Original subtitles

["Let's Always Stay in Love" by Meaghan Smith playing]

■ I've been in Rome ■

■ I've been in Paris ■

■ I've been innocent ■

■ And I've been infatuated. ■

■ Oh... ■

LAUREN: Hello!

CHRISTA BELLE: Hello.

Nice to meet you. DHRUVA: Hi, ladies.

Hi. - It's nice to meet you.

I'm Christa Belle. - I'm Dhruva.

- Dhruva? - Nice to meet you. Yes.

Nice to meet you. - Lauren.

- Do we start now?

Where are all the hot men? [car horn honks]

- Whoo!

- [whooping]

- Oh, my God, wait, scripts!

-

-- Hi.

- How are you guys doing?

- [gasps]

- I am all the way in.

-

- I've been seeing other men.

[cries softly] LAUREN: I got you, girl.

■ I'm ready to love again ■

- [whooping] ■ Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ■

■ Want to dance, want to shout ■

■ I'm ready to love again. ■

[upbeat music playing]

LAUREN/CHRISTA BELLE: We're here.

- This looks incredible.

- Oh, my gosh. - Wild.

CHRISTA BELLE: Oh, it's beautiful. LAUREN: This is beautiful.

DHRUVA: This is crazy.

Let's do this.

[gasps]

Oh, this is stunning.

CHRISTA BELLE: Oh, my God.

DHRUVA: We're home.

casa.

- What do we have here? - Oh, my God.

CHRISTA BELLE: We got a script.

- There you go. - Thank you. Here you go.

- "a reality rom-com."

- [soft laughter]

- "Exterior, Villa il Cardinale."

- "Dhruva is ready to choose love on her own terms,

no matter what her traditional family may think."

I am.

- "Christa Belle, a free spirit whose light shines bright,

"looking for a partner willing to fan her flames

instead of snuffing them out."

- [laughter]

- "Lauren has conquered the finance world

but has yet to conquer her love life."

That is so true.

- You're ready for it. - I'm so ready.

- "So now that the stage is set, it's time for a costume change.

"Break out your resort wear.

"It's time to set sail on the Italian adventure

of a lifetime." - [laughter]

■ You told me you love me, you know what to say ■

■ Yeah ■

■ The feeling you give me, I'm flying away ■

■ We're falling like a dream that goes all night ■

■ I'll never let you go, say you're all mine ■

LORENZO: Hi, girls.

■ It was love at the first sight. ■

- Hi.

-

- I'm Lorenzo, I'm the captain. Nice to meet all of you. - Oh, nice to meet you.

[shrieks] This one? - And I'm taking you to...

- Mwah. LAUREN: Aw, it's beautiful.

- Can I ask, is it left cheek or right cheek first,

to kiss, or is it just center, 'cause that's exactly what I did.

- [laughter]

DHRUVA: Left cheek. - The left cheek.

-- You're welcome.

No -

- All right. -

- We're gonna take off soon. I'm gonna make ready the boat.

Okay? DHRUVA: Captain?

Come back if you want more kisses.

- [laughter]

- To the left cheek. - Cheers, guys.

- Cheers. To the left cheek.

- And the center. ALL: Day one!

[whooping]

[upbeat music playing]

- Beautiful.

- Are you guys ready for love?

- Honestly, I just need to experience something new.

I've been single for seven years.

My sister just got married last weekend.

She's younger than me by four years. - Aw.

- So I was just ready to just find my person.

- It's been interesting because I have always

put career first. - Yeah.

- In New York, I made history

by becoming the youngest trader at the New York Stock Exchange.

DHRUVA: Stop. That's amazing. - Thank you.

I've dated, but it's never been a priority.

And I am so ready for love.

I am really trying to embrace

being here and not be on my phone.

I'm excited to...

- It's your next chapter. - Yeah.

- What about you, Christa?

- Similarly, I've been working since I was eight years old,

and so I've always put career first.

I'm very independent,

and I think now is the time for me to try to make space...

- Yeah. - ...for a man to come into my life.

Because I've always been like, "Oh, these men

are, like, not stepping up to the plate," but maybe I'm not allowing them to.

- What were you doing at eight years old?

- [laughter] - Yeah, were you doing the newspaper?

- Like... - Whoo.

- Lemonade? - That would have been cute.

Um, no, it's-it's actually interesting that I ended up here.

I've been in film and TV since I was a kid.

And although I've done, like, a bunch of different projects,

the thing that people know me for most was a rom-com.

