2

After a terrifying and dusty ride through the capital's city centre, Antonio finally pulled up his scooter on one of the less busy roads in Rome and not a moment too soon. As Jessica stumbled off of the scooter unimpressed from the journey she pulled her helmet off her head and ruffled her dark brown hair into something decent looking.

"You enjoy that?" Antonio asked.

"Not particularly" she replied flatly, "and I always thought I would like one of these but I was obviously mistaken" she laughed, she may as well try and get on with the guy now she was here she thought, although not too well, she didn't want to give him the wrong impression after all.

"Well at least you have found out your distaste for them before you've bought one" he smiled.

"I guess yeah" she replied, "Where are we anyways?" she asked looking around the unfamiliar roads. The street was lined with traditional looking restaurants and shops, nothing like what had been in the city centre that she had seen earlier.

"We are in the old country" he exclaimed proudly.

"Oh...I see" she replied taking all her surroundings in, "It looks nice, better than those restaurants in the city huh?" she asked.

"Well I did tell you I knew the best places to eat" he replied cockily, "Follow me" he said holding out his hand for her to take. She hesitated, not wanting to hold his hand but not wanting to offend him either. It was then her phone began to ring in her bag, saved by the bell she thought as she rummaged around in the large bag in search for her phone.

"Excuse me" she nodded to Antonio and he smiled, "Hello?"

"Hello" she heard her mum's voice come crackling through the speaker in spite of the bad reception in the area.

"Hi mum" she said emphasising the mum part so Antonio knew who she was speaking to.

"Just checking you are alright and safe, we saw you take off on his scooter, are you having a good time?" the over protectiveness beginning to show through already in the nature of the call.

"Yes mum I'm fine, we've just got to this restaurant so I'm gonna have to go, I'll call you when we are coming back if it's not too late" Jessica replied as Antonio's face lit up at the prospect of her staying late, the fact of the matter was she didn't intend on staying out late at all, she had only said it to sound carefree and rebellious. She wished her mum and dad would stop treating her like a child and accept her for the grown woman she was, they always seemed to be trying to change her somehow.

"But..." her mum pushed on the other end of the line.

"Sorry mum, really bad reception here, going to have to go, bye, ciao" Jessica interrupted ending the call and slipping her phone back into her bag, "Sorry about that" she apologised.

"No worries" Antonio replied and with that she followed him towards the door of the little restaurant which had a couple of iron tables with intricate patterns in the metal placed outside the window. Antonio opened the door for Jessica "After you" he said as he waited for her to enter.

"Thanks" She replied as she hesitated, cautious to step in first to the unfamiliar restaurant. She walked through the threshold and into the small reception area and took a look around at the small, intimate restaurant. It looked typically Italian, just like the sort of thing you would see in a movie she thought thinking back to many of the romantic comedies she had watched over the years, Antonio followed her in.

"Antonio...Cosi bello rivederti" an elderly gentleman's voice called out from across the room.

"Buonasera Alfreido!" Antonio replied whilst Jessica stood there slightly bewildered as she translated some of what was being said, "Tavolo per due per favore" Antonio asked, Table for two please, Jessica thought as he spoke. "This is Jessica" Antonio said now speaking English as he introduced her whilst she stood quietly at the side of him.

"Hello" she waved politely at the man, "Nice to meet you, Antonio comes here often I take it?" she added sceptically as the old man approached her, Antonio still unaware she could understand him.

"Lovely to meet you bella" Alfreido replied, "Yes yes...Antonio here is our best customer" he smiled giving Antonio a meaningful nod.

"Oh really?" she replied her eyebrows rose as she spied Antonio fidgeting awkwardly on the spot.

"Please, please sit" Alfreido ushered the pair to a table pulling out a chair for Jessica to take a seat.

"Grazie" she replied pulling herself in under the table, she watched as Antonio sat in the chair opposite. The tables in the restaurant were all very close together she noted as she looked around and the restaurant was busy with many locals. After handing them some menu's which were all completely in Italian making the evening even more uncomfortable for Jessica the old man left the awkward looking couple to it.

"So..." Jessica cut straight to the point "You bring all your little tourist girlfriends here then?" she snapped dropping her menu carelessly down onto the table. She hadn't expected much from the night and she pretty much knew that Antonio was a complete player to begin with but he could have least of made an effort. She was tired of the men in her life not making an effort, from her Dad who was at least trying these days, to her ex boyfriend and that was one of the reasons there was an ex in front of boyfriend. Was it really that impossible to find a man just as committed to you as you are to him, she thought, or were they all just douches?

"No" Antonio lied unconvincingly a worried expression on his face.

"Oh come off it Antonio, I'm not idiot, I know what men like you are like, your a typical good looking tour guide thinking that English girls are some sort of easy target, well I am not your typical English girl, I am not even your typical girl" she snapped, she wasn't even fully English but that didn't matter at this point, "So let's just get things straight here and see this for what it really is ok? You just trying to get laid." she finished to a shocked looking Antonio.

"No...?" he repeated with even less certainty than before, Jessica raised her eyebrows once more.

"Ok...ok" he admitted holding his hands up in surrender to this fierce girl, "you are obviously not the kind of girl I thought you were...normally good looking girls such as yourself are..."

"Are?" she asked eager to see where he was going with this, when he remained silent she finished the sentence for him, "Shallow? Vain? Self Obsessed? Immature?...you shouldn't judge a book by its cover Antonio, I am so much more than that as I am sure many others are also", Antonio sat there stunned his mouth slightly slack as Alfreido approached the table with a bottle of wine and two glasses,

"This normally does the trick" Alfreido remarked as he placed the bottle and glasses down onto the white table cloth, "Doesn't it Antonio?" getting Jessica's back up even more. Antonio immediately looked embarrassed at Alfreido's comment; Jessica had had him completely and utterly figured out from the beginning.

"Grazie Alfreido" Antonio said quietly not sure whether to be thanking him or not for dropping him in it even further.

"You are welcome" Alfreido replied with a wide grin after having poured the glasses and winking at the couple "Let me know when you are ready to order" and with that he retreated back to the bar.

"I think you should take me home" Jessica said sternly, "tonight isn't going to be what you thought it would be." She said leaning for her bag on the floor after having stripped Antonio of all dignity. Suddenly he regained composure; he reached over and placed his hand on top of Jessica's causing her to jump slightly at his touch.

"You say you are not all of these things...well give me tonight to get to know what you are about instead?" he tried, "no expectations, just two people getting to know each other...as friends...?" he asked smiling at her as she looked back at him, her lips pressed tightly together, still appalled at the things she had seen and heard since entering the restaurant, "Okay?" he pressed.

"Very well" she agreed, "You can make it up to me by pouring me a glass of wine" she said pushing her glass over to him.

"It would be my pleasure" he replied.