Her questions left him thinking a lot and without realizing it, he'd fallen silent. What was the last time he and Talia had been away? It seemed they hadn't left Miami in years. When had his world gotten so small? He couldn't live his life like this, he thought; his adventurous spirit was calling for more than just this city.

And Italy... All his life, he had wanted to go there. He had been there before, actually, because it was where his family lived. His parents had moved here, but his grandparents and his aunt with four children were living in a small town in Italy, but he hadn't seen them since his parents' accident.

He wondered if he could ever go there again and see his cousins all grown up, but doubted it would happen anytime soon; he and Talia were having a hard time getting by already and traveling was expensive. He couldn't just hop on a plane because he wanted to, like Emily had.

And like that, he was reminded of that girl walking next to him and was brought back to reality. "I'm sorry," he said. He couldn't remember when he'd stopped talking. Had she asked him something? It would've been so rude if she had and he hadn't answered her.

"For what?" she asked instead. She didn't seem offended at all.

"Just..." He pressed his lips together. "Never mind. I'm a little off today."

She chuckled, probably thinking of the moment in The Hot Spot. He'd humiliated himself and even got fired, and she'd been there to witness it all. She must have loved that.

But she spoke in a serious tone when she said, "Are you sure you're okay?" She played nervously with her hands. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

He noticed she was very empathetic. She could tell by just looking at him that he'd rather be home and take a break, before scouring the internet once again for job openings. But he couldn't help but think that as he was walking through Miami with this beautiful girl, he couldn't just go home to spend the rest of the day by himself. How depressing would that be?

"I'm okay, really," he said. "I want to show you Miami." Which was true. He started walking faster when he thought about all the things he could show her and how little time he had. He took a turn to the left and saw a big bridge appear before them.

"Wait, are we walking all the way there?" she asked. There was a slight pause in her stride and he turned around to look at her. So far, he hadn't had an excuse to really look her in the eyes, and it was even more dazzling than the first time he'd seen those brown irises.

He was thrown off for a second, but quickly managed to collect himself again. "Yes, we are," he said. "That's how you get to experience the real Miami!"

She raised an eyebrow, as if she wanted to say, 'People actually walk here?'. He suspected that she was from a big city.

"You won't have the same experience when you see Miami out of the bus window," he explained while continuing to walk. "This neighborhood is Miami at its best and driving past it will leave you with a hollow feeling, like you're missing out on something. To experience it, you have to be there and feel it."

Her face slowly transformed from a little shocked to a joyous expression. She got where he was going.

"Walking over this bridge, however, will give you an even bigger feeling of accomplishment once we reach our destination," he said, using big hand gestures. "We'll see the Venetian Islands, and in the middle of the bridge, you can see the skylines of both Miami the city and Miami the island. It's wonderful. I'm taking you on the ultimate journey through the sunniest place in Florida!"

She walked a little more confidently than she had before, trusting him. "I'll follow my guide, then," she said, smiling.

His stomach fluttered upon hearing those words, but deep within him, there was a wish that one day she'd call him more than a guide. He wanted to be her friend, and even more. But right now, he felt a distance between them and he wanted to change that. Didn't her heart beat faster when it was close to his, like his did while close to hers? He felt complete when he was with her, but it seemed like the feeling wasn't mutual. She trusted him to lead the way across the bridge towards the beach, but for him it wasn't enough.

*

"When you were selling the idea of walking to the beach, you didn't say it was going to take an hour!" she said as they reached their destination. She was a little tired, but tried not to show it as she sat down in the sand and stretched her legs. However, the panting as she spoke didn't go by unnoticed.

"I didn't think it was important!" he defended himself, but he laughed. "But isn't it worth it?"

She looked up and took her time to admire her surroundings, and River did the same. The sand was white, the water was a shade of clear blue that made him want to swim in it and the palm trees stood tall, the leaves rustling in the cool breeze that reminded him of summer.

