it felt like no time had passed since they had last seen each other.

''E chi è questa bella signorina?'' Gino let go of John and turned to Anna, who was quietly observing the exchange. It was odd to see her boss so…so…well…so happy. But she didn't have time to dwell on it, as Gino pulled her into a bear hug.

''This is Anna Smith,'' John explained, and had to laugh when he saw Anna disappearing into Gino's large frame.

''Vieni, vieni!'' Gino finally let go of her and pushed both of them toward his shop. ''Francesca! Vieni qui!'' he shouted toward the back room. ''Francesca!''

''Che?'' an irritated woman's voice could be heard from the other side of the wall.

''Vieni qui!'' Gino called happily, practically jumping up and down with excitement.

''Cos'è successo?'' an older woman finally came to the room, looking rather annoyed with her husband, until she saw John standing before her. ''Dio mio!'' she covered her mouth with her hands. ''John?!''

''Ciao Francesca.'' John smiled like a little boy and hugged her.

''What are you doing here?'' the woman asked, squeezing him tightly.

''I was in the neighbourhood,'' he teased, while she placed countless kisses on his cheeks.

''Let me look at you.'' She finally let go of him. ''Bello.''

Then she turned to look at Anna.

''Ciao.''

''Ciao,'' Anna said shyly, uncertain what to do. This all was a little too much to process.

''Oh, I'm sorry. This is Anna Smith - she is one of the interior designers in the firm.'' John turned to her. ''Anna, this is Francesca.''

''Ciao Anna.'' The woman greeted her with a smile and kissed her cheeks.

''Hello,'' Anna replied, and once again looked at John, who was beaming. So she was right, there was definitely more to this man than she had initially thought. He obviously knew how to be kind and warm; the real question was why he did not act this way back in England.

''Come - sit, sit!'' Francesca encouraged them, and ordered her husband to bring some glasses. It was a small place, but it felt comfy and homey to Anna. There weren't many other people there, and the four of them quickly started a conversation in which Anna got the all the answers she'd had about the trio. As it turned out, John had worked at the gelateria at the weekends while studying in Rome. Francesca teased that their sales had tripled when John had been the one serving to both tourists and locals. Apparently the ladies had loved him, and looking at his smiling face, Anna had no trouble believing it.

They had spent almost an hour talking when John suddenly realized the time.

''Well, this has been a lot of fun, but we need to go. We have a two o'clock meeting at the Ritz, and we can't afford to be late,'' he said, standing up.

''Thank you for stopping by,'' Francesca said, and once again gave him a tight squeeze. ''Anna, it was a pleasure meeting you.'' She hadn't spoken much, but Francesca could see that Anna was a kind young woman. And she saw more than that - she saw the way that she was looking at John.

''Likewise,'' Anna smiled.

While Anna said goodbye to Gino, Francesca pulled John aside and whispered in his ear, ''She's beautiful.''

''Yes, well…'' John had no idea how to respond. Although he agreed with her, he was far from ready to admit it aloud to anybody. But Francesca knew him.

''Oh, you're still the same,'' she smiled. ''But let me tell you…she feels the same about you.''

''Franc-…'' John began.

''Don't,'' she laughed and tapped his shoulder. ''Just let yourself be happy.''

Gino brought two ice-creams, one for Anna and one for John.

''Grazie,'' Anna said, taking one of the cones. She had no idea how, but he had guessed her favourite flavour – vanilla.

''It's on the house,'' Francesca exclaimed, when she saw John pulling his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans.

''Grazie,'' John nodded, and after giving another hug to each of them, he and Anna made their way outside.

''Well, that was interesting,'' Anna said, breaking the silence as the door closed behind them.

''Oh, really? How so?'' he smiled. He knew it was wrong to let his guard down, but he simply could not help himself. Seeing Francesca and Gino after so long had brought back so many wonderful memories.

''I…don't know,'' she stuttered, examining his face as they continued walking toward their Vespa. ''They seem really nice.''

''They are,'' John agreed. ''They were like a family to me when I live-…watch out!'' he yelled suddenly, grabbing her by her waist and pulling her into his body with such force that they both fell to the ground.

''Idiots!'' he yelled at four passing motorbikes, flat on the ground with Anna on top of him.

She had been so preoccupied with staring at him that she had not seen the motorbikes heading toward them. If John hadn't pulled her away, she was sure one of them would have hit her.

''Are you OK?'' John asked worriedly.

''Oh, god, I'm so sorry,'' she gasped, when she saw her palm spread on his chest, her ice-cream smeared all over the front of his shirt.

''What?'' It took him a second to realize what she was referring to. ''Forget about the shirt. Are you all right?''

Anna blushed as she realized that she was still lying on top of him.

"Y-yes,…yes thank you.'' She could feel his strong arm around her waist, his firm body under hers, and she was so close to him that she could smell what remained of his cologne.

''But your hand…'' John said. It looked like she had scraped her palm on the paving stones, when she had tried to catch herself as they fell.

''O- Oh…'' she stammered, looking down at her bruised and bleeding hand. ''…it's nothing.'' She finally looked him directly in the eye…and that was it. At that moment, she knew that Jane and Thomas were right. She liked him. She liked him more that she should. More than she was ready to admit.

And at the same moment, John felt it, too. Something was happening between them. He had no idea what, but it was definitely something. He could feel her whole body pressing into his, and it felt heavenly to feel her weight and heat so close after so much time alone. For god's sake, don't do anything stupid, John, he thought, when he caught himself staring at her pink lips.

''An-…'' He tried to say her name, but it was like he was paralyzed. The truth was that he was panicking inside. It wasn't in his plan to allow her to get close, to let her see that he was anything more than just Mr. John Bates, the ambitious, unemotional, and badass architect who showed no mercy to anyone.

''Y-yes?'' she managed. His eyes were absolutely breathtaking. Brown? No, hazel. She wondered how she hadn't noticed them before.

''I…'' John exhaled as his gaze travelled from her lips back to her clear blue eyes.

Every inch of him screamed to let go of her, push her off of him, and run. He wasn't ready for this. Maybe he never would be, but he definitely knew that this was too much for him to handle. But he could not help himself. He couldn't explain why or how, but something was happening and he did not have the strength to pull away.

And apparently she didn't mind, as he could see that she was looking at him in the same way. She was really beautiful, he thought to himself, and for a brief moment imagined himself kissing her soft pink lips.

Anna could feel John tightening his arm around her waist and, for an instant, she was sure that he was about to kiss her…or at least try to. But she never found out, as a loud shout pierced the charged atmosphere, drawing their attention away and breaking their connection.

Francesca and Gino had seen their near-miss through the shop windows, and had run outside to help. And while Anna cursed silently, John was thankful that they had saved him from making the biggest mistake of his life.


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