There’s no manual for hearts. No cryptic, impossible-to-decipher IKEA-esque instructions that show you how to put the pieces back together leaving you with an almost-heart missing one screw causing it to sit slightly crooked in your chest cavity. I would take an imperfectly-assembled heart over the million and one pieces that feel like they’ve settled into the depths of my gut, sliding from side-to-side as I toss and turn in the pitch black of the night, seeming to come to life as my hand accidentally slips and touches the cold mattress where your heart used to be. This was all my doing, so I shouldn’t even be writing this. The spilt milk is mine. I loved being in love with him but at the same time, I couldn’t keep loving him. His goodness was never meant for a woman like me. He needed white picket fences and freshly cut grass and Sunday mornings. I needed planes and Friday nights in Hong Kong.  I was meant for little black dresses and little else. We were so happy until we weren’t, so perfect until imperfection became what I craved. I knew I had to go. The fact was, I didn’t love him more than all the sunsets in the world I hadn’t yet seen. And so he called me selfish, called me adjectives and nouns that I never knew he knew. He called me crazy for choosing sunsets over soul mates but what he didn’t know, what I never told him, is that my soul doesn’t believe in monogamy. She’s promiscuous, a hot mess, flitting from city to city for one-night stands and falling in love all over the world.
​
Read ten very short stories which are now available as a cute collection in my first eBook: This Sweet Life. You can download it for FREE in my store! Or read the individual posts in the Creative Writing category:
​
Creative Writing: Happier
​Creative Writing: Whiskey 
​Creative Writing: The Perfect Day in Italy 
​Creative Writing: Call Me Baby 
​Creative Writing: The Butterfly Effect 

In the eBook:
​Creative Writing: The Letter R (Explicit)
​Creative Writing: Dear Italy (A Love Letter)
Creative Writing: Airport Arrivals
​Creative Writing: Tanqueray and You
​Creative Writing: A Thousand Lives
​Creative Writing: A Sunday Kind of Love
​Creative Writing: Perfect Strangers in Switzerland
​Creative Writing: Rooftops and Rome
​Creative Writing: The Morning After in New York
​Creative Writing: Mulberries in Sicily


ALTERNATIVE PINTEREST IMAGE:

If Monday isn't your favorite day of the week yet, it just means this is the first time you've stumbled upon  Love Story Lunedì over here on my little blog for hopeless romantics, wandering hearts, and the foreign-boy obsessed. Today's story is just PERFECT for those of you who grew up reading YA romance novels, it has all the mandatory plot points- a girl from the Bronx, summers in Italy, an Italian with a "bad boy" reputation (YAAASSSSS), a first kiss attempt followed by a slap, an actual first kiss, and an eventual move from The Big Apple to Italy's Big Apple- MILAN. I'll let Rosa take the wheel from here as she was kind enough to provide us a quick backstory...

The Backstory:
As an American born to Italian parents (both my parents were born in southern Italy), I kind of always figured I’d end up with an Italian! We’ve known each other for years, but didn’t get together until six years ago while I was studying abroad in Roma for a semester. He came down from Milano to visit me for the weekend, and after a wildly romantic two days, I fell head over heels for him and that Milanese accent! Ever since then, we’ve had a long-distance relationship, except for two years ago when I lived in Milano for a year to pursue a post-graduate degree. I decided to go back to New York for personal reasons at the end of the year; so, out of the six years we’ve been together, only one was spent in the same continent. Now that I’ve moved back to Milano, we’re ecstatic to see what life has in store for us!
​
Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
I’m from the United States (specifically from the Bronx, New York) and Rocco is from San Donato Milanese, Italy. 

​Curator's Note: I'm not going to lie, Jenny from the Block is playing in my head right now. 

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
​We officially met back in the summer of 2004, but didn’t become a couple until February 2012.          Both of our fathers were born in the same town in Salerno, so when I visited my family in the      summers, he was always there. Funny enough, my brother hung out with him and they went out      often as part of a larger group of friends. I was only 13 at the time, so I usually stayed home.               Eventually, as I got older, I started hanging out with the group every time we visited Italy in the          summer.

Curator's Note: Like I said, sounds like a teen novel in the making. 

Who made the first move? 
He did, and I think I slapped him! I remember back in 2010, during a summer vacation, he was          supposed to go to the gym with my brother, and—instead—accompanied me on a walk around our town. We were sitting by a fountain when he moved next to me and tried to kiss me, but I pushed him away because I wasn’t feeling it at all.

