"Is everything okay?" Nico asks as soon as I step foot into the room. He's sitting up, leaning against the headboard, the sheets hanging loosely around his waist. I'm so entranced by the sight that I forget to answer his question.

Shaking the thoughts from my head I say, "Yeah, she's okay. They think food poisoning?" I shrug. Nico furrows his brows in questioning.

"You don't feel unwell, do you?" he questions but I shake my head, no. "That's odd... must have just been what she ate," he says, lost in thought.

"I'm sure she'll be okay. We should probably go to sleep," I say, still awkwardly standing in the threshold of the room. Nico nods before patting the empty space beside him. I'm not sure I trust myself around Nico, let alone being in bed with him.

"Get in," he presses, and I roll my eyes in jest. Going against my better judgement, I stalk towards the bed before climbing back in. "Is everything okay?" he asks, his hand brushing against my arm again.

"Yeah, of course," I smile. It's just that you're doing things to me that I've never felt before and it is scaring the literal hell out of me. Everything is great.

I turn over, facing away from Nico, although I still feel his eyes burning into my back. The mattress dips behind me and when I feel a weight drape over my waist, every drop of oxygen leaves my lungs.

Forcing myself to take slow and steady breaths, I will myself to fall asleep, to act as though his touch doesn't make every inch of tiredness dissipate from my body, replacing it with fire.

After what felt like a millennium, my body finally fell into the velvet arms of sleep and drifted into a land filled with roses and gelato.

The blazing sun filters through the window, bright rays burning into my eyes. Groaning, I lift a hand to shield my eyes from the sun. My body feels as though it is shrivelling up in the heat as I lift my head from a hard surface.

Opening my eyes only to find that I am practically laying on top of Nico. I attempt to roll off of him, but his arms only encase themselves around my body, flipping us over so that he is laying on top of me.

"Buongiorno," Nico says, his voice husky and laced with sleep. He nips at my neck, forcing a laugh out of me.

"Nico!" I squeal, pushing his shoulders so that he rolls over. Although he only pulls me with him, resulting in me straddling his waist. Placing my hands on his stomach, I watch as his eyes burn into mine. "Why do you do that?" I ask.

"Do what?" he continues to stare, and I cover my face with my hands.

"Stare at me," I clarify, and he laughs before peeling my hands away from my face.

"I like to stare at things I find beautiful," Nico shrugs and I feel my cheeks going a shade of crimson. "Are you blushing, Heidi?" he teases, and I swat his stomach.

A knock sounds at the door and both our eyes go wide. Immediately, I almost throw myself off of Nico and create as much distance between us as possible. "Come in," I call out and watch the door slowly open before Terrone walks in.

"Breakfast is ready downstairs," he says, his face plagued with sleep, and I smile at him.

"Thank you," Nico and I both say before Terrone leaves the room, closing the door behind him with a small clunk.

"I've got to work today so I'm afraid I cannot be your tourist guide," Nico says as he gets out of bed, the sunlight doing wonders at highlighting his muscles. Tearing my eyes away, I give him a small smile.

"That's okay, but I can't promise that I will not be having lots of fun without you," I laugh, and he shakes his head.

"As your tourist guide, I prohibit having fun without me," Nico points an accusing finger my way and I hold up my hands in innocence. "Go have some breakfast but make sure you leave some for me," he says as he grabs a towel and leaves the room.

A while after, I finally will myself to leave the bed and trail downstairs. The stairs creak beneath my weight as a sweet aroma floods around me. Turning the corner, I walk towards the kitchen and the chatter of multiple voices.

"She awakens!" my father says, and I throw him a sarcastic smile.

The island in the centre of the kitchen is bedecked with fruits, muffins, French toast and coffee. I make a b-line for the coffee, grabbing a cup along the way.

"Good morning," I announce as I pour myself a cup and take a sip of the delicious morning remedy. Picking up a plate, I grab some French toast and some fruit before sitting down next to Nancy. "How'd you sleep?" I ask her.

"Good," her small voice says as she takes another bite of her blueberry muffin.

Glancing across the island, I notice my mother taking a bite out of a strawberry - seemingly fine since last night. Her eyes meet mine as if she could feel my gaze on her. I offer a small smile and she returns it before she continues her conversation with my father.

"We're going to go to the coast today if you'd like to join us. Although Nico and Lorenzo are working late," Mila offers and I nod my head.

"I'd love to," I smile and figure that I should probably spend more time with my family anyway seeing as this is a family trip after all.

"We're going to go back to the house first to change and shower and then we will meet you down there," my mother says to Mila, and she nods in agreement.

Everyone finishes their breakfast and I'm almost left in a food coma after the frenzy of flavours that erupted in my mouth after the French toast. The raspberry sauce that was drizzled over the top almost made me want to inhale the entire stack.

We soon make our way back to Vienna and Terrones' house to freshen up. I pair a black bikini set with some white shorts, brushing through my wet hair before tying the thick locks into a braid flowing over my shoulder. Grabbing some sunglasses and a book, I head downstairs to wait for everyone else to finish getting ready.

