“It’s always good to try new things. Especially if it scares you a little bit.” — Kristin Rae Good Copy Share Image
“Still gripping my hand, Bruno says, “Pippas, this is Mauro.” He continues on in Italian, telling him that I’m an American. Bruno’s… — Kristin Rae Bruno Copy Share Image
“ Giorno ,” says one of the girls working behind the counter. She looks like she’s around my age, maybe a year… — Kristin Rae Communication Copy Share Image
“What’s going on? Who is he?” She pulls in another deep breath, then bites her bottom lip. “Mauro.” “Mauro?” I ask, attempting… — Kristin Rae Gaze Copy Share Image
“So theater, huh? Not sure I saw that one coming either.” “Why?” My cheeks are warm, but I keep in front of… — Kristin Rae Actor Copy Share Image
“Our lips touch until the last possible moment when the doors of the train threaten to close at his stop in Manarola.… — Kristin Rae Fitness Copy Share Image
“What was I saying before?” I can’t let him get back to that train of thought, wherever it was headed. “You were… — Kristin Rae Every day Copy Share Image
“Well, whatever his name is. I still don’t like him.” His voice is rough and his bright brown eyes pierce straight through… — Kristin Rae Brown eyes Copy Share Image
“What about Chiara? Is she coming too?” “No.” She’s not going to like this plan. He finds my sneakers. “Wear these. And… — Kristin Rae Struggles Copy Share Image
“When the crowd thins a little, I rotate in a circle, taking a 360-degree panoramic. Darren ducks out of my way, so… — Kristin Rae Facial hair Copy Share Image
“ASSIGNMENT NUMERO NOVE: THE PERFECT MAN We talk about boys a lot. Especially who’s hot, who’s not, and why. But if the… — Kristin Rae Attributes Copy Share Image
“I spend a lot of time gazing out the window to the green hills lined with vineyards and dotted with houses. There’s… — Kristin Rae Green hills Copy Share Image
“Matilde leads us into one of the apartment’s two bedrooms, obviously belonging to Bruno and Luca. Bunk beds are stacked in the… — Kristin Rae Bedrooms Copy Share Image
“How old are you?” “Seventeen.” Suddenly I feel insecure, like he’ll think I’m too young to bother with now. I shake the… — Kristin Rae Mom Says Copy Share Image
“So tell me about yourself,” I say, mentally rolling my eyes for sounding like an interviewer. “Where’d you grow up? What’s your… — Kristin Rae Biggest fear Copy Share Image
“I stare at his relaxed face, pale in the dim light. Nearly asleep, he looks vulnerable. Like I could tell him anything… — Kristin Rae Brown eyes Copy Share Image
“An Australian couple near us asks Darren to take a picture of them with the Colosseum as the backdrop, and when he’s… — Kristin Rae Photography Copy Share Image
“I wouldn’t go through high school again if someone paid me a million dollars.” He snorts. It’s a joke, but his tone… — Kristin Rae Gaze Copy Share Image
“The pen touches the paper again at the bottom of the page and I freeze as he draws a slow, thick line… — Kristin Rae Fall in love Copy Share Image
“We move to sit side by side on the deck and dangle our legs in the water. “Hey,” he says, waiting for… — Kristin Rae First time Copy Share Image
“There you two are,” Nina calls. She offers a smile almost identical to Chiara’s when she’s up to something. Nina drops Tate’s… — Kristin Rae Gaze Copy Share Image
“I was sitting here for, like, an hour before you even sat down.” “Why?” he asks, observing our surroundings with a sweep… — Kristin Rae Gaze Copy Share Image
“You try this before?” he asks. I shake my head. I’ve had versions of it back home, but the sight and aroma… — Kristin Rae Food Copy Share Image
“Bruno returns, still clad in only his green towel, hair poofing out a little as it dries. “Everything all right?” I ask,… — Kristin Rae Bruno Copy Share Image
“Wordlessly, Darren sits at the edge of the next bed, which leaves the one between him and the wall for me. I’m… — Kristin Rae Dreams Copy Share Image
“Do you want to be a professor too?” He shrugs. “Maybe one day. I’d like to travel more first though, work on… — Kristin Rae Bad thing Copy Share Image
“Chiara,” Darren finally says. “Everything okay?” Greasy Guy looks Darren up and down with narrowed eyes and spits out what I’m guessing… — Kristin Rae Friendship Copy Share Image
“Too bad it was buried before Shakespeare,” Darren continues. “This stage never saw the likes of Romeo or Macbeth.” I whirl around… — Kristin Rae Bad luck Copy Share Image
“ Goals update: Don’t get arrested Don’t make a fool out of myself in public--FAILED Get my picture taken… — Kristin Rae Failed Copy Share Image
“I stop in my tracks to look up, completely disrupting the flow of tourist traffic. It’s directly in front of me, in… — Kristin Rae Skyscrapers Copy Share Image
“Tell me about your summer program. Are you loving it? The digging part, I mean.” I nudge him with my elbow. “Are… — Kristin Rae Digging Copy Share Image
“I can’t believe you’re here,” I say, clasping his hand in mine. “Where were you when you left that voice mail earlier… — Kristin Rae Last minute Copy Share Image
“I sit at an empty table after the lunch rush and turn to the last assignment in my journal. This one’s the… — Kristin Rae Art Copy Share Image
“Darren spreads out the beach mats and drops his backpack on top of one. As soon as he crosses his arms and… — Kristin Rae Gaze Copy Share Image
“The pen touches the paper again at the bottom of the page and I freeze as he draws a slow, thick line… — Kristin Rae Books Copy Share Image
“Room here,” she says, proceeding to draw a line of the route. It doesn’t look too far. I stand, taking the map… — Kristin Rae Too far Copy Share Image
“The Pantheon was huge, but this thing is so massive, I can’t even take it all in at once. I have to… — Kristin Rae Pantheon Copy Share Image
“Angela returns to the table, frowning. “She won’t think her own brother’s hot. That’s sick.” “Like you don’t know yours is hot,”… — Kristin Rae Gaze Copy Share Image
“In La Spezia, we settle into our seats on the train that will bring us all the way to Naples. Nina and… — Kristin Rae Fitness Copy Share Image
“What did you say to him?” I ask when I’ve recovered the ability to speak. “I told him that he should knock… — Kristin Rae Getting dressed Copy Share Image
