Chapter Five
1059 Words
The uncontrollable shaking had started quickly, and that was just at the idea of the height. "Come on. You won't even notice once we are on our way. Judging by the train journey, the landscape will stop you from noticing anything else." I admired his confidence, but I certainly didn't share it. As we boarded, I had a moment where my body just didn't want to go forward, and Luca gave me a little push from behind. Grabbing my hand again almost the second he got on with me. There was no turning back. I just had to try to stay calm and hope Luca was right.
"It's fine. I'm here and it will be worth it, I promise." The nervousness only built as we got going and traveled over the car park below, but within moments, we were among the trees. Sailing above the lush greens of alpines. There seemed to be a small walking path beneath us snaking its way up the mountain and I couldn't help but wonder if I would have been happier walking. The tension in my body was ridiculous and every so often Luca gave my hand a squeeze.
I had thought we were close to the clouds on the train, but I had been so wrong. The wispiness of them was starting to envelop us completely. It obstructed the view, but it did ease my anguish considerably. Isabella kept letting out little coos along the journey and I couldn't help but think she was encouraging me to enjoy it instead of fear it. As though, if even a tiny baby was content up there, it couldn't possibly be that scary.
I was better right up until we started pulling into the station at the top. It felt a little more jerky than I had expected. I was relieved to have my feet back on firm ground. As we stepped outside the building, I was surprised by the amount of snow. I had somehow expected it to be much more than there actually was. There was just a delicate covering. Enough to make it beyond picturesque, but not enough to make it difficult to manoeuvre.
I could see why there was a need for the coat and boots, though. I headed over to the edge, protected by a brick wall from falling to my doom. The view was completely obscured by clouds. "It's still early. It's supposed to clear up later on."
"Fantastic. I would rather not have risked that death trap and have no stunning view to make the trip worthwhile."
"It's not about the view. I wanted you to know every time you look out of that window of yours that you have been here. My presence here with you and Isabella forever linking us with the thing you've cherished the longest. All of your loves in one place, so to speak."
"You've been hiding something from me during our whole relationship, you know?"
"What's that?"
"Your romantic side."
"You haven't seen anything yet. This trip is the start of our fresh start. No more fires, stabbings or drama of any kind. Just you, me and Isabella making memories."
"Let's hope the universe is listening to your requests, eh?" I couldn't imagine the trip getting any better than at that moment. He pulled me over to a bench overlooking Innsbruck and we sat down.
"Ready for lunch? You know, while we wait for the clouds to clear." Suddenly realising what he was doing at the cafe.
"Now is as good a time as any. What are we having?"
"Strudel, strudel and more strudel. When in Rome? It would be rude not to." He reached into the backpack and started pulling out packages. Handing me a piece of strudel and leaving me to look at it, slightly concerned by the contents.
"I thought strudel was normally apple? "
"It is, but there is a great place here that does all sorts of fillings. Including spinach and ricotta, which is what we have."
"Well, that explains why my apple is a funky colour." The slight giggle didn't last long as I took a huge bite. It was the most amazing thing I had ever had and, in a strange way, reminded me of being back in England. A bit like eating a really nice posh Cornish Pasty, one of the artisan ones I had when I was on holiday there. They weren't the same, but the similarities brought back all those memories. It was something Luca often talked about. It wasn't the food that was important, but the memory it made or, in this case, triggered. If I had thought that was good, it was nothing compared to the mango and apple one he passed me afterwards.
When he pulled the flask out of the bag, I realised just how much thought he had put into every element of the day. The hot chocolate was just what I needed. As we sat there, it was like the clouds were slowly thinning and dissipating. Revealing Innsbruck to us from above. Somehow, it was even more magical that way, instead of it being a crystal clear view from the minute we got up there.
The ride back down was much more impressive. I had seen so much of the scenery it was starting to lose its magic. The journey back to the car seemed to take so much longer than it had on the way up. While I got me and Isabella in the car, Luca was fishing around in the boot. When he finally joined me, he had another gift bag in tow. "There's another destination?"
"Unless you're too tired, but I warn you it's one you won't want to miss. I also think Em might murder you for missing it. She was very excited about the prospect."
"No, I'm good. You drive and I'll open." As I popped open the bag, which had been sealed with a million staples, I looked at Luca confused. Pulling out the pair of cream court shoes from the bag.
"Em, again. She said that you would thank her later for not being forced to wear hiking boots at the next destination." I was even more intrigued as to what sort of destination required heels. Also, slightly panicked at the idea of working in heels while carrying Isabella.
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