Dance with Destiny

The corridors buzzed with the usual post-summer chaos—people hugging, exchanging kisses on both cheeks, their voices rising with exaggerated excitement. "Oh my God, I missed you so much!" "You look amazing!" "Tell me everything about your summer!"

I passed by them, my face blank, thinking how fake they all seemed. Their laughter felt too loud, too forced, like they were performing for an invisible audience.

Then I saw my friends, clustered around a table, their hands wrapped around overpriced coffee cups, faces glowing with post-vacation tales. I slid into the empty seat beside them, seamlessly blending into the conversation. They were busy bragging about their summers—Santorini sunsets, yacht parties, road trips through the Balkans.

I stayed quiet for a moment, then casually mentioned, "Yeah, I went to Florence for two weeks with a friend."

But that’s all I said. I didn’t tell them about the moments I’d locked away because I was afraid they’d judge me.

As I listened, I felt eyes on me. A boy standing by the library entrance, staring. I’d never seen him before, which was strange because this was my second year. He looked fine, I guess—He was tall, around 185 cm, with light brown hair, long features, a slight beard, and a mustache.—but I didn’t feel any pull, no spark. So, I ignored him.

Then came the comments:

"Eliza, oh my God, you lost so much weight! How did you do that?"

"You look incredible!"

I brushed them off with the usual, "Oh, just some workouts and healthy eating."

But that wasn’t the truth. The truth was something darker, something I didn’t want to name. I’d restricted myself in ways that felt like control at first, but now—now it felt like a trap. A quiet one, growing louder in the back of my mind.

(This will unravel later, becoming a thread that pulls tighter as the story goes on.)

My lesson time arrived, and I went to class. We didn’t cover any chapters since it was the first day of school. After the class, which lasted an hour and a half, I met up with my best friend, Hailey. We sat on some chairs outside, enjoying the pleasant weather.

I started telling her—again—what had happened in Florence.

“So, Sadie and I were getting panini, you know, those traditional Italian sandwiches. I noticed this good-looking guy sitting on the curb with his friends, eating his panini. I gathered my courage, walked up to him, and asked which ingredients he’d put in his panini and if it was any good.”

She replied,“Wow, you’re so brave.”

I shrugged, a small smile tugging at the corner of my lips.“Not in my home country, actually. But when I’m in a foreign country, I feel like—no one knows me, and no one will. I can do whatever I want because I’ll probably never see them again in my life, and we have no mutual friends. It’s freeing, you know?”

“Okay, you’re right. Now keep going with your story,” Hailey said, leaning in with curiosity sparkling in her eyes.

I knew I could share all the small details with her, knowing she wouldn’t judge me—not even a little.

“So,” I continued,“he told me which ingredients he’d put in his panini and said it tasted good. And then, out of nowhere, he suddenly offered me a bite from his sandwich.”

“I was so shocked because I wasn’t expecting that offer, but I said yes anyway,”I continued, my voice quickening with the memory.“He asked me if I liked it, and I said yes. But then, out of nowhere, this wave of embarrassment washed over me. I turned my back to him and quickly got back in the queue.”

Hailey was hanging on to every word, her expression a mix of amusement and curiosity.

“After Sadie and I got our paninis, we left the store. And there he was again, sitting in the same spot. We were about to walk away, but I gathered my courage once more and asked him if he wanted a bite of my panini.”

Hailey’s eyes widened.“No way!”

“Yeah,” I laughed.“This time, it was his turn to be shocked. But he said yes. We started talking after that, and somehow we ended up wandering around the city together for a few hours.”

Hailey looked at me with curiosity, her eyes bright as she asked, “Did you guys meet after that day?” I paused for a moment, thinking back to that evening.

I smiled, shaking my head slightly, “No, we didn’t. He and his friends were leaving Florence that same night, heading to another city in Italy. But before he left, he promised me he’d come to my hometown to see me.”

It was a promise that lingered in the back of my mind, one I wasn’t sure would come true, but the thought of it gave me a sense of anticipation. Maybe, just maybe, Michelangelo would keep his word. Hailey asked me what else I did with Sadie, her curiosity piqued. I thought for a moment and then began, “We went to a karaoke bar with a few friends we’d met there. It was a fun night, but what really caught my attention was a handsome guy sitting in the corner, sipping his beer and waiting for his turn to sing. I remember thinking to myself, ‘That guy is going to be mine tonight.’”

I continued, a small smile creeping onto my face, “Without overthinking it, I walked straight towards him, didn’t say a word. I just looked into his eyes, took his beer from his hands, and started drinking it, still locked in that gaze. He raised an eyebrow, then asked my name, and that was the start of our conversation. We talked and asked each other a few questions, getting to know one another. By the end of the night, I’d introduced him to Sadie, and we were all hanging out together.”

“The night went on, and slowly people started to leave as the time grew late. I could tell that he realized I was about to head out too. He asked me what I was doing after the club, and I casually said, ‘I’m going home, do you want to come with me?’ He raised an eyebrow and asked, ‘Will you be alone?’ I shook my head, ‘No, I’m staying with Sadie and a Turkish and Dutch girl, but if you want to come, I can figure something out.’ He didn’t hesitate to accept my offer.”

“After telling Sadie that Mario was joining us, we walked home at around 4 am. When we arrived, Sadie jokingly said, ‘You guys can sleep in the bedroom, I’ll take the living room.’ So, we went to the bedroom, and things quickly escalated. We started kissing, and before I knew it, we were making out. It was a strange experience, though—my first time having sex in English. It felt a bit funny, honestly, but I didn’t mind.”

