"Fiore, I can't do it", Romina sighs, hesitating.
"Yes, you can," he urges, voice smooth as velvet, teasing. "There's nothing wrong with a little action."
"But he's my best friend… I don't want to ruin our… connection…"
"Trust me, it'll be fun. Come on, don't hold back."
Romina's hand reaches toward me… and drops a 'Draw +11 cards' on the table.
"NOOOOOO!" I howl, already buried under a forest of colorful cards. "Romie, I can't draw eleven more! That's just pure evil!"
"Not my fault you suck at this game!" she shoots back, laughing. "I'm doing my best to save your sorry butt, but come on—try a little harder!"
We're sitting on the floor, half-sunk into one of the countless damask rugs decorating Fiore's so-called 'house', in the middle of a merciless match: the winner gets the couch, the loser has to share the bed… with Fiore.
Guess who's losing miserably.
"I'm done! I give up!" I slam all thirty-two of my cards onto the carpet.
"Oh, don't be such a drama queen", Fiore whistles cheerfully. "My hammock's very comfortable, you'll see. Anyway, I'm off for a bath; make yourselves at home."
Romina gathers the cards and flashes me an amused grin. "Maybe he's a gentleman and won't try anything."
I follow Fiore with my eyes as he disappears between the trees, towel draped over his shoulders.
"It's not Fiore I'm worried about", I admit quietly. "It's my hormones. When he gets too close… I just can't help it. I go nuts."
"Well, a little healthy chemistry never killed anyone", Romina replies, smirking.
"I wouldn't bet on it. With my luck, I'd go up in flames before I even got the chance", I mutter.
After the morning at the Council, we made a quick stop to pick up a few things, both at Romina's place and at mine, staying on high alert the whole time.
My apartment was a disaster: windows cordoned off with police tape, the entrance blocked, everything inside blackened by smoke and fire. A scene that confirmed, once again, that there's no turning back—only forward. Even if I still don't know where that forward leads.
I grabbed two changes of clothes, a photo of my family from the bedroom that I folded into my wallet, and we were off.
Romina did the same, but she also got her car back in action: a tiny electric-blue hatchback, no power steering, the same one that carted us around for a thousand adventures back in college. I asked Fiore if we really needed it, and he, with the tone of an elementary school teacher, replied: "A motorized vehicle can always come in handy, my dear."
And so here we are.
We headed straight for Monte delle Grotte in the Colli Euganei—the area where, apparently, Fiore's house is hidden. Exactly where his secret grove pops up, though, remains a mystery.
We left the car a short distance away, Fiore had me move the Veil aside, and we stepped onto a path that hadn't existed before.
After a stretch of foliage and flowers, his hidden dwelling appeared like an illustration from a fantasy book.
"Shall we freshen up too?" Romina suggests, with a mischievous smile. "Who would've thought… me, taking a bath in a fairy's private pond!"
She bursts out laughing.
Yeah. Ridiculous.
I grab a towel and follow her toward the spot where Fiore disappeared among the trees.
We reach the hidden pond, and it's a perfect scene: dragonflies skimming the water's surface, butterflies flitting in colorful patterns along the shore. A thin mist rises from the water: it's thermal.
The forest is cool, even in the middle of summer, and the idea of a warm, relaxing bath starts to sound incredibly inviting.
Fiore hasn't noticed us yet: he's in the center of the pond, standing, back to us. The water reaches just above his waist. He pulls his hair back with both hands, and that gesture reveals his muscular, glistening back, like he's posing for the Australian Firefighters Calendar.
Yeah, sure. That's perfect. So SO perfect, exactly the relaxing bath I had in mind. Universe, really?
"Hey!" He finally notices us. "Come on in! The water's amazing today."
I glance at Romina, swallowing hard.
"Come on, prince charming, don't be shy," she teases, stripping down without a shred of hesitation.
I immediately turn my back, suddenly hyper-aware of my own body.
NOPE. Can't do this. How am I supposed to—!?
A splash. Romina's already in the water. Damn her and her total lack of shame.
"Come on, Milo, we'll turn around, promise! Nobody's peeking while you get naked," she singsongs.
"Well, I wanted to peek at Romina. Way to ruin the show," Fiore adds.
