When Alessia Bianci stepped off the aeroplane, she was greeted by the warm Milan air. Oh how she had missed Milan. Suddenly, she was hit by a train of emotions. Nostalgia, joy, grief and even a hint of fear. Tears pricked at her eyes and Pierre noticed.

"I'm okay, I promise." Alessia beat him to it. She had noticed the concerned look on his face and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

Deciding not to push the issue any further, Pierre took Alessia's word for it and instead carried on walking down the steps of the plane.

Flying privately meant that the whole airport process was sped up significantly. Alessia had never been so quick through an airport before.

The taxi waited for them both outside out of the exit. The driver stacked their luggage into the boot as Alessia and Pierre slid into the back seats.

After more than twelve hours of travelling and a six hour time difference, Alessia was exhausted. Taking notice of this, Pierre lifted his arm and wrapped it securely around Alessia, pulling her into his side. He pressed a soft kiss to her temple and watched as her eyes fluttered closed.

Pierre had never been great at sleeping when he was travelling so he knew that he would be wide awake for the duration of their taxi drive.

"How long have you two been together?" The taxi driver spoke up. He had noticed how close the couple were as he looked in his rear view mirror.

The man was at least in his sixties and he had witnessed many couples in his lifetime but these two stuck out to him.

"Oh, we're not together." Pierre stumbled over his words awkwardly. Truthfully, they weren't together in an official sense. They'd known each other a week but he loved kissing her, he loved holding her hand and having her by his side.

"Not yet anyway. She trusts you and finds comfort in you. Make it official, don't let her get away from you." He gave Pierre a wink and the Frenchman looked down at the girl who was wrapped up in his arms, sleeping peacefully.

He would have a whole two weeks with her and he would have her all to himself. Sure, he had training and race preparation to do but she could go with him. Alessia would stay with him in Milan and after a long day at work, he would come home to her. Pierre didn't want to get ahead of himself but he really liked Alessia.

Soon, the taxi ride came to an end and it pulled up outside Pierre's apartment building.

"We're here, bébé." His voice was soft as he tried to wake Alessia who groaned but opened her eyes anyway.

It was clear to anyone who laid eyes on the athlete just how groggy she was. Even the moon was too bright for her as she opened her eyes. Her hair was falling out of the messy bun that she had put up when they arrived in Milan and her mascara residue had smudged under her eyes ever so slightly.

Alessia assisted Pierre with taking their bags out of the car and into the apartment building.

"Grazie." Pierre thanked the taxi driver but it wasn't just for the ride, it was for his advice too. He handed him a tip before waving goodbye and opening the apartment building for Alessia.

Hauling their luggage into Pierre's apartment, Alessia had to say that she was impressed. His apartment, despite the comfortable wage that he was on, was a modest size. It was kept neat and tidy and the views of Milan were breathtaking.

"I only have one bedroom so you can take the bed and I'll sleep on the couch." Pierre offered as he turned on the bathroom light to prepare himself for sleep after a long few days.

"You can't sleep on the couch in your own home. I'll take the couch." Alessia offered but Pierre was having none of it. He would not allow for her to sleep on the couch. It was comfortable for sitting on but not for sleeping.

"Well, if you're not sleeping on the couch and I'm not sleeping on the couch, there is only one solution." The Italian girl hinted nonchalantly but Pierre only gave her a look of confusion as he brushed his teeth.

Alessia joined him in the bathroom, relieved that she had had the foresight to pack her toiletries in her hand luggage for easy access.

"We both sleep in the bed." She pointed out as if it were the most obvious plan in the world.

Pierre was shocked to say the least. He hadn't expected her to be comfortable with the idea, especially not after such a short period of time. Still, he wouldn't object to the idea. If she was okay with it, then so was he.

Finishing off their night time routines, Pierre climbed into his own bed wearing only a pair of jogging bottoms. Alessia pulled the duvet down as she too climbed in. Pierre couldn't take his eyes off of her. Her hair was braided, an effort to protect her curls from breakage and she wore a silk pyjama short set. The soft pink colour complimented her darker skin tone perfectly.

"Is it good to be home?" Pierre asked as Alessia's face was mere inches away from his own.

He had a muscular arm over her waist and his hand traced shapes onto the bare skin of her hip. Alessia, on the other hand, allowed for her fingers to entangle themselves into his thick, fluffy hair.

"Yeah, it's amazing to be back in Italy but it's even better being back here with you." She smiled and although what she had said was cheesy, Pierre found the sentiment to be sweet.

He leaned in and placed his lips on her own. He tasted her raspberry lip balm and she tasted his minty breath. Their lips moved perfectly in sync, just as they had done on the fourth of July.

Pierre was aware that it had only been a week but he was going to make Alessia's his in the coming days.

1033 words
8th July 2022

note from e !

Hello, my loves! Another update for you all! I have all these chapters sitting here, and they've been here for soooo long, so I might as well post them. It annoys me how inconsistent I've been with updating but onwards and upwards.

I have to submit my next assignment by 9 am on Friday, but I always submit the night before. I'm almost at the end of this essay! I have about 300 words left until I hit the 3000 word mark but I realised I don't have enough information on that part so I've just got to do that and edit it tomorrow before I submit it :) then it's back to thesis :(

I have really gotten into tennis lately. Ever since Wimbledon. I absolutely love it. I always watch Wimbledon anyway, but I watched the US Open and even some ATP and WTA tour matches.

My question today is: which sports do you like and who are your favourites in those sports?
- I love athletics, football, F1 and tennis. In athletics, I actually really like Noah Lyles (unpopular opinion) and the likes of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson, and Sha'Carri Richardson. In football, I'm sure you all know by now but any Hibs player, John McGinn, Matty Cash, Messi. There's so many that I admire. F1 it's Charles, Pierre, Albono, Lewis, and Lance. In tennis, Andy Murray, Ben Shelton (I love him), Carlos Alcaraz, and I'm quite liking Janik Sinner atm. Of course, there's Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek as well. A long list!

Enjoy and stay safe!

Lots of love, e x