Noi Eravamo Dèi

[Charlotte Williams]

Noi Eravamo D?i

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</s><FONT font="georgia"><s></s><COLOR color="Black"><s></s><SIZE size="50"><s></s>The decision to come to Milan had been made a few weeks prior rather suddenly, but at long last it was finally here, finally happening. Char, who didn't take holidays often had everything she needed for this work vacation, a minimal amount of work that she needed to take with her so that she wouldn't get in trouble and then everything else which was for the vacation she was excited for. Tourist information books, translation books, phrase books, everything the girl could possibly need for this trip were in her bags, that she was more than a little excited to take, her Italian had never been good but stumbling over the foreign phrases was half the fun. Charlotte had never been to Milan before, she'd been to Venice, Florence, Rome and Pompeii but never once had she been to Milan, the sights and sounds of the Italian city had always appealed to her, yet this had been the first occasion that she had to actually go to the city. While it was because of work that she was getting to go, the girl knew that taking a vacation during it was just what she needed to do. Spend some time away from the busyness of her day to day life, and of course a time to relax in a different country with her friend, Sam. It had originally been that this holiday would've just been for Char but after seeing Sam's stress the woman had decided that a holiday shared between friends was better than being alone, so the choice to ask him to join her had been simple, thankfully, he had also agreed and now the time was upon them to leave. Charlotte had arranged pretty much everything, what had been something her work had meant to plan, Charlotte had just taken it out of their hands and done it herself, just telling Sam when to be at her place so they could go. She'd talked to her eldest brother who went to Milan with his wife and family often about the kind of place to get to live in, a hotel was not for them and he'd suggested rather than going with the usual family place which was a little out of the city and family orientated, that she should go with a Penthouse apartment in the old part of the city where the outside was old with the traditional Italian Rivera style, was cool, sleek and modern. Exactly what Charlotte knew both she and Sam would love. The place was to Charlotte a little small, and she had held back on getting something too fancy in her mind, her and Sam hardly needed that. The absolutely stunning roof pool, and roof top garden were why she'd settled on that property rather than the one she would've normally chosen, which had been old, less modern interior design and held nothing back in showing its wealth; not that the apartment she'd chosen in the end held much back either.<br/>
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A soft ringing of her doorbell, brought a bubbling giggle out of the woman as she walked over to answer it, knowing that it would be Sam, it could be no one else. She opened the door and greeted him warmly, the smile forming easily. She gave him a breath hug before motioning him inside her house, <B><s></s>"Feel free to get yourself a drink,"<e></e></B> Charlotte told him leading him into the dinning area which was the place where all her luggage was sitting and where the bar of her house was also, the perfect place. Charlotte excused herself from the room with a small apology, heading back up to her bedroom, to put the final touches on herself, adding a last bit of make-up and changing into more Milan-fancy shoes, which was just Charlotte's excuse to wear her new sleek heels which perfectly matched her new fitted summer dress, a gift from her brother. Everything was styled down to a T, nothing was out of place, her make-up matched her perfectly styled hair, her perfectly styled blonde hair matched her clothes and her clothes fitted her slim frame. She grabbed her sun glasses, summer hat and finally her wand before heading back down to where she'd left Sam perhaps five minutes before, <B><s></s>"Right, let's go,"<e></e></B> the woman barely hide her excitement over going, the smile and joy easily touching her eyes as she got her bags together, using her wand to make them smaller and more portable, before doing the same with Sam's. Once that was all done and Sam indicated that he was ready, she linked her arm with his and after double checking they had everything turned on the spot with him and apparated to front door of the apartment they were stay in. The building itself was not particular big, it was five floors, two of which were dedicated to penthouse, there was no lift the building was too old for that but the stairs up to the penthouse were off limits. The only entrance to the roof garden and roof pool were only accessible to those in the penthouse. She fished into her bag and got out the keys she had got a few days before from the owner, placing down the luggage she was carrying and easing the keys into the lock and opening the door. She opened the doors wide and then took Sam's hand while leading him into the apartment, <B><s></s>"Welcome to Milan, Sam,"<e></e></B> Charlotte turned to him, letting go of his hand and motioning to the flat they'd just entered. She couldn't wait to get get started, to see some of the sights and enjoy the sounds and tastes of this country. It would be the most perfect holiday, she was sure of it, <B><s></s>"I hope you like this place, its a little small admittedly but I like it a lot,"<e></e></B> Charlotte smiled somewhat nervously at him as she spoke, hoping that he too would like the place she had picked out. <br/>
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[Samuel Phillips]

