Sand Castle: Chapter 8

If only I had the power to stop the time and make this day never end. Then I could stay with Tom in our little room in Rimini forever. If I could, I would build a small kingdom just for Tom and me, a little heaven on Earth. He was still here, but I was already missing him. I was counting the hours until his departure, as I was expecting something beautiful and exciting to happen. Tomorrow at this time, he will be on his way to Rome, and there is a big chance that I'll never see him again in my life.

"Tom, what places did you like the most in Rimini?" I asked him this morning while we were making a plan for how to spend the last day of his holiday. "Quick, make a list, and we'll visit them today again."

"That is the best idea ever! Thank you, Nina! But, I'm afraid there is not enough time to visit my favorite places in Rimini because I liked the entire city!"

"I know. I just want you to pick two or three favorite places. Today is your day."

"When I'm with you, every day is my day," Tom said, and he kissed my lips.

Accidentally or not, all the places Tom chose to visit one more time were somehow related to me. We began our tour from Piazza Tre Martiri, the square where we started our adventure on Monday. From the square, we walked to Arco d'Augusto, where Tom took my hand and he never let me go for the rest of the week. We took a brief break from walking in the same park where we talked for hours on the first day, but today we were both sad and quiet, as if there was nothing left to say.

For dinner, we went to the restaurant where they make the best pizza in the whole world, and as Tom always calls it, "our restaurant". On leaving, we couldn't avoid passing by Tom's former hotel. We stopped for a few minutes to look at the hotel for the last time and to think of the unforgettable moments we had in room twenty-three.

Of course, Tom didn't forget to put on his list the place where it all started, and probably the most important place for us - the beach. We tried to have fun by doing what we were doing every other day on the beach, but we simply couldn't have fun, knowing that today all this ends. From tomorrow, there will be no more staying in his embrace until sunrise, watching the sunsets together, building castles in the sand, walking hand in hand on the streets of Rimini...

"Do you remember this spot, Nina? This is the exact place where last Sunday you were building a sand castle, and I was sitting over there, pretending that I was reading my book."

"Yes, I remember. How can I possibly forget?"

"I'm so jealous of you, Nina. You'll stay here for another week, and you'll continue to enjoy all of this."

"Without you, Rimini won't be the same for me."

"Don't be ridiculous! A pretty girl like you won't stay alone for a long time. Maybe tomorrow, after I leave, you'll find me a replacement."

I was not ridiculous, but he was. I can't imagine that I'll ever again in my life kiss someone else's lips after I kissed his. I'll never let someone else's hands touch my skin, and no one will be able to make me shiver like he does when he puts his hand on my knee.

Since we returned to our room, every time I looked at his packed suitcases on the floor, I got a strange pain in my chest. Tomorrow at this time, he will be in his home in New York, and everything we had this week will seem like a distant dream.

"Tom, are you going to sing me some of your songs? Please? I know there is no time for all of them. You need to rest well before your trip, but one song will be enough."

"Don't worry about me. I'll sleep on the plane. But if I sing you all my songs, what will I get in return?"

"Everything you want."

"Everything? Is that a promise?"

"Yes!"

"Okay! Don't forget what you promised me. Um... What do I want from you? Let me see... I want to see some of your monologues and hear your poems."

"I'm exhausted. Can I offer you something else?"

"No, you can’t."

"Have you just refused sex? I'm aware that I'm inexperienced, but am I that horrible in bed?"

"No, you're not! You are perfectly perfect. Don't worry, we have all night in front of us to make love, but what I really want is to see you acting."

He sang me all his songs because he knows how much I truly love them, and I had no other choice but to keep my promise. While I was acting, I think that was the first time today I've seen him truly smiling. Maybe he likes to watch me acting, as I love when he's singing me his songs. Or maybe I was just imagining things.

"Nina, before we go to sleep, I want to give you something that will remind you of me."

"What?" I said excitedly.

He opened his drawer, and he took one of the two beautifully wrapped boxes from the jewelry shop. Before I opened it, I knew what was in it. I knew that in the box was the silver bracelet with charms.

"Tom, I can't take it! You bought it for your sister."

"Nina, try to remember. In the jewelry shop, I've told you to pick something you like, but I've never said that the bracelet is for my sister. The necklace is for my sister."

"Are you serious? If I knew that you were buying the bracelet for me, I'd have chosen something cheaper."

"It's okay, I'll survive financially."

"Tom, this is not fair. I have nothing to give you."

"Nina, you gave me the best week of my life. What else do you want to give me?"

"I should have bought you something that would always remind you of me."

"I will remember you, Nina. I assure you, I'll never forget you for the rest of my life."

"I will never forget you, too."

"I hope you still like the bracelet."

"Of course I do. I'll never take it off. I promise."

For the rest of the night, we were lying in our small bed, in silence, and we were looking at each other. We couldn't sleep. Tom was keeping my hand in his hand, as he'd never let me go, and with his other hand, he was gently caressing my hair. I wanted to tell him the truth, that I love him, but I couldn't find the right words to start.

"It's already a down. I should get up and check my things before I go. I must be at the bus station at eight," Tom said with sadness in his voice, and he let my hand go.