The Tuscan Trap: Part I

It was a blustery day in London, the rain was pouring continuously without pause, as Dawn did her best to avoid the puddles on the pavement. It was hard enough that she was already ten minutes late for her meeting but that her hair was starting to stand up on end in little fuzzy patches. 'Oh shit', she thought. She dreaded to think whether her make up was still in place or if she was sporting, 'wet t-shirt' at the front of her. She swung through the front door of the building she worked in and ran for the nearest available lift and pressed the fourteenth floor. Looking in the lift mirror, her face was indeed etched with mascara trailing down her cheeks and making her face look like the day after a drunken night. She smudged away at the make-up, she didn't have time to get to the ladies and spruce up, she simply had to go to the meeting, it was a life and death situation. She dumped her bag at her desk and literally sped into the conference room to a room full of smartly dressed senior people.

"Dawn, glad you could join us, we were just discussing your role," voiced Terrence Hiller, the VP for Finance.

Dawn gulped as she took an empty on the big oval mahogany table, "My position?"

"Yes of course, we would like to transfer you to Italy," Terrence said flicking through what looked like a holiday brochure.

"Italy? But why?" gasped Dawn.

"We are happy with your progress here Dawn, but we'd like you to oversee a project over in Tuscany, Italy. This would be a perfect opportunity for you to prove yourself as a leader and a valuable necessity to the company. Would you be willing to take it, that would be my question?" Terrence said glaring at her.

"When would you like me to start?" Dawn asked.

"Monday morning," Terrrence said, "Of course, we will take care of your expenses and accommodation so you needn't worry about that. You will oversee the infrastructure of our new property, you will need assess and divulge ideas on commercially as well as trying to understand whether it is a safe investment for the future of this company, do you think you are most capable of doing this?"

Dawn wide eyes gave her away and she paused to think.

"Time is money Dawn, if you do not think you are capable of doing it, I will simply pass this offer onto someone else," Terrence said shooting her a glance.

"No... no... I will take it," Dawn said, her lips suddenly dry.

"Good, well you better start packing your bags then," Terrence said and then started shooting off directions and commands left, right and centre.

A few hours later, Dawn left her office in a daze. They would Fed-Ex her plane tickets to her flat the following day, Saturday and she'd need to start assessing what she would bring with her and what she didn't need. She was a spectacular hoarder, so everything was a must and she didn't quite know how to explain to baggage control at the airport on how she desperately needed all ten or so boxes full of crap. She didn't even know where she would be staying, let alone whether there would be enough space to accommodate her and her junk, but she wasn't going to risk it.

So on Monday morning when she checked in with British Airways, she discovered that she'd be lounging in complete luxury in first class. When she got seated, she had the glory of the window seat. Fantastic, she thought, just how I liked it. She was going through the cocktail menu, only to have her eyes transfixed on a heavenly bod. She couldn't see the face of this heavenly bod, as he was shoving something in the overhead compartment and when he finally sat down next to her, he smiled briefly and continued to read his paper. Dawn had caught a glimpse of this man seated next to her and she gushed to herself. He was gorgeous. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed his scruffy tousled brown hair and his deep penetrative brown eyes scouring the contents of the paper. She held her breathe, releasing it slowly. He was the most gorgeous man, she had ever seen and in such close proximity.

"I've never ridden in first class before... there's so much leg room," Dawn instigated at conversation. The man made no move to reciprocate conversation, she peered forward and the man put down his newspaper and exhaled.

"Ridden is used when you ride a horse, not when you fly by plane," he said matter of fact.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know this was a master class in the English language!" Dawn said back, taken by his unfriendliness.

"And if you want to make conversation, you better look elsewhere," he said.

"Gee, what a friendly person you are... obviously gentleman isn't found in your vocabulary," Dawn huffed and looked outside the window.

Note to Audience

Please be aware that the stories that are on my blog are completely fictional and are no way related to the people who I have taken from celebrity.

Many thanks,

Roanne

La Dolce Vita: Part VIII

A whole week passed by and there had been no phone calls from Amelia. Rob spent most of his days walking around and taking in the architecture of Naples, going to the market and reading. His agent had contacted him about a possible project that needed him to oversee the leading part. He had received the script but was yet to read it. He wasn't in the mood. Rob was returning from his walk along the coast when he saw Amelia emerging out of a small white transit van. Her hair was tied back in a chignon and she was wearing a floaty white dress and a red cardigan. He watched as she embraced Giovanni in a hug and then hugged an older version of Giovanni, which Rob presumed was Gavino.

