“Fine, you can find me some lovely romantic couples,” she said, giving in. “That would be very helpful.”

Cristiano brightened immediately and hurried off in search of a couple for her. He returned a short while later with two people in tow.

“See,” he proclaimed proudly. “Some residents of Rome who can help you with your article.”

The couple sat in the seats opposite and, after introducing themselves as Elisabetta and Sergio, Keira began to quiz them on their experiences of living in Rome.

“How do you feel about Italians being labeled the world’s greatest lovers?” Keira asked them.

The happy couple laughed.

“We’re very comfortable with it,” Sergio said. “It’s true, after all.”

“Is it?” Keira queried. “Is everything here always chocolate and roses?”

“We have roles,” the woman replied. “If everyone plays their part, things go very well.”

“What are the parts?” Keira asked, intrigued.

“The men make the first move,” Elisabetta explained. “They are the hunters, and we, the women, are the hunted.”

“That sounds a bit old-fashioned,” Keira refuted.

Sergio laughed. “It is not, though, because the women only think they are prey. In reality, they are the ones with all the power. It’s they who choose their men. We follow them around hoping they will notice us, trying to compete for their attention. But if they don’t want us then we have no chance, there is nothing we can do. An Italian man will be expected to make the first move, yes, but will only do so when he knows the woman wants him to!”

Keira scribbled everything down, her mind working on overdrive. She couldn’t help but fit this into the context of her and Cristiano. Was it her own hesitance that had caused his? Was it because he couldn’t read her clearly enough that he had made no moves? It was all so complicated, and she knew the way she’d behaved this morning certainly wouldn’t help matters. She’d just made things with him even more confusing.

“So would you say that is your secret?” Keira asked. “That because you all implicitly understand the rules of the game and the expectations of your gender roles, love can blossom more easily?”

Sergio pondered her questions. “Amongst other things. We are very straightforward, also. We wear our hearts on our sleeves, complimenting women, being affectionate towards them. There is a lot of flirting. We are not guarded like you Americans. We are more open to love.”

“Yes,” Elisabetta agreed. “We keep our minds and hearts open, knowing that love can arrive anywhere at anytime. We met in the grocery store.”

“Really?” Keira exclaimed, raising her eyebrows.

“That is not unusual here,” Sergio replied. “We have ways of flirting, social conventions that make it very clear to know when someone is or isn’t interested in your advances. People don’t get offended here, so the interactions are always pleasant. Therefore I felt no awkwardness walking up to Elisabetta in the bakery aisle and telling her she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.”