​A year later, he tried again and succeeded (haha!), but nothing came of it since I was only on vacation in Italy for a month. It wasn’t until the spring of 2012, while I was studying abroad in Roma, that we became official. By May, although it was the end of the semester, we knew it wasn’t the end for us; so, we committed to doing the long-distance thing. ​

Where did you think he was initially from?
I knew he was Italian, but he could have easily passed for Turkish or Albanian.

What was your first impression of him?
Word around our fathers’ town was that he was a ‘player’, and even my nonna warned me about hanging out with him because of his ‘bad boy’ reputation. I think that’s why I avoided getting too close to him in the beginning, but—then—curiosity eventually got the best of me!

Curator's Note:  GOD DO I LOVE ME A BAD BOY. What's so fascinating about them?!

Dish on the first kiss! 
Well, as you know, he failed the first time! The next year, though, in August of 2011, we were in his car and I think we had just dropped our friend off after attending a rock concert in another town. It was super late, and I went to kiss him on both cheeks to say goodnight, when he suddenly turned his head and kissed me on the lips. I didn’t push him away this time… ​

​Where do you live now? 
We’re now staying in San Donato Milanese, but soon we’ll be moving into our apartment in the        city center.

Curator's Note: I need to come to Milan for a visit! 

Have you learnt each other's languages? 
Yes! His English is quite good since he studied in London for bit after university, and he also utilizes it at his job. I am fluent in Italian after not only growing up in a very Italian family, but also having studied the language in both high school and college.

Any advice to “mixed” culture couples or couples doing long-distance? 
My nuggets of wisdom to people in long-distance relationships are to have faith, stay busy and         ignore the doubters. It is so easy to lose hope and allow sadness to seep into every aspect of your      life. I know because I did exactly that once I returned from studying abroad. I didn’t want to do              anything but cry, think about him and cry some more. Eventually, eight months passed and I      became too distracted with my last-semester-senior-year responsibilities to be sad all the time.            Of course, you will miss him or her every day, and you’ll probably tear up watching couples hold        hands as they walk on the street. You have to believe, though, that one day, that will be you two.             You will be told that you’re crazy, and asked how you can trust your partner to stay faithful. The        best thing to do in these types of situations? IGNORE THEM! Let them think what they want; you            know your relationship better than anyone, and—if the cynicism from loved ones gets to you—               talk to them about it!
​
Curator's Note: Haters gonna hate. This advice was ON POINT Rosa. 

Submitted by Rosa.

Here's how you can connect with Rosa:
Instagram: @diaryofaduelcitizen
Blog: www.diaryofaduelcitizen.com

WELCOME BACK TO THE BEST DAY OF THE WEEK: Love Story Lunedì! Today I have a YouTube beauty who you all need to follow IMMEDIATELY- Hayley Alexis! She hails from the USA and started her channel to appease her friends' and family's questions about life in "tschland" where she currently lives with her sexy German, Mike. We're keeping today's story short and sweet (I think Hayley has become rather German in this sense, her answers were very concise!) but I'm including some videos where you can watch the two of them together because they are THE CUTEST. 

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
I am from the USA and Mike is from Germany.

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
We met in Munich at a bar.
​
Curator's Note: I just came back from Munich yesterday and ADORED IT. Also, there are a ton of cute boys there! I was really caught off guard, it seems like nobody ever mentions this! 

Who made the first move? 
ME! I don’t even think Mike noticed me, I was the weirdo stalker going up to him telling him to smile… CRINGE.

Curator's Note: I love it though, I feel like that's such an American girl thing to do ha! 

Who was the foreigner in this and where did he think you were from? 
I was the foreigner and he did not think I was from The US.

Curator's Note: I would love to hear more about this or to hear where he thought you were from. I've been told often that I'm slightly racially ambiguous at times and in fact, when I was in Munich on Saturday night, our waiter asked if I was Mexican...! 

What was your first impression of him?
My first impression was OHHH HEYYY he’s cute.

Curator's Note: Basically me every ten minutes in Munich, LBH.

Dish on the first kiss! 
The “technical” first kiss was on the night that we met and I pecked him on the lips *middle school kiss*.

Curator's Note: YOU GO GIRL. 

Where are you currently living?
Still in Munich.

Have you learnt each other's languages?
Yes, we both speak each other's languages. Mike- English & Me- German.