Travelling to Milan was once a pipe dream that had been buried deep in the back of Samuel's mind by other, more immediate thoughts so staring at his fully dressed, travel-ready self felt so surreal he had to stifle the urge to pinch himself. The concept of visiting Italy on its lonesome was hard enough to believe but of course having an all-expenses paid visit a la one of his closest friends only added to the unbelievability of it all. He almost questioned this reality aloud as he stared vacantly at the reflection of himself in the mirror, because seeing himself with a pair of sunglasses on and a woolen scarf around his neck that he paired with a striped tank top and skinny jeans was single handedly the most douche-bag looking outfit he'd ever donned, and something he certainly wouldn't ever wear again due to the fact on a regular day when he wasn't traveling to a country he had always dreamed of seeing, the twenty-six year old respected himself enough to keep his fashion choices modest. But of course Samuel kept his mouth sewed shut as he stared into his bedroom mirror because who was he to question visiting a country he had always harbored a desire to see? Especially when every expense excluding food was covered. He shook his head and turned from the mirror to finish zipping his suitcase which would have been impossible if it weren't for the undetectable extension charm he cast. It took hours for him to sift through his closet in an attempt to plan different outfits but of course Samuel eventually gave up and packed the majority of what he owned out of impatience and fear of packing too little which he knew would never be the case, but Sam had not traveled in a long time apart from moving between countries and figured it was smarter to pack more than he would need in a lifetime.

Samuel strolled into the living room of his apartment with his zipped suitcase behind him when his eyes fell on Nobody comfortably sitting on the sofa. He lent over to give his roommate a one-armed goodbye hug followed with a playful warning not to have any parties in the same way a parent would warn their child because that's exactly what Nobody was to him. It was merely a fact of their age difference and somewhat unusual yet welcomed friendship. When the first goodbye was over Samuel flicked his smartphone from his pocket and wrote a short text to Cess and Jon about his leaving before he actually left and felt a familiar tug as he apparated to Charlotte's front door. He shuffled his shoes on the ground, ringing the doorbell and barely having enough time to catch his breath when Charlotte opened the door and pulled him into a short but sweet hug he was happy to return. When she motioned him inside her house he followed with his suitcase in tow. "A drink? At this hour? Don't mind if I do." Sam watched his friend depart to another area of the house as he poured himself a glass of whiskey, suddenly realizing that alcohol would help to force back his feelings of apprehension in favor of the feelings of excitement he would rather experience in this moment. Charlotte was an amazing person, and had always been in the few years he had been her acquaintance so in every way, shape and form Samuel wanted to be equally as amazing or at least pretend like he was thanks to a veil of alcohol clouding his better judgement or rather the negative thoughts that pierced every good feeling he ever felt. By the time Charlotte returned to his side and the many suitcases in the dining room his throat had begun burning from finishing that one glass a little too quickly than he probably should have. He returned the empty whiskey glass to the bar and coughed slightly before smiling at his blonde friend when she announced it was finally time to leave. "This is going to be aweso- hey, those are nice shoes." Sam interrupted his own sentence as he began taking in Charlotte's appearance. She looked like total perfection as per usual which was more than Sam could say for himself in his douchebag-esque attire. His smile widened as Char cast charms on each suitcase and when the blonde linked her arm with his, he braced himself to apparate once more and finally see Milan with his own two eyes.

