Tanya took her time waking up in the morning. The sun was shining brightly which lightened her mood instantly.

Humming to herself, she freshened up. Taking a bite out of the toast, she scrolled through her phone.

The last photo in her picture gallery made her stop short. There she was, with her cheeks tinged with pink, she was clutching her drink with a huge smile on her face. Her gaze a little away from the camera, she was looking at the man taking her photo.

As if he knew she was thinking about her, a message popped on the screen.

"Sleep well?"

A smile as brilliant as the sunshine outside lit her face. Tanya couldn't explain why she suddenly felt so happy, her heartrate picked up, a slight tremor in her fingers as she put down her toast and started typing out a reply.

"Yes." She started, but then deemed it too short and stupid so she added, "You?"

She didn't have to wait long before there was a reply. "Not really."

"Why?"

"I kept thinking there was something I forgot to do."

"Oh yeah? What was it?"

There was a pause before the came reply came through.

"Giving a history lesson."

Tanya stifled a laugh. Typical Ilario. Even in a banter he couldn't stop acting like a teacher.

"Uh-ha. Who was the lucky person? To escape that ordeal?"

She rolled her eyes on her own formal wording.

A petulant face emoji was her reply. She stared at it for a while. Somehow, whatever she had expected, an emoji was not on that list from her very serious boss.

"Yes, you are right." Came another text before she had replied to the emoji.

"About what?"

"I will tell you this afternoon."

She frowned. That was an odd reply. Why this afternoon? The next text came before she could reply.

"Be ready in an hour."

"Why?"

"For a history lesson."

She was still frowning at the bizarre exchange when the last text came through.

"Wear sneakers. We are gonna walk a bit."

What is happening? What on earth is happening? Am I going out with Ilario De Russo? Two consecutive days? On a weekend? What's going on?

Tanya thought of texting him back, then she thought of calling him directly. But she discarded both the ideas. What was she going to ask anyway? That why Ilario making plans to meet her on a weekend? What answer was she expecting? More importantly, what if he cancelled his plan after her stupid questions?

She looked out the window. The tiled roof of the adjacent house was visible. A woman was drying clothes on the clothesline. A sparrow flew in to sit on Tanya's window sill. The sounds of a car honking startled the bird and it flew away.

I am in Milan. I am going to spend the weekend outside, in the city of Milan, and not holed up in my studio apartment. Yay!

Tanya got ready in record time, opting to wear a pretty summer dress in lilac, pairing them with white sneakers. Her hair, which had always been the bane of her existence, was let loose to do their own thing. There was always a little breeze in Milan, she wouldn't be too hot.

Since Ilario hadn't specified if he was coming to pick her up, she decided to wait for him outside her apartment just as the clock chimed eleven. Tanya ran down the stairs, a zing in her every step, her eyes shining, she exited the shadow of her building to stand in the sun. Closing her eyes, she soaked up the warmth, revelling in her life.

At that moment, she was happy, with an intensity which she hadn't felt in a long time. She felt glad, enthusiastic, and downright glad of her life, the way she had felt back in college, spending the entire day with her friends, laughing without any reason, roaming around without any destination.

She was free. And incandescently joyful.

That is how Ilario saw her as he parked his car on the pavement opposite her apartment building. He saw the olive skinned girl standing on the pavement, unaware of the passer-by throwing appreciative glance at her petite figure clad in the simple clothing with straight lines, her beautiful brown hair swaying in the breeze. A vision of exuberance right in the middle of the city, her face absolutely glowing with youthfulness.

Bellísima!

He almost didn't want to approach her, watching her from the other side of the street, not wanting to break this trance. At that moment, all he wanted to do was just watch her, soak in her youthful appreciation of life. It made him feel something which he had forgotten a long time ago. Since he had started fighting with the system, his own family, mired in lies and half-truths, he had forgotten what it was like to feel free and just live!

Something told Tanya she was being watched. Slowly opening her eyes, her gaze landed on him. The eyes glowing from within with a strange light, the tan of his face glowing in the late morning sun and a undecipherable smile on his firm lips, Ilario was standing right in front of her. For some reason, Tanya felt shy. Maybe it was the way he was regarding her, or maybe the way his smile hit her already lovestruck heart, she was unable to form a single word in greeting.

He saw that, and opened her mouth to say a single word, "Ciao."

Her smile reflected the shyness she felt, "Ciao, Rio."

Her response seemed to please him in some way. He reached out to curl his fingers in hers and lead her to his car without another word. The silence coupled with the possessive way Ilario held her hand made Tanya's heart race. She fought hard to contain her excitement but it broke free of her restraint to lift the corners of her lips in a smile. If Ilario saw it, he ignored it. Instead, once they were inside the car, he leaned to fasten her seat belt.

Tanya blushed, like an absolute idiot.

Get a grip! He is just fastening the seat belt, not taking off your clothes, you dummy. Stop grinning like an absolute imbecile.

But all that pep talk did was put images in her brain of Ilario putting on his shirt that day in his office. His bare torso, the tan, the lines...

She shook herself to dispel the disturbingly sensual images from her mind. Turning her face towards him, she chirped, "So, where are we going?"

"You'll see." Was his reply which made her huff in annoyance.

"You are always so mysterious. Last time we ended up going to Naviglio Grande, where I was planning to go anyway. It wasn't anything special."

He considered her words, "You might be right." Which made her roll her eyes.

"In any case, I don't think you would have thought of coming here." He said after driving for a bit. Tanya looked out. The roads were not familiar. The car turned a corner and she gasped.

"Here we go." He murmured as he approached their destination.

"We are going there?" Tanya asked breathlessly.

He kept looking straight, "Sure we are."

He helped her get down, offering her support byholding her finger delicately. As the valet whisked away the car, she juststood gaping at the iconic building in front of her, soaking in every detail,the grandeur.