"After a while, we both got tired and drifted off to sleep. Just before I closed my eyes, I whispered to myself, 'Yes, Eliza, you kept your word.' It was a strange but satisfying thought. The next thing I knew, I was woken up at 7 am by some noises. I could tell he was getting ready to leave, but I pretended to be asleep. A few moments later, I heard the door shut softly, and he was gone. An hour later, Sadie woke up and came into the bedroom, looking half-awake but already full of energy. 'That guy was so stupid,' she said with a laugh. I raised an eyebrow, curious. 'Why?' I asked. She shook her head in disbelief. 'He couldn’t even close the front door properly,' she said, clearly amused. I chuckled, realizing how true it was. He had left without making sure the house was locked properly. Sometimes, it’s the little things that stand out." Hailey responded, “I’m out of words. Keep going on.”

I grinned, feeling the excitement of the story. “So, we exchanged messages that day, and we agreed to meet again that night, at the same time, same place. During the day, Sadie and I explored the city, just taking in the sights and enjoying the day. But as the time to head to the karaoke club approached, I could feel the familiar mix of excitement and nerves.”

“When I walked into the club that night, he was already there, but I noticed something right away. There was a girl talking to him. She had this Russian vibe about her—blonde hair, sharp features, and the kind of beauty that felt almost intimidating. I couldn’t help but think, ‘She’s definitely prettier than me.’”

Hailey didn’t hesitate to respond. “Eliza, you’re beautiful too. Don’t be silly.”

I laughed. “Thanks, but let’s be honest, hahaha.”

Hailey raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “So, did you go over to talk to him?”

“Of course, I went over to him, but I was a little angry, the jealousy hitting me more than I’d like to admit,” I continued. “He noticed something was off, and asked me if I was okay. I just gave him a short answer, ‘Yes,’ and turned my back. He tried talking to me after that, but I brushed him off, not ready to engage. I kept telling myself, ‘I’m here to have a good time, don’t sulk—go have fun with your friends.’”

“As I was trying to shake off the tension, a guy with European features came up to me. He was good-looking, and we had a small talk. Then he asked me if I had a boyfriend, and I told him no. That’s when he leaned in and started kissing me.”

Hailey immediately asked, “What’s his name?”

“His name is Rikardo,” I replied, smiling a bit at the memory.

Hailey raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “So, did you hook up with him later that night?”

I chuckled. “No, it was just a one-time thing. After that, I danced with a few guys from Australia and New Zealand. While we were dancing, Sadie came up to me and said she liked a guy. I knew Sadie was way too shy to talk to him, so I decided I’d go for it and introduce her to him. I went up to him, trying to explain everything, but before I could even say much, he started kissing me—right there, in front of Sadie.”

Hailey shook her head, saying, “Oh my, Sadie... I feel bad for her.”

I nodded, feeling guilty myself. “I know, I felt terrible. I quickly pulled away and told him, ‘My friend is into you.’ I wanted to back off, but I didn’t want Sadie to feel even worse.”

Hailey was curious, “What did he do after that?”

I laughed at the memory. “He turned his head and started kissing Sadie!”

Hailey responded with a laugh, “He used all his chances in one night, like he thought he was in heaven!”

I nodded, “Yes, I know, right? It was wild. After that, we all went outside the bar and started talking in front of it. We invited him to our place, and just as we were heading to leave, a group of boys came up to us and asked where we were going.” Hailey looked at me with a curious expression, asking, “Did you already meet them in the club?”

I shook my head. “No, I hadn’t seen them before. But I noticed they were speaking French to each other, so when they approached us, I replied in French, ‘We’re going home.’ They were shocked that I spoke French, and then they started warning us about how dangerous the area was. They asked if I knew the guy with us, and I told them, ‘No.’”

“Then they asked if we wanted to hang out with them, and I said no, because I didn’t know them. They just laughed and said, ‘You girls don’t even know this guy.’”

I shuddered a bit as I continued, “I was so scared. I had to manage the whole situation in three languages, which wasn’t easy—not because of the languages, but because I was drunk. I whispered to Sadie, ‘We should run, but there’s no one on the street at 4:30 am.’ I tried to refuse the boys’ offer in French while still talking to our little guy in English, trying to stay calm.”

Hailey looked at me, intrigued. “I wonder how you managed the situation.”

I let out a small sigh. “Honestly, I’m not sure either. All I know is that I ended up with him in the bedroom, giving him blow job.”

Hailey raised an eyebrow, asking, “Was Sadie there too?”

I shook my head. “No, she was in the living room again. The next morning, I woke up before him. I nudged him and told him he needed to leave. He seemed a little upset, like he was expecting something more after the night before and headed toward the front door.”

I paused for a second, thinking back. “As he put on his shoes, I almost asked him his name, but I decided against it. I just wanted him to remain forever a mysterious Italian, a fleeting figure in the backdrop of my memories.”

Hailey was curious, “Did you meet other guys later that day?”

I nodded, a smile tugging at my lips. “Yes, we went to a spot near the beach in the evening and saw a group of friends playing volleyball. We decided to join them. But the moment I realized they were French, I couldn’t help but switch to French. I started talking to one of the guys during a break. His name was Benjamin, and he lived in Madrid. He’d just turned 30 the week before.”

I chuckled, recalling the conversation. “Our talk just kind of swept us both up, so we didn’t even continue playing volleyball. Instead, we talked non-stop for about an hour, just getting lost in conversation.”

I paused, thinking back to the moment. “The next morning, Sadie and I were getting ready to leave when I saw a message on my phone. It was from Benjamin: ‘It was nice meeting and talking with you. Hit me up if you ever come to Madrid.’”

Hailey told me “What an amazing trip to Florence!”