"Yes, Nikki, and I always will." She sighed and turned towards the dresser. "But sometimes that just isn't enough, is it?" She pulled open one of the drawers, and removed several bathing suits, placing them on the bed. "Please excuse me," she said as she headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She sat down on the edge of the bathtub and took a deep breath as she tried to settle her rising emotions. "Why is this so hard?" Alex whispered as she dropped her head into her hands. She raised her head and looked to the heavens as she whispered, "Please help me reveal these last few things, and somehow manage to keep them all in my life." She took a deep breath and stood, quickly changing into her bathing suit. She looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror on the back of the door and smiled. Her bathing suit was a deep rich green that contrasted nicely with her lightly tanned skin. The two small scraps of fabric showed more of her slender figure than the suit she wore back home, and she had a feeling Nikki was going to notice. She opened the door and watched as Nikki's eyes traveled over her body, lingering on her curves.
Nikki swallowed and forced her eyes up to meet Alex's. "You…um…you've lost some weight." She watched her nod, and fought to keep her gaze. "Is it too late to take that tour?" Alex tilted her head to one side and looked at her questioningly. "That suit is killing me, Alex. I want you so much."
Alex saw the desire in her eyes and felt her nipples harden in response. "I know, and I'm sorry. There is more for us to discuss, but not today. Be patient, Nikki, and see what tomorrow brings." She walked past her towards the door, and clenched her hands to keep from reaching for her. She paused in the doorway and said, "We'll be outside. Change and join us."
The afternoon was spent relaxing in the sun by the pool. Conversation was kept light, and was mostly focused on Zaira and her plans for the future. As the afternoon turned to evening, Zaira excused herself, and headed for home. Alex and Nikki headed inside to change, and met back up in the living room.
"I know you said you weren't interested in seeing the sights, but I have an errand to run in Pisa in the morning and would like it if you came with me. We can stop and see the tower on our way back."
"Sure, I'd like that. I didn't bring a camera with me. In my haste to pack, I forgot it."
Alex chuckled. "For some reason that doesn't surprise me. You can borrow mine if you like. You can't visit Tuscany and not take pictures. I always take tons of pictures when I'm here."
"Thank you. What time do you need to leave here in the morning?"
"We need to leave here a few minutes before five." She saw Nikki wince and said, "I know it's early, but I promise it'll be worth it." She stood up and disappeared down the hall towards her bedroom, returning minutes later with her camera. "The battery is fully charged, and the memory card is empty."
"Thank you."
They sat and talked about different must see locations nearby for a while before parting ways for the evening.
Chapter Seventeen
It was still dark out when Nikki and Alex climbed into the car and headed towards Pisa. The roads were quiet this early in the morning, and they were able to reach Lucca rather quickly. As she drove through town, she pointed out the old city walls that Lucca was famous for. "You'll see them much better on our way back. They're really quite beautiful. There's even a walking path along the top of it, and each of the four sides has a different species of tree planted." She turned onto A11/E76 and headed towards the coast.
"Does it take as long by car to reach Pisa as it did by train?"
"No. This should only take about half an hour. If the traffic stays this light, it may be less." Alex gave her a smile before turning back to watch the road. "It's a shame it's so early. This is a pretty drive. You'll see on the way back. There's nothing like that first view of the sea stretching out as far as the eye can see." She fell silent as she drove through the first of several tollbooths.
As they neared the exit for the airport, Nikki looked around curiously. "Isn't this the airport?"
"Yes."
Nikki fell silent as she stared out the window. She felt an ache in her chest at the thought of Alex dumping her here and leaving. She was startled when Alex stopped the car, and parked at the curb. Her disappointment and anger began to build as she resigned herself to being tossed from Alex's life. She climbed from the car, and waited for her to walk around and join her. "I expected more from you."
"Excuse me?"
"You could have just told me you wanted me to leave instead of lying to me. At least that way I could have packed." She looked over at the car and saw the trunk was open. "Or did you have Zaira do that for me when I wasn't looking?"
Alex was startled at the outburst, and stood momentarily speechless. She looked up and saw Dani and Rachel standing quietly behind Nikki as they tried not to get involved. "Stop acting like a child, Nikki, and tell me what you think we're doing here."
"I really thought you were going to give me a chance, Alex." She crossed her arms over her chest
