35 I Love You
Three days in Italy passed like a dream. Andrea and Ludwina enjoyed their visit to Rome, Firenze, which was also known as Florence, and Sienna. Everything showcased the charm of old cities from hundreds of years ago, which made them feel as though they had entered a time machine.
Finally, the sad moment arrived when they had to pack and go home.
After saying goodbye to Beth and Hans as well as Angela, Andrea and Ludwina drove back to Rome's airport and returned the rental car. From Rome, they flew to Amsterdam, and from there, they took the SQ back to Singapore.
***
"I've never gone home from vacation feeling this sad..." told Andrea as he sat on his seat by the aisle.
"We'll go again sometime," Ludwina smiled reassuringly. "if you can take another leave. We'll make plans again. You've been an amazing travel mate."
"Thank you. You too!"
Ludwina was relieved that they managed to travel together without encountering any problems. Her initial fear that their differences in social class would create sensitive problems about money didn't occur.
Both she and Andrea were easygoing and weren't petty. They were very resonant in expenditure and division of tasks. Andrea wasn't fussy if Ludwina chose the better part of the hotel room or got ready too long, and Ludwina herself didn't hesitate to work and clean up even though she was always served like a princess at home.
Although the two of them had different natures and interests, Andrea and Ludwina could enjoy each other's company without difficulty.
"What was your most memorable experience from this holiday?" Ludwina asked him when they finished dinner and got ready to sleep.
"I'm happy I could walk with you while holding hands," replied Andrea simply.
"You're such a simple person..." Ludwina commented with a laugh. "Uhm... Andrea, I..."
She stopped talking and tried to find the right words... For the last four days, she had hoped that Andrea would try to confess his love again, but until the end of their vacation, the young man managed to hold back and didn't say anything.
Ludwina now regretted that she prevented Andrea from confessing his love to her when they were in Paris...
"Yes?" Andrea asked. "What's wrong?"
Ludwina wanted to say that she felt the same way as Andrea did. To her, the most memorable experience of this vacation was walking hand in hand in old European cities with Andrea.
She never thought that the simple act of holding hands all day long could give such a deep impression.
"I love you."
'Oh God... what did I just say??'
Ludwina covered her mouth which just spoke out. She had intended to talk about holding hands, but unknowingly, her lips actually spoke the word love.
Oh my God...
She gave Andrea an awkward look. Fortunately, the man didn't laugh nor look surprised. He just smiled and nodded. He stretched out his hand and held Ludwina's hand.
"Now, I'm not sad anymore," he gently patted Ludwina's hand in his. "This isn't a sad holiday."
Ludwina looked at him, still with an awkward expression. "Don't take it to heart... HAHAHA.. I was just rambling... Maybe I drank too much champagne just now."
"At first, I was really sad because the vacation is over and I had to return to Singapore, but thanks to you, I'm not sad anymore." Andrea pretended not to hear Ludwina's words and continued to hold her hand, which stunned her.
Andrea arranged his seat into a flatbed, lowered the divider between their seats, and then laid down, ready to sleep, still holding Ludwina's hand. "Good night, see you in Singapore."
Uhm...
Ludwina was still stunned for a while. In the end, she could only massage her forehead with her free hand and followed Andrea to sleep.
Fortunately, the business seats on the plane were a new type that could be adjusted to be like a double bed so that the passengers could feel more comfortable sleeping. Unfortunately, Ludwina couldn't sleep at all during the trip.
She knew that she had opened the Pandora box which contained the secrets of her heart. By confessing her love to Andrea, Ludwina must be prepared to accept the consequences once they land...
Andrea would know that Ludwina had fallen in love with him and that meant that they'll be... officially dating? Or...?
What have I gotten myself into? Ludwina thought to herself with an uneasy heart.
Andrea seemed to have slept very soundly even though he didn't take sleeping pills on this flight. He woke up with a fresh face and a cheerful mood just before breakfast was served. He was bewildered seeing Ludwina looking sullen.
"Why is your face like that? You didn't sleep?" He narrowed his eyes and brought his face closer to Ludwina's. "You have panda eyes."
Ludwina just sighed.
They ate breakfast and prepared to land. Andrea looked fresh and cheerful, but Ludwina looked sleepy and disheveled. While waiting for the luggage to be delivered to the business lounge, she almost fell asleep on the sofa.
"Wow... What did you do all night for you to not get any sleep?" asked Andrea, whose shoulder was hit by Ludwina's head, which tilted because of her drowsiness.
"I couldn't sleep, I had a headache..." Ludwina grumbled. She massaged her temples and sighed. Seeing Ludwina like that, Andrea felt bad for her.
"Poor Wina... Go straight to the hotel and rest after this, okay..." He patted her back attentively. Ludwina nodded slowly.
They took a taxi to the Raffles Hotel and Andrea made sure that Ludwina was checked in and rest before returning to his apartment by himself.
***
Ludwina still couldn't sleep after arriving at the hotel and her mind was getting even more chaotic.
Oh my God... what have I done?
She was really upset with herself.
Why did I spill out my love for Andrea? Aren't I a girl? Why did I say that when I wanted to sleep on the plane?
Whyyy...?
It turned out that Ludwina felt bothered because she accidentally confessed to Andrea. In her mind, this was not a scene worth remembering to celebrate love and the start of a relationship.
As a writer- or at least an aspiring writer, Ludwina had a more interesting idea of romance than just blurted her feelings to a man on a plane, like that...
Sitting together on the banks of the Seine, or a backdrop of the Eiffel Tower... or even in the middle of a vineyard in the Italian countryside to receive a confession of love... those would be much more romantic than accidentally spilling it on a plane...
Ludwina felt tears in her eyes and she started sobbing...
She felt that she was a failure of a writer. She couldn't even design an interesting love story for herself.
The next morning, Andrea texted Ludwina to ask how she was, but the girl didn't reply.
[Good morning, Wina. Did you manage to sleep? Are you feeling better?]
Andrea waited for an hour, but Ludwina still didn't reply to his text. In the end, Andrea decided to call, but the girl's phone was off.
He tried over and over again, but Ludwina's phone still wasn't active.
