02

She shrugged. « Sure, but only once I’m ready to settle down. I’m not saying my first boyfriend will be The One, but I haven’t got time for dating and commitments right now. I want to focus on my education and securing a good job. »

That was completely understandable. She didn’t go into any more detail but she didn’t need to. Jasmine was human ; she had needs and urges, but she didn’t necessarily believe they went hand in hand with a steady boyfriend.

« Men and women should be equal in today’s society, » she continued. « I know they’re not, but they should be. Why is it acceptable for a guy to sleep around but not for a girl ? If a guy does it, he’s a lad. If a girl were to do it, she’d be called a slut. Far too many people, especially girls, throw the word slut around and that’s why women are hesitant to simply enjoy sex for what it is. You know, in a way, those who slut-shame are worse than the actual sluts. All slut-shamers have a nasty streak in them, but not all sluts do. »

Jasmine’s speech had started off in a calm, explanatory manner but it had quickly descended into a rant. I knew it was probably a subject that was close to her heart and I also imagined she’d probably been called a whole array of names in the past. Engaging in such a controversial lifestyle would inevitably bring up the same debate, and I think Jasmine now had enough experience in that debate to take down any person who challenged her on it.

« You don’t have to defend yourself to me, Jas, » I assured her. « In fact, I agree with you. Calling someone a slut is a very judgemental and hurtful thing to do. Sex is a personal choice and everyone will have different opinions on it. Stating that someone is a slut is almost like forcing your opinion on everyone else, and saying that if you act in a certain way, it makes you a certain thing. At the end of the day, you’re not hurting anyone by doing it. »

« It’s the same with everything these days, Izzy. » Jasmine sighed with a wry smile. « People are narrow-minded. They’re set in their ways and focus on a certain selection of beliefs. If someone goes against the grain then that person gets judged. It’ll change eventually, but no time soon. »

« Well, for the record, I like that you go against the grain. »

She smiled and it was a genuine smile of appreciation. Behind that smile, I almost saw a hint of what her softer interior could be like. Almost. Jasmine wasn’t one to dwell or get too soppy—not about herself, anyway. She demonstrated that perfectly by suddenly veering away from our discussion and changing the subject.

« It’s good to be different sometimes, » she said. « Speaking of different, I’m thinking of changing the layout of this living room…what d’you reckon ? »

And so the rest of the morning was spent shifting around furniture until Jasmine was satisfied that the space was being best utilised and I was unable to lift another chair. Our earlier conversation was forgotten, but that was the thing about Jasmine : she didn’t allow you to get caught up on anything, and I hoped that would help me get through the year.

The early October sun was warm as it shone down on Jasmine and me, reflecting off our glasses of prosecco and casting long shadows across Piazza Maggiore. Constant streams of distant voices added to the hustle and bustle of the city, as the last dregs of tourists huddled together for selfies while shop-owners and businessmen hurried back to work, post-siesta.

For the first time since arriving here, I felt content. Maybe it was because Nathan would be visiting me at the weekend, and the excitement from that was lifting my spirits, maybe it was the prosecco, or maybe it was just because this was nice.

You couldn’t do this in England ; the weather was hardly ever good enough to allow you to sit outside with a cold drink and soak up the atmosphere.

It wasn’t just the visual aspect of it ; granted, this square was beautiful with its historical architecture and large open spaces where children ran around, happily playing as their parents watched over them from a nearby cafe, but the main difference was the people. It was a lot more civil ; nobody was drinking pints, getting rowdy or cheering at a nearby football match.

It managed to be classy here, without being overtly so. Jasmine and I didn’t feel out of place, like we weren’t elite enough for it, and that was what made it a much nicer experience overall.

However, there was one thing that was already starting to bug me.

« Are you sure you don’t want to move ? » Jasmine asked as I tried to subtly waft away a cloud of cigarette smoke.

I shook my head while simultaneously glancing around for any other free tables. At this time in the afternoon, the café was busy, and the weather was pleasant enough to encourage most guests to sit outside, which meant no table was entirely free from straying smoke.

« There’s no point, » I told her. « You can’t really escape it and I’m gonna have to get used to it at some point. »

« I do find it ironic, » Jasmine said. « I mean, Italy has this reputation of being such a classy country, fashion capital of the world, full of elegant people and heaps of culture… But then they sort of ruin the illusion with all the smoking. »

I shrugged, agreeing with her. « I guess so. »

« I mean, it’s such a disgusting habit, » she went on, leading into a full-blown rant. « These people are probably proud of their country and how elegantly they’re viewed as a nation, and yet you walk past someone smoking and you’d never think, oh she looks so classy with that cigarette poised between her fingers ! »

I smiled in amusement and took a sip of prosecco. Considering I’d been anxious about meeting Jasmine, she’d not given me an opportunity to be nervous around her. With a matter-of-fact attitude, and a plethora of opinions just begging to be expressed, my new flatmate was easy company and very down-to-earth.

« I guess there used to be a time when it was considered sophisticated, » she said, « but with all the scientific evidence behind it nowadays proving how life-threatening it is ? They need to move on and find other ways to look cool. »

« It’s ingrained in their culture, though, I imagine. »

« Shit, » she said, an unusual veil of concern falling over her face. « Does your boyfriend smoke ? »

Laughing at her evident panic that she’d accidentally offended me, I shook my head.

« No-well, he used to… But not anymore. Not for a while now. »

Jasmine nodded in approval and looked visibly relieved. Although her straight-talking personality was refreshing, it was also reassuring to know that she didn’t want to offend me with any of her strong opinions.

« Did he stop because you didn’t like it, or… ? »

I shrugged and began to swirl the liquid around in the prosecco glass. It was something I often did with wine, as an almost subconscious action while thinking, but the narrow flutes didn’t lend themselves as easily to my habit. The fizzy liquid sloshed up the sides of the glass, dangerously close to the rim, temporarily distracting me from my line of thought as I placed it firmly down onto the table where I didn’t risk wasting any of the cheap-yet tasty-alcohol.

« Erm, no, not exactly, » I said, realising it had been a while since she’d asked. « He’d mostly stopped before then. He still smoked occasionally but then stopped completely when he realised I didn’t like it. »

« That’s good. It’s nice to think you’ve had that kind of positive influence on someone. What made him give up originally ? »

« He had a bit of a past, but then moved away to escape it all, and I guess that’s when he gave it up. »

I didn’t want to go into too much detail about Nathan’s less-than-ideal backstory, for fear of Jasmine changing her overwhelmingly positive opinion of him so far, but she didn’t push for any further information. Instead, she nodded slowly and digested what I’d said.

« Yeah, I remember you saying he lived out here. Rome, right ? »

« Yeah. Weird how these things work out, isn’t it ? »

« Super weird. Some would call it fate, others with more common sense would call it a coincidence. »

I smiled again at that, staring into the depths of my sparkling prosecco as I considered my own thoughts on the matter. Truth be told, it probably was more of a coincidence than fate, but Jasmine’s view of the world did tend to make you reconsider your own initial beliefs.

Despite radiating confidence and total ease with the conversation, she still didn’t ask me to expand on Nathan’s past, something which I was thankful for. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her yet, or that I expected her to judge-she’d proved that she’d never cast judgement over me-but it was nice to know that there were some things that she was happy for me to divulge in my own time. It showed a certain sense of consideration, which was easy to overlook when you were so out-spoken and strongly opinionated.

« If he hadn’t changed, do you think you’d still be with him ? » Jasmine then asked, her eyes landing on mine. She’d been mindlessly watching the two children but now her attention was back on me.