in the middle of the street as his ride arrived.
The cab driver assessed him, took in his cane, his slim legs, and decided he was innocuous enough. “Where to?”
“Umberto I.” He entered the car and closed his eyes for a power nap that eluded him. By the time he had reached the hospital, he was in such poor spirits he handed the driver his fare and exited the cab without saying a word.
Sudden movement caught his interest, and he turned to see Martina furtively looking right and left before sprinting into a run. He walked to intercept her, but she didn’t see him and hit him squarely in his chest. Instinctively, he took her in his arms.
She screamed and tried to escape his hold.
Still grabbing her elbow, he stepped back to look at her. “Martina, are you okay?”
She raised her face in confusion, but as she saw him, her eyes misted. “It’s you.” She looked over his shoulders. “I thought you were my ex-husband.”
Anger flared up through him at the mere mention of the man. “Did he come back?”
Her eyes on the hospital’s entrance, she nodded. “He’s upstairs.”
She looked tense, as if ready to spring into action, and she felt cold to the touch. Samuel immediately waved at a passing taxi. “Let’s go.” He would have rather gone back upstairs and teach Giulio a valuable lesson about not looking at her ever again. At the moment, though, she didn’t need him on a rampage. Martina needed a friendly shoulder. As painful as it was to just be that, he would be a true friend to her. Once the cab came to halt before them, he opened the passenger door for her and gently pushed her inside, then gave the driver his address.
Only then did Martina stir from her daze and looked at him. “Where are we going?”
He raised his hand for the driver to wait. “To my apartment, unless you want me to take you somewhere else.”
She seemed to think about it, then shook her head, a bleak expression clouding her eyes, her body sagging against the seat. Samuel gave the driver the okay and they finally left the Umberto I Hospital behind. Knowing she had accepted his offer to go to his place only because he seemed safe pained him, but he sat beside her and was careful not to invade her space. Martina had reacted quite strongly to his embrace and he feared he had overstepped his boundaries.
By the time they reached his apartment, Martina had barely relaxed, but she tried to smile when he climbed out of the cab and rushed to open the door for her. He remembered only at the last moment he wasn’t supposed to walk that fast without the cane he had forgotten to materialize when he had seen her outside the hospital. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to notice, her eyes glancing at their surroundings.
He fought the urge to take her hand in his and pull her up to his chest, but stopped before her so that she had to look at him. “He won’t find you here.”
She blinked. “Where are we?”
“Not far from the hospital.” He led her to his building’s glass door.
“Is that San Pietro in Vincoli?” Martina pointed at the building opposite them that housed the faculty of engineering. “I used to live only a few blocks from here when I was a student at La Sapienza University.” She turned on her heels until she was facing the other side of the road. “And The Eagle bar is still here. They made the best tramezzini in Rome.”
“They still do, but the owner died a few years ago. Now the son manages the place, and I guess he inherited all his father’s recipes because nothing has changed.” Samuel walked toward his building and Martina followed him.
Only when she was safely inside the foyer smelling of polished wood and floor cleaners did he relax. Despite his reassurance that she would be fine, her frayed mood had somehow affected his nerves as well. “Come.” Although he disliked being confined in small spaces, he couldn’t let her see him running six flights of stairs to reach his attic, so he resigned himself
The cab driver assessed him, took in his cane, his slim legs, and decided he was innocuous enough. “Where to?”
“Umberto I.” He entered the car and closed his eyes for a power nap that eluded him. By the time he had reached the hospital, he was in such poor spirits he handed the driver his fare and exited the cab without saying a word.
Sudden movement caught his interest, and he turned to see Martina furtively looking right and left before sprinting into a run. He walked to intercept her, but she didn’t see him and hit him squarely in his chest. Instinctively, he took her in his arms.
She screamed and tried to escape his hold.
Still grabbing her elbow, he stepped back to look at her. “Martina, are you okay?”
She raised her face in confusion, but as she saw him, her eyes misted. “It’s you.” She looked over his shoulders. “I thought you were my ex-husband.”
Anger flared up through him at the mere mention of the man. “Did he come back?”
Her eyes on the hospital’s entrance, she nodded. “He’s upstairs.”
She looked tense, as if ready to spring into action, and she felt cold to the touch. Samuel immediately waved at a passing taxi. “Let’s go.” He would have rather gone back upstairs and teach Giulio a valuable lesson about not looking at her ever again. At the moment, though, she didn’t need him on a rampage. Martina needed a friendly shoulder. As painful as it was to just be that, he would be a true friend to her. Once the cab came to halt before them, he opened the passenger door for her and gently pushed her inside, then gave the driver his address.
Only then did Martina stir from her daze and looked at him. “Where are we going?”
He raised his hand for the driver to wait. “To my apartment, unless you want me to take you somewhere else.”
She seemed to think about it, then shook her head, a bleak expression clouding her eyes, her body sagging against the seat. Samuel gave the driver the okay and they finally left the Umberto I Hospital behind. Knowing she had accepted his offer to go to his place only because he seemed safe pained him, but he sat beside her and was careful not to invade her space. Martina had reacted quite strongly to his embrace and he feared he had overstepped his boundaries.
By the time they reached his apartment, Martina had barely relaxed, but she tried to smile when he climbed out of the cab and rushed to open the door for her. He remembered only at the last moment he wasn’t supposed to walk that fast without the cane he had forgotten to materialize when he had seen her outside the hospital. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to notice, her eyes glancing at their surroundings.
He fought the urge to take her hand in his and pull her up to his chest, but stopped before her so that she had to look at him. “He won’t find you here.”
She blinked. “Where are we?”
“Not far from the hospital.” He led her to his building’s glass door.
“Is that San Pietro in Vincoli?” Martina pointed at the building opposite them that housed the faculty of engineering. “I used to live only a few blocks from here when I was a student at La Sapienza University.” She turned on her heels until she was facing the other side of the road. “And The Eagle bar is still here. They made the best tramezzini in Rome.”
“They still do, but the owner died a few years ago. Now the son manages the place, and I guess he inherited all his father’s recipes because nothing has changed.” Samuel walked toward his building and Martina followed him.
Only when she was safely inside the foyer smelling of polished wood and floor cleaners did he relax. Despite his reassurance that she would be fine, her frayed mood had somehow affected his nerves as well. “Come.” Although he disliked being confined in small spaces, he couldn’t let her see him running six flights of stairs to reach his attic, so he resigned himself
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