Gianni was fighting his inner battle until his brain finally started functioning again.
"Hi. I saw you from over there and I was asking myself if you might be interested in having a coffee with me?"
Gianni cringed internally. Couldn't he come up with something better and not such a cliché.
Julie felt completely stunned by the handsome man in front of her. He had black hair which was slightly curly and his eyes reminded her of a starry night. They were dark but he had a twinkle in his eyes which showed so much kindness.
Julie remembered that he asked her something and she was already afraid that she made a fool out of herself.
She gestured towards the other chair. "Sure, if you want you can sit here and give me company. I still have time until I have to go to work."
Gianni felt his heart skip a beat when she accepted his offer while smiling so sweetly. She was even more beautiful from up close and he felt himself getting even more nervous.
Gianni was thinking frenetically about what he could talk about with her. Then he remembered the most important thing. "I'm Gianni. What's your name?"
"I'm Julie. Nice to meet you Gianni," she said with a friendly smile.
"Nice to meet you too Julie".
Julie smiled at him and he felt himself being out of questions again.
Before he could come up with anything, Julie was breaking the silence: "You are from Italy right. Are you here on holiday or do you live here." She could recognize his accent. After all she lived in Italy before and the name Gianni made it also quite obvious.
"No, me and my friend are just here for a short trip. Tomorrow we will go to the Cote d'Azur and then back to home." He gestured towards Matteo who tried to act like he was not trying to eavesdrop on the conversation.
Unfortunately, they were too far away and the people around them were too loud. So that Matteo couldn't hear a thing. He will just have to force his friend later to tell him everything.
Julie was disappointed because she hoped he would live in Paris. She just lived in Italy until four months ago and now that she moved, she is meeting this guy in a different country. How ironic is that.
Julie tried not to be too sad about it. She just met this guy and even though she finds him attractive she doesn't know anything about him and shouldn't rush into having a crush.
After all, she doesn't even know if he is a good person and if it turns out that he is not she will just be disappointed again. And if he is a good guy and she actually ends up liking him she will get her feelings hurt, if he goes back to Italy.
So far it didn't look like this situation will turn out well. Julie needed to stay on firm ground and not immediately drift into a dream world with this handsome man as the protagonist.
The waitress came and Gianni ordered a coffee. He was tired from the long night and actually wanted to go to sleep. But now that he met Julie, he canceled that plan. Since he saw her, he felt wide-awake anyway.
Julie tried to keep the conversation going: "What city in Italy are you from. I used to live in Florence for some years."
"Really" Gianni smiled at Julie. "I'm from Milan. It's sad that we never met while you were in Italy."
"Yes, I just thought the same thing."
...
They continued to talk about each other and Gianni found out that Julie is from England and that she traveled through different countries in the past few years. The more they talked the more he found himself getting attracted to her. She wasn't only beautiful but also really smart. Because of her travels she knows a lot about different cultures, as well as their history and politics. Adding to that she speaks three languages fluently and is currently learning a fourth one.
Gianni was fascinated with her. He couldn't believe how attracted he was to this girl. Wasn't he just until a few minutes ago sad that Sabrina left him for someone else. 'Maybe some things happen for a reason,' he thought.
Gianni felt dazed by Julie's cute reserved smile whenever she would talk about something that she likes. But the most mesmerizing thing about her were her eyes. Her dark blue eyes resembled a sea at night and she was looking with those eyes at him like she could see into his soul.
Julie found out that Gianni was working as a journalist in Italy but he was trying to make it as a professional musician. He would sometimes perform in bars or on weddings but it wasn't enough to make a living out of it.
She also found out that he is into art and paints in his free time.
Julie got an idea. "Had you already a chance to visit the Louvre?"
"No, my friend is not so much into art. He dragged me on parties instead."
"Oh, I see." Julie smiled and gave him a knowing look.
Gianni facepalmed internally. She probably knows that he was clubbing the whole night because he looks like a mess. Why can't he look more presentable when he meets a girl like that.
On the other hand, if Matteo didn't drag him the whole night from club to club, he would have never met Julie. So, he should be thankful to his friend.
"Would you like to visit the Louvre with me later today? I have to go to work now but we can meet here again at 4 this afternoon," Julie asked.
Gianni tried to hide his excitement. 'She wants to meet me again. That means she is interested.'
"Yes, I would love to go with you," Gianni said trying to sound calm even though he wasn't calm at all and he was glad that he could pull it off.
They exchanged numbers and agreed on meeting at the café again at 4 in the afternoon.
When Julie left, she thought how it was unlike her to ask a guy out. Usually, she would try to get out of a situation where a guy is flirting with her and she would never give some guy her number just like that.
But there was something about Gianni that made her do it. She just needed to see him again to make sure this attraction she felt towards him was real and won't go away after she gets to know him better.
Julie smiled thinking about Gianni. He was tall and handsome but what stood out the most about him was his bright smile that would reach his eyes whenever he laughed. She always got a warm feeling whenever he smiled at her like that.
Julie had two clients planned for today but she couldn't wait for her English classes to be over. The more she thought about Gianni the more she got that feeling of excitement of meeting him again later today.
Julie couldn't remember the last time a date with a guy would cause that much anticipation and she hoped it would stay this way.
Back at the café Gianni was still sitting at the table were he was talking with Julie previously. He looked down at his phone contently where he saw Julie's phone number.
After some time, Matteo joined him and took the chair where Julie was sitting before. "Someone seems to be really happy. I knew it was a good idea to come here. See how fast you forget about your ex when you are open to new people," Matteo said cheerfully.
Gianni looked at him slightly annoyed. "Please don't talk about her anymore." How can he bring up Sabrina now when he was in such a good mood. He just forgot about his heartbreak for a few minutes.
Matteo raised his hands in the air defensively. "Sorry mate." He smiled apologetic. "But you better tell me about the girl you just met. What's her name? What did you talk about with her? I haven't seen you looking at a girl this dreamily for years."
Gianni told Matteo everything he knew about Julie and that they will meet again this afternoon.
"Well done my friend". Matteo patted Gianni's shoulder proudly. It has been a while since he came out of his shell like that. Matteo was glad that he was seeing glimpses of the old Gianni again. The relationship with Sabrina changed him and when she left it completely crushed him. Now he was hopeful that his friend would go back to the man he used to be. To the old cheerful Gianni.
Matteo got an idea. "If you want to stay here longer and get to know her, we can cancel our trip to the beach. I have nothing against staying here and partying some more. When you are busy with that girl, I have at least no one who slows me down anymore."
Gianni smiled at Matteo. He knows he means well. "Thank you, my friend."