- What rom-com? LAUREN: That's so cute. Yeah.

-- Yeah.

DHRUVA: I was literally gonna ask you that at some point.

I was like, "This girl looks so familiar."

- It's kind of come full circle, doing a rom-com about my real life.

DHRUVA: Yeah, it's your real life. - I know.

LAUREN: I love that. - Oh, my God.

Hello. - Oh, hello.

- [laughter] - Good morning. How are you?

DHRUVA: How are you? CHRISTA BELLE: Wonderful. How are you?

- What's your name? - Nicola.

- Christa Belle. - Nice to meet you.

- Nicola, nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.

- And you...? DHRUVA: Hi. Dhruva.

- Dhruva. Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.

Where have you been? - Are you the captain, too?

- Yeah, of course I am, I'm the...

- I didn't know captains looked like this...

- I know. - ...but I'm not complaining.

NICOLA: How do they look? - I don't know.

- I can wear the cap and the uniform if you want. - Oh, yeah.

- Hello... - [overlapping chatter]

- Guys, you met Nicola?

- Whoo! - Hey.

Excuse me.

- Let's cheer. NICOLA: Aye.

- All right, guys, have you ever seen a boat bridge?

DHRUVA: No. - Want to go check it out?

- Yeah. Let's see it. - Let's go check it out.

-

- You two go. I will stay here with you.

- Ooh. - Need to talk.

Need to talk to you? - Oh, yeah? You want to talk to me?

- Of course. - Cheers.

-we say in Italy. -

--

What was your name again? - You already forgot my name?

Oh, no. Did you for-- did you remember mine?

- Of course.

- What is it? - Dhruva.

- Oh, my God, I feel so guilty. - Oh, my God, you see?

- What was it? I was too busy staring at you.

[gentle music playing]

- Welcome on the bridge, it's where you drive the boat.

It's where the magic happens. LAUREN: What do you do?

- I have a company of boats.

I have three boats-- two sailboats and one motorboat. Like, one speedboat.

But that's my-- that's for work, not for enjoying the life.

- Yeah. - It's different. Two different things.

I did, once from here, I went to Spain.

- From Italy to Spain? - From Italy to Spain.

- Are you a lover, Lorenzo?

- Am I a lover? - Yeah, are you a lover?

- What does it mean? Like, I play with girls?

No, I don't. [phone vibrating]

- One second, guys.

Hello? - Oh.

- You guys enjoy.

[quirky music playing]

■

- How long have you been single?

- [sighs] Now it's, uh, it's four years.

- Four years? Huh. - Yeah. It's a long time.

'Cause of my job, I stay so much time away from home,

and that was not that easy.

I want to be present. - Yeah.

When I think about kids, I want to spend so much time with them

and just not always be working, you know? - Yeah.

We-- to work, we-we need to take care about our future.

- Mm-hmm. - That's the first things.

But of course, you need to take care about your family. - Yeah.

[gentle music playing]

- Oh, you have loads of tattoos.

- Don't sh-- d-don't judge me for that.

- Okay. What does it say? - YOLO.

"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough."

- [laughs] - Don't judge me. I was really young.

- This one's nice. The lighthouse. - Yeah, this...

It's a, yeah, Capri lighthouse.

Want to see how I will drive the boat?

So come here.

This is where-- how you drive.

So this is, like, the left propeller, right propeller.

What if, what if you did, like, this one forward and this one back?

Is that, like, to turn the boat around? - It's gonna turn.

It's called throttle, yes. It's gonna turn.

Here. Right here.

From here.

So, when you want to go left, you go a few times.

Go for it.

And then when you want to go back,

perfect.

- "Bring me the horizon."

[laughs] - Here. I love it.

- Hello?

[quirky music playing]

Hello?

I cannot get a signal.

- Oh, my gosh.

■

[upbeat music playing]

-

- I think I had a heart attack. [sighs]

- Oh, my gosh. - Look at how sexy he looks.

- He's fine.

- What should I text him? - You're so giddy. Just keep it simple.

- Yeah. "Hey, what's up?"

That's not me. - No, say, like, "I had fun yesterday."

- Should I say, "Hey, sexy captain"?

- Yeah. - I wonder what he's gonna say.

- It's like a home run for day one.

- I know, right? - Like, I'm excited for today.

- Good morning, sunshines.

- Good morning. - Good morning.

- Hi.

- Yummy. - Oh...

- We have food and our next scripts.

DHRUVA: Oh, my goodness, our script for today!