Rob walked quickly towards them and stopped a few meters away from them. Giovanni was the first to see him and instructed Gavino to take it all inside, leaving Amelia out with the van.

Amelia exhaled and spun around on her heels to retrieve the last painting and then she paused as the figure standing in front of her caught her attention. They stood there motionless, the silence stretched out. Rob walked towards her closing the gap between them.

"Hello," Rob whispered.

"Hi, how are you?" Amelia asked, "I'm sorry I didn't call you back, I just needed to work..."

Rob nodded, what was he to say without coming across as desperate and sad. Amelia filled the silence and she went to the door of the transit van and withdrew a fairly large canvas.

"I know, I was meant to call and I'm sorry about that... not that, that makes any difference but there is something I would like to give you..." Amelia withdrew a canvas of Rob seated at the piano, "I kinda had this picture in my head of you, you playing the piano because I heard you and... well... I just hope you have somewhere you can put it."

Rob gazed at it in awe.

"This would be a good time then any to say something," Amelia whispered.

Rob gazed at his portrait, "You only do landscapes,"

"I know, funny that... you were in my thoughts and whenever I tried to paint a scene, a cafe or something, it never really came out and well... I thought I'd give it a bash and it came out perfectly, this is what I had in my head... I hope you like it?" Amelia sighed.

"I more then like it Amelia, I love it. Thank you," Rob smiled and as he took the portrait from her, he leaned forward and kissed her and she kissed him back, ever so gently.

The sound of a car dispelled their kiss and they both withdrew from each other. All of a sudden, Rob felt a fist collide with his cheek and he stumbled back and he heard Amelia shriek out a name.

"Rick!"

Rob held his stance and his face contorted. He touched his lip and it was bleeding. He saw Rick grab Amelia and she surged back.

"Where the hell have you been Amelia?" Rick said and Rob noticed it was the same guy with the red flashy Lamborghini, "And what the hell are you doing with him?"

Amelia shoved at him, hard and Rick stumbled back, "That is none of your business and you have no right to treat him like that! I will tell you again as it obviously didn't get through from the beginning, we are over and I don't ever want to see you again."

"Amelia, you got it all wrong..." Rick tried to sustain her.

"Yeah, I did get it all wrong... I should never have believed getting involved with you would have been a good thing. Your lies almost ruined my career but being here, has made me realise I don't want to be with you anymore," Amelia said bluntly, as she stepped away from him and towards Rob. Rick looked from the face of Amelia to Rob.

"So, you've chosen him have you?" Rick said.

"No, I've chosen myself," and as she turned towards Rob she looked at him anxiously, "Come on, I have a some ice upstairs," and she led him away, leaving Rick standing furiously on his own in the middle of the street.

Rob took a seat by the window and watched Amelia disappear into the bathroom, she came back with a bowl of warm water, a white cloth and some cream. She sat opposite him beside the window sill. The windows were open to let in some cool air. Rob watched her intensely as she got to work on the cut to his lip.

"Are you alright?" Rob asked.

Amelia looked up from nursing his lip and looked into his eyes, "Yeah, it was a long time coming but I feel better thanks," she dipped the cloth into the water and applied it to his lip, "Sorry you got involved there..."

Rob touched her hand and leaned forward to kiss her.

Giovanni was standing outside the bakery shop and when he looked up, he saw his little piccola kissing the movie star and at last he thought, as happiness flooded through... it was indeed La Dolce Vita.

THE END

La Dolce Vita: Part VII

Rob sat by the phone like an infatuated teenager, he had spoken to Giovanni's sister-in-law Gaby and she had promised she would relay his message for Amelia to call him and here he was, desperate, just to hear the telephone ring and mostly, to hear Amelia. It was late into the night and still there was no ringing and no speaking and he was becoming restless when suddenly he heard a knock on the door. He stood up abruptly and opened the door to see a stocky man and instantly recognised him to be Giovanni.

"Buona sera Mr Blake, we are just about to eat, would you like to join my family for a meal?" Giovanni ventured and without waiting for a reply from Rob, ushered him out of his apartment. Rob's stomach grumbled, "We are having Carbonarra tonight with some wine from the valley, si?"

"Yes, that is good thanks," Rob smiled and followed Giovanni across the width of the cobbled road and into his house. Upon entry, the room was brightly lit and he realised that he was smack bang in the kitchen with Giovanni's wife Roberta setting the table and talking to her son Nikos.

