A bar in a neighborhood below Roma Termini, Rome, Italy, January 2022, "Alex"

He greeted me with three kisses, alternating cheeks each time. I am used to two but navigated that smoothly, avoiding an almost first kiss done too soon.

We talk about our lives, our want of being a citizen of the world, and something about his eyes makes me forget. I forget past loves, traumas, snarky comments made by people passing by. I forget that I am in Italy escaping the COVID inflicted pain that had infiltrated NYC. I get lost in my head and rub my hand on my leg, trying to keep present, anchoring my head and the thoughts contained in it.

Maybe his heart condition is contagious...

He leaves his bike at the bar, coming back for it later and walks me back to my hotel. He takes an indirect route, as do I in writing this, pointing me to another street.

"You just want to spend more time with me", I comment.

We stand at the entrance as I delay the walk in, lingering intentionally, even after giving a warm hug goodbye. He asks if he could see me the next evening and I agree before parting ways.

He sends me a message asking me to come over to his apartment. I try to convince him to meet somewhere public and explain that isn't smart for a young woman to meet a stranger she just met like this. His reaction was angry and I am confused and heartbroken.

Stranger and foreigner are interchangeable in Bulgarian, I believe, mirroring the sentiment of the country at the time.