- "Dhruva strolls to a piazza.

"At the entrance is a shiny red scooter

which she stops to admire."

What? - Is this like a...

Audrey Hepburn kind of moment?

The red scooter? - Maybe.

CHRISTA BELLE: Okay. "Exterior,

Anguillara fountain, day." - Ooh.

"Searching for a moment of solitude,

"Christa Belle walks up a hill along the lakeside

and takes in the view." - Ooh.

- What's the fountain?

- Is there a guy in the fountain? - Yeah.

- [laughter] - What about yours, Lauren?

LAUREN: "Taking a well-deserved break from work,

"Lauren approaches a local café

ready to embrace the sweetness of doing nothing."

You know what? Honestly? - Ooh.

- After yesterday's little adventure...

- Working. CHRISTA BELLE: Mm.

- ...I'm excited to just, like, relax.

- I feel like there's something waiting there for you.

- [laughs] You deserve it.

- Yeah. [phone chimes]

- Sorry, I-I... - Get off your phone.

- I have-- I... - You have a date to get ready today!

[upbeat music playing]

BARISTA:

- Hi. I'm not sure what I want.

- I suggest you to order espresso.

[upbeat music playing]

- I'm not a coffee drinker.

- Ooh, wow. - [laughs]

- But maybe if you try here, you will become a coffee drinker.

- It will convert me?

- Could be. - I'll-- I-I'll try one for you.

--

Nice to meet you. Alessandro. - Lauren. Nice to meet you.

- You are here for holidays?

- Uh, yeah, traveling for vacation.

- Nice. - Yeah.

- I do tourist guide as job.

So it's... - So you really know Rome?

- Uh, a lot, yes. - 'Cause I'm really lost.

I mean, really, I don't...

- Ooh, I can imagine. - [laughs]

Thank you.

I'm gonna try... - It's your first coffee. Are you excited?

Just have a sip.

- Okay, let me try it a little bit.

- [chuckles]

- Oh, my gosh.

- Strong one? - Very strong.

- [chuckles] - [exhales]

- Would you like to join me for a walk?

- Yes, I'd love that. - It'll be a pleasure.

- Really? - Really.

■ My coffee tastes a little sweeter when I'm with you. ■

[upbeat music playing]

■

CHRIS: You like my scooter?

[gentle music playing]

Is this yours?

- That's me. - Hi.

- Would you like to join me? - Okay, let's do it.

- What's your name? - I'm Dhruva.

- Dhruva. Hi. Chris.

- Chris, nice to meet you. I love your Vespa.

- You're very beautiful. - Oh, thank you.

- What brings you to Rome?

- Honestly, just an adventure.

Meeting new people, it's exciting, you know?

- It is. - You just go with the flow.

What about you?

- Uh, I've wanted to come to Rome ever since I saw

when I was nine years old.

- Really? And it took you this long to come here?

- It took me this long to get here.

- Wow. What do you think about it so far?

- I love it. Rome is fun. - Yeah. So good.

- Cheers. - Cheers. Cheers to meeting you.

So, where are you from?

- I'm from Houston. Where are you from?

- I live in L.A., but I'm from Massachusetts.

- Where are your parents from?

- Uh, both my parents are from India.

- My mom is part-Indian.

- Wait, she is? - Mm-hmm.

She's actually half-Indian, half-Vietnamese.

- Wow. What about your dad? What's his background?

- My dad is a European mutt.

He's Scottish, Irish, German, and Russian.

- Yeah. Oh, my God.

- So, I'm a Skittles bag. - Yeah, Skittles.

[both laugh]

- Not me. I'm 100%. [laughs]

I kind of like that. I'm rare.

- You are rare. How many siblings? - One.

She's four years younger, and she just got married last weekend.

I literally came here from her wedding.

- [gasps] - Yeah.

And the wedding was so amazing, but it's stressful.

There's been a lot of pressure on me 'cause, in the Indian family,

especially my mom and my dad, being the older sister, and the amount

of people that come up to you being like,

"When are you getting married?" - Yeah. I already know that.

That's real. - Yeah.

It's nice to just get away and be like, "Okay, now I can start my journey."

I feel like I'm in the

[both laugh]

- I'm gonna make a big ole mess. No, just kidding.

- We're gonna try that.

- Oh, wait,

are we doing the- Yeah.

All right, you're gonna get... - Ah, I've never done this.

- You're gonna get that side.

- Okay. So I got to do this one? - Yeah.