"Buona sera, come, come have a sit, you must be hungry, si?" she smiled and Rob felt really at home. He took a seat next to Nikos who was smiling back at him. Rob smiled back and his eyes scoured the room. The walls were cluttered with photographs of his family and of water colour paintings.

Giovanni caught Rob staring at the wall and immediately launched into conversation, "You see the walls, no? I will show you my family," Giovanni pointed at a family portrait, "This is my bigger brother Gavino, his wife Gaby, who you spoke to today..."

"Yes, that is correct..." Rob nodded.

"Si, this is their three little bambinis, Marco, Mia and Don, such beautiful no?" Giovanni gushed.

"Yes, very. I like your paintings too... they are very symbolic," Rob ventured and then paused and looked quickly at Giovanni as he pointed.

"Si, they were painted by my little piccola Amelia. She is so in love with this place, it is like a refuge for her, a what do they say, a home away from home. Do you them?" Giovanni asked.

Rob was caught up in the colour and as he stood up to take a closer look, he caught her signature at each bottom right hand corner. Rob turned around to hear Giovanni speaking with his wife and they motioned for him to sit down and tuck in. They talked whilst they ate and Rob was drawn in by closeness of the family in front of him. Giovanni was chatty as was his wife Roberta and Nikos couldn't stop laughing, if only London was more like this. The conversation turned to Rob.

"So tell me Rob, what it is you do?" Roberta asked.

Could he tell a white lie or should he tell them the truth, could he sacrifice his anonymity? "I am a musician," the words just came out.

"Ah, si, si... you play what?" Roberta asked.

"The piano, the guitar but I only have my guitar with me." Rob replied.

"Ah, come, come," Roberta asked as the whole family followed her and Rob followed them. Roberta brought them down the hall and into a large room and from the outset of the apartment block to the inside, it was very different, "I have a grand piano, a clarinet, guitar and violin. You are welcome to play?"

Rob looked at the both of them, their eyes never leaving his. He sat down at the piano first, it was gleaming black, the blackest black he'd seen in a while and when he opened the hood of the piano, the ivory keys were indeed ivory and of such a porcelain white, he was taken a back. He played a chord and the sound chimed beautifully, it was in tune. He started composing, he was used to improvising and a symphony erupted within the room. He noticed that Giovanni left the room but Rob continued to play... it had been a while but he didn't care and he was insistent on continuing the melody.

Amelia could hardly hear Giovanni on the line, the music was so strong and vibrant washed over as she lay in bed listening to it. She had never heard of it before but somehow it sang to her. Giovanni had at last stopped talking and there was hush on the line, all except the sound of the piano keys. She sighed into the phone, it was beautiful and she wondered if Roberta was playing the piano again.

She heard Giovanni speaking and then the music stopped and then there was a long pause.

Rob finished the piece and saw that Giovanni was holding out a cordless phone. Rob took it, not quite understanding why and spoke into the mouth piece, "Hello?"

"Hello?" Amelia replied back, "Who is this, Nikos?"

"No, afraid not..." Rob said before he was interrupted by a Amelia.

"Rob, what are you doing over there?" Amelia was in shock.

"I was invited over for dinner and then shown to a music room," Rob saw Giovanni, Roberta and Nikos scuttle out and close the door behind them and Rob was left on his own in the music room, "How are you?"

"I'm good, my hands hurt from all the painting but I'm good," Amelia said, as she sat up, she could not have a conversation with him lying on the bed, she would start to inhabit different feelings, "How are you?"

"Not bad, not bad at all. Giovanni and his family are the nicest people I have ever met," Rob's voice hinted with a smile.

"Yes, yes they are. You should meet his brother's family, they are buckets full of fun and their three children..."

"Marco, Mia and Don," Rob finished her sentence.

"How did you know?" Amelia laughed.

"Because he loves them so, I feel like I know so much of them and yet I haven't met them, is that weird or what? So what have you got planned tomorrow?" Rob asked.

"Gavino is taking me to the city, so I can draw inspiration from the scenes there," Amelia said.

"Be careful," Rob said thoughtfully.

"I will be, Gavino is leaving me with his friend who will be watching me," Amelia said.

"His friend?" Rob felt a tinge of envy or was it jealousy, he wanted to be the one watching out for her, "Anyway, erm... when will you be back?"

"Saturday morning, so a few more days, why?" Amelia hesitated.

"I would like to see you," Rob said.

"You'll see me when I get back, I'm sure. You only live across the road."

"No, I mean... I would like to see you sooner," Rob said masterfully, without scaring her, even though he knew, he scared her.

"I don't think that's possible," Amelia paused.

