Day Five

Despite their agreement to go out and explore the island, there was still an obstacle. The elephant in the room was the question of how she could get there with the wound on the foot still hurting. But Martin found a way.

"A Vespa?" She blinked a few times when she saw a small cream-colored motorcycle parked in front of the villa.

"The owner of the villa said I could borrow it. This is the first time I got the chance." Martin told her excitedly and, meanwhile, cleaned the dark brown seat with a cloth.

She chuckled, imagining him riding that small motorcycle with such long legs. The image in her head contradicted the serious and stern man he was.

"What are you laughing about?" He narrowed his eyes and looked at her.

"No, nothing, nothing at all."

"I bet you assumed I can't ride this thing. I could, you know. Only a motorcycle. It shouldn't be difficult."

He got up and restarted the motorcycle. He was determined. Perhaps he tried to convince her he could ride it well. When the motor was running, he called her to get on it.

She could only shake her head and smile.

"Have you ridden a Vespa before?" Once sitting behind him and clutching his waist, and after we rode off for about a hundred meters, she asked.

"No." He answered calmly.

Hmm?

The cold wind that was blowing into her face right now wouldn't have awakened her as much as his answer.

"Martin! Isn't that dangerous!?" And she screamed after he abruptly took a sharp turn to the right. Because she was afraid she might fall off, she hugged his waist more tightly.

"Wait, wait, why are you screaming? Hey! Don't be scared. I rode a Ducati before, just not a Vespa. They are probably the same." He said it stubbornly and revved up the engine even more, as hard as the engine can go.

"They are not the same! Drive slower! I almost got a heart attack. Hey! Hey! You are not listening to me! Slow down. Otherwise, you need to send me back home!"

She gave an ultimatum which he complied, although she felt that he was dissatisfied for having to ride slower.

He wanted to take her sightseeing around the houses uphill. He said the houses were different, more serene, and beautiful. A small white road ran past the blue and pink Italian houses.

Everything sounded great, except…

"The road for vehicles ends here. We must walk from this point on. I have to carry you on my back again; I hope that is okay with you." He told her in a nonnegotiable type of statement and turned his back to her. She didn't expect them to get this close. Sigh, did he know how she felt? And if he did, did he feel the same?

She stared at his back and moved closer. He wore a gray shirt again. He had limited clothes, and they were not so different from one another. But she still found this simplicity charming. She never got bored looking at him once.

"Hold tight."

"Okay." Celine tightened her arms around his shoulders. No matter how much she hid her feeling, he couldn't see it now anyway.

Even now, she felt everything was happening too fast. It was too fast for her to fall for someone new.

Martin was so excited to have her around, and his actions reminded her why the feeling had emerged in such a short time.

"Look over there. The view is amazing, don't you think?" He pointed to the view of the city. From the hilltop perspective, she saw the clean white road, colorful buildings, and the view of the vast ocean. She thought Martin got so much younger today, free from his usual worries, unlike the first few days she knew him. She smiled after seeing him getting enthusiastic over just sightseeing.

She liked that he reminded her of simple happiness.

"You are right. Beautiful…"

"Do you want to take a picture?" It was him who asked her. Perplexed, she didn't expect that at all.

"Pictures of the view, do you mean?"

"No, how about a selfie with two of us and the view at the back." She was even more confused than before.

"During the research, I saw many people took a selfie from this view in that manner. Or, if you don't feel comfortable, just ignore my request. It's alright." Martin said politely.

He became difficult to understand, but she followed his request anyway.

"Come here in the frame. You said you want a picture together, but you are standing way too far." It was her who initiated by taking her phone out and turning on the camera.

"Martin, smile! This is not for a government document!" He was complex and clumsy when we were doing normal activities. And she thought he was cute like that.