Florence 23:34, or 11:34 pm.
It was dark, atleast the sky was. The lights of the city shone brightly and lighted up the city in a warm hue.
I took a big breath and smelled various kinds of drinks -- beer, wine, soda, even coffee.
It was like all my senses were hightened by something. Maybe it was the excitement, the tiredness or something else entirely. I didn't know.
"Signora, can I pass by please? I don't want to be rude but you're standing in the middle of the street. Be careful."
I turned around to see a young man standing in front of me, carrying two brown boxes. His words were sincere, he didn't look angry.
My face held a look of confusion. What was up with me that evening? I hadn't taken anything, but still I was so out of it, staring up at him.
"C'mon, I don't have much time to stand here..."
As I finally snapped out of it, I wanted to slap myself for being so dumb and slow.
"I'm sorry!" I almost yelled, taking a step to the side and nearly tripping over my own feet.
He chuckled and shook his head. "Thankyou. Now I can continue my way. Have a good evening."
His fancy way of talking made it sound like he was mocking me. But it didn't feel like that. It felt refreshing, making me turn back to reality. I was indeed standing in the middle of the street, in a rather abandoned part of the city. My heart felt empty. No noise, no lights, no warmth.
The cafés felt so far away, and so did he. The man who's way I blocked.
Then thoughts started to flood my head. He had a tattoo of the number six on his arm. What was wrong with me? I felt dizzy and stable at the same time, like I was hypnotized. Did someone inject me with something?
I grabbed my own hand and held it before my eyes. It looked normal, nothing to worry about, but still the feeling gnawed at me.
As I turned around, I could see the stairs to the subway. That's where I had to be tommorow morning. That was why I went outside in the first place. I had done what I had to do, so it was better to get some sleep now.
After some time, I arrived at my dorm. Even though I didn't want this day to end, I longed for my bedsheets to embrace me and to take me into a long slumber. So, I sat down on them and lay down.
Finally, I closed my eyes and I hoped to dream. To dream of what was yet to come.