We both stepped out, seeing young Elena sitting by the window.

"Sweetheart, I’m going out with Miss Moore for a moment," she said, handing her the key. "Can you lock up everything?"

Elena nodded without looking up from her phone, well, at least until I said goodbye to her, and she gave me a smile in return.

Stepping out of the office, we both breathed in the fresh cold air of Vancouver at night.

"I’ve been in this city for three years now," I admitted, feeling its freshness. "And I never get tired of this feeling."

"I thought you hated the cold," she added.

"Of course I hate it, but compared to Norway, Vancouver is warm," I took out my phone, checking the temperature of twenty-one degrees. "Where I was born it was always below zero, it was rare not to see snow covering the rooftops."

"Now that I think about it, I barely know anything about your childhood," she looked at me. "It’s strange that you started with Nolan and not a real beginning."

"My childhood isn’t very memorable honestly," I said, shifting my gaze to the moon. "I don’t remember much of it, only very specific moments or ones that were brought back to me."

"Is there anything you remember in particular?"

I looked at her. "Your work hours are over, Dr. Roy," I reminded her, showing her the time. "What if you relax and we talk about you?"

"That could be a topic of conversation," she confirmed. "But you said it yourself, Moore, we need to relax a little."

"And where do you want to go, Hirise?" I asked, squeezing the handkerchief in my hair.

"I don’t know, Moore, I was just about to ask you the same thing."

I looked at her. "What if we start with the most important thing," I closed my eyes. "My name. You always calling me by my fake last name starts to feel a little impersonal."

"And what would you like me to call you?" she asked. "Ryne, Clear Norguest?"

"Even though Clear is my real name, I prefer to be called Ryne," I smiled. "Call me Ryne, gladly."

"And where do you want to go, Ryne?"

I put a hand to my chin, until an idea came to me. "After all that talking my mouth is very dry," I laughed. "Also, I’m starving, shall we get something to eat?"

"I know a good restaurant nearby," she said, taking my hand. "Your story about going to Gusti Italiani gave me an appetite. I want some Italian pasta and a good beer."

"Sounds great," I smiled. "It’s been a while since I’ve eaten at a restaurant, do cafés count as one?"

"If you only go for coffee and donuts, no."

"Then it’s been one day since I’ve eaten at a restaurant," I laughed. "Just yesterday I had cookies at Nolan’s café."

"When I say donuts I mean any dessert," she clarified.

"Oh, then it’s been eleven days since I’ve gone to a restaurant."

"Why?"

"Going to one alone is just as sad as a clown without jokes."

"You have a good point," she agreed. "But is that really a reason not to go?"

"Wiu wiu wiu. Dr. Roy detected outside of work hours," I alerted, waving my arms. "Red alert, red code, everything that ends in red, wiu wiu wiu."

"I get it," she interrupted, lowering one of my hands. "You’re right, I need to relax my teaching instincts a little."

"Quite a lot," I emphasized. "Well, you said you wanted to go to a restaurant and eat pasta, so," extending my hand in her direction. "Take me wherever you want to go, tonight I’m all yours."

She blinked a couple of times before starting to walk. "What are you waiting for?" she asked, turning her head. "It’s a good place, I promise there are non-alcoholic drinks."

My eyes lit up at those words, walking toward her. She, without knowing it, walked just like Emil, just like Nolan, just like Michael.

"Perfect then," I said, following without any resistance, my cheeks a little pink. "Hirise, do you mind if I take your arm?"

"Why?"

"I have a hard time keeping up with tall people," I confessed, touching my legs. "Also, when I go to new places, I don’t like walking alone."

"You’re just like Elena," she said, extending her arm. "But I don’t mind you asking. You know I like to help," she was about to take my hand, but she looked at it. "But first, one small condition," she smiled. "You’re going to continue your story."

Something in those words made me laugh. "Just that," I nodded, taking her hand. "I don’t know where to start, it’s going to be hard to narrate in the past while I’m in motion."

"If you want, close your eyes, I’ll lead you..."

"Hirise," I interrupted. "I have my conditions too."

"And what would those be?"

"That you also tell me something about yourself," I squeezed her arm. "My condition is that you also get to be heard."

She nodded, as I closed my eyes. The erratic movement of her arm rocked me up and down, while little by little I leaned against her shoulder and my body went on autopilot.

"Up and down, up and down..."

Up and down...

Just like the movement of my head resting against the car window. In my mind only those three letters bounced around, wow, while my eyes watched the headlights in the night.