Nancy sits on the sofa with her DS, her small fingers pressing at the buttons. "Are you going to go in the ocean?" I ask and a bright smile erupts on her face.

"I'm gonna turn into a mermaid!" she squeals, and I decide on letting her believe that mermaids and unicorns are real. I won't be the one to burst her bubble.

The sound of flip-flops slapping against the hardwood floors causes my eyes to snap towards the stairs. My mother, father, Vienna, and Terrone stagger down the stairs with various bags and bottles of suncream. It's as though they are planning on staying at the beach for a week.

"Nancy come here and put some suncream on," my mother says and, surprisingly, my sister puts down her DS without the slightest of hesitation.

Vienna wears a rather large sunhat and I have to stifle a laugh at the size of it. "You're bringing a parasol to the beach with you? I'm sure there will be plenty there," I tease, and she scoffs at me.

"Ha, ha, very funny, Heidi. Just because you're jealous of my amazing sunhat," Vienna boasts with her hands on her hips. "Let's get going... we need to get the best rays!" she sings as if the sun is soon to disappear.

I just know she is going to be the best mother.

Everyone files out of the house, Nancy skipping along as the sun shines down on her mousey brown hair. I decide on sending Calli a quick message as we walk down the steps, perspire already forming on my forehead.

Heidi: We need to FaceTime as soon as I'm back at the house. I have so much to tell you! Other than that, how are you? Is everything good back home?

Placing my sunglasses on, I frown at the way the dark lenses take away the bright vibrancy of the town. As we move further into the heart of Vernazza, voices grow louder, and the sound of food sizzling and scents of tomato and onion fill the humid air. It takes a large amount of restraint for me to not buy one of everything I see.

My phone buzzes.

Calli: Now I'm going to be excited all day and you know I will not be able to handle this anticipation! Everything is surprisingly good; my parents are finally getting along. I know, shocker. Ambrose is walking around like a lost puppy - it almost makes me feel bad for him.

I can't help my smile at the comment about her parents. Throughout the many years I have known Calli, her parents have been known to have especially rough patches. The bad almost always outshining the good. To hear that they're in a good place warms my heart for Calli. However, my heart grows cold at the part about Ambrose. But I choose to ignore it.

Heidi: You're going to have to deal with it. That's so great, I'm glad! Do not feel bad for him... that's what he wants.

As soon as we make it to the beach, I lift up my sunglasses to get the perfect view of the ever-blue waters. The ocean seems to glisten even brighter than yesterday when Nico and I were sitting at the edge of the docks.

We find a spot directly in the sunlight, as requested by Vienna. Laying down a towel, I sit down before taking off my sandals and moving to lay on my stomach. Everyone else converses as I grab my book and begin skimming through the pages.

My mind gets lost in another universe as I live a million different lives but stay in the exact same spot. It's crazy how the exact same twenty-six letters re-arranged can form such different stories, such different people. I become fully submerged in a world I will never exist in and characters that I will never meet. The idea is that no matter how many times you re-read the same book, the ending will always be the same.

It's no different with people that hurt you. If you keep taking them back, the ending will never change, and the person will never change. That's why you have to pick up your self-worth and know that you deserve better. Pick up a different book.

After a while, I place down my book and grab my phone. "I'm going to go get a drink, does anyone want anything?" I ask but everyone shakes their heads. I fancy something fruity and refreshing.

I decide on walking through town to find a place myself instead of searching for somewhere online. It makes it more adventurous that way.

Making my way through the streets, through the bustling of life and tourists, I notice a sign saying frullati which I believe means smoothie, at the end of the walkway. Hoping for the best, I make my way towards it and envision the tastes that the shop beholds.

As soon as I step through the door, the bell chimes and I am welcomed with a gust of cool air. I thank whoever invented air-conditioning.

Walking up to the counter, I give them a smile. "Buon pomeriggio," the young man says, and I presume he's saying afternoon. His hair is brown and curly, his eyes a wondrous green.

"Ciao," I return, and he nods his head. "Can I get a strawberry smoothie, please?" I ask, hoping that he speaks English.

"Coming right up," he smiles and gets to work. "You visit here often?" he asks, and I appreciate the use of small talk.

"No, this is my first time actually. I've only been here a few days but from what I've seen so far, it's beyond beautiful," I say, deciding on giving him an answer better than a simple yes or no.

"Vernazza is well-known for its beauty," he says as he blends together strawberries and another variety of ingredients. His hands are steady and experienced as he pours the smoothie into a cup - giving off the impression that he could do this in his sleep.

"Now I know why," I smile, and he throws a grin my way before handing me the smoothie.

"€4, please," he says, and I grab the card from the back of my phone before tapping it against the reader. "Hey, there's going to be a bonfire down the beach later tonight, starting at nine. It'd be great to see you there."

"Um... yeah I'll possibly see you there," I say, and he flashes a smile. "Have a great day," I say before turning around and heading for the exit.

"You too."