“We’ve been given a second chance.”

- The Best of Me Movie, coming to theaters October 17

Chapter 2

Talia Walker

Italy won 2 to 1.

Among the celebrations, the thought of seeing Matthew stood out boldly. I itched to tell my sister about him, but I feared that she would rat me out to our parents. Laura seemed too fragile to handle speaking about boys at the moment.

We got back in our vast hotel room half an hour ago. My parents and Luca collapsed in their beds like corpses; jet lag didn’t deal with them well. Laura was awake in our room, reading a book about pregnancy with humor in it. Her glance averted to her phone more than once. She was expecting Carlo to call, which was highly unlikely since it was 3 am in Florence. Knowing her, she wouldn’t fall asleep before hearing his voice. Therefore, I wouldn’t be able to sneak out.

Another problem; I had no idea when I was supposed to meet him.

All he had indicated was the place we would meet. The clock just struck 10; I wasn’t sure if I should just go by the river and wait for him. I didn’t want to seem too eager to see him. Besides, he was the one at fault. He should have set a specific time, instead of making me all flustered and nervous for absolutely no valid reason.

“Talia?” said Laura, looking up from Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy. “Why haven’t you changed into pajamas?”

“Uh,” I twisted a loose thread of my Love is Battle shirt. The shorts I was wearing were long enough to cover my butt; I couldn’t say the same for most girls in Brazil. “I don’t want to sleep yet.”

“Lia, it would be 3 am back home. Go to sleep.”

I heard a knock on the door and my heart jumped in its cage. Laura ushered for me to go answer the door, pointing to her stomach. She preferred to stay seated most of the time, because standing up made her feel like she was a walking elephant.

Opening the door as softly as I could to avoid waking anyone up, I saw no one at the door. There was no one in the hallway either. Just as I was about to close the door, suspecting a ding-dong-ditch scheme, there was a letter tied to the doorknob facing the outside.

“Who is it?” cried out Laura.

A horribly written: to no-you-can’t-get-my-namewas scribbled on the small envelope.

“No one! It’s probably just kids messing with us,” I mumbled loudly, still holding onto the letter.

Gently opening the envelope, I took out the scrap of paper inside and read it.

5 minutes. Can’t wait to hear you rub your victory in my sad face. L

A smile broke through my features as I reread the content of the letter over and over. Laura was talking to me, but I couldn’t hear her over the sound of my excitement.

I never was a rule breaker.

Always a good girl, I obeyed my parents no matter what. Thankfully my mom wasn’t too strict about everything, but dad was. I wasn’t the kind of girl whom partied all night and didn’t care about anything. I knew what was best for me and that was to listen to my parents, who had a much bigger experience in life.

If I snuck out to meet Matthew, I would be breaking unspoken rules.

Stuffing the letter in my pocket, I made my decision. I walked towards Laura and sat down in front of her, giving her a serious look. She soon noticed my eyes on her and closed the book.

“Yes?”

“I’m going to ask you a very important question,” I started, widening my eyes for the cute factor.

Laura raised an eyebrow, “Yes?”

“Can I go out for a walk?” I asked, pouting just a little bit. Ever since our childhood, Laura hadn’t been able to resist my begging faces. She would say that I reminded her of the cutest dog ever and that if she ever got a pet, she would name her or him Lia, because I was adorable when I wanted to be.

She let out a laugh, pulling the covers over a sleeping Luca beside her. He kept on shuffling and snoring softly. His mouth was open, which assured him a not-so lovely trail of drool on his cheek in the morning.

“Yes, or no?” I pressed.

“Where are you really going, Lia?” She questioned, fixing her bun. It was obviously a weak attempt at a bun, because her hair gained volume and strands fell from every side. Even then, she was beautiful.

I pursed my lips, “For a walk. I want to see the river.”

“Don’t lie to me,” she warned.

I sighed, “I’m meeting a friend.”

“Boy or girl?”

Boy, I thought.

“Girl. Her name is Marie. She’s really nice. She told me to meet her tonight for ice cream so that we can—you know, chill.”

“Chill?” Laura was doubting me; big time. I had to pull myself together and avoid telling her the truth, because I knew that she would never let me out. Plus, her pregnancy hormones took over her emotions most of the time, so she exaggerated a lot of events.

I nodded, giving her a big smile. “Marie is awesome, honestly.”

“Can I meet her?” asked Laura, grinning. She discovered my lie. This was a big trap; I knew she felt successful.

“Sure. But, not today,” I addressed, “I need to make sure she’s friend material, Laura.”

“Fine,” huffed Laura, waving her hand to the door, “Go. If Mamma and Dad wake up, I’ll tell them you went for a walk in the lobby or something.”

I could have hugged her and her unborn child to death right there and then.

“Thank you!” I cried out, rushing towards the door. Laura muttered something about her doing too many favors to me lately. Really, this was the first time in ages that she had done anything for me.

Once I got downstairs, in the main lobby, I took a sneak peak at the mirror to my side. Thankfully, the curls that consisted of my hair weren’t too shabby looking. My face was make-up free, I had always despised putting any products on my face. My clothes were smoothed down and clean.

I didn’t even know why I was so nervous to meet Matthew again. Normally, the feelings I possessed at the moment were directed towards my celebrity crushes, not some guy I had met at the game. Excitement bubbled and fizzed in my stomach at the thought of being by the beautiful Rio Negro. Despite me not being very helpful towards the environment, there was nothing I enjoyed more than taking in the beauty of nature.

