“I knew it,” I say, satisfied. “Your high and mighty cynical self threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain and made a dreamy, dreamy wish. No need to be ashamed, it’s perfectly natural.”

“Fine. Maybe I did throw a coin in but I wasn’t happy about it, and I certainly didn’t think that it would alter the course of my life.”

“You have a very pessimistic point of view.”

“So I’ve been told. When I was young, my nanny actually quit because she said I was too depressing to work with.”

“Did she really?” I ask disbelievingly.

“No, turns out Nanny Louisa just had hip issues, though she did tell me I was a very somber eight-year-old.”

I shake my head with a little laugh as we continue walking. Liam is much stranger than he originally let on. I like it.

Twenty minutes later, we’ve left Vatican City and are each enjoying a gelato as we head back in the direction of our apartments. I got chocolate in a cup and he opted for vanilla. A more boring pair could never be found.

“I feel like we should talk about our love lives,” he suddenly says.

I quit shoveling gelato into my mouth long enough to look over at him. “What made you think of that?”

“Nothing in particular. We’ve just been friends for a few weeks now and I realized we’ve never talked about that part of our lives before. It seemed a little strange.”

“I guess it is a little strange,” I say, already dreading where this is going. “How about we start with a couple of warm-up questions first?”

“Sounds sensible.”

I have a trillion questions, but I don’t want to come off as too eager. “Okay, what’s your job?”

“I started a web development firm that was recently acquired by a large corporation. I’m taking a leave of absence before I go back to work under the new management. Though, as of right now, I’m not certain whether I’ll return to the position at all.”

“What’s making you hesitate?”

“I quite like being my own boss. I don’t know if I can go back to answering to someone else.”

“Makes sense,” I say. “You’re a little young to have started your own company, no?”

“Says the thirty-year-old with seven novels under her belt.”

“Trust me, you’d be far from impressed if you knew my current situation.”

“What do you mean?” Liam asks. He seems like he genuinely cares.

I take a hefty spoonful of gelato and wish I never brought it up. “Nothing, I’m just having a hard time finishing off the book I’m working on.”

“Are you under deadline?”

“That I am,” I answer hopelessly.

“When is it?”

Tomorrow. A chilling wave surges through me but I don’t feel it like I should. I should be horrified. Desperate. But I’m not. I’m resigned. Disconnected.