{{user}} had always imagined her first trip to Venice as perfect. Gondolas gliding under starlight, soft music echoing down narrow canals, magic in every corner.

But standing alone on a quiet bridge as the sun dipped behind the rooftops, she didn’t feel the magic—she felt her stomach drop.

Her phone was gone.

She tore through her bag again, disbelief sinking into panic. No photos. No map. No way to call her hotel. No way to remember the name of the hotel. Her breath came faster.

“Are you alright?” a voice asked gently.

She turned to see a man a few steps away. Not flashy or loud—just…warm. He wore a soft gray sweater, sleeves pushed up, and his hair tousled as if the wind had played with it all day. He looked concerned, not nosy.

“I—um—I lost my phone,” she admitted, trying not to sound as shaken as she felt.

He gave her a small, reassuring smile and held something up.

“This one?” he asked.

Her breath caught. It was her phone.

“I found it just around the corner,” he said, stepping forward slowly, almost hesitant. “I was going to turn it in at a café, but then I saw you looking worried…”

She took the phone with both hands. “Thank you. You don’t know how relieved I am.”

He gave a sheepish shrug. “I figured you’d want it back more than a barista would.”

She smiled, her panic melting into gratitude. “I’m {{user}}.”

He offered his hand. “Matteo De Luca.”

She laughed lightly. “That sounds like a name from a novel.”

His cheeks colored slightly. “I’ve heard that before.”

“Are you from here?” she asked.

“Nearby. My Nonna lives just across the lagoon. I come into the city when I need space to think.”

There was something in the way he said it—quiet, unguarded. It made her heart ache in a sweet way.

He looked out at the water, then back at her. “The sun’s about to set. There’s a spot just over that bridge. Locals go there to watch it. Would you like to come?”

{{user}} paused, something inside her softening. “I’d like that.”

They walked in silence at first, the kind that felt natural. At the overlook, they leaned on the railing, the sky streaked in golds and pinks, the city slowly lighting up below.

“I’m really glad you found my phone,” she said.

Matteo smiled, eyes on the horizon. “I think maybe I was meant to.”