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𝟔 ... 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡

☘︎︎ ✯ ♥︎

𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐲'𝐬 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 ❤︎︎

day 2 — rome

ROME IS AMAZING!!!! I've only been in Europe for twelve hours and I'm already in love. I want to spend the rest of my life here. I could work as a waitress or something to make some money, find a crappy apartment and some wonderful roommates, learn Italian, and eat my body weight in pizza, pasta, and gelato. It sounds like a dream.

Since I flew on an overnight flight, I had the whole day to explore. I toured the Vatican City, St. Peter's Basilica, the Colosseum, and so many other places I forget the names of. It was a whirlwind of a day. I think my highlight was seeing the Colosseum. I can clearly imagine all the life and energy that filled that place once upon a time. It made me realize just how big the world is and how small I am. Compared to the problems the gladiators faced, my problems with my parents are miniscule. If they could face giants, I can face my parents. Maybe I really will move to Europe.

matt 🍁

The morning Rome sun is warm as it shines through into the hotel lobby. It soaks into my black hoodie, leaving me feeling like I am being wrapped in a hug by my mom. A golden glow is cast over my friend group, lighting up everyone's excited faces. We are all jetlagged, but we're in Europe. Who cares if we're tired?

Madi is already wearing a hat that she bought this morning when she ducked out to get a coffee, and Bryn is excitedly gushing over everything she wants to see today.

Callie is standing by Bryn's side, looking as intimidating as ever in a black leather jacket and dark sunglasses pulled over her eyes. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and while the other girls chat, she silently inspects a large painting of St. Peter's Basilica. She hasn't met my gaze once since the six of us first met for breakfast an hour ago. I kind of thought that after last night, maybe she wouldn't be as cold toward me, but it seems like she is intent on forgetting we had a moment of friendship.

Nick clears his throat dramatically as he opens a tourist's guide brochure he got at the first desk. "Alrighty, people. We've got four hours until we need to be at the venue. Where are we going?"

"Do they have Pepsi in Italy?" Chris throws his arm over Bryn's shoulder and kisses her forehead. Her face lights up in a brilliant smile and she kisses his jaw in greeting.

"Forget about Pepsi, I want a real Italian espresso." Madi peers over Nick's shoulder at the pamphlet and points something out. "Ohh, can we go there?"

"Screw the brochure, I know what I want to see!" Bryn interrupts, her face giddy with excitement. "I want to see the Pantheon, the Sistine Chapel, and the Trevi Fountain! We have to throw a coin in and make a wish."

Chris scoffs and scrunches his face up in offence. "What do you have to wish for when I'm already your boyfriend?"

"Shut up," Bryn laughs and grabs Chris' hand to tug him out of the hotel. "Let's go, you guys!"

"First one to throw a coin in gets to pick where we have lunch!" Nick raises his eyebrows at me cheekily before linking his arm through Madi's to follow Chris and Bryn, leaving me behind with Callie.

The streets buzz around us as we walk through Rome. Music is playing from various restaurants, Vespas beep as they navigate the narrow allies, and people chatter in every direction. The smell of espresso fills the air, along with a faint waft of baked goods.

I consider jogging to catch up with my brothers, but the pit in my gut won't let me. Callie is still silent beside me, and for some reason, I can't bring myself to leave her side. It feels slightly out-of-body, thinking about our honest interaction from last night, and I'm not sure how to process it.

I glance sideways at Callie in time to catch a small smile growing on her face at the sight of a cat running across the street in front of us. She fits in here. Her dark hair and tanned complexion blend with the locals, plus we have passed quite a few other girls also wearing leather jackets. I'm sure Callie hates that, though. I've noticed she likes to be original and do her own thing.

I clear my throat, nerves rising in my chest as I decide to break the tension between us. "Look, about last night–"

"Don't," Callie cuts me off, quickly and firmly. "It's fine. I don't want to talk about it."

My eyes narrow slightly as I study her, noticing the slight tension in the lines by her mouth and the tilt of her chin. She's uncomfortable. Not just uncomfortable, but nervous. "Suit yourself."

Callie's chin nods slightly as if her body is thanking me for not pushing her further than she's ready to go.

Nick and Madi are still charging ahead, their laughs mixing together and drifting along in the breeze, but Chris and Bryn are hanging back to let us catch up. Bryn links her arm through Callie's and tugs her forward, teasing her quietly about her Charlie's Angels persona.

