Page 84 of Sins and Virtue

“It looks like something out of a movie!”

And with Blair by my side, it was paradise.

I grunted as I stretched my hand out, signaling her to go further as she spotted a small wooden curved boat parked by the ancient bank of the river.

“Is that—” she blinked twice, her eyes growing larger. “A gondola?”

I nodded, slyly watching as the shining dark waters sparkled like diamonds in her hazel green eyes. Her eyes on the ocean, and the world was in her eyes. Just the slight change in emotion made the surprise worth it.

I dreamt of making her smile. Always.

“Where did you get one?”

“We’re in Italy. It’s obvious how.”

Her brows became conjoined, lowly setting on her browbone. “You stole it.”

A smirk betrayed me. “You know me so well.”

She laughed, then tried to disguise it with a scoff, attempting not to give me any satisfaction.

“Typical gangster activities.” As she crossed her arms, she eyed me.

“Ex-gangster.”

“The difference?”

“None, but I’m not the same man I was five years ago. Aren’t sinners allowed to change?”

“People change. It’s inevitable. Whether for good or bad, how can I judge you for doing so?”

“Now, you're starting to sound like a martyr.”

“Trust me, if I were to die for something, there’s only two things in the world I would die for.”

“That being?”

“Ha, you definitely don’t have those privileges yet. At least get me drunk before you try to start invading my personal life.”

She had a point.

Blair walked up to the gondola as I offered my hand, and she took it, stepping her left foot in and then her right. The boat shook on the night waters as she balanced herself and avoided capsizing it and sat down on the wooden seat.

After she was safely in, I jumped in as the boat swayed side to side.

Blair's eyes rounded as she held her hands out like she was trying to balance the gondola. “Ah, be careful! What if we drown?”

I sat down to meet her eye level. “Worried about me,kotyonok? I know you would just die if something happened to me.”

“Shut up! I can't swim, so I'm worried about the depth of the water!”

“It’s only five feet of water.”

“I’m five-four. Your point?”

My eyes roamed her body up and down, calculating her true height.

She scolded and threw me a dirty look. “What are you looking at?”