“Nico—”
He reached out and put his finger to her lips, silencing her instantly. She looked at him with wide eyes that were red and shimmering with tears. He leaned forward and put a gentle, chaste kiss on her full lips and offered her an encouraging smile.
“Now, back to the real topic at hand. I want to know why you left this morning,” he said.
She sighed and looked down into her glass as if she could find the answer floating in there. Nico reached out and tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. It wasn’t difficult for him to see there was something heavy weighing on her mind. She finally looked up at him, a steely resolve in her eyes.
“I left because I had intended last night to be our last hurrah, so to speak,” she said.
“Our last hurrah?”
"You're a great guy, Nico. I like you," she admitted. "But I'm going back home soon and rather than let us get our feelings all mixed up with each other, I thought it was best if we leave things as they are… a really fond memory for us both."
“And I have no say in this?”
“What is there to have a say in, Nico? I’m going back to California. You’re here in Venice,” she said. “A long-distance relationship doesn’t work in different cities, let alone different countries.”
He looked away and took a drink. Intellectually, he knew she was going back to America soon. But until she said that, Nico hadn’t let himself believe it. He realized on some level he was hoping that she would decide to stay. And it wasn’t until that thought crossed his mind that he realized how ridiculous it was. The bottom line though, was that it hit Nico just how much he was coming to like her and didn’t want to see her go.
Nico knew he couldn’t tell her any of that though. It would only complicate the situation more than it already was. And he had to acknowledge that River was right. With her in the States and him there in Venice, there was no reason to drag things between them out. It would only make it more difficult for him to say goodbye.
“I suppose you’re right,” he said.
“I am,” she replied. “Nico, I like you and I’ve had a great time with you. I appreciate everything you’ve shown me and done with me. You’ve given me some amazing memories to take back home with me.”
Nico couldn’t say he wasn’t going to be left with some incredible memories he would probably be thinking about for the rest of his life too. But there was a hitch in his gut, a sharp pain that kept him from saying anything. Instead, he just nodded his understanding. Their story wasn’t entirely over though. While she was in Venice, River was his responsibility. With Emiliano up to something, he was a threat to her and so long as she was in the city, Nico wasn’t going to let anything happen to her.
“I get it. And you’re right, River. You are,” he said. “But I would like you to stay at my place for the rest of your time here.”
She shook her head. “Nico, I can’t. We just agreed—”
“We agreed to not let our feelings get all mixed up,” he told her. “Staying at your place is kind of sending mixed signals.”
“It’s not about that. It’s just… I need to keep you safe. Until I can get a handle on this situation with Emiliano, I fear you might not be,” he said.
“Wait… am I in danger?”
Nico cleared his throat and looked down, thinking about his words carefully. After a couple of moments, he looked up. He didn’t want to lie to River. She deserved at least that much respect.
“Honestly, you might be,” he said.
Her face drained of color and her mouth fell open. “Are you kidding me?”
“I don’t know what Emiliano is going to do. I’m sorry,” he told her. “But I’d feel a lot better if you stayed at my place until you were ready to go home. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Nico, I didn’t sign on for this.”
"I know you didn't. And I apologize, River. But I have to insist—”
“No. You don’t get to insist on anything, Nico. I’m not involved with this little war between you and Emiliano. It’s not my problem,” she snapped. “And I’m not going to be held prisoner for my last days here. I want to enjoy—”
“It might not be safe for you.”
“It’s not your decision to make.”
“River, I don’t want to do something that’s going to tarnish the memories we’ve made together. Please, just come to my house.”
Her face went from colorless to bright red in the blink of an eye. Her eyes narrowed and she glared at him with undisguised rage etched into her features. He couldn’t blame her. But he also couldn’t let her walk the streets alone either.