I was in the passenger seat, listening to Mayo react to photos in the back.

"And what did you order the first time you went?" asked Nolan, turning around a right curve.

"Honestly, the first time I played it safe, pasta and meatballs," she showed a photo that Nolan glanced at through the rearview mirror. "But what they really do beautifully is the pajata." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"What’s that?" I asked, searching it on my phone.

"Basically, it’s baby veal intestines," she said without blinking, watching my face. "Don’t make that face, yes, they sound horrible, but they have this cream inside that comes from the milk the animal was drinking, and when it’s cooked it turns into something really delicious."

"Mayo, don’t forget you’re talking to someone who doesn’t eat meat," Nolan reminded her, watching my face. "Ryne is a little sensitive about meat."

"Don’t say that, Nolan," I interrupted. "Meat is just hard for me to digest, it’s not that I refuse to eat it," I said, swallowing.

"Relax, it comes with a very mild tomato sauce," she defended herself. "Do you know Mexican food? They eat menudo, which is a red broth made with stomach, feet and beef tripe," she pulled out her phone, moving closer to me, showing me a photo of herself.

"What are you eating?" I asked, watching her bite into a taco of white meat.

"What you’re seeing, Ryne, is a bull testicle taco," she smiled. "A guy told me it tasted delicious and he wasn’t lying. That day I ate two bull testicles."

"What?"

"Oh, your face, sweetheart," she laughed. "It’s Mexican gastronomy, baby. Don’t think of it as a war against vegetarian naturalists."

"Yes, I understand," I confirmed, fidgeting with my fingers.

"Mayo," Nolan called with a more serious tone than the rest of the night. "You’re making Ryne uncomfortable."

"Sorry, I was expanding her gastronomic knowledge," she blew a strand of her hair. "She goes to a Chinese buffet and gets surprised by Mexican food, what kind of logic is that?"

"The kind where at the Chinese buffet Ryne only eats bok choy and Chinese noodles."

"I also eat rice and stir-fried vegetables," I corrected. "Plus, I love taking a couple of woks home to have breakfast together."

"Yes, but if you don’t reheat it yourself, you forbid me from eating it."

"I improve it with black sauce. It’s so you’ll like it more."

"Okay!" interrupted Mayo. "We argue like sweet and sour chicken," she said flushed, as if she didn’t know what to say, but her eyes fixed on a sign that read in yellow cursive letters Gusti Italiani. "We’re here," she pointed. "The best restaurant in Vancouver."

"Right, except I don’t see a parking lot."

"You don’t need to look for parking here," she said again, pointing to a worker. "They take care of it, they’re all professionals."

"Signorina," said a young man in a red suit with yellow buttons and a white apron at his waist. "Mi permetta di aiutarla a scendere."

"What did he say?" I asked Mayo.

"He wants to help you out of the car," she answered, leaning close to my ear. "Tell him: Certo, però dopo mi fai una bella scopata."

I looked at him, extending my hand the way I’d seen in movies. "Ce-certo, però dopo mi fai una bella scopata," I smiled.

"Che sfacciataggine, signorina...! Ma non posso farlo durante il mio orario di lavoro," he said, taking my hand, pulling a piece of paper from his vest. "Ma mi è difficile rifiutare una proposta così allettante," he gave me his phone number. "È una donna davvero bellissima, quindi chiamami quando vuoi sfogarti."

I didn’t understand what he said, I just smiled, watching Mayo laugh.

"What did he say?" I asked Mayo again.

"He says he thinks you’re very pretty, and he gave you his number so you two could talk someday," she said, with a laugh in every word. "Tell him: Grazie, mi piacerebbe succhiarle il cazzo una sera."

"I want to tell him thank you but I have a partner."

"Oh, then tell him: La chiamerò una sera perché me lo metta nel culo, ma ho un compagno."

"La chiamerò una sera perché me lo metta nel culo, ma ho un compagno," I said, smiling at him as I walked away and took Nolan’s arm.

"I see you made a new friend," said Nolan.

"He told me I was pretty, but I told him I already have a partner," I hugged him tighter, leaning on his shoulder as I closed my eyes. "Right now I just want to enjoy the date with my man."

He stroked my head. "We’re here, Ryne, let’s go eat something delicious," and so our date began.

I opened my eyes, seeing the restaurant in front of me. And her, repeating his exact words. "We’re here, Ryne, let’s go eat something delicious," I smiled.

Chapter 35: Gusti Italiani IV