"I didn't see any glaring or fist-fighting there." Chris raises his eyebrows as he falls in step beside me. "Are you two actually getting along?"

"No. No way." I shake my head abruptly, the idea of getting along with Callie almost jarring. "We barely exchanged two words. And we have to act civil to win your stupid bet, remember? I still hate her, believe me."

In full honesty, I had completely forgotten about the bet. The only thing circling my mind is Callie's words from the night before: Sometimes I wonder if anyone really knows the real me. I've been stabbed in the back so many times, it's hard to not be defensive. I don't want to be hurt like that again.

"Matt, can I ask you something?" Chris doesn't even wait a full two seconds before he continues to speak. "Do you actually hate her, or are you just pretending to hate her?"

I immediately scoff, ready to rebuke Chris' question, but the words echo in my head and make me pause. Do I actually hate Callie? "She's kind of a bitch, if you haven't noticed," I say carefully, my eyes on the dark-haired girl in front of me. She just slyly handed a few euros to a flower vendor at the side of the street, and now she is presenting Bryn with a beautiful pink rose. Bryn, in typical fashion, squeals excitedly and throws her arms around Callie in a bear hug.

"And you can be kind of a dick sometimes. That doesn't mean I hate you. Everyone acts a certain way for a reason, Matt." Chris nudges my arm to draw my attention back to him, and I am surprised by the intense look on his face. "If you can give me a valid reason why you hate Callie, I'll back off. But you can't say you hate her because she's mean to you or because she's annoying, cause you treat her the same way."

"I, uh–" My voice falters, and my eyes once again catch on Callie as her lips round up in a genuine smile when Bryn, having seen a little girl admiring her rose, crouches down to offer the flower to her. "She gets under my skin like no one else. I don't get it. She's stuck in my head like a bad tattoo. I feel like I hate her."

"Doesn't seem like you hate her to me," Chris smirks at me and nudges my elbow. "Just take it easy on her, man, okay?"

"I'm trying. She doesn't make it easy," I mumble, my eyes meeting Callie's when she glances over her shoulder. She pushed her sunglasses onto her head at some point, so I can now see the twinkle in her eye from laughing with Bryn a moment before. Her smile fades slightly when she meets my gaze, but it doesn't disappear.

Chris claps me on my shoulder, his chuckle echoing through my ears. "Neither do you."

Our conversation draws to a close as we walk into view of the Trevi Fountain. The building behind the fountain is majestic, the cream colour practically glowing against the blue sky. In front of the building is the fountain, and the water is the clearest turquoise I have ever seen. It's beautiful.

The surrounding area is bustling with tourists, but Chris and Nick, who are shoving each other as they fight to reach the fountain first, find an empty gap for the six of us to view the iconic sight in all its glory.

Chris and Nick are the first to make wishes, their coins hitting the water at the same time and leading to them arguing over who gets to decide where we eat lunch. Bryn is quick to toss a coin in next, her smile wide as she watches the coin splash into the water. Knowing her, she probably wished for another puppy.

Madi whispers something to Callie before pressing a coin into her hand. Callie turns the coin over in her fingers, her eyes on the fountain but her mind clearly somewhere else. She flicks it into the air once, catching it in her palm, her fingers curling around it like she's holding onto something she's not ready to let go of.

She and Madi toss their coins together, and when Callie turns around, her gaze meets mine again. Her eyes are softer than normal, and her face is less guarded, but I don't have time to question it because Bryn is nudging me and shoving a coin in my face.

"Come on, Matty, make a wish." Bryn grins at me before pushing me forward to the edge of the fountain.

I draw in a deep breath, my lungs filling with the crisp autumn air. I try to push away the feelings that have been following me all morning–my uncertainty with Callie, nerves about the tour, and the unfamiliarity of being in such a familiar place. On my exhale, I rub my thumb over the coin for good luck before I toss it into the fountain.

I wish to gain some independence on this trip and to figure out who I am and what I want, outside of being a triplet.

Callie is staring at me when I turn around, everyone else having gravitated toward a nearby restaurant to look at the menu. "What did you wish for?" Her voice is low and smooth, and the sound sends shivers down my spine.

Strangely, my first instinct is to tell her, but then I remember how she shoved my insecurities in my face last night. And so I respond to her softness with a cocky smirk. I lean against the stone edge of the fountain as if I'm too relaxed to care and I shrug. "Isn't there a rule about not telling? Otherwise, it won't come true." I let the smirk linger, but my mouth tightens slightly, hesitant for Callie's answer. "What about you? Gonna let me in on your deep, dark secrets?"