Curator's Note: Would LOVE to hear about learning German! Here's a video where you can watch them doing the Boyfriend/Girlfriend Tag IN GERMAN. 

Any advice to “mixed” culture couples or couples doing long-distance? 
Since I am in the USA on a 5 month trip (since Mike and I have started dating we have maybe been away from each other 2 weeks max) the best advice is to try and communicate everyday *even if it’s just a text* and try not to focus on being apart but focus on when you will be back together and how nice and exciting it will be.

Here's how you can connect with Hayley and Mike: 
Instagram: @hayleyalexisxo & @m4ikeyspikey 
YouTube:  @Hayley Alexis

Submitted by Hayley.
​

A huge, heartfelt thanks to Hayley and Mike for sharing their love story with us.
​Vi auguro tante belle cose. xoxo
​
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to "dare un'occhiata" at all of the  Love Story Lunedì. There are so many amazing stories to read so make sure you're all caught up. And should you want to share your own story or know of a couple who would, please get in touch. 

​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Philippa and Nick
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Camie and Marco
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Alannah and Eros​​
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Cheyenne and Giulio
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Jade and Daniele
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Chloe and Andrea
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Coral & Riccardo
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Rachel & Riccardo
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Daria and Francesco
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Briana and Dami
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Kayla and Luca
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Sarah and Michele
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Bailey and Carlo​
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Gregory and Stefania
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Sofie and Emilio
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Isabel and David
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Jasmine & Massi
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Tiffany and Adam
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Angela & Davide
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Kristie & Graziano
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Brittni & Alberto
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Maddie & Gio
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Jennie & Davide
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Lauren & Luigi
LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Rebecca and Leonardo
​LOVE STORIES by Questa Dolce Vita: Jennifer and James
​

Dear Only Fools Rush In, 

I love opening my inbox and seeing the preview of an e-mail that starts with "I've just met a hot Italian man". That's how all great stories begin, I'd say that it only comes second to any version of "So we were doing tequila body shots in Bangkok one night...". I'm going to go ahead and assume that by intimate, you intend physical, as in you haven't seen any Italian sausage yet. I'm sorry, I had to. You don't mention any timelines in this little story, I would personally be flattered to hear this declaration after a substantial amount of time (read: months) getting to know someone exclusively through conversation but I'm guessing that this isn't the case here if you're having questions. The short answer is YES. Italian men are often much more forward with feelings in the beginning of a relationship and I would say tend to fall faster. They love LOVE and they love to be in love. The issue is that it's hard to tell how well they are able to differentiate between the feelings in their loins from their hearts at the start, but I think that could be said about the male gender in general. As such, I can't comment on the authenticity of what he's saying but that's besides the point. If his declarations of amore eterno are freaking you out, like when Carrie's Russian named his piano piece "The Girl With Eyes That Sparkle", and you're not feeling the same, tell your Italian to turn it down a notch. If you're loving it, go with it and see where it takes you.  Yes, men say these things to get into your pants but always remember that you have the cookie and you control what to do with it. Should you be concerned that this is all a scheme to get you to give it up, it might be, but keep in mind that there's no Harvard-backed research saying that if you give a man a cookie too early in the relationship, he'll eat it and run. There are plenty of couples that had a midnight milk and cookie party (this analogy is getting a bit out of hand now) on date one and are still happily together. The worst-case scenario is you have sex with a hot Italian man and end up not having to starch and iron his shirts for the rest of your life. Sounds like the best worst-case scenario to me. 

​Quick Note: this is a new Category I'm testing out as a means to answer some of the e-mails or comments that I receive. They are modified or edited slightly for grammar and clarity purposes and the names made anonymous and any other identifying names or features have been changed. If you have a question, please write to Dear Jasmine at questadolcevitablog(at)gmail.com. I hope my answers can be helpful and if they're not helpful, at least humorous. 

If you enjoyed this guest post, you may also like to "dare un'occhiata" at these ones:
​Dear Jasmine: Something to Hide
Dear Jasmine: Navigating International Waters
Dear Jasmine: Fast and Furious

