“Actually, neither. A cardinal is the most senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church, second only to the pope. After the cardinal passed away, this building was used as a museum for a brief period, then it was gifted to the school, and now, here we stand, a part of Roman history.”
I think I have them on the edge of their proverbial seats—a regular Ms. Frizzle—and then Isaiah nudges Brandon, points to the statue closest to him, and loudly whispers, “I can see his butt.”
The students erupt into laughter.
Right, well, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
“All right,” Noah says, stepping up and grabbing everyone’s attention. “No offense, but there’s some major body odor coming from this group. Let’s find our rooms so everyone can unpack and rinse off.”
For once, I think Noah is brilliant.
We trek up the central staircase with our luggage, and the children follow closely behind.
“Do you guys think this place is haunted?” Lizzy asks, looking up at the dark corners of the hallway as if to confirm there’s nothing about to jump out and scare her.
“Oh definitely. I bet the cardinal’s dead corpse wanders the halls at night,” Brandon says, his eyes alight with possibilities.
Lee rolls his eyes. “Let’s show some respect toward the dead.”
“Why? The cardinal can’t hear us,” Brandon says, turning back to Lizzy. “Or can he?” His voice has taken on the classic ghoulish “oOoOo” lilt.
Then Isaiah, capitalizing on Lizzy’s fear, jumps out from behind a column and shouts, “Boo!” at the top of his lungs.
Lizzy, poor thing, jumps out of her skin and scoots closer to Kylie, linking their arms.
“Lizzy, there’s nothing to fear here,” Noah tells her. “If you want to visit the dead, you’ll have to go to the Capuchin Crypt.”
As expected, the students immediately stop and spin around to face Noah, their eyes wide with curiosity. I, reluctantly, pause to hear him too.
“What’s that?” Isaiah asks, edging closer.
“A group of tiny chapels located beneath a Roman church. It contains the skeletal remains of 3,700 friars.”
“Are you serious?” Zach asks.
“Dead serious.”
His little joke goes over their head, but I smirk at the floor.
“Capuchin monks had a long tradition of hanging their dead brothers to dry. Their crypt, now open to the public, is filled with still-clothed skeletons. The monks describe it as a space in which to reflect on the visitor’s own mortality and thus atone for their sins.”
“Wicked,” Zach says.
“Gross!” Kylie protests.
“‘What you are now, we once were; what we are now, you shall be.’”
The quote is spoken by an Italian-accented voice behind me. I glance over my shoulder and see a man approaching from down the hall.
He’s well-dressed in slacks, brown leather oxfords, and a button-down shirt with rolled sleeves. He’s extremely handsome. His wide-set jaw balances perfectly against his sharp cheekbones and thick dark brows. His brown eyes complement his olive skin.
He reaches our group and his gaze lands on me, narrowing only slightly, possibly with intrigue before he smiles at everyone.
“That quote is from the Capuchin Crypt,” he explains with a clap of his hands. “I’m so happy you’ve already begun to take an interest in my city. I’m Lorenzo Ricci, a teacher here at St. Cecilia’s International School, and I’m also the head of our summer study abroad programs.”
Hell freaking yes.
Let’s do this, Lorenzo. Put me on the back of your Vespa and let’s go.
From the looks of it, Noah’s not the least bit impressed with him.
Lorenzo holds out his hand for Noah, and Noah accepts it and introduces himself, but not very enthusiastically. It’s fine. I have enough excitement for the both of us.
“Your knee needs tending to,” Lorenzo tells me after we shake hands too. “I have a first aid kit I can get for you. Let me show you all to your rooms first.”
I grab ahold of my luggage again, but Lorenzo is right there to act the part of a perfect gentleman.
“Here, let me.”
He reaches out to take the hefty duffle bag off my shoulder, and his fingers graze my bare skin for the briefest moment.
ROMANCE! my body screams.
Clearly, I’m starved for it.
There’s been a dry spell as of late. Since Jeff and I broke up last year, there’ve been no sexy dates, no lusty phone calls, no late-night Tinder swiping.
I sort of hoped there would be someone for me here in Rome. I’ve daydreamed about it even. Nothing too specific, just a summer fling with an Italian named Leonardo who helps run his family’s restaurant. At first, he’s reluctant to take things too far because of the language barrier, but his attraction to me is impossible to ignore. We have passionate sex in an olive grove and he cries at the airport the day I fly home.
…just something like that.
Lorenzo heads up to the front of the group, beside Noah, and together they lead us around a side hallway on the second floor, toward the dorms. With them side by side, I have to fight the urge to compare the two men. It’s impossible not to.
Lorenzo is handsome, but Noah is something else entirely. The way, in movies, the devil always takes the shape of your most worshipped human form, so does Noah. His looks are deceiving, and I constantly remind myself of that.
“You all will have this block of rooms to yourself,” Lorenzo tells us.
My students waste no time. They immediately fan out like they’re in some kind of unspoken competition, clinging to their friends-turned-roommates.
“Isaiah, let’s get this one! It has a sick view!”
“Kylie! Here! It’s closest to the bathroom!”
Since there’s an odd number of students, Zach claims his own room and immediately starts bragging.
They’ve forgotten Noah and I exist.
Soon, the hallway empties, doors slam, and I’m left to shout, “Find a roommate and get settled in, freshen up, and meet down in the courtyard in an hour for lunch!”
My instructions are met with halfhearted groans. I turn to see Lorenzo watching me with a curious smile. He inclines his head back toward where we came from.
“The teachers’ rooms are on the same floor, just on the other side of the courtyard.”
My eyes widen.
I don’t remember reading that in the information packet.