Callie raises an eyebrow at my smirk, unimpressed. "Of course. Smug and secretive—two of your best qualities," she says dryly, folding her arms. Her eyes linger on me for a moment longer than usual before turning toward the fountain. The crowd noise seems to fade, leaving just the two of us standing there.

I wait for her to say something else, but she doesn't. She just stands there, fidgeting with her sunglasses in one hand, twisting the frame between her fingers. There's something in the way she looks at the water, like she's trying not to think too hard about her wish. Or maybe she's wishing I'd just stop being such an idiot and tell her something real for once.

The silence stretches on, and I should walk away. I should let it go, but something holds me there, frozen in place, my mouth opening and closing like I've forgotten how to talk. Come on, say something, Matt. This is your chance.

Her sunglasses slip from her fingers, but she catches them just before they hit the ground, her lips parting like she's about to say something—something I don't think I'm ready to hear.

"I thought you might surprise me for once," she mutters, almost too quiet for me to hear.

Before I can respond, Nick's loud voice slices through the moment, pulling us both out of whatever that was. "Let's go losers, I'm hungry!"

Callie glances at me one more time and I swear there is a hint of disappointment in her eyes, but it is gone as soon as I notice it. And with that, she strolls off to immerse herself in our friend group, leaving me standing alone staring after her with a tightness in my chest and a sinking feeling in my stomach. What just happened?

instagram

brynlee.williams posted...

@christophersturniolo

@callielaughty

@callielaughty @madi.filipowicz

@christophersturniolo

brynlee.williams we love rome 🫶🏼

tagged: @christophersturniolo @callielaughty @madi.filipowicz

comments

nicolassturniolo The Italian men 😭😭
⇨ brynlee.williams RIGHT im in love 😍😍
⇨ christophersturniolo @brynlee.williams 🧐
⇨ brynlee.williams @christophersturniolo babe you're part italian it's okay
⇨ nicolassturniolo @brynlee.williams But like full Italian men 😭😭 I want one
⇨ brynlee.williams @nicolassturniolo we'll start looking 💪🏼

user this friend group living my literal dream

user SEE YOU TONIGHTTTTT IM SO EXCITED

nicolassturniolo Already planning our next world tour
⇨ user AUSTRALIA PLSSSS
⇨ user asia needs you or we die
⇨ user BRAZIL WTFFF IM BEGGING
⇨ user maybe canada??? 😲

user bryn and chris give me life
⇨ user SO REAL i want what they have

carasobsession hehe canucks just scored 3 goals in under a minute as i'm writing these comments and i probably woke the neighbours with how loud i yelled

callielaughty rome is pretty cool
⇨ brynlee.williams you're pretty cool
⇨ callielaughty i'm blushing 🤭

christophersturniolo ily
⇨ brynlee.williams ilym

christophersturniolo The guy with you is fineee
⇨ brynlee.williams he's okay i guess 🤷🏻‍♀️
⇨ christophersturniolo 😒

user bryn and chris are so mom and dad coded

nathandoe08 Pls bring me lots of souvenirs 
⇨ brynlee.williams already got you a rock i found in the street!
⇨ nathandoe08 I'm so lucky to have a friend like you 🥰

madi.filipowicz never talking about how chris and matt got us kicked out of that restaurant again
⇨ brynlee.williams i will actually be telling that story for years. its too stupid to be true
⇨ matthew.sturniolo 🙄
⇨ christophersturniolo We're just too cool for Italy I guess

user bryn and chris future destination wedding?

matthew.sturniolo You look way too happy for someone dragging us around all day
⇨ brynlee.williams aw is baby tired? ☺️ do you need me to come tuck you in for a nap?
⇨ matthew.sturniolo You are the worst
⇨ brynlee.williams ily dipper 😘😘
⇨ matthew.sturniolo ily too mabel

cara's obsession ❀

canucks fourth win in a row ‼️‼️‼️ they are the bestest ever and i am happy

question of the day: weirdest dream you've ever had? if you've been following along with me for a while, you may recall that i suffer from frequent nightmares, and it's been getting wayyyy worse again so now i need to go see a doctor lollll. so tell me about your funky dreams!

i go to sleep now. i love you all. adios amigos 🫶🏼

🍉 🍉 🍉