- [laughs] - Ready?

- We're doing this.

Oh, my God.

I think I ate most of that pasta. - I've never done that before.

That was fun. - Yeah. First kiss.

[energetic music playing]

CHRISTA BELLE: Wow.

Did you drink that? - It is so good.

You got to try this.

Do it at the same time.

You got to do it with me.

That is so good. - Wow, that is really good.

- You know what they say.

- No. - Two people drinking

from the same fountain fall in love.

You haven't heard that one? - Where did you hear that?

- I don't know. I might've just made it up.

- [laughs] I like it. I like it.

- What's your name? I'm Brandon.

- Christa Belle. - Nice to meet you, Christa Belle.

- Nice to meet you. - Are you journaling,

or are you an artist? - No, I was just journaling.

- Oh, that's nice. - Yes.

- Manifesting some things? - Manifesting, you know it.

- I actually once, um, I wrote down,

like, all these things that I wanted to let go of,

and then I burned that in, like, a little dish with water in it.

- And how did it go?

- Uh, they're still in my life. [both laugh]

- Maybe less water next time. - Yeah, exactly.

["Just Drive" by Jason Tarver playing]

■ Drive ■

■ We just drive... ■

- This is super cute. - Yeah.

It's a mix of architecture.

Old one you can see. - Yeah. Yeah.

- You feel like in a village,

not in a city, no? - Yeah.

Are you really big into architecture? - Yes, a lot.

- Me, too.

I love this. - Yeah.

We are famous in Rome, especially, because we like a slow life.

So, yes, we work, but not so hard

because we still want to enjoy the beautiful things of life.

- It's made of history,

which is beautiful. Yeah. - It's made of history, yes.

For me, what do you want more in life? I mean... - Yeah.

- We need to enjoy the moment in the present

without thinking about the future, without thinking about the past.

Now it's me and you living the moment. - Yeah.

- Call it the sweet life.Try to say.

- One more time. -

- We are speaking Italiano. - [laughs]

- I'm so proud of you.

[church bell tolling]

It's slow. It's very opposite from my life.

I'm, like, very fast. Go, go, go, go, go.

- Always running. Oof. - Yeah, yeah.

- Do you like it? Do you enjoy?

- I do, but I-I'm open to Rome

and experiencing something new.

- I think you will love here.

I want to teach you something in Italiano. - Okay.

- [speaks Italian]

- Will you tell me what that means?

- Would you like to have a date with me in Rome?

- [gasps] Oh, that's so cute. I would love to.

- Yes? To enjoy the sweet life, of course.

- I would love to enjoy the sweet life with you.

- Perfect.

So, I'm a, I'm a partner in two restaurants, uh, in Toronto.

- Okay. - And then I have, uh,

two framed art companies.

- Exactly. - We're off to a great start.

- Okay, this is great. - [laughs]

- God, this is beautiful. - Yeah, not so bad.

- Yeah. Where are you from?

- I just moved to Miami. - Oh, no way.

- Yeah. - I have a place in Boca Raton.

- Do you? - Yeah. Do you live alone?

- I do. Well, no, actually. - You have a roommate?

You have a pet? - Yes. Yes.

She's a big, fluffy dog.

- What kind of dog? - A golden doodle.

- Oh, my God. I love golden doodles.

- To say she's my best friend is an understatement.

Do you have animals? - Um...

No. I've got a brother,

and, uh, he can act like an animal. - [laughing]

- Uh, he's also my best friend.

You know what you have to do to remember this day?

You're gonna journal about meeting the tall, dark, handsome man at the fountain.

And you're gonna flatten this and put this in your journal.

- That's so cute. - Yeah.

I'll take one, too, so I remember.

What do you say, uh, we hang out again sometime soon?

- Ooh.

- Ready? - Yeah.

Let's go.

[squeals, giggles]

[squeals]

[man singing in Italian]

- Watch out.

■

'cause my birthday is next week.

- We have to do something.

- Yeah, it's wild because, before I got here,

I've been so pressured by family, friends, and just myself.

I'm turning 35. - Mm.

DHRUVA: But the minute I stepped into Rome,

something changed.

I've let my guard down,

and I feel like, right now, I'm having fun.

- Yeah. I love that the people I've met,

they have no context,

no idea. I have no context about them.

And we can just feel each other's energy and be like, "Do we vibe?"

I would just love to meet someone who loves me for me,

you know, and makes me a priority.