Samuel waited patiently and in silence when the pair arrived in front of the door and Charlotte dug in her bag for the keys. He was paying no mind to what kind of accommodation she organized so it was more than safe to say Samuel was entirely unprepared for the sight that unfolded in front of his eyes when Charlotte opened the doors. If it weren't for her taking his hand and leading him inside, he would have remained fixed on the spot from pure shock. This was a penthouse, and the kind of penthouse Sam would not have ever seen himself in prior to this very moment. His mouth dropped open as his stomach churned and he stared around the room in bewilderment. The very concept of this trip felt like a vivid dream already, and the filthy rich aesthetic of this apartment certainly did not aid Sam in believing this was reality. It was so unbelievable that Samuel momentarily began to think this was all some sort of joke and sooner or later someone was going to jump out and humiliate him by telling him so. "I didn't know you were this rich." He managed to say after a long pause, though he was still attempting to overcome the feeling of shock caused by walking into the penthouse. "This is not small, what the heck?" He said in response to her comment because this penthouse was definitely not small in comparison to his apartment back in New York. His hands moved to rest against his stomach that had gone from churning to making him feel nauseous as he continued to stare in disbelief at his surroundings. "Are we... we're actually staying here?" The pace of his breathing quickened though he continued to speak like he could easily manage words. "Holy crap. I need to sit down."

pretty damn rusty ngl​

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[Charlotte Williams]

It had been a long time coming this trip, she'd been planning all the small details for a little while, and was glad to finally be able to share it with Sam. She felt like this was the perfect time for them to be taking this trip and Char was really looking forward to enjoying every second of it, even the bits that she was going to have to work through, she knew knowing she had someone to share this experience with was going to make all the difference for her. The young woman was getting the final little bits and pieces ready when he arrived and she'd gotten it ready as he'd stood, she assumed getting a drink because they were on holiday and during a holiday it was definitely allowed. When she had finally returned to the room, all ready to leave, wearing the new clothes she'd gotten for this, the woman couldn't help but blush lightly at his words, "Thank you, they were a gift from my brother," she told him with a smile, really pleased that he seemed to like them. Charlotte dressed to impress really, she wore the clothes that made her look her best, the colours that suited her, so she was always happy to be paid a compliment, but that wasn't the pressing matter they were currently dealing with, she took his arm and then apparated to just outside the flat they'd be staying in for the duration of their stay in Milan. She'd worked extremely hard to find this place, she'd tried to balance modern with rustic and charm, suiting their rather specific needs down to a T. In the end when she opened the door and began glancing around as she stepped into the threshold, the former beauxbatons was very pleased with her choice of place. Charlotte smiled with a satisfied expression on her face, this truly was good, a little smaller than she might've liked but still perfect really.

As Sam spoke, she glanced round and couldn't help but frown slightly, he seemed in awe, much like she was but almost in a different manner, "You're rich," she said matter-of-factly unsure of what he really meant, she was rich she knew it, but she'd assumed that he was rich like she was. Charlotte knew he shared his apartment with someone but she had believed that had been a personal choice of his, that he rather stay with someone rather than alone. Charlotte watched as he sat down, "Well, yes," she told him not quite understanding what he was meaning, why wouldn't they? Why would she have brought him here if she didn't intend for them to stay here? Charlotte wandered into the kitchen and took out a bottle of champagne she'd prearranged to be in the fridge. She grabbed two glasses and then wandered back through to where she assumed he was still sitting, she smiled at him before placing the items she'd brought down on the coffee table in front of them, "I mean, if you don't like it, I can find us some place else? I can call up the realtor I used to find this place and see if she has a smaller place," Charlotte was saying this but even if they did get smaller, she still wanted most of the amenities that they had here, and she assumed it would be priced the same. Charlotte had always assumed that he knew about the money within her family, and that Charlotte had inherited, "The woman knows my brother pretty well, it wouldn't be too much of a hassle," she assured Sam, as she popped open the champagne and poured the glasses, unsure really of where this reaction had come from but knowing that she could fix it. She wanted to be sure that Sam had the best time and so if this place wasn't up to scratch then she'd find something else, Charlotte offered a glass of champagne to him, "I thought you knew," she said, motioning to the place and the wealth oozing from it.

