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31 July 2023,
Italy Trip: Day 1
The flight was horrible. I had a middle seat, the guy next to me snored the whole time and there was a crying baby behind me. I'm now 100% convinced they shouldn't allow babies on planes. Or people who snore. I tried to block the noise with Netflix but, as usual, I couldn't find anything interesting and I ended up watching Queer Eye again.
The first thing I did after I landed was head straight to the hotel and sleep. I don't even know how much I slept, but it was the kind of sleep that left you kind of sore and even more tired than before. By the time I woke up, though, it had already gotten dark, so I ordered some room service and watched shitty reality TV.
I started this diary to record everything that happened in my life. Maybe because I found my life very boring. Or because I wanted to be one of those people who were always writing something. Anyway, I have to get better at it, and maybe try to step out of my comfort zone, otherwise this will end up like "I woke up, I had breakfast and visited X monument, Then I headed to the hotel and watched TV in bed." I blame this first day on jet lag. But tomorrow better be interesting. Otherwise I might go insane from boredom.
1 August 2023,
Italy Trip: Day 2
I visited the Colosseum. I took the guided tour and snapped some cool pictures to brag with, and yeah, you might say I learned a few history facts, but I was more preoccupied with this one girl. She was short, but she didn't look like a child or something, even if her clothes and her hair might have suggested that. And, oh my God, her hair! She had it in those two buns, Space Buns I think they're called and, I kid you not, she had stars in it! Not like, actual stars, but, like… stickers? Anyway, she looked so cool and I could tell I wasn't the only one who noticed her. I think I even heard a little boy asking his father if she was a superhero, which was adorable, honestly. I didn't talk to her, sadly. She seemed too preoccupied with enjoying herself, and what could I even have said? "I like your hair."? Yeah, sure. Talk about cringe.
But then, the greatest coincidence happened. We both chose to go to the same restaurant. And we even sat close to each other! I think I stared a bit too long, because she noticed, but before I could look away, she winked at me! I almost spilled my water all over the table.
I wonder if I'll ever see her again. Rome is a big city. That may have been her last day, for all I know. At least, if she keeps dressing as she did today, it won't be too hard to notice her.
P.S.: She kind of looks like Princess Shuri of Wakanda. But it can't be. What the hell would she be doing in Rome anyway?
2 August 2023,
Italy Trip: Day 3
No sign of Star Girl today. It's Friday and everything is busier and more expensive than usual, so I just strolled around. I like looking for other tourists and listening to them, trying to piece together where they come from. For example, there was this boy, I think he was Japanese, who spent about half an hour talking angrily to someone on the phone. I like to think it was a family member. Everybody has issues with them, right? Or maybe it's just me…
I'm starting to think going on vacation by myself was a bad idea.
3 August 2023,
Italy Trip: Day 4
Turns out I was wrong about Star Girl. She's still in Rome, and, on top of that, she's staying at the same hotel I am. Also, she said her name is Shuri, but that must be just a coincidence, right? It's not like I could ask her "Hey are you a wakandan princess?" That would be weird, even more so if she isn't. I decided to just wait until she tells me. That's what famous people like, I think. They like it when normal people don't know who they are. But let me tell you how I managed to see her again and even muster up some courage to talk to her. She's even prettier up close. Not that I got terribly close, I respect personal space.
I woke up ridiculously early and felt so jittery I couldn't fall back asleep anymore, so I decided to finally explore that pool the hotel keeps bragging with in brochures. After ten solid minutes of ravaging my suitcase, I realised I didn't have a bathing suit with me. I vaguely remember how haphazardly I packed my clothes. I'm never going to forgive myself for wanting to be spontaneous. It's a good thing I didn't decide to backpack or some shit like that.
I wasn't the only one in the pool, which was weird because it was 5 a.m., but then I realised it was Shuri, which made more sense, though it was shocking to see her again. She definitely seems to be better at this spontaneity thing than I am since, unlike me, she had a bathing suit and she was already swimming laps when I got inside. Her hair was in braids I hadn't noticed from afar before and she looked even tinier. When she saw me she screamed, but then she laughed and I decided right then and there that it is the most beautiful sound in the world. I apologised for scaring her and we started talking and next thing I knew it was 10 p.m. and I was dancing next to her in a club that played really old music and I could see she had glitter on her cheeks from her smudged eyeshadow and I was so tipsy I almost kissed her.
I am writing this with a massive headache and I'm seriously wondering whether all of this has just been a dream.
4 August 2023,
Italy Trip: Day 5
It wasn't a dream at all. I woke up to the sound of knocking and when I opened the door, there she was, still in pajamas and holding my phone. I had apparently left it in her purse, and I would have left my keys there too if she didn't carry me to my room. Talk about a good first impression! I was mortified but her smile was so radiant and genuine when she told me it was completely fine and that she'd never had this much fun in her life that I couldn't help but smile too and then I invited her to spend the day with me again.