"As crazy as it sounds Amelia, I really miss you..." Rob said quietly, so quiet Amelia thought she had missed it.

"But you can't miss me, you don't know me?"

"I know you more then you know... I know that Giovanni and his family see you as the daughter they've always wanted and that every wall in his house is covered with three or more of your work, I know you are an amazing artist and that, that makes you most happy and I also know that you have a past that you want to forget as is all of us. I know I have things in my past, I want to forget... and I know that when the scene is most fitting, you can babble for Britain but I won't hold that against you because you're gorgeous when you do, so are you going to tell me, I don't know anything about you?" Rob said in a teasing manner.

"You're observant," Amelia licked her lips, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Rob said.

"I have to go, I'll call you soon," and with that she hung up and all Rob could do was stare at the phone in his hand.

La Dolce Vita: Part VI

Robert woke up to the birds chirping and the sound of commotion outside. He looked outside to see a crowd around a bright red Lamborghini parked outside the bakery. He was curious to know who owned the boastful vehicle and mostly, why was it parked outside the bakery and then he remembered, Amelia. They had kissed last night and for the life of him, he could not sleep afterwards. He had stayed up late playing his guitar, looking distracted but yearning to catch a glimpse of her through her apartment window. He'd probably be branded a perv or a peeping Tom but he didn't care, he had to see her. Forgetting his shower and even breakfast, he strolled out in his black jeans and a black t-shirt and flip flops and went out to the street.

As he approached the street, the girls surrounding the car screamed and Rob paused in mid-step. He looked around paranoid and realised the screams were not aimed at him but at the guy who had just stepped out onto the curb from the red flashy Lamborghini. He didn't even recognise the guy and Rob wanted to avoid the crowd and side-stepped towards the bakery shop.

"Bonjourno Signor... um... is Amelia in?" Rob whispered.

Giovanni looked at Rob and then his attention was diverted to the guy who was now standing next to Rob. Rob looked at the guy standing next to him, he was wearing a black leather jacket with a white t-shirt and faded denim jeans, his glasses were on and he looked every inch of 'cool'. His American accent gave him away and Giovanni looked at him in amazement.

"Hi, is Amelia in?" the cool guy said.

Giovanni turned back to Rob and then looked at the guy standing next to him, in his rough English and strong Southern Italian accent he did his best to communicate to the both of them that Amelia had gone to Tuscany for a few days.

"Tuscany, you must tell me the address of where she is staying, it is important that I see her?" the cool guy said.

Giovanni was reluctant to divulge information regarding the whereabouts of where Amelia was, because she had confided in him about her past and he did not want to tell this overbearing pompous arse where to find her. He had hurt her too much and he was not going to allow him to continue doing that.

Rob paid attention to the conversation, keeping his guard up. It had slipped his mind that she had gone to paint and would be back in a few days but he was an idiot not to get a contact number and now he was royally kicking himself. He didn't want this guy, whatever he might have to do with her, to her first. He watched as the cool guy walked away and into his Lamborghini and hooted for the people to get out of his way. Rob's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Giovanni behind the bread stall,

"He is a royal prince but he is a royal culo... he come here in his big fancy car and all the girls scream at him but do they know he made a fool of Amelia... do they know? No... he does not deserve a girl like her!" Giovanni said heatedly.

"Signor, I would not ask if this was not important but do you have a number I can call Amelia on... it's just... we... I..." Rob paused.

"You like her, I can see. I see also the kiss you give her over there this morning... you like her very much. It is always said, it starts with a kiss," Giovanni ranted.

"What starts with a kiss?" Rob was completely clueless.

"La Dolce Vita..." Giovanni said, his eyebrows peeking, "I will go inside and get a number for you."

When Giovanni arrived back, he handed Rob a piece of paper and Rob looked at the digits on paper. He gave thanks to Giovanni and went back to his apartment to call Amelia.

It was four o'clock in the afternoon when Amelia returned to Giovanni's brothers house Gavino. The sun was setting and it gave the country house a really warm hue. She was greeted by the German shepherd dog Pixie and Gavino's three children Marco, twelve, Mia, ten and Don, five.

"Hi guys," Amelia beamed.

"What have you painted there? Let me see," Mia jumped. Amelia noted the girl was fond of her work, always asking questions, wanting to paint like her. Amelia turned around the two canvas's she had worked on, "Wow, that's the sunflowers over on the other side... but who is that?" She pointed.

Amelia looked at the canvas in her right hand, "It is of a man."

"Like a lover?" Mia was inquisitive to know.