Charlotte didn't often talk about money, it just wasn't the best topic to talk about really, she didn't feel the need to, but it was always pretty obvious that she came from money, she liked to think of herself as modest and not flashy with her money but there were certain things that she couldn't hide. They'd never really discussed money, but she'd always imagined that given the amount of time he'd spent with her, in her house that he'd known about it. She took a sip of the champagne and wandered to where she'd left her handbag, pulling out some information about the place they were in, before wandering back over to Sam and placing it in front of him, "The bedrooms are about the same size, and both have an ensuite, of course, you can pick first, of course. Only we have access to the roof, which is where the pool is," she explained to him, though he'd find all of these things pretty quickly once he'd settled, "I stocked up on foods and drinks already, but once we're both settled we could go get some extras, or just lounge by the pool for a bit, rest up before heading out tonight?"
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This is super late, haha

 

[Samuel Phillips]

fast forwarding a couple of days, yo

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Samuel was no stranger to luxury. He had experienced small tastes of the high life during his years on earth enough to consider luxury as an acquaintance. A friend he would greet in passing, however only in passing because in his eyes luxury was elusive, difficult for him to pin down on a regular basis due to the fact he occasionally ate with a silver spoon instead of being born with one in his mouth. Though the small tastes he had managed to experience were enough to manipulate his decision making to the point where he only opted for designer clothing when dressing himself, and where he refused to live in anything less than a stylish Manhattan apartment. But the taste of luxury that came along with this penthouse was one beyond any horizon of wealth he had experienced before, or what he thought he would experience in his lifetime. It was an entirely new frontier that overwhelmed and sequentially excited him.

In the four days he had spent in Milan with his friend, Samuel's daily routine of walking ginger steps to his ensuite in the morning to brush his teeth, then back to his bedroom to change from his pyjamas and into the days outfit (a feat that never took less than an hour because he packed his entire wardrobe), and later through the marble lined hallway to the kitchen still felt like a dream he had yet to wake from. A dream where both he and his friend were filthy rich beyond belief. A dream that was half true however too good to be completely true because Sam could never imagine his success in the art world growing immense enough to afford a life blooming with luxuries like the life he knew Charlotte lead rather than a life sporadically dotted with them. He could still hardly believe it, but he was gradually accepting the idea that this penthouse, this trip to Milan, and the memories from the last four days were part of reality and not some dream fantasy he would suddenly wake from or something that could be interrupted with some stranger revealing that this was all a joke. Yes, they were in fact living here for the holiday and Charlotte was indeed this rich and no, Samuel was not enough of an insane artist stereotype to continue denying this was reality though he could admit this reality was completely and utterly unbelievable.

A smile tickled its way onto his tired features as he approached his friend in the kitchen, where he pulled her into a quick hug and whispered a "Good morning." before letting her go so he could pour himself a generous cup of coffee. Authentic Italian coffee was another luxury he had yet to experience until the trip began. Though unlike the penthouse, he had quickly grown accustomed to it and adamantly decided he could not go without it when he returned to the life in New York he now considered to be dull in comparison to the life he was temporarily leading on this holiday. Whether Italian coffee was available in New York was not part of the question, it was about his need to drink the coffee rather than about his ability find it easily in another country. When his cup was filled he turned from the bench and back towards Charlotte. "What are we doing today?" He queried with his smile still lingering and a feeling of excitement brewing in his gut at the possibility of the day. Two days ago the itinerary consisted of a full day of exploring the city together and loosing themselves on the endless and maze-like streets. Yesterday had been filled with restaurants and food as far as Samuel's eyes could see. He still felt full from the many bowls of pasta and mountains of gelato he had managed to stuff in his face. However today still remained a mystery. A mystery that Sam was delighted and excited to leave to Charlotte's decision because he trusted her judgement now more than ever. The only thing Samuel did not feel excited about was waiting for his friend's answer.

wtf am i doing​

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[Charlotte Williams]

Despite all of the fun they'd been having over the last few days during this Milan trip, Charlotte had been intermingling it with her own work. She usually got up earlier than her friend, and spent most of her mornings working away in the office near the back of the apartment, sometimes lounging in a chair by the pool. She was almost completely done with the work that she had, there were just a few small things to fix before she was completely done and those didn't need to be completed really until the end of the trip. The woman had gotten up a few hours after she'd gone to bed, not able to sleep and just feeling happy in a way that didn't warrant sleep. She had stood poolside, looking out over the city while the sun had rising and then spent the early part of the morning getting breakfast type food a few streets down from where they were staying, which had lead her into a long and lovely discussion with the baker, and giving Charlotte a very different smile when she eventually was heading back to the pent house. One of the things which the girl had learned from this trip was that Sam had had no clue how wealthy Charlotte was in the end, which had greatly surprised her, since she had always imagined that he knew. She had assumed he was like her, wealthy, it had come as a surprise to her that he both wasn't and didn't know about hers. It was a strange thing she thought. The woman tucked the fresh italian bread under her arm as she made her way back up to the apartment, figuring with a small glance at her watch that Sam would be up fairly soon, and herself feeling like some of the good italian coffee was in order.

