everywhere you look it’s so beautiful that it makes my heart ache. It’s the most romantic city in the world.
Our hotel room is huge.
‘D’you like it?’
James stands behind me as I look out onto the sparkling water of the canal. I can feel his breath in my hair. He wraps his arms around my waist.
‘It’s gorgeous. More than gorgeous.’
I turn around and he kisses me gently. ‘I’m going to have a shower,’ he says, dropping one more kiss on my temple before he goes. I turn back to look at the view, and a huge yawn escapes from somewhere deep inside me. I take a photo and share it on Instagram. Nanna Beth likes it straight away and leaves a comment:
Love you very much xxx
I feel tears prickling at the corners of my eyes. It’s been such a long week, and I am so tired. Nanna’s back in her sheltered accommodation, only with a carer popping in once a day just to make sure she’s okay. She’s got a ton of medication to take each morning and evening, but she’s sorted it all out with neat little pillboxes – it’s very her. But oh, I miss her. I wish I could be there – wish I didn’t have to be so far away. Wish I wasn’t so tired …
CHAPTER FORTY
Jess
12th October, Venice
When I wake up, it’s with a start. And I realise it’s morning, and the bed’s empty. It’s my birthday, and I’m in Venice, and I’m completely alone. It’s not exactly what I’d been thinking of when James said we were having a weekend in a lovely hotel. I roll over, lifting the duvet just in case he’s hidden underneath.
Shit.
‘James?’
Silence.
I look in the bathroom and there’s a hotel branded Post-it Note on the mirror.
Gone for a wander. Thought I’d let you sleep. J x
I think about breakfast in bed or a lazy brunch in a café, and sigh as I switch on the little hotel kettle and make myself a cup of instant coffee. It’ll have to do for now. When I look on the desk, James being James, he’s left a fold-out travel map on the dressing table, and a note of where he’s planning to be. He’d give Sophie a run for her money in the organisation stakes. I shake my head, laughing at how similar they are, and head for the shower.
Jess
13th October
Even on a grey October Sunday afternoon, the Piazza san Marco is heaving with tourists – and pigeons.
I drop a piece of the pastry I’m eating on the run on the ground.
‘Shoo,’ says James, as one hops up beside him when we stop to look at a carving on the wall.
I look at the pigeon and I swear it winks at me. It takes the piece of pastry and hops off, looking pleased with itself. I shiver, and pull the collar of my coat more tightly around my neck. I don’t know why I’d expected it to be warm, but I’ve brought nothing but unsuitable clothes. The drizzle is relentless, and James’s desire to inspect every building and tell me historic facts is … well, it leaves something to be desired. They do say you don’t really get to know someone until you go away on holiday with them, and so far I’ve established that James is a lot more interested in Venetian architecture than I am.
I look longingly at a café with roaring patio heaters glowing in the doorway, and squeeze his hand.
‘D’you think maybe it’s time for a drink?’
Thankfully, he agrees, and as soon as we approach, the waiter takes my coat and pulls out my chair. We’re in a covered dining area, and the plastic roof is rattling in the wind. A long stream of rainwater pours from the corner, splattering into a puddle, which is starting to seep underneath and spread below the chairs opposite us. It feels as if we’re living underwater. I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere so damp in my life.
‘Negroni?’ James looks at me, his eyebrows questioning. I nod. He’s been in a weird mood all afternoon. There’s something about going away with someone – away from all the distractions of everyday life, from friends, and familiar places around you – that really underlines how your relationship is faring.
Or … isn’t?
After I got up yesterday, and once I’d managed to get lost twice trying to find my way to the restaurant where we’d agreed to have lunch (Google Maps and I are officially on non-speaking