“There’s the Arco di Settimio Servero. It’s made of marble, and I believe it commemorates the victory of something,” Robert said the names of the locations with what sounded like perfect Italian as he pointed Landon in one direction. “Then there, I believe that’s the Curia Julia, the senate house. I love how sea levels have affected the entrances over the years.”
“You’ve never mentioned you speak Italian.” He was impressed.
“You never asked,” Robert replied smugly, giving him a wink.
“How fluent are you?” Landon had the camera now trained on Robert’s retreating back and, of course, that gorgeous ass was framed perfectly in the shot.
Robert turned, looking over his shoulder and lifted two fingers, indicating a little. “Poco, very poco since I can’t remember at all how to say a little bit in Italian.”
“Hmmm,” he said, cocking his brow as he thought about how he wanted Robert to mutter whatever Italian phrases when they played gladiator and naughty roman emperor tonight.
“Are you hungry?” Robert asked, coming to a stop and waiting for him to catch up.
“I could eat. I think I’m losing weight here.” His waistband rode low on his hips and he’d had to tighten his belt buckle a notch. Robert walked at his side, heading to the main road.
“We can walk over and see the Theatre of Pompey, the place where Caesar was assassinated in the Curia. I believe there’s something about a historic cat colony living there now too.” Everything halted as Landon hurriedly started the video on his phone again.
“Say that again for the camera,” he said, taking a step backward to get Robert in the shot. “This is the senate house, right?”
“The Curia Julia… Caesar was having this remodeled at the time of his demise. The senate had been meeting in the Theatre of Pompey. I can’t remember how to pronounce Pompey correctly. Anyway, Caesar never got to see the end result. He was killed in the Curia at the Theatre of Pompey on March fifteenth, in forty-something BC.” Robert stepped out of the frame to give him a minute to record all he could before they started the trek toward the spot where Caesar was killed.
“Thank you for today,” Landon said, tucking his phone inside his pocket. Robert had laughed at him, but Landon had still taken all the tourist precautions suggested to him. He’d bought a few articles of clothing with hidden compartments that buttoned and zipped at odd angles to keep his passport and cash safe. He’d even bought shoes designed to help his arches while walking over the cobblestoned streets of Rome. The shoes were stiff and hurt his feet. The rest had been complete overkill.
Robert had insisted common sense tourism was all that was needed. He wore his most comfortable walking shoes. If something didn’t change soon, Landon might need to do some shopping or lose some of this uncomfortable gear. Lost in thought, Landon walked straight into Robert’s extended arm, which stopped Landon in his tracks.
“Take my picture.” Robert quickly turned with his back facing the street and struck a pose. He automatically reached for his phone, blindly doing what his husband requested until he caught Robert’s eyes darting wildly to the side. Finally, he figured it out and looked past Robert to the armed military man. He and Robert had both developed a fascination with the Italian Army men stationed randomly throughout the city. They generally came in pairs, wore green fatigues, and were armed with both pistols and Beretta automatic rifle. They were beefed up, tough as nails, and hot as hell. They had both started taking these men’s pictures yesterday, capturing them to prove they were real.
“If we ever need money, you could come guard this city. You fit the look.”
Landon grunted in response. He was fine wiping drool off his own lip, but he wasn’t quite so excited about his husband’s ogling. Robert saved himself though and got an A-plus for bringing him into the mix.
Reservations had turned out to be the best idea for their travels through Italy yet the hardest to come by. Robert had tried to thoroughly plan this trip, thinking of Landon’s tastes, but he readily admitted, he’d never traveled on such a tight budget before. They were down in the trenches so to speak and he loved every minute. They were tourist by day and fun-loving partiers by night. They’d drunk their way through Cinque Terre, Tuscany, and now it seemed Rome would be no different.
He and Landon had really enjoyed the freedom they’d shared with one another in this extraordinary place. Back home, of course, Robert was out and proud, so was Landon for that matter, but they also picked their surroundings carefully. Here, especially in Rome, they may have found their forever home. He could totally see them retiring somewhere in this region. Especially after today. Landon had changed in front of Robert’s eyes, taking in the Colosseum and Roman village as if he had absorbed them into his soul. Landon had connected to this place, making this trip perfect and right. Robert wasn’t sure Landon could be happier.
They lived like the locals, staying planted in the restaurants for hours, taking in the atmosphere, eating the foods and drinking their wines. Another very telling thing was that Landon seemed to really enjoy his meat tartare. He ate whatever raw thing anyone put in front of him. Robert had even teased Landon, saying his heart might be blocked beyond repair. Secretly, Robert had scheduled himself a note to take a closer look at Landon’s health when they returned home.
“Toast!” Landon declared with a slight slur