"Let's get inside, so these can dry off." Amelia said.

When Amelia went inside the old country house, she was greeted by Gaby, Gavino's wife who greeted her with a hug.

"You got a phone call from a man by the name of Robert P. Blake... tis the actor, no?" Gaby beamed.

"He called? But how?" Amelia panicked.

La Dolce Vita: Part V

The kiss was soft, gentle and Amelia clung to him as if her life depended on it. She could feel his hands in her hair, deepening the kiss. The kiss was making her go weak at the knees, not because he was Robert P. Blake the actor, but because she was drawn to him, it was raw physical need from human to human and because he was a man who thought she was attractive that made her go weak.

She was soft in his hands, like putty. He hadn't imagined this kiss to be erotic yet sensual. Her hair was like chocolate silk in his bare hands and she was pressed against him, he didn't want to let go for the idea of her breaking away from him left him feeling cold. This was unlike him, to kiss a stranger, but he was somehow compelled to. He withdrew suddenly, he didn't do this and why did he do this? Because she was upset, fraught, lonely... he just didn't know.

"I'm sorry... I don't know... what I... what came over me," Rob stammered. He wasn't a stammering spoken person but somehow, all knowledge of vocabulary left him. He looked at Amelia waiting for an answer and got none, all he saw was a dazed expression as if the kiss had affected her more then she let on. She touched her lips and then took a deep breathe, "Amelia?"

"I have to go," and Amelia turned on her heel and ran off.

Rob let her go, how could he run after her and ask her to explain what she was feeling if he was as puzzled as a Rubik cube. So he stood for a moment, stuck to the spot. His insides were flaring and his heart was the rhythm of a drum. He turned to gaze at the ocean, all at peace. He was taken a back, too much. Could he afford this? Did he want this? He didn't know.

Amelia was out of breathe when she got to her apartment, she sat on the bed with a thud. It was a kiss and nothing more, she couldn't have it be more... she couldn't handle it. She needed to forget it, but could she? Her lips were still swollen from his lips, as if his lips were impoverished, like they were lacking something. It was all written there. She had to focus, but focus she couldn't.

La Dolce Vita: Part IV

Amelia woke up with a start, it was still dark outside and even though she tried to get back to sleep she found it impossible. Her eyes searched the room, it was dark and she sat up and reached for her bedside lamp. She put it on with a flick of a switch and realised the light bounce off the walls and cast everything in an eerie warm glow. She sat up straight in bed and looked at the time on her bedside table, it was two o'clock and in four hours, she would have to get up for the van she had hired would be picking her up and transporting all her materials to Tuscany for a few days.

She grabbed her cotton beige jumper from the chair when her eyes caught a motion from the street below. And she realised who it was standing below, it was Robert P. Blake but he was not a lone. He was with a woman with blonde hair, about an inch or two shorter then he and she was wearing a very glamorous dress. The dress glistened blue, like ripples within the ocean and her hair looked like a pretzel. She couldn't see her face but she must be beautiful, how could she afford a dress like that and capture the attention of the man in front of her. Amelia paused, why did she care so much anyway? Robert was an acquaintance, someone who had helped her with her materials later yesterday, nothing more. She was reluctant to let anything come from it, she had been there before and she didn't want to remember that part of her life, it was too much and it was too soon. Amelia looked down and she was overwhelmed, expecting to see the jewel seated firmly on her ring finger, magically disappeared. It hadn't worked out and she had as much luck with guys as she did with keeping them. Amelia suddenly felt claustrophobic, the walls began shifting towards her and she felt a panic attack ensue. She didn't want to stay here for fear of being buried under, she had to get away and as she slipped into her flip flops and made her way out quietly. She headed for the ocean, it brought her peace and it made her forget if only a little bit.

Rob had just said goodbye to Talia, she had dressed to kill but he wasn't interested in her like that and brought her down gently. She had sulked and gave him that pouty puppy dog look which apparently made guys melt and succumb but he knew better. Besides, Talia wasn't his type, she was high maintenance by way of everything. High state glamour all the way and somewhere deep inside, he knew, she was only saying those provocative words to get closer to the fame and fortune but that just wasn't him. He wasn't planning to bargain with it, nor sacrifice a perfectly good friendship. When she had scuttled away with her hips swaying, he didn't need to take another glance but as he went to take a few steps into his apartment, something caught his attention as it flew past him and he swerved to see Amelia run off into the night.

Amelia walked impatiently towards the shore. She could already hear the waves crashing and the palpitations course away. There was something calming about the ocean, something mysterious and...

