Napoli, Day Two: The Bright Side of Us
We woke up the way lovers wake up when they’ve finally found each other again, slowly, greedily, as if time is a soft animal you can hold still with your hands. Before the city even fully began, we began. Kisses first. Then that familiar, wordless certainty. Love, again, not as an idea, but as a living thing. And then Napoli offered us its sweetness. We went to Caffè Gambrinus, the one I had missed the way you miss a place that keeps part of your heart safe for you. An impossible sfogliatella, warm and tender at the center, and coffee so perfect it felt ceremonial. I watched you watch me. Your eyes held that quiet warmth that makes a woman feel chosen without having to ask for proof. Not just desired, but recognized. As if my face is home to you now. After that, we set off for the Certosa di San Martino. We found the old steps through the Quartieri Spagnoli, the real heartbeat of Napoli, the part that doesn’t perform, doesn’t decorate itself for tourists, doesn’t apologize for ...
