from them.
Most of the time, those patients were kept away from the rest of them anyway.
Christopher moved over to the couch. “I’m not exactly sure what condition … she has. She always seemed reluctant to talk about it, so … I never forced her to tell me.”
She sat beside him. “But you know something’s wrong.”
His head bobbed up and down in a slow rhythm. “You know how makeup artists carry around a bag filled with cosmetics? She has one like that, but it’s filled with pills.”
“That must be a lot of pills.”
“Yeah, but she seemed fine. She has alarms … to remind her to take … them. I was kind of afraid … that she was so stressed about having … to cover up my addiction that she got hospitalized. Toward … the end, I was drunk most … of the time, so I didn’t … know what’s going on around me half the … time.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t your fault, and she seems fine when she was here just now.”
“And you? Are you all right?”
She looked up at him. “Do you think Rebecca is a common name?”
“Why? Are you intending to … change your name?”
She shot him a bored stare and shook her head. “The person who’s blackmailing my friend for a song; her name is Rebecca, too.”
“It can’t be such … a coincidence.”
She nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.” She got up and cocked her head to the side. “So, Italy.”
He grinned and joined her. “We start off in Rome.”
“You’ll love Rome.”
“Then we’ll head down to Assisi.”
She grinned. “What about Florence? And we have to go to Pisa.”
“Before it actually … collapses.”
She laughed and nodded, then delved into all the other places they had to go.
Chapter Eight
“We should just stay at your … house,” Christopher said while looking at the map in his hands.
Chloe had at the last minute decided to stay at a hotel instead of her apartment in Rome. She didn’t mind staying at her apartment until her landlord called and asked what she wanted her to do with all the flowers Jason had been sending.
Jason’s persistence was perplexing. Over the past few days, he’d been calling and texting her. She didn’t answer his calls at first, but she did read his messages. Each of his texts stated how sorry he was and begged her to forgive him.
When she finally did pick up his call, she assured him that she’d forgiven him, but that wasn’t all he was seeking. He still insisted that he wanted to marry her.
She trotted behind Christopher, dragging her suitcase along. “I’m afraid Jason will just show up at my apartment.”
“So what if … if he shows up?”
“He’s been rather whiny on the phone, and I’d rather not deal with that while we’re on holiday.” Her suitcase twisted to the side as one of its wheels dropped into the dent on the road.
“Here.” Christopher grabbed her suitcase. “Let me.”
“I still can’t believe you didn’t even bring a suitcase.”
Christopher shrugged, jiggling his backpack. “This is more than … enough.” He looked at the map in his hand. “It should be … right ahead.”
“Ah, there! I see it.” She went ahead and walked into the hotel.
“Your suitcase is … rather light. Are you sure you … have enough clothes?” Christopher asked as he carried the suitcase up two flight of stairs to where the lift was.
She nodded. “I’m sure the hotel has laundry services. Besides, if I do need more clothes, I can always sneak home to get them.”
“ Buongiorno .” The man sitting behind the wooden desk smiled and stood.
“ Buongiorno ,” Chloe replied and proceeded to inform the man about their reservation.
The man continued speaking Italian to her, glancing periodically to Christopher, who simply stood, smiled, and nodded.
When she could, she let the man know that Christopher didn’t speak Italian, and that led to the usual conversation about how impressed he was with her Italian.
After a couple of minutes, the man handed her
Most of the time, those patients were kept away from the rest of them anyway.
Christopher moved over to the couch. “I’m not exactly sure what condition … she has. She always seemed reluctant to talk about it, so … I never forced her to tell me.”
She sat beside him. “But you know something’s wrong.”
His head bobbed up and down in a slow rhythm. “You know how makeup artists carry around a bag filled with cosmetics? She has one like that, but it’s filled with pills.”
“That must be a lot of pills.”
“Yeah, but she seemed fine. She has alarms … to remind her to take … them. I was kind of afraid … that she was so stressed about having … to cover up my addiction that she got hospitalized. Toward … the end, I was drunk most … of the time, so I didn’t … know what’s going on around me half the … time.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t your fault, and she seems fine when she was here just now.”
“And you? Are you all right?”
She looked up at him. “Do you think Rebecca is a common name?”
“Why? Are you intending to … change your name?”
She shot him a bored stare and shook her head. “The person who’s blackmailing my friend for a song; her name is Rebecca, too.”
“It can’t be such … a coincidence.”
She nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.” She got up and cocked her head to the side. “So, Italy.”
He grinned and joined her. “We start off in Rome.”
“You’ll love Rome.”
“Then we’ll head down to Assisi.”
She grinned. “What about Florence? And we have to go to Pisa.”
“Before it actually … collapses.”
She laughed and nodded, then delved into all the other places they had to go.
Chapter Eight
“We should just stay at your … house,” Christopher said while looking at the map in his hands.
Chloe had at the last minute decided to stay at a hotel instead of her apartment in Rome. She didn’t mind staying at her apartment until her landlord called and asked what she wanted her to do with all the flowers Jason had been sending.
Jason’s persistence was perplexing. Over the past few days, he’d been calling and texting her. She didn’t answer his calls at first, but she did read his messages. Each of his texts stated how sorry he was and begged her to forgive him.
When she finally did pick up his call, she assured him that she’d forgiven him, but that wasn’t all he was seeking. He still insisted that he wanted to marry her.
She trotted behind Christopher, dragging her suitcase along. “I’m afraid Jason will just show up at my apartment.”
“So what if … if he shows up?”
“He’s been rather whiny on the phone, and I’d rather not deal with that while we’re on holiday.” Her suitcase twisted to the side as one of its wheels dropped into the dent on the road.
“Here.” Christopher grabbed her suitcase. “Let me.”
“I still can’t believe you didn’t even bring a suitcase.”
Christopher shrugged, jiggling his backpack. “This is more than … enough.” He looked at the map in his hand. “It should be … right ahead.”
“Ah, there! I see it.” She went ahead and walked into the hotel.
“Your suitcase is … rather light. Are you sure you … have enough clothes?” Christopher asked as he carried the suitcase up two flight of stairs to where the lift was.
She nodded. “I’m sure the hotel has laundry services. Besides, if I do need more clothes, I can always sneak home to get them.”
“ Buongiorno .” The man sitting behind the wooden desk smiled and stood.
“ Buongiorno ,” Chloe replied and proceeded to inform the man about their reservation.
The man continued speaking Italian to her, glancing periodically to Christopher, who simply stood, smiled, and nodded.
When she could, she let the man know that Christopher didn’t speak Italian, and that led to the usual conversation about how impressed he was with her Italian.
After a couple of minutes, the man handed her
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