"Amelia are you okay?" the voice came and then the touch and Amelia turned around to see Rob behind her.

Amelia looked straight past him, she wanted to avoid his inquisitive gaze as if talking to the air and not him she said breathlessly, "What are you doing here?"

"I saw you run out, has something happened? Are you alright?" Rob asked seriously concerned, he wouldn't let go of her until he got a plausible answer.

"Please let go of me Rob," Amelia asked, as her vision became blurry.

"There's something obviously bothering you..."

"Just leave me alone please..." Amelia interrupted him, "You have no place asking me... nor, were you following me?"

"No... yes, but no... you just ran out," Rob said as he looked at his watch, "It's two twenty in the morning, what are you doing up and around at this time?"

"God! You ask a lot of questions... for someone whom I've only known for like, what, a meeting? You seem to assume you have the authority to know everything about me, well you don't... no one does but myself... and what exactly are you doing here in Italy anyway Rob? You seemed to skip answering that question earlier, is it because you can't deal with fame or that it asks too much of you?"

Rob drew her to him to take the pain away from her, she tried to push back, away... but it was useless he was hugging her now, soothing her and as she looked up, his green penetrative green eyes were a fierce green emerald staring back at her and that was when she felt his lips on hers.

La Dolce Vita: Part III

Amelia rode in the taxi with Rob with the canvas's between them.

"How long have you painted?" Rob asked curiously.

"I've been painting since I was about two, at that time it was mostly finger painting but this is to be my second exhibition." Amelia said briefly, she was also curious about the stranger beside her, "And what do you do Rob?"

Rob paused and the silence stretched between them.

"If you don't want to tell me that perfectly fine, "Amelia said with a touch of hurt in her voice, she hoped she'd covered up, "Sometimes I go to these places to escape the craziness of life, the hustle and bustle of it all, to people talking, saying things behind my back. I just come here for peace of mind and to the simplicity of it all... sorry, sometimes I can go on and on..."

"I'm an actor," Rob said abruptly. He hadn't planned on revealing himself to her, except that there was something about her that drew something out in him and he knew instinctively, that he could trust her. He was waiting for some reaction but there was none.

"Oh yeah, what kind of films have you been in?" Amelia asked.

"I've been in a few, some of them you might have heard of... um, The Twilight Saga... How to Be... Little Ashes," Rob volunteered. He waited for a reaction but there wasn't one, except when she came to speak, "I did see Little Ashes a few months back because I was intrigued by the early life of Dali and didn't recognise that it was you who played him, you must be the Robert P. Blake"

"What are your thoughts of Salvador Dali?" Robert was intrigued.

"To be honest, I'm really fascinated by him. He's so imaginative, I don't think there are enough words to fully describe the artist that he is. I love his movement of 'Surrealism' as well as his work overall being a piece of symbolism, there are just not enough works of art today that symbolise, let alone encapsulates the feelings of a painter..." she blushed, "I'm babbling again, I've been wanting to talk to someone about anything art related, I'm in the most glorious of places, a centre piece for Renaissance art and there's just no one to talk to... sorry,"

He looked at the pink tinting her cheeks and smiled at her knowledge of the artist, he felt connected to Dali too, more from an actor's focal point then anything. He looked at the way her hair sashayed from her shoulders to the front of her top and seemed to get lost looking at her artist hands. The taxi came to an abrupt stop and Rob careered forward, using his hand to stop his fall. He opened the door and climbed out, paying the taxi driver and then opening Amelia's side and extricating the canvas's, Amelia got out and smiled.

"You already paid the taxi driver. That was naughty," she smiled, "Would you like to go for a drink later... or a meal, I could do with some conversation, that's if you're not busy..."

Rob had plans to meet a couple of friends that he could not rearrange with, "Unfortunately, I already have plans to meet up with some friends, perhaps tomorrow?"

They stood outside in the street basking in the sun with a pile of canvas's between them. "I'm afraid, I will be painting tomorrow, I will be going to Tuscany to expand my exhibition."

"Oh wow, Tuscany, just for the day?" he asked.

"Three days, I am staying at Giovanni's brother's house." Amelia smiled.

"Oh, does your exhibition cover most of Italy?" Rob asked.

"Figuratively speaking, it's about love in scenery and in country... I can't really divulge too much into it. It's supposed to be top secret but now that I've told you, I hope you will keep it to yourself."

"Of course, your secret is safe with me. Let me help you with these inside." Rob grabbed the canvas's and he followed Amelia in.