"Turn around, you pervert, or Milo's coming in fully dressed," she fires back.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming in. Just… gimme a sec," I mumble, trying to collect myself.
Of course, Romina isn't the problem. And it's not even the nudity—I'm not ashamed of my body.
I just really don't want Little Milo downstairs deciding to make a guest appearance.
With Fiore in the water, there are… no guarantees.
I sneak a glance over my shoulder. They're both swimming peacefully, chatting away.
Finally, I strip and slip into the water, crouching as I go. The warmth wraps around me, and instant relief floods my body.
"Ahh, this feels like a spa," Romina sighs.
"This water's better than a spa," Fiore says with a hint of pride. "It's enchanted—witch stuff. Has healing powers."
"For real?" I ask, surprised.
"Of course! See? My bruises are already fading." He rises slightly to show his arms and chest; the nipple piercing gleams as his bruises vanish before my eyes.
"That's wild," I murmur, my gaze caught on his chest, and suddenly I realize I'm not breathing. I shake my head, embarrassed, and dive underwater like I could wash the thought away.
It doesn't work. When I resurface, Fiore is there, smiling. Of course—like always—he's noticed how long I've been staring.
Not knowing where to look with… so much in front of me, I lift my gaze to the treetops. A light breeze stirs the leaves, and around us, there's only the sound of the forest.
We stay like that, suspended, as if time itself decided to pause just for us.
"What will become of us, Fiore?" I finally ask, breaking the silence that seemed eternal.
"I was thinking earlier," he says, furrowing his brow, "that we could head to Prato della Valle, in the center of Padua."
"Prato della Valle? And why?" Romina asks, curious.
"There's the statue of Pietro D'Abano."
"So?" I press.
"I was thinking… to better understand all this exorcism stuff, there's little to do unless we also look for the Heptameron ourselves."
I stare at him skeptically. "But hasn't the Council been searching for it for years with no results? What hope do we have?"
Fiore crosses his arms, thoughtful. "As you've probably guessed, the Council has no method when it comes to teamwork. Everyone looks out for their own goals, even if they claim otherwise. We can try to do things differently. More… complete."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, asking the local Fantastics for help."
"But Zuan must have already asked, right?"
Fiore shrugs. "Do you really see him going around asking his people to search for the Book that Diamante craves so much? No, my dear."
I think for a moment. Indeed, Zuan doesn't exactly strike me as a model of cooperation.
"I have a feeling someone around here knows something, but they don't want to say it," Fiore continues, scanning the forest. "There's something I'm missing…"
"Well, we don't need to have it all figured out right away. Even one step is something, right?" Romina chimes in, swimming calmly. Optimistic as ever.
We float there for a few more minutes, listening to the rustle of the leaves, until Fiore decides to get out.
"I'm going to grab something for dinner," he says, leaving the pond.
I fix my gaze on his perfect ass as he walks away, and of course, my brain immediately kicks into overdrive with indecent thoughts.
"Pick up your eyes, pervert," Romina teases, laughing. "Although… I have to admit, I wouldn't exactly mind it myself…" she says, letting the thought hang as she watches Fiore tie his towel.
I whip around, shocked.
"Seriously?"
"If he didn't look like he could devour me in one bite, I'd consider it. But as I said, I'm sure I'm not his type. You are. Are you going to seize the chance for once?"
My stomach twists.
"It's… complicated, Romie." I sink a little deeper into the water.
"He made it clear that it's his job to stick around. And that he would have dropped me years ago if it weren't for the Code."
But the problem isn't just Fiore… It's that old fear of fooling myself into thinking I've found someone, only to realize it wasn't true, and end up alone. I sigh, letting some of that negativity out.
"I bet his attitude is just a mix of hedonism and a reflex response to my loneliness."
I dunk my face in the water up to my nose, as if I could drown the thoughts away.
"Mmm… if that's the case, wouldn't you want to know?"
"Well, yes. But you know I'm terrible at talking about how I feel…"
"Yes, but you did pretty well at the Council," she says, gently stroking my head. "Give yourself some credit every once in a while. You may be an Intuitive with Empathy on steroids, but in the end, the only 100% reliable way to know how Fiore feels about you is to ask him."
I smile, feeling a little lighter.
"You're right, teacher. I'll try…"