- You feel like your career, basically, is what

they want you... LAUREN: Yeah.

- I know it's easy to put up walls

because of that past situation, but dating here in Rome,

you kind of have to be a little bit open.

- That's true. DHRUVA: Yeah.

- Have your rom-com moment. Live it up in Rome.

Take the pressure off.

DHRUVA: Yeah. And I feel like we're all learning.

- I mean, I'm grateful to be here in Rome, and I know sometimes

my head is wrapped up, but, I think, when it comes to love,

I think it's always been me.

Like, I'm the problem. [laughs]

But I'm the problem in the sense of I'm just

so focused on my career. - Mm-hmm.

- I'm all about doing it on my own.

And that has, I think, just always been really tough for me.

Like, a-- Like, really being open and vulnerable,

letting someone else lead and-and hope...

- And trusting them to lead. LAUREN: Yeah.

- It's hard. It can be hard. LAUREN: Yeah.

All throughout my life, especially my childhood,

I just have felt, in many situations, that I've just been really powerless.

And so, it's nice to be in a place

where I feel like I've accomplished,

I'm powerful, I'm doing it,

and no one else can take that away from me.

CHRISTA BELLE: Yup. LAUREN: But at some point,

you do the work

and then you realize,

"What have I done all this for

if no one is by my side?" - Mm.

- I-I think we're totally gonna have love in Rome.

LAUREN: No more heartbreaks. - Yeah, no more heartbreaks.

- Cheers to that. - Love it.

[hopeful music playing]

- [speaks indistinctly]

LAUREN: Oh, okay.

CHRISTA BELLE: Ah.

- What do we have here? - I feel artistically inspired.

- [laughter] DHRUVA: Hello.

Mm.

- Wonderful. - Let's do this.

- [laughter]

Hello.

Mm.

- [laughter]

- Are they drawing us?

- Well, you draw each other. CHRISTA BELLE: Oh, great.

- Oh, fun. - [laughter]

- This is gonna be fun.

- I would like to ask Lauren

to come over here, please.

- Hey. - Hello.

- How are you?

- Got to go left and right. - Oh.

Oh, okay, you're doing the Italian way?

Gotcha, gotcha. - Yeah. Of course.

ETHOS: How are you? - What's your name?

- Ethos. - Ethos?

- Yes.

- Christa Belle, you're with Miles.

- Hello, love. - Hello. What's your name?

- Christa Belle. - Christa Belle. Miles.

- Miles at home but Kilometers here?

Bad joke. Okay, okay, okay. - That was good.

- Hi. Christian. DHRUVA: Hi.

- So nice to meet you. - I'm Dhruva.

Do you draw? - All the time.

- You do? - I'm, like, the best.

I mean, I want to underplay it, but...

- I'm so great at stick figures, so... Got this.

- Welcome to the class today.

We're gonna do some portrait drawing of each other.

Drawing from life means that you can observe the other person.

You can discover who they are

and try to bring it out in a drawing, then, as well.

[light, upbeat music plays]

■

- I feel like I just need to see...

- You want the smolder or just...?

- [laughs]

Now I got it. - You got it? Okay.

- I was raised in New York, then I moved to Puerto Rico,

so I have, like.... - Puerto Rico.

- Puerto Rico. Have you been? - Look at that spiciness coming out.

- Spicy.

- Any pets? - No pets.

I'm not a huge pet guy.

DHRUVA: What do you do for work? CHRISTIAN: I work in the music industry.

- You do? - For a major label, yeah.

- You play any instruments? - Cool record job.

You know what? Yeah, I play a little guitar.

- Oh, yeah? - That's kind of what got me into it. Yeah, yeah.

- Wait, I need you to play guitar for me. - So, I can...

Oh, looking for the serenade? I got you.

- You might win my heart with that one. - Oh, boy. I-I could only hope.

You got a very infectious energy.

CHRISTA BELLE: How's it going over there?

Draw me like one of your French girls. - Uh... I-I-I got you.

Um... - [laughs] Do you know what movie that's from?

- I have no idea. - The best movie of all time.

- What is that? -

- Oh!

I had no idea.

Like, that's been so long.

- What do you do for work? - So, I am a civil engineer.

- Yeah? - So, I work in construction management.

- Yeah? - I'm based in Miami.

I travel, I guess, all-all around the U.S.

- Yeah? - Wherever my client needs me.

- Very nice. - Yeah.

CHRISTA BELLE: Why does this not actually look like you?

I needed more instruction. - Yeah.