La Dolce Vita: Part II

By the time Giovanni returned from the school with Nikos, the sun was setting and Amelia had stayed opened far too long. She had put the unsold bread away in containers but the shop remained open and she had somehow made quite a bit of money. Giovanni was holding a sleeping Nikos in his arms, whilst his wife Roberta opened the door to their apartment and took Nikos from her husband's arms.

Giovanni came over to Amelia, "Graci Piccola, graci."

"How is Nikos?" Amelia asked.

Giovanni nodded and explained that there was a bit of an accident at his school and that he would be okay, that he had injured himself and he needed to rest up but that everything was okay and that all he needed was his rest. Amelia nodded in sympathy and offered her help but Giovanni simply declined, handed over some money whereby Amelia declined. She was happy to help in the situation. She said her goodbye and went upstairs to her apartment.

When she walked to the window to close the curtains, she heard the faint strumming of an acoustic guitar and a faint humming. She paused, unaware that she was taking in the delights of the song. She shook out of her trance and went to draw the curtains and get ready for bed. It was still early but she found herself quite tired by the days events. She showered quickly and went to bed, tomorrow was another day and yet another early morning where she had to pick up a few bits and pieces.

When Rob woke up, it was ten to eleven. He loved sleep and realised how much he had missed the hours of it. He could truly sleep forever but he knew there were things to do today, things to explore and things to uncover. He was looking forward to catching up with some old friends and being still somehow made him restless, he was always on the move. He showered and dressed quickly and made his way out. He loved morning walks on the promenade leading to the hustle and bustle of the busy street and seeing the town's folk congregating to set up their stalls and sells the many trinkets, food varieties and other Italian delicacies. There was something about this place that he loved, that he somehow couldn't get anywhere else.

He came to a stall selling a variety of cheap rip off sunglasses. He smiled ruefully at the extent of which some people went to make some money. Cheap plastic and probably not catered against UV sunlight but what tourist would care, they would walk away with a cheap pair of fake designer sunglasses. The next stall sold copyrighted music CDs, as he walked forwards to the next stall and the next, his eyes concentrating on the wide variety of merchandise, the stalls quickly became hampered with tourists and this was what he wanted to avoid, large groups of foreigners, in case he got recognised. He turned left into a quiet shopping centre. The cool air of the air conditioning chillers, sent goose bumps to the surface of his skin. He looked up to a music shop up ahead and made a beeline towards it, before he approached it, something caught his eye. He stopped and saw the bread girl emerging out of the paint shop. She was struggling with a heap of blank canvas's. Her face etched with struggle. He walked into the shop.

Amelia didn't think that far ahead, she was excited to purchase more blank canvas's for more painting. Her exhibition deadline was little over a month away and she had a couple of more to paint before it's completion. She dragged the canvas's away from the counter but hadn't realised how heavy they were. Arthur, the paint shop owner was busy with another artist and she didn't want to bother him with her inability to shift a couple of canvas's. She dragged it out, unaware that she'd come to a wall. She turned around and came face to face with a pair of familiar green eyes. She stepped back and the canvas's fell to the floor in a heap. She dropped her satchel and went to the floor to pick it up, as the stranger with the green eyes did too.

"I'm sorry to trouble you, I saw you through the window. You seemed to be having trouble with these," Rob grabbed the canvas's to stand on their sides.

"Thank you, I was thinking of a way to get 'em to my flat but somehow I get so excited, I sometimes forget... anyway, thanks..." Amelia smiled.

"How are you planning to get these back? Taxi?" Rob offered, I can give you hand. I only live across the road from you."

"You're ciabatta boy," Amelia laughed.

The sound of her laughter rang in his ears and it was the sweetest sound he had heard in a while. He found himself smiling and he replied, "You must be the bread girl then."

"Yes," Amelia said and with one hand holding her canvas's and the other drawn out to shake his hand, "I'm Amelia."

He took her hand and he smiled, "I'm Rob, nice to make your acquaintance."

"Likewise."

La Dolce Vita: Part I

Amelia looked beyond the bricked roof tops and the potted plants that seemed to line every window sill, she was familiar with the sight of the houses by now, the whiff of freshly baked bread and the cyclists below. This was her life for the next few months and she was going to make it worth her while, she had always dreamed of living in Italy and at last she got her wish. It was everything she had wanted and even more then she had imagined. The locals were friendly and welcoming and she had, had dinner with Giovanni and his family in the apartment below. They also owned the bread shop at the bottom. Amelia closed the windows quietly and strode across her room, grabbed her satchel of her materials, a canvas and a jumper and headed out.

