Page 106 of Reunited Soulmates

We stopped by a charming booth shop sellinggelati, the Italian version of ice cream, and I turned the full force of my puppy eyes on Oliver.

“I know we’ve just had dinneranddessert…” I started.

He just smiled and shook his head. “What the heck. We’re on vacation, anyway.”

I grinned and chose a pale pink ice cream for the sole reason that it matched my dress. My Italian wasn’t exactly up to par, so it was somewhat of an adventure to try it out. Being with Oliver certainly brought out my more adventurous side.

I licked the ice cream experimentally and my eyes closed in absolute bliss.

Roses! The ice cream tasted of roses!

“You look like you’re about to trade me for that ice cream,” Oliver laughed.

“Are you jealous?” I shot back.

He licked his ice cream before me and smiled widely. “Can’t be more delicious than mine.”

I gave his ice cream a longing look. I had wondered why he had selected it when it looked like a boring chocolate color. Then again, my Italian wasn’t that good, so I had no idea what flavor it was.

It was looking rather appetizing right now, though.

He laughed when he saw the expression on my face and waved his cone in front of me, “You want to try it?”

I nodded enthusiastically and moved to take a generous lick. My eyes widened when I realized what he had gotten.

Tiramisu!

That utterly delectable Italian dessert!

“You want to try mine?” I offered him, waving my cone before him.

However, the summer warmth got to my ice cream first, melting a huge chunk of it right onto my exposed big toe.

“Ooh!” I exclaimed, shuddering at the cold, sticky sensation on my foot.

Oliver laughed. “You want me to lick that?”

I looked at him like he was crazy and burst out in laughter. “Don’t! You’re crazy!”

I took out some tissue from the small bag dangling from my shoulder and wiped off the mess. From the corner of my eye, I found him checking his watch.

“So…what are our plans for tonight?” I asked him.

He smiled mysteriously in reply. “Follow me.”

I allowed him to tug me down the narrow streets until we came to a gondola that looked fancier than the others. It was decorated with my favorite flowers and lit up with lanterns. It looked quite ethereal, bobbing there in the water, like it would whisk us off to a romantic dream.

“Oh! Oliver, it’s so beautiful!” I exclaimed.

He stood by with a smile, his hands in his pockets. “You want to get in?”

I nodded enthusiastically and he kissed me gently on the forehead. “Well, it’s been waiting just for us. Get in.”

I allowed him to help me into the gondola, and I couldn’t contain my happiness as I sat down. I was pretty sure that my smile must have stretched all the way to my ears.

Once we were both seated, the gondolier slowly steered the fancy boat down the canals and I looked out, enjoying the view of Venice at nighttime from the canals. The gondola meandered on theCanal Grandeunder Rialto Bridge before it turned into a smaller side canal.

This must be one of the less busier areas, as there were almost no people here. For a moment, all I could hear was the gentle lull of the water slapping against the gondola and the crickets.

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