Immediately we drew back, as if burned, and turned around. Dana and Steve were walking across the terrace, smiling big and still obviously tipsy. Cherry and Laura trailed behind and waved. I held my breath, waiting to see if they’d caught us holding hands, but they swooped in and dragged chairs over, ordering more drinks and chattering merrily.

“Where’s Allegra and Sophia?” Dana asked.

“Oh, they went to bed. I couldn’t sleep so I figured I’d have a nightcap and found Enzo with the same idea.” I shrugged off his presence like it was nothing and prayed I sounded convincing.

“Best tour guide ever!” Cherry screeched, giving him a high five. “Hey, can I bum a cigarette? I miss smoking so much and I’m on vacay.”

Laura gasped. “No! I will not let you slide back into old habits. No offense, Enzo, but you need to quit. It will wreck your body and shorten your life span.”

“Oh, he only smokes one per day.”

Uh-oh. Everyone turned to look at me curiously, and I realized it sounded weird that I had such knowledge. Enzo coughed, obviously hiding a grin, but that only made Laura warm up to her subject. “Well, that doesn’t matter. Research proves one cigarette is just as bad as half a pack.”

He glanced at me with amusement. “Sì, I remember someone telling me the same exact thing once.”

I was tempted to shoot him a warning look but decided acting casual was the best plan. Cherry began to whine a bit, then Laura kissed her, and she seemed to forget she wanted a cigarette. Steve settled next to Enzo and launched into a conversation about the World Cup, and a half hour passed before I was able to finally extricate myself.

I gave a dramatic yawn. “Goodness, I’m tired. I better get to bed. Good night, everyone.”

Enzo stood. “Me too. I’ll head back with you.”

No one questioned our retreat, and after they called out their goodbyes and ordered yet another round of drinks, we escaped to the elevator. The door whooshed closed and we faced each other.

“Well, that was interesting,” I said, suddenly shy in the bright glare of lights.

He laughed and rubbed his head. “Their timing is terrible. And they’ll be hurting tomorrow.”

I smiled back. “Punishment for the crime of interruption.”

“Level three, right?”

“Yes.”

The light beeped, and too soon, we arrived at my floor.

“I’ll walk you to your room,” he said gruffly.

“Okay.”

My heart raced and my palms had started to sweat, and when we arrived at my door, suddenly I couldn’t handle the stress any longer. “What were you going to say before we got cut off?” I asked, turning to him.