Chapter Text
The night was calm and balmy, the perfect night for a moonlit dinner in the garden. And for Copia, it had been perfect. He planned everything out, from the exact location in the garden to have the best view of the sky to the menu to the blanket he brought to sit on. He wanted this date to be absolutely perfect.
His date, a Sister of Sin he had known most of his life named Maria, seemed to be enjoying herself, which put him a bit at ease. Conversation always seemed to flow easily between them, and tonight was no exception. Copia considered Maria a close friend, though recently, he began to wonder if things could be different between them. He was comfortable around her, and she felt safe. He had always thought she was beautiful, but to become more than friends with her... Perhaps their friendship was why he had felt bold enough to ask her on a date, to begin with, but it still surprised him how quickly she agreed. He had no idea she had ever considered him more than a friend.
As the evening progressed, Copia began to sense a heaviness in the air, a sense of anticipation for… something. In all honesty, Copia had been on very few dates, but he knew enough to realize where this was headed. After they had finished their meal, they sat side by side, gazing up at the clear sky. Copia was so absorbed in trying to figure out how he should end the night that he jumped when Maria's hand suddenly covered his. He looked down at their hands and swallowed hard, his cheeks heating up.
"Tonight was wonderful, Copia," Maria said, looking at him coquettishly.
"Y-you think so? I wanted it to be perfect…"
She smiled and squeezed his hand, leaning into him a bit. "It was perfect. But you know what would make it even better?"
The way she was looking at him was making him even more nervous, but he found himself a bit mesmerized. "What?"
Her gaze dropped to his lips, and she briefly bit hers. "This."
Copia completely froze the second Maria's lips touched his. His brain seemed to short-circuit, and his only rational thought was, "I am finally being kissed." When Maria realized he was not reciprocating, she leaned back, still smiling coyly.
"You can kiss me back, you know."
He nodded jerkily and swallowed hard again. "S-sì."
She kissed him again, and Copia did his best to kiss her back. Or, tried to. Maybe he was too sloppy or too stiff or… something, but the only thing he was sure of was how uncomfortable he was. This was not right. He must have been doing something wrong, but…
Maria pulled away again, giving him a forced smile. "Well… that was… something."
She hated it; he could tell. Copia looked away, ashamed. He did not want to tell her he had never kissed anyone before.
With a shaky breath, he forced himself to look at her. "I am sorry. May I… May I try again?"
She hesitated just for a moment before nodding. Copia kissed her first this time and tried his best to emulate how he had seen kisses go in movies. He tried to be passionate, but perhaps he was a little too enthusiastic. Maria ended up pushing him away.
"Maybe we should call it a night," she said, not quite meeting his eyes. "Before we get too carried away," she added as if to soften the blow.
Copia nodded solemnly. "Sì… I suppose you are right."
Maria stood, and Copia slowly followed. “Thank you for the lovely dinner, Copia. I’ll see you later.”
She hesitated momentarily before giving him an extremely brief peck on the cheek before leaving the garden, leaving Copia to clean up the picnic and pack up the blanket alone. He moved in a daze, totally on automatic pilot. Things had been going so well…
Copia returned to his room; his head lowered in dejection. He should not have allowed the kiss to happen. But he wanted to kiss Maria, he had wanted to for a long time, and then he was presented with the opportunity on a silver platter and… he had completely ruined it.
What was he going to do?
"Bishop Copia?"
Copia looked up to see Terzo approaching him. "Ah, Cardinale. I was not expecting to run into anyone at this hour."
Terzo waved his hand. "I was just on my way back to my room." He then tilted his head with a slight frown. "Didn't you have a date tonight?"
Copia nodded. "With Sister Maria, sì."
"Ah. Then why do you look so glum? Did it not go well?"
"It was going just fine until… until…." He broke off, his cheeks heating up in embarrassment. This was not something he wanted to admit to Terzo, of all people. "Until she kissed me."
Terzo raised his eyebrows. "Is she a bad kisser?"
Copia shook his head and closed his eyes. "No, Cardinale, it is I who is the bad kisser. I, um… do not have much experience kissing…"
Because Copia was looking down, he missed the mischievous smile that crossed Terzo's lips.
"Perhaps I could help you with that."
Copia's head shot up. "You?"
Terzo lifted a hand and chuckled. "Heh, not me, no. But I know someone who would be happy to help you, to teach you how to kiss properly."
"Who?"
"Sister Alexandra."
Copia blinked in surprise. Surely not her… But Terzo would not know about Copia's affections for her unless… Copia's face got hotter. He had admired Alexandra from afar for years, but he always felt like she was entirely out of his league, especially because she was a former flame of Terzo’s. Apparently, she wanted more than Terzo was willing to give, so perhaps….
“Why would she help me?”
Terzo smiled knowingly. “Trust me, Copia; she will help. You want things to work out with Sister Maria, sì? Then you should learn from one of the best kissers I’ve ever known.”
“Really?” She was?
“Oh, sì. If Alex had not wanted to settle down and have a family, I would likely still be with her, but… She deserved better than me.”
Copia looked away. Could he do this? Could he really go to see Alexandra and ask her to teach him how to kiss? Would she even agree?
“I don’t know…”
Terzo placed a hand on Copia’s shoulder. “It is up to you, but I really think this could help. And you know Alexandra. She’s the sweetest and will do everything she can to make you comfortable.”
Copia nodded. “I will think about it. I don’t make any promises! But I will consider it.”
“Bene. That is all I ask. She often spends her free time in the library, so perhaps you will find her there. You wouldn’t want to keep the sister waiting too long. Buonanotte, Copia.”
With a frown, Copia watched Terzo leave. Was he referring to Maria? Or Alexandra? Would Alexandra be expecting him? Panic filled him with that thought. What if Terzo spoke to her before Copia did? How was he supposed to look her in the eye and ask her to teach him to kiss?
Ai, what had he gotten himself into?