She got up, took a shower, and went down for breakfast. She was still a bit confused by the time she had reached the restaurant. she got herself a plate, and filled it with fruit and some bread. Since she didn't like coffee, she just took some orange juice, and decided to ask if it was possible to have some tea the next day. This time, the restaurant was filled with other hotel guests. She looked around, and there was only one empty table left, in the far corner next to the window.
She had brought her book with her, because she didn't feel like starting a conversation with someone she didn't know, and people don't tend to bother you when they see you're reading. She had brought a few books on her trip, because she wasn't sure if she would be able to find English books in the countries she wanted to visit, and if there was one thing she couldn't do without, it was books. Whenever she had a free moment, you could always find her with her noose in one book or another. Everything she could find, she read.
Before she had left, she had started reading 'Insomnia' by Stephen King. Since it was a thick book, she was sure that it would last her for a little while. She got completely cought up in the book, that she forgot all about her breakfast. Without her noticing, most of the guests had finished breakfast and had left already. When she finally looked up from her book, she saw she was one of the last guests still there, and when she looked at her watch, she had to look twice, because she couldn't believe that she had been sitting there for over an hour already. She quickly finished breakfast, and when she left the restaurant, she saw the hotel boy looking at her and smiling. She went back up to her room, packed a back pack with some things she might need for the rest of the day, and went back downstairs.
She had explored the city a bit yesterday, and set out a plan of the things she wanted the visit proparly this time. Since it was the most famous monument in rome, she had decided to start off by paying the Collosseum a visit. Just in front of her there was a group of tourist that had a guide with there, so she joined their group to learn a bit more about the history of the building. She had read about it in her tour guide but maybe this man know some interesting stories that weren't in her book. The tour lasted for about an hour and she really enjoyed herself. When it was done and she was bakc outside, she saw someone watching her from a distance. Before she had the chance to take a proper look, the person had already turned around and left. She didn't think to much about it, probably just a tourist who was admiring the building, and who wasn't looking at her specifically.
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Ellie went to a stall nearby, to buy something to drink and a little something to eat as well. She sat down for a while, and then got her map out of her backpack, to map out where she was going next, since she didn't want to loose them by going in the wrong directions. After the Collosseum, the Forum Romanum was the next thing on her list. Since she wanted to see everything there was to see there, it was also the last thing on her list for that day. And because a friend had told her that there were some beautiful, quiet places there, she had brought her book with her. She payed the enterance fee, and just wondered around for a while. She had bought a little guide at the entrance as well, so she would know what she was looking at. Although most of the buildings were ruins, she still thought it was all really beautiful and interesting as well. After having seen most of the tings at ground level, she went up the hill, and found something orange trees which where blossoming. It smelled great and there was a wooden bank underneath them. She decided to stay there for a while, and just enjoy the environment and maybe read a bit as well. There were other tourists around, but she didn't pay much atention to them. When she was reading, there was almost nothing that could break her concentration. The whole world could fall apart around her, and she wouldn't even notice it, her friends sometimes said.
She only had about a hundred pages more to go before the book was finished, when she noticed that the sun was starting to go down. Seeing as it was only 12 o'clock or maybe a bit later, when she sat down, she had spend quite a long time there. Luckily they didn't close the gates early, or she wold have been stuck there for te night. She got her book, and her bottle of water, stuffed them in her back pack and got up. She hadn't noticed that someone had been watching her all the time she had been sitting there. And she didn't see either, that he got up to follow her again.
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She left the Forum, and got out her map to find her way back to the hotel. She was standing on the sidewalk, behind the corner, when someone suddenly bumped into her. She looked up and was very surprised to see it was the guy from the hotel. He looked a bit surprised himself and started to apologize. She said that wasn't necessary, since she probably shouldn't have stopped right around the corner. It was a bit difficult, seeing that her Italian wasn't very good, but she managed to make herself understood, with the little she did know and a bit of English in between it. She asked him if he was going back to the hotel. If he was, they could maybe walk together, since she was heading back there herself and wouldn't mind the company. He said he was, and so that went together.
Because they hadn't spoken before, she asked him what his name was. He said his parents had called him Fransisco and that she was Ellie, right? He so she got a very surprised look on her face, and before she could ask how he knew that, he said he had seen it in the hotel book. Not that he was looking for it specifically or anything, but he was a bit bored the other night, and just went through the book to see if there were a lot of new guests, and where they were from. Since she was to only one that arrived that day, it wasn't too difficult to guess her name. He hoped he didn't upset her. She said it was fine, and asked where he had learned his English, seeing as his sister said it wasn't very good, but she found it very understandable. He asked her not to tell his sister, but he had been practicing a bit, with someone how had staid in the hotel the week before. His sister didn't like it when he did that, because she thought the guests might not like it, but they didn't seem to mind at all.