The woman deposited the breakfast things within the kitchen before taking her bag off and placing it in the bedroom, she gave her curls and make up a once glance over, ensure everything was still perfectly in place. She was in her mind wearing far more casual clothes, though the fact she was wearing a short pale floral print dress, and her usual heels, though they matched her dress, they were not the usual height which Char opted for when she was working. She fixed the few loose strands of her hair and then wandered back through making as little noise as she could, though it was tricky for her considering the marble floor and her heels. She wasn't sure what Sam had planned for the day, but Charlotte had been thinking about the markets. There were plenty of them dotted around the city, but in Char's mind they would go to the biggest market. She wanted to float the idea by Sam and see what he thought of it, if he didn't want to do that, her work did have tickets to some garden party which didn't require her attendance but if they lacked something else to do, Charlotte knew she would float it to him. The woman had just finished making herself a small cup of coffee, leaving the coffee put to brew so that Sam would have some ready for when he woke up, a small magic spell had been cast on it to ensure it stayed warm and didn't go bad. Char had been started just going about tidying up the small bits and pieces, slowly munching on a slices of morning cheese with small bits of crackers, she had also bought some croissants in case either her or Sam wanted any, and the bread sat on the table so fresh it still had that freshly baked bread smell.

All of a sudden however arms wrapped around her and she couldn't help but smile, so, Sam was awake, "Good morning Sam," she replied, stopping what she was doing and just watching him with a small smile upon her lips, "How did you sleep?" she asked him, like she did every morning, since it was just the polite thing to do, and Charlotte was the polite type. She took the far smaller cup of coffee she had poured for herself and then held it in her hands, "Well, I'm thinking we could do some of the markets, the markets here are huge so it would take us a fair bit of the day," she told him, remembering what she'd read about the place, "But, if that doesn't take your fancy, there is a garden party organised by someone related to my work which we could go to," She offered to him, knowing giving him options would be better than forcing him to make a decision between either or. She grinned at him, "The baker in the bakery just down the road from here, has the most beautiful Italian man I've ever seen working in it, they are such stunning creatures in this country," she knew that today they should at the very least take it a little easier, considering all of the food they had eaten the day before, Charlotte knew holidays were for indulging but she had been almost overwhelmed by all of it. Today, a day wandering some of the market's or at some swanky garden party were exactly the kind of things they should be doing.
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i don't even know

 

[Samuel Phillips]

This trip in its entirety had created a small niche in Samuel's heart he would forever be thankful for. If he was not thankful for the cherished memories he and Charlotte had made within the last four days, he would be thankful for the little things. How Charlotte always managed to be her prim and proper self in the morning when Sam was nothing more than a train wreck, how one hair on her head was never out of place, how her outfits coordinated perfectly. And how whether Charlotte knew it or not, she never failed to do amazing job of brewing coffee every morning to keep Samuel from turning to a regular morning monster. For that, and for the rich taste of real Italian coffee among every other thing Milan had to offer, he was thankful. What Samuel was not thankful for, on the other hand, was the difficulty of decision making that had been burdened on his shoulders long before the coffee in his hand had kicked in.

His mind was still in fragments, fatigued by sleep although he had already been awake for more than an hour. Roaming the nearby markets for nick-knacks and attending a garden party were both enticing ideas that Samuel could not decide between. All he could do was wait for his cup of coffee to slowly kick in and heighten his exhausted senses before he ultimately made the decision of the day's itinerary. Though in spite of his inability to make a proper decision, Sam was well aware the decision he did make would be mostly in vain. He and Charlotte would likely end up visiting the markets and attending the garden party arm in arm regardless of what he chose. He was also well aware the decision of how they would spend their time first was the real decision looming over his shoulders. "I slept alright. But I like the idea of seeing the markets. We could go looking for weird souvenirs to bring home with us." He sipped from his coffee after he made the suggestion, allowing it to warm him from the inside as he gradually began to feel himself waking up to the world and gaining the ability to act like his normal self. Sleep deprivation or any lingering feelings of tiredness had never done Samuel's personality any favors and if he had waited any longer to experience his morning hit of caffeine, the aftermath would not have been pretty.