 
If you follow my Instastories, I can only assume that you’re aware I was watching the Netflix tween movie, “The Kissing Booth” last week. No shame here. I highly recommend it because Noah, the love interest, is hot as fuck like all boys named Noah are (this is my theory at least). Please comment if you happen to know a non-hot Noah. Anyways while watching it, I started feeling something that I can only describe as nostalgia. I tried to figure out what I was reminiscing about. Was it high school? Youth? Innocence? First love? Red solo cups? Drinking games? I found myself rewinding and replaying certain scenes and I noticed that they were all scenes featuring the main protaganists having a conversation and that’s when it dawned on me. I wasn’t getting these funny feelings in my tummy because of all the prosecco I drank on a empty stomach, it was because the dialogue in English was making me remember what it was like to be falling in love IN ENGLISH. To love in MY NATIVE LANGUAGE. To shamelessly flirt in my tongue. Not in a mixture of Italian and English. Not in Italish. No pauses, no “come si dice”, no furrowed brows or awkward laughs or pretending to understand when one or both parties didn't understand shit. Well ok maybe the awkward laughs would still be there. But I’m talking about a dialogue of witty banter and youthful slang and perfectly-conjugated past perfect progressive tenses. Oh AND QUESTIONS WITH THE AUXILLARY VERB "DO". Questions that aren't statements with rising intonation at the end. A real, English question. That’s what was making my heart skip a beat. I realized that I will never have that again (especially the questions with "do", my husband almost never uses the correct interrogative form, a common finding in Italy).

All those dialogues, the telephone conversations, the puns, the play on words, the English innuendos…that was what I had and now they represent all I will ever have. Those exchanges are as part of the past as all the ex-boyfriends that mouthed the words. I know you’re probably thinking- well, you’re married, they will (hopefully) have always been a thing of the past, what does this have to do with language? But what I’m saying is it’s a mourning of THE LANGUAGE of a life lived on different soil, not of the life per say. It's been a great life and I would never jeopradize it or wish I lived anywhere else.  I can flirt in Italian and my husband and friends here speak to me in English but it isn’t the same is it? It’s never exactly how it used to be, passing notes in high school or finding one wedged into your locker at lunchtime. Somehow, I just have this feeling that if I were still living in an English-speaking country, those moments and those memories would feel closer to me- vivid and alive, fed by the language. Instead they feel like they're in a box somewhere in my room in Canada, gathering dust and I'm almost worried I'll forget what my first boyfriend's voice sounded like when he told me I love you for the first time. 

One of my Canadian expat friends in Italy hit the nail on the head when she wrote me saying:

“[It] kinda feels nostalgic to think of love in English…a mix of homesickness and youth?”.

I’d love to hear from you. Have you ever had this revelation? 

​
If this revelation gave you the feels, you might like these posts:
​Creative Writing: Call Me Baby 
Hypothetical Italian Teenagers Won't Have Varsity Jackets or Homecomings
​My Canadian Identity Abroad in Italy: The Conundrum
​Survey Results: Can You Fall in Love Without Speaking the Same Language?
​Can You Fall in Love Without Speaking the Same Language?
How to Fight and Make Love in Two Languages
​Immunity to Accent Attractiveness: Can the Italian Accent Stop Being Sexy?
​​The Relationship Between Loving Someone and the Language You Love With

Hi friends! So sorry I'm late with today's love story. I feel like we haven't seen each other in ages, but really it's only been two weeks since the last time I posted. I guess that's how you know it's true love right? Today's couple are from the UK but their love story and shared love of travelling (and of Italy) brought them to The Eternal City where they now reside. This story has all the good stuff: a girl from The North and a boy from The South, Match.com, a first kiss in a glass elevator with London as the background, innumerable laughs, four houses, four jobs, fourteen countries and finally a move to Rome. Happy reading everyone! 

Where are you from and where is your significant other from? 
We are both from the UK. I am from Yorkshire (The North) and Nick is from Somerset (South West) – there is a North South ‘divide’ in the UK so this is a constant source of banter between us. Before we met, I had an antique map of Yorkshire in a frame in my home. When we moved in together I bought him a similar map of Somerset so he would also feel represented. These were the only two pictures we brought with us to Rome!

Where and when did you meet your significant other? 
We met online (Jan 2014) through Match.com. Nick was the first and only online date I went on. His friends tease me saying I didn’t understand that you pay per month and not per date and I should have made the most of my subscription! Obviously I think it was just fate! Nick on the other hand had been internet dating a couple of years and was ready to give up and be a bachelor if our date didn’t go well. 
​
Curator's Note: So happy that fate brought you two together! I really love hearing internet dating stories, it's so common nowadays, or even if it wasn't on a dating site, there's so much of a digital factor in the beginning of relationships. 

Who made the first move? 
Apparently I ‘winked’ at Nick online so he sent me a message. Nick considers this the first move but I think he made the first move when he kissed me on our second date. 

