SS Iridescent (P19 - UPDATE 06/06) [Virman/Virika] - Page 7

She had decided that her first port of call would be food and what better than Genoa's most famous dish? Pesto Pasta. She found herself following the trail that her iPhone led her down, stopping in front of a rustic style Italian cafe. She could smell the freshly baked bread wafting out from the open doors, a large smile soon enveloping her face.

"Buongiorno. Benvenuti al caffe Olive-"

She turned behind her to find a small elderly man smiling right at her; it took her a few moments to realise that he was talking to her. "Sorry, I'm afraid my Italian is very poor." She looked sheepishly at the old man as he grinned back, bowing slightly.

"Forgive me Signorina, my name is Roberto and welcome to Cafe Oliva. I run this ristorante with my wife and my nipote, my grandson. Please do come in! You must try some of our world famous pasta al pesto, my nonni's recipe - scusi Signorina, my grandfather. Please." He motioned towards one of the outside patio tables arranged erratically along the street way. The friendly man wrote down her order before disappearing into the restaurant before reappearing soon after with an iced glass bottle of Coca-Cola. He departed again, his ever constant smile shining brightly.

Jeevika turned back to the phone in her hand, her fingers lazily scrolling through various pages regarding Genoa. She took a sip from the cold beverage, the liquid somehow cooling her in the blazing mid day heat. Leaning back against the steel moulded bars of the chair, Jeevika looked out towards the adjacent piazza, the fountain in the middle almost glowing under the glare of the sun.

"Ahem, miss, you seem to be following me around today…"

She looked up towards the voice, slightly surprised as the face from before appeared in front of her. "Virat?"

He too looked quizzically at her as he pulled out the chair opposite her, sitting down without invitation. "How do you know my name?" He placed his phone down onto the table, his eyes fixated on her as Jeevika nervously twirled a few strands of hair between her fingers.

"Erm, someone called it out in the lobby and you responded so I just figured, it might be your…"

He spent another moment just staring at her, before relapsing back into his normal laid back demeanour. He leaned back in the chair, lifting the front two legs off of the ground so as to balance on the hind legs of the chair, one hand holding onto the table in order to steady himself. "Okay, fair enough. You know my name, now why don't you return the favour? I'm Virat Singh Vadhera from Chandigarh, and you are?" He held out a hand, unsure of whether she would shake it or not.

Jeevika decided to bypass the hand, smiling curtly at the gentleman opposite her. "Virat Vadhera, it's very nice to meet you. My name is Ashleesha Patel from Mumbai, my friends call me Ash or Lisa."

Virat retracted the hand as his eyes still focused on her, her smile slightly off putting. "So Ash, what brings you here to Italy?"

She took another sip from her drink, blinking her eyes excessively. "Oh you know, just a holiday. Girls just want to have fun, isn't it?"

He cocked his eyebrow at her, drinking up her secretive glare. "And yet you're alone."

She took a quick sip from the glass bottle, her eyes never leaving the familiar stranger ahead of her. "Well that's irrelevant." She watched as he leaned back into the chair, an emerging grin on his lips.

"Oh, ho, it seems you're quite the independent type. Tell me, what's a beautiful girl like you doing in a place like this, alone?" He twiddled round his keys around his fingers, slowly setting a rhythm.

She eyed the rumbling keys in his hands before shooting him a sarcastic smile. "Like I said, it's none of your business, but just out of curiosity, why is me being out here alone so hard to believe for you?"

He looked slightly taken aback at her question, taking a moment out to process her question. "Not that I don't believe you, but an Indian girl, a beautiful Indian girl like you in a foreign country by herself keeps me slightly worried. Heck, anyone alone in an alien country would make me worried. You must have family back home, what if anything happened?"

She sat up straight, not expecting the thoughtfulness in his words. "Well, thank you for your concern, but it's really not needed. I can handle by myself quite well actually. The worlds a pretty small place these days."

He leaned forward, a quizzical look upon his face. "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to say you couldn't handle yourself. It's just a bit strange, is all. You're right though, the world is a pretty small space, like meeting you here again beautiful stranger." He winked at her, easing them out of their slightly serious conversation.

She, however, kept her gaze strong as Roberto returned with her meal, slightly shocked at the mysterious guest. "Roberto, it seems we have one more to the party." She looked up to the elderly man who had his notepad at the ready. Virat shook his head, smiling apologetically before turning back towards Jeevika.