The dark breeze brushed by my shoulders, I regretted not bringing a coat with me. A crescent moon was majestic, standing proud in the sky. The stars looked like scattered moon dust. A few people sat by the river, chatting. I wrapped my arms around myself and searched for Matthew.

Deciding I would let him find me instead, I sat on an empty bench by Rio Negro. I could almost see all the fish swimming in there, shivering at the weather. I clenched on my teeth to stop shaking, but the wind wasn’t helping my situation.

“Dear damsel in distress, fear not. I’m here to save you from this horrendous wind,” said Matthew, putting a piece of clothing on me. Upon touch, I realized it was a soft coat. He sat down on the other end of the bench, wearing his own sweater.

“You came,” he said, smiling. “I wasn’t sure if you would.”

“Why? I told you I’d come if we won. I never back down from bets,” I defended, putting my arms into the coat, pulling it closer to me.

Matthew shrugged, “I like a feisty girl. But, are you going to rub in your victory?”

“Of course I am,” I announced. “Your team is stupid, mine is amazing. There is nothing more to say.”

“Hey!” he warned, “I expected childish dancing, not plain out insulting!”

“Your expectations are mistaken then,” I smiled.

He let out a laugh. “Pardon me, then—wait, I still don’t know your name.”

“Talia,” I declared, not an inch of hesitation within me.

He nodded in appreciation, “Lovely name for a lovely lady.”

There was something in the way he spoke that made me want to burst into giggles. I liked the fact that he didn’t sit close to me and invade my personal space; it displayed respect. His hair got ruffled by the wind and a strand fell into his eyes, which greatly bothered him. He held it back with his hand, his face showing discomfort.

“So, tell me about you,” I said, leaning into the back of the bench. I didn’t want to leave just yet; the view was too beautiful to let go of.

He sighed. “What is there to tell? I graduated from high school two days ago. I have twin brothers. They’re two years older than I am, so they’re my best friends. I’m going to Oxford next fall—”

“Oxford?” I gasped, “You’re going to Oxford?”

Matthew nodded, pride etched in his features. I nodded apprehensively, filled with shock. Oxford students were known for their intelligence and great ambition. He crinkled his nose, a habit I assumed he did when proud about anything.

“Wow,” I said, just to boost his confidence, “You’re actually smart.”

“Thank you, m’lady,” he replied, bowing a little for the effect. “Where are you going next year?”

“University of Roma.”

He gave me a small applause, “It’s a good school. Tell me about you, now.”

“I barely know anything about you just yet,” I protested. Matthew’s coat smelled like expensive male perfume, filling my nostrils. The odor probably stuck onto my shirt now, which caused trouble for me. If I came back to the hotel room in this shirt, Laura would detect the smell and give me a speech.

“Too bad,” he waved me off, “Speak.”

“Fine,” I lifted my legs and put my arms around them, which brought me warmth, “I’m Talia. Born on Valentine’s day. I want to be a veterinarian, pets are my favorite thing in the world. I have two siblings; one younger brother and my older sister is married and pregnant. To come down here, I had to pretend that I was supposed to meet up with a friend called Marie. So, you could say that I’m a bad ass.”

Matthew laughed, “I’m into bad girls then.”

“Huh,” I simply said, feeling my cheeks redden. It was partly because of the weather, but mainly because of the way he was looking at me. He was interested in what I was saying, his attention was devoted to me.

“I’m allergic to anything that has fur,” he announced randomly.

I raised an eyebrow, “Then you royally suck.”

“I do not!” He exclaimed, appalled. “You can’t blame me for my allergies.”

“But then you’re allergic to most animals! You are a failure in life,” I puffed childishly.

Matthew pouted, “Ouch. You broke my heart.”

“Watch me not care,” I said, exaggeratingly flipping one side of my hair.

“How long are you staying here?” he asked.

“Two weeks.”

He frowned, “I’m staying a month. Does that mean I won’t see you after two weeks?”

He lived in England, my home was Italy.

“Probably not.”

“Then I’d better cherish every moment I spend with you,” he smiled softly.

We talked all night. As the clouds above us obscured the night sky, our mouths never stopped making words. He told me about his fears, I told him about mine. He made stupid little jokes that made me laugh harder than they should have. His accent had faded out of my brain, I forgot that he was a Brit. He smiled so much, and it was as contagious as the flu during the winter.

I glanced at my phone and noticed that it was past midnight. Laura must have been freaking out by now, I was surprised that she hadn’t come down and searched for me. We had been talking for more than two hours.

“I should go,” I stood up.

He did the same and nodded. Extending a hand, he offered me a shake. I was shocked that he hadn’t asked for a hug, yet knowing him for those two hours, it was expected. I shook his hand and couldn’t help but smile widely.

When he didn’t let go of my hand, I said: “Can I have my hand back?”

“Only if you promise to meet me back here tomorrow.”

“We’ll see,” I said, feeling my heart swell.

He held my hand close to his lips and put a small kiss on it. “Good enough for me. Goodnight, Talia.”

I suddenly remembered that I hadn’t once thought about his accent or how much I generally hated the British accent. What Matthew said was more interesting than the way he was saying it.