What was your first impression of him?
Nick’s first impression of me was that I was late to our first date – a theme which has continued so he should have known what to expect! My first impression of Nick was that he was really interesting and well-travelled. I knew from his online profile that he was a Vet who specialized in cows. I had no idea how interesting this job could be! He travels all over the world advising governments and doing research. Our shared love of travel is something which bonded us from the beginning. On our first date he talked about how he travels to Rome often for work and this was somewhere he would like to live one day. This was like music to my ears as I’d always wanted to live in Italy.  It took us 4 years from the first date but we now live in Rome together!

Curator's Note: OMG he's a vet, I'm loving this, how lovely! It always reminds me of Grey's Anatomy when Meredith was going out with Finn, the vet. 

Dish on the first kiss! 
Our first kiss was very memorable because it was in a glass elevator with a view over London. We had dinner in The Duck and Waffle restaurant in London which is on the 40th floor. The elevator is on the exterior of the building so you can see fantastic views of London as you go up and down. We finished dinner at around midnight and were alone in the lift going back down. It was very romantic having the night skyline of London in the background. Nick took me by surprise though and it could have been quite awkward if I hadn’t wanted to kiss him given the confined space. Luckily his advances were welcome! Nick says he was dropping hints by making a display of eating a mint and offering me one…clearly this was too subtle for me as I wasn’t expecting him to move in!

Curator's Note: Bahahaha, making a display of eating a mint. Excellent strategy. 

How did you know it was love? 
Despite instantly being physically attracted to Nick (who doesn’t love a dark hair, dark beard and glasses combo!) it was definitely more a case of growing to love each other rather than love at first sight. When I tried to break it off after a couple of months he consistently kept in contact and even left flowers and cakes at my door – I knew from then on (plus the fact I missed him terribly) that he was a keeper. We always made each other laugh and I think always having a great time together makes you feel very close, but the first moment I knew it was a real lasting ‘this is the one’ love was when he helped me write some important but difficult correspondence. He showed up to meet me from work bringing his laptop and suggested we write the letter together over a drink. I was able to see how diplomatic he was, how professional, calm and empathetic but also that he was a force to be reckoned with. I realized that this was a guy that really had my back, emotionally as well as practically. It wasn’t that I needed help but accepting his help made me realize that together we made a whole greater than the sum of its parts. 

Curator's Note: YES, WHO doesn't love the dark hair, dark beard, and glasses combo?! 

One thing you love the most about him? 
We’ve been through a lot together. In four years we’ve had four homes, changed jobs four times between us, been to 14 countries together, done a masters and a PhD and moved to live a foreign country. I’m very proud of how well we’ve worked together to do all these things and I think in part it’s because Nick is very adaptable - which is an admirable quality. But what makes me love him most is his sense of humor. On my worst days he’s had me in stitches laughing and I don’t know that there’s anything more fundamental for a good life than that. 

Now I’m just hoping for an Italian proposal and possibly some Italian babies…!

Curator's Note: In the end, you just wanna be with someone who makes you laugh. By the way, what's an "Italian" proposal? 

Submitted by Philippa. 

I just realized that today is both Love Story Lunedì AND May 7th which means I had to make the very heart-wrenching choice between sharing a love story and sharing my #DolceVitaBloggers contribution! Just kidding, I came up with a brilliant compromise that incorporates some of the Monday romance you're all used to and this month's linkup topic which was: FIVE ITALIAN WORDS OR PHRASES (and why you love them). Italian has always been considered the language of romance, and for good reason, the way it rolls off the lips of a sexy Italian is second to none. Sorry if this is TMI but I find Italian to be a HUGE TURN ON. Before studying the language, I might have said that the Italian accent in English was hot but now I just want to hear the language in all its full glory. Sometimes I just lie in dark and listen to Italian songs and just get completely lost in the words. Nerd alert. You know what is also extremely sexy? THE CONGIUNTIVO. Oh man, when I hear an Italian boy use the congiuntivo come se FOSSE niente, my pants just dissolve. I mean, technically there's no reason why Italians shouldn't be using the congiuntivo correctly but I think I love it because it's such a hard concept for English-speakers to grasp. Getting back on topic, here's FIVE romantic, sexy phrases in Italian that I just adore the socks off: 