He continued waking up with his cup of coffee, and listened intently to Charlotte as she spoke, while leaning against the bench and alternately not posing a reaction to any of her words until she mentioned meeting an attractive man at the bakery. One of his eyebrows raised as his lips upturned into a smirk. In such a moment's notice he could have reacted to the unexpected pang of jealousy in his gut and said many things. He could have begun by telling Charlotte she could do better, or that her priorities should lie somewhere else, rather than with an interaction with a baker in a foreign country. He could have demanded that she ponder their plans for the day, and what perfectly put together outfit she would choose from her wardrobe for the garden party they would undoubtedly attend. He could have confessed that rather than some baker, or any other beautiful creature in Italy, he should be the only person on her mind. But instead he bit back the instinct to act upon his jealous thoughts behind his teeth, choosing to ask her to elaborate on the subject as any friend would do, in favor to forcing his own opinion down her throat. "A baker, huh?" He queried as he placed his half-finished coffee cup on the bench and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for her to answer with the details though he knew he would likely not appreciate the response.

blahblahblah the next post will be better​

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[Charlotte Williams]

Milan had never been a place that she had ever thought she would ever like as much as she did, Milan had always been a place she might work, but enjoying herself with Sam had shown her so much more of this Italian town which she hoped that she could return to. It wasn't like she wouldn't be able to return to it, as Sam had found out, her family and she weren't exactly strapped for cash, but that didn't mean constant holidays. It was funny even to her that she'd taken so long to make the trip and how much fun she was having, but as Charlotte prepared breakfast for herself and for Sam, a part of her mind told her that it was all down to the fact that she wasn't in this beautiful city alone. She watched with a little bit of curious fascination, watching as he took his coffee and sipped it to be able to wake up. She'd been awake for a couple of hours at this point, and so wasn't exactly needing the coffee to wake up, she just quite enjoyed the taste of it, and she was always leaving lipstick prints on the edge of the cups she used. Usually an indication that she needed to reapply, but she wasn't so concerned about this, it was one of these things that grabbed her attention when in these earlier and slow hours of the waking morning. Charlotte had presented to him two options which seemed equally good, she had wanted to do the markets, but there was no reason why she couldn't see them managing to do both things, although they would have to come home after the markets, while dressing for the market was simpler the garden party required dresses and formal wear, and if they went, she would definitely need Sam to be cleaned up. Raising the cup to her lips she took small sips of the coffee, she contemplated what they could do with the day.

Brushing strands of hair from her eyes she shrugged at him, "The markets would be a good place to start the day, I could get some fresh vegetables as well," she agreed with a small smile, "And remind me to find a gift for my brother's wife who just had a baby, I keep forgetting to buy the child a gift," she said, as more of a reminder to herself than to him, once she'd said it, Charlotte knew she was more likely to remember it, while the markets weren't the best place to buy gifts for someone who had just given birth or to the baby, but she had to buy more than one thing and something a little different would be good and better than just getting something straight from the registry which she was sure her brother had set up for them. Charlotte had of course then launched into what had made her morning, the man at the baker, the man who was about her age, the man with the flour and the easy italian smile. It was a polite, nothing conversation, though she assumed that if she spoke to the man again they might end up going out. She had spoken to him once before this and she was liking all the times, it was an early morning thing, a little company maybe it would be something else, but for now, it was just mindless flirting. She grinned happily at him, a little shyly, as if suddenly nervous about giving the answer, "Yeah, he bakes some of the bread in this old style oven," she told him looking away a little, thinking of the man, "He's sweet, keeps saying he'll take me out before we leave," she shrugged at Sam, implying that she wasn't thinking about actually doing that, "But, grab something to eat, and get ready, come on, we don't want to miss the market at all, we might just be able to make the garden party, so I'd have clothes prepared for that too," she told him, smiling as she finished her own coffee grabbing some of the bread and munching at it as she left the room to go get ready.
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