She felt a pair of arms grab her and pull her out of the street right before the car hit her. She tried to fight back the stranger holding her against himself. She was breathing too quickly and her vision was getting blurry.

"Jesus christ Ariadne."

She heard Arthur say. She turned around and saw his face and it calmed her down a bit. She wiggled in his grasp to turn around and wrap her own arms around his neck. She hid her face in his neck and realized she had been crying.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

He asked, worried, already checking her head and eyes for a sign of concussion.

"I'm fine."

She told him, and it was true. She was fine, because of him. If he hadn't been there, she probably would have been mush.

"You know, people who run out in front of moving cars aren't usually fine."

He retorted.

"What's wrong?"

He asked, more nicely, realizing that irony wasn't the best thing right then.

"I was having coffee and the-the waiter looked familiar, it freaked me out and I tried to find-"

She was talking very fast but it was like he read her mind as he took her totem out of his pocket. She took a breath in relief and grabbed it from his hand.

"Thank you."

She said as she squeezed it in her hand to make sure it was really there.

"I don't know what happened, I just freaked out."

He shook his head.

"It's normal but it'll get worse before it gets better. It's not the last time you'll question reality, Ariadne. Do you have family, or a friend that could stay with you for a while?"

She shook her head sadly. She'd never had much family except for her great aunt who raised her but she passed away a few years prior. And she spent so much time studying and designing at the library that she barely had time for a social life, let alone maintain a relationship with a friend.

"Let's go back to the hotel."

He said, not mentioning her head shake which she was thankful for, not having friends was hardly something she would like to talk about. He helped her up from the bench they were sat on and she noticed that he wasn't in his usual three piece suit. On the contrary, he was still in his sweatpants and grey t-shirt that he had slept in. She also saw that he was barefoot and his hair wasn't slicked back, it was in a curly mess that she found oddly attractive on him. In truth, he had ran out of the hotel with her totem the second he had seen that she didn't have it with her, not even taking the time to put shoes on. It was a strike of luck that he had run into her because he was just looking around.

"Your hair."

She chuckled.

"What?"

"It's curly."

He laughed and shook his head. He put an arm around her waist to keep her close to him as they walked back to the hotel.

"Are you okay? Do you wanna lie down for a bit?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks though."

"You're gonna need a new totem."

"No, it's fine, I trust you. I'll just get one next time we do a job."

"Next time?"

He asked in disbelief, she really wanted to continue this?

"Yeah, next time. You didn't think I would get scared and back out of this did you?"

She asked, she didn't want him to think she was just a scared little gril.

"No, no, I just didn't think you'd be this eager. I mean it is dangerous."

"Are you implying that I can't take care of myself? Because I seem to remember that I was the one who had the idea that saved the damn job."

She told him pointedly, and he knew she was right.

"I know you can take care of yourself."

He said, raising his hands in front of his chest in resignation. They ordered room service for breakfast.

"Do you wanna come with me to Italy?"

Arthur asked when they were done eating.

"Why are you going to Italy?"

"I have a house there that my grandma left me when she passed away, it's still under her name so we'd be safe there. That's where I hide after missions for a couple of weeks."

"Sure, let's go to Italy."

She smiled, relieved to not be left alone. They packed and at soon they were on a plane to Europe.

"Thank you."

She whispered to him while they were sitting on the plane.

"For what?"

"For not leaving me at home, all alone."

"It's the least I could do."

He said, really not seeing the kind act he was offering.

"No it's not, you could have very well abandoned me, but you didn't."

"I mean, anyone would have done the same thing."

"Oh my god, Arthur, will you give yourself some credit?"

"Alright, alright, you're welcome."

They both chuckled. A couple of hours later they were landing in Italy.

"Here we are, home sweet home."

Arthur declared when they arrived in front of a beautiful house. Ariadne was in adoration, being an architect she admired the stone work on the beautiful neoclassical house.

"Arthur, this house is beautiful. Is it really yours?"

"Of course it is, come on in."

She followed him inside and they discarded their shoes next to the door before walking up a flight of stairs as he showed her to the guest bedroom.

"Come, I'll give you a tour of the house."

Arthur suggested after dropping off his luggage. Ariadne nodded enthusiastically and they went back down. The first floor had a big living room with no TV (who would want to watch a screen with the scenery outside?) and a big couch next to a love seat and an ottoman in the perfect center of the room. Next there was the kitchen that was connected with the dinning room through an open arch. There were glass doors in the dinning room that gave a view of the backyard and the garden. Then there was the study and a bathroom. Arthur led her back upstairs where there was another bedroom, his bedroom and a bathroom along with a cozy boudoir where Ariadne could already imagine herself reading and drawing. There was another bathroom upstairs with a big corner bath in it. Ariadne was truly in awe.

"Your grandma must've had a lot of money."

She said.

"I'm sorry that was intrusive, I wasn't thinking."

She immediately caught herself.

"It's fine, she did actually have a lot of money, but I don't think this house cost that much at the time, she bought it a long time ago when she was still young."

"Did you grow up here?"

Arthur hesitated answering that question, it was personal and normally he didn't do personal.

"Well, I was born in the states but then my parents passed away when I was 3 and I came here and my grandma raised me."

"So you speak Italian?"

"Among other languages, yes."

Ariadne didn't tell him but she found that very attractive.

"Why did you go back to the states?"

"I went back to go to university, I wanted to study physics and my grandma wanted me to go to the best school there was and that was in the states. Then I met Cobb and started working with him so I barely came back here except on holidays, but she always kept a room for me."

"That's sweet."

Ariadne smiled and Arthur nodded, gazing out at nothing in particular, she could tell he was thinking about his grandma.