?Are you sure that?s what you want??
I look up at David curiously.
?I just thought a bottle of wine might be nice. Maybe an early lunch . . .?
I meet David?s eyes and see that they are glinting slightly.
?Could we have a few minutes?? I ask the waiter and as soon as he?s turned his back I reach over and give David a kiss. Somehow I think today is going to turn out much better than I thought.
This is the life. This is what fantasies of Rome are made of. David and me, sitting at a small, wobbly table, basking in the sun, drinking rose and eating slices of pizza, and it?s perfect. Well, nearly perfect. If David would just stop looking at his watch all the time I?d be a lot happier.
I look at him sternly. ?Do you have somewhere you need to be?? I ask pointedly, and David reddens slightly.
?Um, well,? he starts, then sees my eyes narrow and closes his mouth again. ?I?ll tell you what,? he says, ?let me make one phone call. Okay??
I agree reluctantly?I?ve had enough of men and their phones for one day. He gets up from the table and I hear him talk in a low voice but I can?t make out the words. After about five minutes, he sits back down and turns his phone off.
?Okay,? he says with a smile, ?I?m all yours.?
And I really think he means it. I gaze at him, studying every little crease on his face. It?s funny, today, when I was looking at Mike, I sort of got the feeling that I?d always been too bowled over by his amazing good looks to notice the hard lines on his face, whereas now, looking at David, it?s as if I?ve never really appreciated his strong bone structure and beautiful eyes. Like Mike is a beautiful bracelet that you find out is only gold-plated, and David is solid gold but in a more simple design.
?Okay, so what do you have planned for this afternoon?? David asks as he takes a large mouthful of baked dough and mozzarella cheese.
What do I have planned? Is this a trick question? Does he know I?m meant to be meeting Mike back at the hotel?
?I don?t know really,? I say hesitantly. ?Do you have plans??
?Well, I was hoping that maybe you might agree to explore Rome with me, if you?re not doing anything else, that is.? David grins slightly and I relax.
?Definitely!? I exclaim and pull out my guidebook. In it is a list I wrote on the plane of all the things I want to do. Frankly, you don?t watchRoman Holiday fifty million times and not know how you want to spend a free afternoon in the great city itself.
?Right, well, I definitely want to see some culture. Art galleries, that sort of thing. And to see the ancient ruins?I mean, you can?t come here and not see them, can you??
I look at David for reassurance and he nods his approval.
?And I want to have my hair cut,? I continue, now in my stride. ?I want to sit in sidewalk cafes and look in shop windows. I want go get arrested and have a fight and . . .?
The best bit inRoman Holiday is when Audrey Hepburn runs around Rome flirting with people and dancing with dodgy hairdressers. And I know it?s slightly silly to want to re-create a scene from a film but it would just be so much fun?and I?m sure other people have done it. I mean, how many people have walked down Rodeo Drive pretending to be Julia Roberts inPretty Woman ? Quite a few, I?m sure. So what if I want to have a gamine haircut and go a bit wild? There?s nothing wrong with that, is there?
I look up to see David laughing.
?I?ll tell you what,? he says. ?We can do all of those things. But let?s maybe forget the being arrested part, shall we??
Relieved that he?s laughing with me and not at me, I nod reluctantly as David pays the bill.
?Now wait here,? he says, and walks off.
?Where are you going?? I call after him. But he doesn?t reply.
There?s a bit of wine left in the bottle so I pour it into my glass and take a sip. Drinking at lunchtime always feels so utterly decadent. Particularly when the sun is shining like this. I sit back and sigh contentedly. I am so glad David came here. So glad I didn?t sleep with Mike. I shudder at the thought. And then I shudder at the realization that I?m going to have to let Mike know I?m not going to be meeting him for lunch. I can?t just leave him wondering, can I? Noticing that David has left his mobile on the table, I turn it on and take out the hotel postcard I took this morning to send to my mother. Luckily the telephone number is on it, and I manage to get through to a receptionist who speaks a bit of English. ?Room Fifty-four,? I say loudly. ?Mike Marshall. Leave message. From Georgie, yes?? The man repeats what I said, which is hopefully a good sign. ?I meet friend. Don?t wait for me. Okay??
?Si, si,no wait. Meet a friend.Si, ? says the receptionist, and I hang up just as David appears, coming toward me on a Vespa.
I can hardly believe my eyes. It is just the coolest thing I?ve ever seen. It?s duck-egg blue with a leather seat and even though David looks a little bit unsteady on it, he?s grinning ear to ear.
?Fancy a ride??
?David . . . where did you get this??
I can?t believe it. This is the most romantic thing I?ve ever heard of, and it?s actually happening to me.
?Just round the corner?I saw they were renting out scooters on the way to the restaurant. So what do you think, are you game??
?Are you joking? Of course I am!?