Dear Worried on Whatsapp, 

You have every reason to be worried. People who have nothing to hide have no reason to be blocking other people on Whatsapp or any social media really unless the other person is your obsessive-compulsive/possibly narcissistic psychopath ex whom you have a restraining order against but continually reaches out to reconcile the relationship by sending you unsolicited dick pics every hour on the hour. Feel free to block that. Otherwise, I would bet a bottle of 2004 Soldera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (that's a super important Brunello for serious collectors according to Google) that this Italian man from Bergamo is married. Interestingly enough, a lot of Italian men have an issue with the word "divorced", perhaps due to translation or context misunderstanding. Completely plausible. I can see why they get confused so I'll just clarify here that they often say they are divorced when what they really mean is they are married assholes looking to get laid while away on business. You could always test it out and surprise him in Bergamo, reserve a table at a popular restaurant in the city center and see how fast he comes up with an excuse to go to a "much better" agriturismo that conveniently enough, happens to be situated in the middle of nowhere. Or maybe he'll happen to be "out of town on business". Whatever the case, I'll be free to meet you for drinks after this all goes down. We can even pop that Brunello together. I'd also ask you to reconsider why you'd want to stay friends with someone who has been acting suspiciously for the entirety of your relationship, made you question his honesty, and who blocks you intermittently on Whatsapp. Seems like the makings of a pretty shit friend to me and ain't nobody got time for that. If he isn't being completely transparent with you, a man should not even get the benefit of having a DC dining buddy. You shouldn't be sharing a table with him, much less anything else.  

May: Five Italian Words

Your hosts of the #DolceVitaBloggers link up, Kelly, Kristie, and I, invite you to share FIVE of your favorite Italians words, phrases, or expressions. You can choose to elaborate on them however you please, but we'd love to know why you chose to share particular words or phrases and if they have some special meaning to you or if you simply like the way they sound! 
​
HOW TO JOIN OUR LINK-UP:
For instructions on how to join, click here.
For an instructive video on how to join, click here.
​
The link up will be open from May 7th to 14th. You’ll be able to add your blog post or vlog below as always by clicking the BLUE BUTTON. ​

I love music just as much as I love writing, so in case you're like me, I'll provide you with a song that would be a good "soundtrack" for this story: Happier by Ed Sheeran. 

Sometimes, in the middle of an ordinary day, I wonder where you are. What city you’re in. What you’re doing at this very moment. If your eyes are still that light green, like springtime. Of course they are. Then I start thinking how we almost had it all until you fucked everything up by falling out of love with us. The last time I saw you, we sat across from each other at that place we used to go to, the one right off campus with the cinnamon buns. It reminded me of innocence and of how we thought life would always be there in that café, on that street, in that city. We never imagined that I’d be here and you’d be wherever you are and that there would be a continent between us. I’m actually not sure about the continent part, but something in my bones tells me I’m probably right. I heard you found someone new. I’ve seen her shadow in photographs on Instagram, the curve of her back and the angles of her hand. I even know her smile, have studied it trying to figure out what you said to make her laugh. I loved your wit, our banter, my dirty mouth and how you'd kiss me hard to shut me up. She’s beautiful, but you know that already. The worst part is that she’s nothing like me, the first time I saw her blonde hair, I felt like a fraud. As if all that time, all those years, I had been nothing but her stand-in. Do you read her Pushkin and buy her your favourite books? I still have them, dog-eared to mark chapters that you used to love. It’s those small things, the reminders of what we loved and lost.
 
The folded pages, the first notes of a song, the smell of cinnamon, and spring. 
 
I wonder if almost every boy in the world has bought more than one copy of his favourite book- one for you and one for her, the one that came after. The could have been and the will be. The past and the future. I hate to admit it, but you look happier, you really do. 

Read ten very short stories which are now available as a cute collection in my first eBook: This Sweet Life. You can download it for FREE in my store! Or read the individual posts in the Creative Writing category:

​Creative Writing: Whiskey 
​Creative Writing: The Perfect Day in Italy 
​Creative Writing: Call Me Baby 
​Creative Writing: The Butterfly Effect 

In the eBook:
​Creative Writing: The Letter R (Explicit)
​Creative Writing: Dear Italy (A Love Letter)
Creative Writing: Airport Arrivals
​Creative Writing: Tanqueray and You
​Creative Writing: A Thousand Lives
​Creative Writing: A Sunday Kind of Love
​Creative Writing: Perfect Strangers in Switzerland
​Creative Writing: Rooftops and Rome
​Creative Writing: The Morning After in New York
​Creative Writing: Mulberries in Sicily