Cay woke up shortly after the alarm in his phone went off, it was half pat seven. Still drowsy from sleep, he checked his surrounding area, and noticed something different. He could not make up what it was, but he was sure, Carianna’s former bed did not look vacant.
He made a few steps closer, careful not to stir anyone awake from their deep slumber, they had a tiring day as anyone else in this hostel. He could make out the outlines: curled hair, slender figure by the expansion of the blanket, and long eyelashes standing out from the lower forehead.
“Carianna?”, Cay whispered, thinking the Argentina girl had came back last night.669Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSFkVoHJua
The figure moved slowly beneath the sheet, triggered by his whispers as he called on.
“No.”, she replied, to Cay’s surprise, it was another woman.
“Oh.”
“It’s Tanya.”, the woman responded with a Russian accent, with a sleepy tone lingering, but somehow sounding a bit surprised.
“Oh”, Cay stood staring for a few seconds, straightened his voice and replied, “Hello.”.
They went to have breakfast with Tatiana and Daniel in the kitchen, while Yoshi was still sleeping in, as usual. They reintroduced themselves to Tanya, who was from a small village on the South of Russia, near the Mongolian border. She was visiting Italy before her next term in the University of Saint Petersburg started, and because of it as well.
After a few conversations over the hostel breakfast, cereal and hard black coffee, Tanya mentioned that she had no intentions of a specific place to explore in Rome. She had no idea where to go. Cay offered her to join him for the day’s travelled and she accepted it, with only minimum reluctance that was hardly noticeably by the group on the table. Judas had other plans and assured them he would not be coming with for the day.
After fifteen minutes of waiting for Tanya to prepare, they left for the Roman Forums. The ruins had a Sunday atmosphere: tourists everywhere and high noon sun. They were appreciative when the entrance was free on every first Sundays of each month, and entered the place that was once a place for markets and political elections.
The conversations between the two centered around the sigh, their background in brief, and places to visit next. Under the hot sun, there were plenty of shading to counteract the post-summer temperature, where their conversations were at its’ peak of enthusiasm, and intimacy. Tanya spoke with a sense of passion when it came to Russia, particularly the warmer seasons than in Moscow; Cay recited his reasons of travelling across European countries, especially what he wanted from each passing city.
The both spent the first half of the afternoon at the colosseum, where they were luckily to be able to skip the queue using the ticket obtained from the Roman Forums’ reception. They both agreed about the nuisance of crowded attractions, similar to what Judas told him about on the previous day and left when possible after the arrival of more sweaty men.
At the same café (Cay has better confidence when it came to familiar places), they both ordered croissants and coffee. They finished the topics concurred while at the Colosseum before Cay mentioned her beauty to Tanya, she blushed as her jade and yellow eyes sparkled greener. Such eyes, Cay thought. They left the café after bringing up the enjoyment of each company, with the same undiminished enthusiasm.
*
Tanya Jin, mostly Russian and subtlety Asian, was a student studying Russian literature in the University of Saint Petersburg, a highly-regarded institution in Russia. A true specimen of a blend of beauty, coldness, and intellect, which reminded anyone not from the Motherland of the Russian beauty pictured in their heads.
She worked as a part-time model, perhaps as a hobby, she was not sur herselfe. It paid just enough for her living expenses, which was reasonably enough not to think further. Her love for Russian literature, of the beauty described by poets and writers-alike, as well as decent taste of music (she likes Artic Monkeys and Guns & Roses, to Cay’s surprise) made her an instantly likable person. The language barrier was not much a hindrance.
It was a lost feeling founded, a fire re-ignited; A granite still being used, a sword still sharp. Almost familiar, this craving, Cay though. As he imagined touching her lips, her strong jaws, and moving her dark auburn hair behind her ears. He loved seeing a woman’s hair behind her ears, it showed more of the face he admired. Her hair behind her ears could like honey and milk he could imagine; her eyes jade green with amber circling just around the pupil.
A beauty she was, Tanya was her name. Intelligence with a degree of elegance that rivalled only by her love for poetry and music. Just like how Cay loved Sebastian Faulks novels and (the music band) Racoon Racoon. Why have not I met her earlier in my life, asked Cay to himself.
A meeting in Rome like this was no coincidence, Cay believed. Tanya would not last forever, he did not feel love but a somewhat attachment to the Russian. What could be the reason for her to come along so willingly? Maybe, to her he was just a temporary companion in this unfamiliar city, or maybe she wanted more from him, as well as he wanted what could be gained from her.
Cay had never liked prying into people’s thoughts through his imagination, which was mostly right, he had the born sense of incorporating people’s feelings as his with high accuracy. This was sometimes hurtful to the ones near him, as it had happened before. However, Tanya was something else, her jade eyes stare diluted any speculation made by Cay, stunning him with those pair of precious gems. Her dark skin permeating an aura of mystery, which caused creature like Cay to approach her, cautiously but helplessly.
Cay would like to know more about her, and she did not in any way stop him in doing so.
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