Amelia strode onto the cobblestone road and collided with one of Giovanni's little ones, Nikos. He had a black blunt cut and he was being ushered by Giovanni's wife Roberta, towards school presumably.

"Ciao Amelia," she smiled, "I hoppa you sleep well the night."

"Fine thank you and you?" Amelia answered.

"Buon, buon... good good," Roberta smiled and she waved frantically away as she ushered little Nikos away.

Amelia walked slowly up the cobbled street, towards the beach. The town was still waking up but she could see the first hoards of tourists climbing out of their coaches and into their hotels in the far distance and some of the locals opening shop. She found her usual spot, near the beach and set up her materials. There was something calming about painting in a sleepy town, she didn't feel pressured to finish and she could work accordingly. She wetted her palette and began to paint slowly, capturing the glow of the sun all around her. It was well into lunch time when she finished her first canvas. She stowed it away with Alessandro in his cafe. She smiled and went back to her apartment to retrieve yet another canvas.

He clutched his holdall to him and got out from the coach. He had vacationed here when he was a child and never forgot the sleepy town. He only came here to escape the craziness of fame. Fame. All he ever wanted to do was act but he just couldn't deal with price of fame. People wanted to know his whereabouts, who he was dating and whether it was evident that he could be gay? He usually laughed these rumours off but it got to a point where it had left him claustrophobic and in need of a change of scenery. He didn't check into a hotel because that would draw too much attention to him, he opted to stay in a small apartment across from a bakery. It was away from the touristic parts of the town and at this time of year, there weren't many tourists anyway, so he was yearning for the peace and quiet.

He still wore his black leather jacket, complete with black beany and black shades. He was the epitome of undercover-esque and he was dying to fall back and sleep for a hundred years. He walked about a hundred feet and could smell the tantalising smell of fresh bread lingering in the air, his stomach growled. Great! He was famished. He continued walking realising where the smell was coming from and it came from a bakery right outside his apartment. He smiled in acknowledgement, he would drop his stuff off, grab a shower, slide into a pair of slacks and a linen shirt and make his way over to the bakery, first he had to find his keys.

Amelia walked down back towards the apartment, it was a beautiful day and as she approached the entrance to her apartment, Giovanni came out with panic written on his face.

"Are you okay Giovanni?" Amelia asked.

"No, it is Nikos he had an accident at school, I must go and see him but I can't leave the shop..." he muttered.

"I can take of things while you go, my Italian is pretty basic but I think I can get by," Amelia offered and with that Giovanni kissed both her cheeks, grabbed his wallet and flew out of the shop.

Amelia locked the gate between her and the pavement. She looked around at the bread stall and at the bread baking in the oven. It was pretty quiet for this time of the day, so she took out her sketch pad and a pencil and started to sketch out the street before her. She loved the simplicity of life here and she really respected and loved Giovanni's family. They had taken to her too, whilst at dinner they kept referring to her as their little piccola whilst they urged her to eat up and then eat more, even when she said she was full.

A shadow crept onto her sketch pad and she looked up into solid green eyes, "Posso aiutarlo?" Amelia said and the stranger before her winced, she said it again and he said in articulate English, "I'm sorry, I am still to improve my Italian, do you speak English at all?"

"As a matter of fact I do, can I help you at all?" she smiled.

"Yes, could I have some ciabatta bread please," he smiled back.

"Yes of course, how many would you like?" she asked back.

"Two please, for the moment," he replied back. She hadn't noticed who he was which was a relief. He watched as she put two ciabetta loaves into a bag and handed it to him. She smiled and took the money and registered it in the till.

"Thank you for coming, please come again." She smiled and he smiled back. She watched him move away slowly and disappear in the apartment block opposite the bakery. Oh, she'd never seen him there before, she knew that the apartment before her was empty but suddenly was occupied. She shook her head and continued sketching into her pad.

Rob got to the stairway of his apartment and peered out onto the street, he couldn't help but look at the woman sitting in the bread shop sketching away and he noted, she was a good artist too. When he was approaching her, he noticed the gleam of her brown chocolate hair and how it spiralled down her shoulders and rested just below her breasts. She was wearing a dark aquamarine top that tranquilised and captured the colour of her hair and the redness of her lips were full and red. He mustn't develop a crush on the bread shop girl, as he couldn't afford to right now. He was drawn to her, somehow and he didn't know quite what was drawing him... the bread or the woman behind it. He broke off the ciabatta and made a quick sandwich and distracted himself by putting on the television.