"It is," she said dreamily, and her smile lightened up the world.

"I'll remember to warn you about the walk next time," he said, grinning. He was used to walking long distances and hardly ever took public transport, but she clearly didn't share his lifestyle.

"Does your family live here too?" she asked him before he'd gotten the chance to ask her more about herself.

It was then, as she was sitting in the sand and the sunlight brightened her hair and lifted her spirit up, that he felt a pleasant fluttering in his stomach. He noticed the beauty mark on her temple and the deep brown color of her eyes as though he was seeing them for the first time, and he could lose himself just by staring into her irises.

"It's just me and my sister," he said. He woke up from his daydream quickly, realizing how embarrassing it would be if she caught him staring.

"You have a sister?" she asked. "What's her name?"

A smile appeared as he was thinking about his sister. "Talia," he said. She was his world, his reason for working his ass off every day. She was his responsibility now, and he wasn't about to let her down. He had to take care of her and there was no one else in this world he'd rather take care of.

"That's so nice," she said, also smiling. "I have two little sisters too, they're twins."

"Twins?"

She nodded and chuckled.

"That must be tough." While he loved Talia, she could be a bit much at times. Life was more hectic with her in it - though he loved hectic and chaotic. But to double the chaos with twin sisters - a second Talia? He couldn't imagine what that must be like; she, however, didn't seem to mind it.

"It's really fun, actually," she said, laughing out loud. "They can be so annoying sometimes, but then I just leave and my parents have to put up with them."

He laughed too. "Sisters on demand, huh?"

"Pretty much," she said. Her nose wrinkled when she chuckled. "But it's just you and your sister?"

He nodded. "Yes, just us."

"What about the rest of the family?" she asked curiously. He knew she actually meant, 'Where are your parents?'. He was asked that question often and she had the same look in her eyes as those others did, eager to know more while not wanting to ask anything too private.

"They don't live here," he said slowly, doubting what more to tell her. "My grandparents are still alive, but live far away, just like my mother's sister with her four children." Should he tell her about his parents? It would kill the mood, but it felt like lying if he didn't tell her. "My parents... They- They died a few years ago."

And like he had predicted, that beautiful smile that had made her eyes shimmer with happiness disappeared as soon as he'd said the words. "I'm-"

"Don't be," he said before she could even finish her sentence. He was used to "I'm sorry", the standard response when he told someone about his parents. "There's nothing to be sorry about."

"I shouldn't have asked," she said.

"It's okay," he said. "Really. It's a natural question, and I don't mind it being asked."

"Like you don't mind being fired?"

Bull's eye. "Not fair." He chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood, but her words felt like a knife to the heart. He'd tried to mask his disappointment of being shown the door, but she hadn't fallen for it.

"You don't feel okay," she stated. It wasn't a question.

"I have to admit it's a little difficult, but nothing I can't handle." He didn't see the point in lying anymore, but he was still trying to put her at ease. Spending the afternoon with her would be a thousand times better than handing people plates with food all day.

She shook her head. "I shouldn't be here if I'm just a burden." She already stood up and she struck her shorts to clear them of sand. She couldn't leave, was his first thought. His heart started beating rapidly as he was trying to think of something to say.

"But you're not," he tried. "You're not a burden, really. I don't have anything to do today anyway."

That brought a defeated smile to her face, knowing he didn't have a job to go to anymore. However, she didn't sit back down, even though there was a slight hesitation in her decision to leave.

"You don't want to have walked all the way here just to leave so soon, right?" he asked her.

That got her thinking. She didn't say anything, but she didn't walk away either. Rational arguments got through to her.

"Please, stay," he then told her. He was searching for eye contact, but she seemed to have difficulty with letting people get close to her.

If only he knew what was going on in her mind in that moment... Did she want to stay? What was stopping her from not leaving? Even though he didn't know her that long yet, the thought of her leaving pained him.

"But..." she started.

"I want you to."

And it was enough to win her over.