He grinned and jerked his head toward the guy. “He’s good. More of a storyteller than a history teacher. I think with large disasters we forget it’s personal. We all view things from the worldly scope.”

I nodded and we moved as a group down the broken, rubbled road. “Like reading about a school shooting every week. It becomes a new normal until you walk the grounds or know someone who died.”

“Exactly.” We shared a look and I was surprised at the tiny jolt of recognition my body experienced. It didn’t happen a lot. I always figured my hormones were a bit sluggish. My interest was piqued by really hot celebrities, and by Christian Peterson, who was the school god in body if not personality, and definitely by David. But Ian wasn’t attractive to me in that way. I studied him more closely, noting his ginger hair and pale skin and freckles. But his eyes were a bolt of hot blue, and his smile made me want to smile back, and he was lanky but sported nice muscles under his T-shirt, which hinted at a good set of abs. I wondered if freckles covered his whole body or if he had red-gold chest hair. I wondered if he’d kissed a lot of girls and if he was good at it, or if he’d been more of a geek and never had a girlfriend.

“Can I hang with you?” he asked.

“Parent irritation?”

“Just a tad. To save money, we’re all sharing a room.”

Pure horror hit. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m pissed at my mom right now, so we’re in the same boat.”

“Anything serious?”

His interest seemed genuine and not polite. I bet he was a great listener. “Nope, same problem recycled.”

“Got it.”

We fell silent and refocused on the lecture, our shoulders occasionally brushing.

“Before Mount Vesuvius erupted, Pompeii was a playground for the wealthy,” our guide continued. “The resort attracted vacationers, and these streets were lined with villas, shops, bathhouses, and of course, brothels.” His gaze surveyed the crowd and focused on Kai. “I’ll tell you when to cover his eyes, Mama,” he said teasingly to Hana, motioning toward one of the buildings. “There’re some pictures you may want to skip.”

Kai frowned, obviously not understanding, and Hana nodded in agreement.

“The arena sat twenty thousand people. Imagine crowds gathered in the open-air markets, mothers with children, shopkeepers selling wares, and horses pulling wagons.” He pointed to the ground. “This is the original road that was used. Follow me and watch your step.”