Chapter 1: A Chance Meeting on the Water
The canals of Venice had a way of making people feel like they were caught between the past and the present. The gentle sway of gondolas, the reflections of old stone bridges in the water, the echo of footsteps along narrow alleys—it was a city built for lovers, for poets, for dreamers.
Adrian wasn’t any of those things.
He was a workaholic journalist, in Venice for a travel piece he didn’t want to write. To him, the city was just another assignment, another deadline. That was until he got lost.
Wandering through the maze of alleys, he turned a corner and nearly walked straight into someone—someone who smelled like the ocean, with sun-kissed skin and sharp, playful blue eyes.
“You look lost,” the man said, adjusting the rope he had slung over his shoulder. He wore the uniform of a gondolier, but there was something effortless, almost mischievous, in the way he leaned against the stone railing.
“I’m not lost,” Adrian replied stiffly, glancing at his phone’s dead battery.
The gondolier smirked. “Then you must just like standing in the middle of alleys looking confused.”
Adrian sighed. “Fine. I’m lost.”
The gondolier held out a hand. “Luca.”
Adrian hesitated before shaking it. “Adrian.”
Luca’s grip was strong, warm. “Come on, journalist. I’ll show you the Venice tourists never see.”
And just like that, Adrian’s carefully planned trip was derailed.
Chapter 2: The Gondolier’s Venice
Luca wasn’t just a gondolier. He was a storyteller, an artist in the way he moved through the city. He knew which bridges were the best for sunsets, which streets had the best gelato, and which plazas filled with music at night.
Adrian told himself he was only following Luca because it would make for a better article.
But then there were moments—like when they glided through the water at midnight, the city lights reflecting in the canal, and Luca hummed an old Venetian song under his breath.
Or when they stood on the rooftops, the wind messing up Adrian’s usually neat hair, and Luca laughed. “You look better like this. Less serious.”
Or when Luca told him, “Venice isn’t about where you’re going. It’s about getting lost.”
Adrian didn’t realize he was falling until it was too late.
Chapter 3: An Expiration Date
Luca was free-spirited, untethered. Adrian was tied to deadlines and responsibilities.
“I leave in three days,” Adrian said one night as they sat on the edge of a dock, their feet barely touching the water.
Luca nodded, tossing a stone into the canal. “I figured.”
Adrian clenched his fists. “That’s all you’re going to say?”
Luca looked at him, eyes unreadable. “What do you want me to say?”
Adrian swallowed. He wanted Luca to tell him to stay.
Instead, Luca just smiled—a soft, almost sad smile. “Venice has always been about fleeting things. Beauty that exists for a moment, then fades.”
Adrian turned away. “I don’t want to fade.”
Luca was quiet for a long time before he whispered, “Then don’t.”
Chapter 4: Love is Not a Postcard
Adrian left.
He told himself it was the right choice. That Venice wasn’t real—it was a dream, a mirage.
But back in his high-rise apartment, surrounded by city lights and the constant hum of deadlines, everything felt… dull.
His article on Venice went viral. People loved his descriptions, his depth, the way he wrote about the city as if he had lived there forever.
But only Adrian knew the truth. He hadn’t written about Venice.
He had written about Luca.
Epilogue: Finding Home
Two months later, Adrian found himself in Venice again. He told himself it was for another assignment.
But the moment he stepped off the boat, his eyes searched for a familiar face.
And there, by the docks, leaning against a gondola with the same infuriating smirk, was Luca.
“Took you long enough,” Luca said.
Adrian exhaled, heart pounding. “You said Venice is about getting lost.”
Luca tilted his head. “Yeah?”
Adrian stepped closer. “I think I finally figured out where I’m supposed to be.”
And this time, when Luca reached for him, Adrian didn’t let go.
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