"Lizzie..." She heard a voice calling her name, She groaned in her sleep, rolling over in the bed. It couldn't be morning already. No way. She had just laid down. It was still dark outside; she had just gotten home from Paolo's. One of her eyes opened a little, and she sighed. Wrong. It was bright out, all right.
"Don't....wanna......get.......up," She grumbled, attempting to pull the covers over her head. She felt a familiar grasp pull her hands away, and opened her eyes slowly. Gordo sat on the edge of her bed, smiling cheerfully at her.
"What....."She groaned, "Do you want?"
His face fell.
"I.....I just.....I thought....." He paused for a moment to collect himself, "I thought we could have breakfast together today. You know, before you......you know, have to......leave....." He glanced at her desperately.
"What time is it?" She asked softly, not looking at him. He looked toward the clock.
"It's eight thirty," he informed her, and, after looking her over, commented, "Did you get to bed late last night?"
Lizzie nodded, running her hand over her forehead.
"Yeah, Paolo and I were out really late, and I just.....I didn't get to bed until after that, obviously."
He nodded, looking away from her.
"So I guess that's a no to my invitation for breakfast, huh?" He asked softly. She closed her eyes for a moment before pulling herself into a sitting position.
"No, it's a yes, but if I fall over into my plate during the middle of it, you'll know why."
He grinned, standing up.
"Great," he replied happily, "Um, so I'm....I'll meet you over at my room in like fifteen?"
She nodded quickly before stopping herself.
"Uh, wait, Gordo," she corrected him. He turned to her.
"What?"
She shrugged.
"Ms. Ungermeyer thinks I'm sick. If she sees me downstairs in the lobby, she'll know I was faking it the whole time."
Gordo nodded, his face falling.
"Yeah," he admitted softly.
"I'm sorry, I-"
"Wait," Gordo cut her off, "I have an idea. You get dressed, and I'll be right back."
Lizzie nodded slowly, watching him disappear from the room before she went into the bathroom to change. As she was in the middle of applying her make-up, there was a knock on her bedroom door. She dropped the lipstick tube into the sink below her and hurried out to unlock the door. Gordo stood before her, holding a tray with two covered plates, two tall glasses of orange juice, and a yellow rose standing high between them in its vase.
"Room service," he beamed, pushing the tray toward her. Lizzie squealed, moving aside for him to enter.
"Gordo! This is so cute!" She gushed, watching as he set the tray upon the table in the room. He shook his head, lifting the covers from the plates, revealing a bagel upon each.
"My favorite breakfast," she acknowledged.
"Your favorite breakfast," he repeated, smiling at her. She grinned, heading over to her chair. He followed behind her, pulling it out for her. She smiled, accepting his offer.
"Grazie," she smiled. He hesitated for a second.
"Uh....word," he replied, heading to his chair. Lizzie tilted her head.
"Gordo, did you just say....."
"Yeah, yeah," he stated quickly, "Too much time with Ethan is not good for anyone. Do you hear me, Lizzie? No one could possibly withstand too much of it."
Lizzie giggled, peeling her bagel apart.
"This is so nice of you, Gordo," she smiled. He shrugged, what looked almost like a crimson rush coming to his face.
"No big deal," he responded, "Anything for you. I....I mean, you couldn't go to breakfast, so I just.....I just made breakfast come to you."
She smiled.
"You are SUCH a good friend, Gordo. I don't know how I would be able to get through any of this without you."
He shrugged.
"That's what friends are for, Lizzie."
She nodded.
"You're right." She began to spread the cream cheese on her bagel, smiling to herself. She looked up a few minutes later to discover that Gordo was staring at her. Her hand flew to her mouth.
"What? Do I have something on my face?"
He shook his head, his gaze drifting back down to his plate. She watched as he began to eat, and began casual conversation. She wondered if Gordo was having fun here in Rome. He had never really talked to her about it. She didn't know if he had done anything exciting, or had met any pretty Italian girls. Part of her hoped he hadn't done the latter.
As they finished their breakfast, Lizzie smiled.
"This has been fun," she admitted. He nodded.
"Yeah, it has."
She suddenly gasped, moving from the chair to her bed.
"I just remembered," she answered his silent question, "Something that I keep forgetting to give you." She reached into a duffle bag near the bed and pulled out a small rock. She wagged a finger at him, and he crossed the room.
"What is it?" He asked softly, sitting down next to her. She dropped the pebble into his hand.
"You don't know?" She asked. He shook his head. She sighed.
"Don't you remember, a while ago we were talking about our lucky stuff?"
He nodded. She motioned to the rock.
"Well, there it is. That's mine."
He looked down at the rock and smiled.
"Really?"
She nodded.
"Yeah, and....now, it's yours."
He cocked his head to the side.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm giving it to you," she smiled, "Don't ask questions, Gordo. Don't you know the old saying, 'Never look a gift horse in the mouth'?" The cliche sent chills down her spine. She could actually feel herself turning into her mother. Freaky.
He nodded, smiled, and tightened his grasp on the rock.
"Thanks, Lizzie."
She nodded, and then smiled, reaching across to him.
"Gordo, you've got cream cheese on your cheek," she giggled, wiping it off with her hand.
Her had caressed his cheek, sending chills shooting down his spine. Everything became slow motion at that moment. Her movements, the smile on her face, her soft voice. He could barely catch his breath as she leaned into him. Her hand slowly dropped from his cheek, but he was unable to remove his eyes from her. She was so beautiful. Why had he been trying to deny it to himself this whole time? She was absolutely perfect. Her dizzying touch was what caused him to lean closer to her, his hand moving up to brush her cheek lightly. Their eyes remained locked as he leaned in, now able to feel her eratic breath on his skin. Her breathing pattern gave away the fact that she was just as nervous as he was. Maybe more so. But he couldn't stop himself. Not now. Not since everything felt so good with her.
When their lips touched, he felt himself moan involuntarily. God, this felt better than he had ever imagined, and he had imagined it many, many times.
Lizzie closed her eyes, unable to think straight. Was she kissing Gordo? Was this really happening? More importantly, why did it feel so right