Matteo was right. We were in a desert, far from Milan, and most likely very far from Italy itself. Our captors couldn't reach us as we ran. It was too dark and too hot, and I didn't think they had cars other than that stupid truck that hardly worked. So, we ran a few kilometers (faster than I had ever run in my life), and settled down in a small village nearby. It looked similar to our home, just less like a city. Many shops and cafes circled the town square. Old brick buildings and houses dotted the few gardens, although the flowers and vegetables wilted horribly. Overall, it was a cute place to be, but very quiet and with a small population from the number of houses I saw."Come, we can go stay over here," Matteo said quietly, pointing to a large, green park. I found it peculiar that something so green could survive in this climate.
We settled down under a set of trees. "You know, I never thought I would have any friends other than the girl that regularly comes to our coffee shop," I whispered.
He looked at me. "You've got me."
"That's different. We were forced."
"What do you mean?"
I sighed. "We sort of have to be friends, don't we? Cause of all the political stuff nobody will tell me about."
"That's not true," he said, looking away. "You choose to be friends. Why, you got a boyfriend?"
"What? No! Absolutely not!"
He laughed shakily. "Uh, then... do you have friends that are boys?"
"No," I whispered. "Although I do see this one guy at the market a lot. We trade and whenever we trade he compliments me on something."
"It's a sign."
I smirked. "Do we, Italians, believe in signs? Like, I don't know, fate or something?"
"Fate?" He tilted his head. "Well, I suppose so... But if we believed in fate then we were obviously meant to meet."
"How do you know that?"
He raised his eyebrow as if I should automatically have the knowledge. "I need you. And you need me. Even if you don't know it yet."