But first we got breakfast at this fancy vegan place of her choosing and she ordered for me because I had no idea what anything on the menu was and she was so nice and her hand was so close to mine while we waited for the food and then she paid for it and... I'm pretty sure we went on a date.
I'm not one to accept other people paying for my things so I took her shopping, except I really had no idea where to go. We spent a good chunk of the day wandering through boutiques and trying on clothes without buying anything but it was completely okay because I got to see her model clothes in front of me and I never wanted to take my eyes off of her again. She found a deep blue dress with a slit at the thighs that fit her so well even the silly poses she did made my heart beat so damn hard I feared she might hear it.
We almost got kicked out from the last store from laughing too hard. I don't even remember what we were laughing about, but I still remember how beautiful it sounded to me.
After that, Shuri basically dragged me across the city and refused to tell me where she was taking me.
It was an amusement park. I never went to one as a kid and I think neither did she, judging from her broad grin that she sported all night.
We tried everything and screamed so loud I almost lost my voice. Through it all I never stopped touching her. She mainly gripped my arm tightly at the rides she deemed dangerous but still got on. I like to think she was convinced by my amazing puppy eyes.
Then we got on the ferris wheel. And we kissed. I don't know who initiated it but we kissed and kissed until we got back down again. She tasted like the too sweet cotton candy I bought her.
On the way back to the hotel, we held hands and didn't say a thing. And when we got back, she took me to her room and we kissed some more.
Best. Night. Ever.
5 August 2023,
Italy Trip: Day 6
I woke up to Shuri's phone ringing and I almost fell off the bed. At first I thought it was just an alarm, but then she grabbed the phone, groaned, and proceeded to angrily talk with someone on the other end in a language I didn’t recognize. I just sat there, not knowing what to do, until she finished. She tried to apologize, saying it was just family but I stopped her, saying I had problems with them too. It was clear she didn’t like this topic all that much, and neither did I, so I quickly got us up and we went to have breakfast at the hotel - it was surprisingly delicious.
This time, I chose where we went. I’ve been in Rome for six days and I hadn’t gotten the chance to do what I came here to do: visit museums. We spent the whole day at Galleria Borghese and the Capitoline Museums, and I don’t know why, but I swear to God, of all the statues and painting on display, Shuri was the nicest to look at.
The whole day we did the whole tourist thing, saw everything, or almost everything. I think Shuri had already seen all of these things, but she went along anyway. I’m glad she did, because being in such a huge, historical place can be pretty overwhelming. I’m not good with feelings, I don’t know how to describe what I felt seeing all those things. But I definitely felt something.
We ate gelato on the street, we visited random, overpriced boutiques, we had some true, italian pizza and then we ended up at the same club where I almost kissed her. This time, I kissed her. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of kissing her.
6 August 2023,
Italy Trip: Day 7
I knew this was too good to be true. Also, I was right: she was princess Shuri of Wakanda. And this morning, when we woke up, she told me it was her last day here.
I wasn’t angry, I had no right to be. Tomorrow will also be my last day. But part of me hoped this was never going to end.
She gave me her number, her snapchat, her private instagram, everything and promised we will stay in touch. She said she’d love to visit me some day. I said I’d love to visit her too, but this Italy trip cost me all my savings. She said she’d take care of that. We said a lot of things, and we both believed them one hundred percent. Departures don’t always have to be bitter. And Shuri gave me the best three days of my life.
We went to the opera. I don’t remember what it was, all I could focus on was Shuri’s arm pressed against mine. People stared at us. I don’t know if it was because they recognised Shuri (she had stars in her hair again) or because we were both in jeans and button-ups. She looked stunning anyway. Better than those people in clothes more expensive than my phone.
That evening I helped her pack, and we watched TV, with room service and outrageous amounts of wine. She smiled the whole time.
7 August 2023,
Italy Trip: Day 8
I saw Shuri off at the airport and, when I got back to the hotel, I received a snap from her, the clouds from the window.
Without her here, I don’t really know what to do. I’ve packed my clothes, I’m all ready to leave. But I still have one day here, and I don’t want to spend it at the hotel. If I do something worth mentioning, then I’ll write. If not, this is the end of my italian experience. It was better than I could have imagined, and I’m actually not dreading coming home. I might even call my mom. She’ll have to accept that I’m gay at one point.
I did do one last cool thing. Or maybe not entirely well thought out. I visited an old bookstore and I blew all the money I had left on books in italian I’ll never read. But I’d rather have books than some ugly magnet. I sent Shuri some pretty good pictures too.
8 August 2023,
Italy Trip: Final Day
My plane got delayed. Obviously.
But this time it was quieter. No crying, no snoring. I slept the whole time.
When I landed, I had a missed call from mom. And four texts from Shuri.
Also, an instagram follow request from King T’Challa!?