"Scusi zio, forse un altro tempo. It was nice meeting you Ash, let's not hope this is it." He smirked before getting up and jumping over the small railing that separated Cafe Oliva's outside dining patio with the rest of the piazza.

He turned back as Jeevika spoke up. "What's the rush? We've only just met."

He smiled casually, unsure of just what the lady in front of him wanted. "That's true, but Ash, I have someone who's waiting for me right now and usually I'm not one for punctuality but this someone lives by it. See you round beautiful stranger!" He waved casually before disappearing in the midst of the afternoon crowd.

Jeevika picked up the fork near her bowl, twirling around the tagliatelle until it formed a somewhat crudely shaped ball. She had to admit, it was the best pasta she had tasted in a while, and then coupled with the herb infused freshly baked bread, she found herself in food heaven. She finished the meal in relative peace, her thoughts seldom going back to the expo and neither the mysterious Virat. Paying her bill, she tipped Roberto heavily, promising to be back soon as she began her walk along the square. She looked around the piazza, slightly awestruck at the architecture surrounding her; the way the buildings fused together, ultimately culminating in the fountain standing proud in the heart of the community.

"Signorina! Signorina!"

She turned to find a slightly red faced Roberto, his right hand holding on to his knee as he strived to take in a few breaths, his other hand waving an iPhone wildly in mid air. Instinctively, Jeevika checked her little bag, patting it to give out a sigh of relief as she felt the solid rectangular shape of her phone.

She looked again at the phone in Roberto's hand, recognising the white cover as being Virat's. Letting out another breath, she took the phone from Roberto, apologising as the old man gasped for breath. "I'm so sorry Roberto. I really am, and thank you very much." He just smiled jovially before turning back towards his little cafe, giving Jeevika a departing wave.

She held on to the alien phone in her hand, slightly unsure of just what to do with it. She thought it over in her mind, slowly making her way over towards the fountain. 'I might as well just stick around here for a while. He must be coming back for it, no one's that stupid to leave their phone around like that and not realise its missing.' She took out her camera, finding it the ample time for pictures as the shadows cascading off of the buildings brought the square to life. She laughed at her amateur attempts at photography, jokingly shaking it off as she looked into the fountain.

The shimmering light coming from within the water dazzled her; Jeevika struck her hand into the water, reaching out for the light but finding an assortment of coins. She pulled a few out in her palm, gazing at the wide variety of coins; a penny, a cent, a nickel, a rupee and even a button. As she watched hopeful tourists throwing in coins, a wish on their lips, she slowly released the coins back into the water. Jeevika shook her hand, trying to dispel the water before giving up, ultimately wiping the damp arm on the bottom of her dress.

She felt a vibration against her leg. Subconsciously, sticking her hand into her bag, she retrieved the vibrating phone and without checking the caller ID, she swiped her finger across the screen. She held the phone up to her ear, regretting it as soon as she did it. "Virat! Where the hell are you! I've called you eight times already and you're completely M.I.A. Where the hell are you?"

Jeevika knitted her eyebrows together, clearly not amused with the tone of voice. "Virat is not here." She spoke in an as-a-matte-of-fact manor, her lips pursed.

"Who are you?" She was happy to hear the angry voice diminishing and in its place a softer and more inquisitive tone.

"I'm Jeevika." She bit her tongue as soon as she said her name, feeling quite stupid at the revelation.

"Jeevika? Ok, whatever, just please give it to Virat." His tone again reverted back to a bashful tone, making it a hundred percent clear as to what he wanted.

"Firstly, your Virat isn't here. Secondly, teach him to not leave his phone around in public places, you can never know in just who's hands it may fall in. Now good bye." She hung up, refusing to let the man on the phone talk. 'In just two minutes that stupid man really turned my mood off. Gah, I hope I never meet the guy… Speaking of which, he did sound like the guy that walked into me in the lobby… Maybe the big dude up there wanted us to hate each other, who know?'

She turned back towards the hotel, unimpressed by her new 'friend's' comrade on the phone. She laughed sarcastically to herself, slowly being made self aware that this was just the start of a long and eventful few weeks in Italy, and that somehow, somewhere, this was not going to be the last she'd see of the mysterious Virat, or the equally mysterious and buffoon like guy on the phone.