- [laughs]

Okay. I have your eyebrows. - Damn.

Let me ask you something. You-you have a lot of, like, energy.

What do you do? Do you drink a lot of coffee?

- [laughs] Oh, my God. - Do you...

Do you...? - Wait, do I?

- It's a good thing. That's, like, one of the first things I noticed.

- So, what is it that you do? - I work in finance.

- Do you? - I'm a workaholic.

- Well, this is the age, right? - Yeah.

- So it's, like, kind of work, create that foundation,

and then kind of move on to...

- What is my age? The age of what? What is my age?

- Well... No. I don't even know. I'm assuming you're close to my age.

- Maybe. Am I? I don't know. What is your age? What is your age?

- I'm 32. - You're 32.

- Yeah. - How old am I?

- I'll say 28.

Are you?

Okay, you don't have to say, but I guessed.

[both laughing]

- Okay. Okay. Okay.

What's your family like? - Mom, sister, and brother.

- Are you the oldest? - Of course.

- And what am I?

- How many siblings do you have?

- I have two siblings.

Yeah. - So I would put you in the middle.

- No. - No?

Are you, like, youngest?

So, you're the eldest.

- Three strikes, you're out, sir. - No. [laughing]

- Three strikes, you're out. - Oh, my God.

- Yes, I'm the oldest, yes. - So, you're the...

Ah, look at that. - See?

- So, I'll explain now.

Middle child, they tend to be... - Yeah?

- ...more relaxed, easygoing in life.

You see? - I'm sorry, I should've just let you

do the compliment. Yeah. Yeah. - Finish? Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

- Well, I have nice lips.

- I'm trying. I-I'm trying. - You're trying.

- This will never do justice to you, uh, because you're so beautiful,

but I-I-I-I'm-I'm gonna try... - Oh, thank you. I appreciate it.

- ...as much as I can. - [laughs]

- I definitely want kids. Yeah. MILES: You definitely want kids?

- I see myself not having kids, and I'm okay with that.

- [exhales] I don't think we're compatible.

- What are you looking for in a woman? CHRISTIAN: First and foremost,

I want to be able to have that play.

- Like, the goofiness? CHRISTIAN: Yeah.

- You know, you can't take life too seriously, right?

DHRUVA: I like that.

I want someone who's, like, put together and, like, serious,

but, like, who knows how to have fun. CHRISTIAN: Yeah.

DHRUVA: Just go with the flow.

Go on adventures. And sometimes you need to have banter

and just fun. CHRISTIAN: Yeah.

- One, two, three. - One, two, three.

ETHOS: Oh, my God. [laughing]

- What?

[both laughing]

- No, this was fun. - Yeah, yeah.

- I had a blast. - Same.

- Yeah.

- Well, I-I would definitely like to stay in contact

if-if you would like that.

- I would love that. - Yeah? Perfect.

- You know, normally, I have strong impressions and...

I really like you.

CHRISTIAN: I really like you, too. I love your outlook on life.

■ I've searched across the universe, seen many things... ■

- It was great to meet you. - Yeah. Can we do it again sometime soon?

- Yeah. - Yeah?

■ It's true... ■

■ But I never seen nothing like you. ■

[upbeat music plays]

■

DHRUVA: I think it's right over there. LAUREN: ■ Exciting. ■

DHRUVA: All the yummy.

- Oh, my goodness. - Look!

[squeals, groans] Mmm.

LAUREN: I could eat all of it.

- Can we get a little bit of everything?

LAUREN: Oh, that looks so good.

This is so much food. I'm excited. - I know. But I'm not complaining.

- Ah! Thank you. - You're welcome.

- Ciao.

- Got it? DHRUVA: So good. You got it or do you got--

- I got it. I got it. Let's go. - You do it, 'cause I'm...

- Oh, God. This looks so good. - Amazing.

- We should cheers to pizza

'cause I've been wanting to eat this. - Cheers to eating some pizza.

- [giggles] Let's do that. Cheers.

- Cheers. I know.

This is so good. - So good.

- So you have a birthday coming up.

- It's so crazy. It's-- I can't believe I'm turning 35 next week.

- This is a milestone birthday. - I know.

- Like, how does that feel for you?

- I think when I was younger,

I definitely thought I was gonna be in a very different place.

I thought I was already, already gonna be in a relationship.

You know, just being in Rome has been so exciting.

Every date I had was great.

Like, all the boys are amazing.

I've stepped out of my comfort zone in a good way.

You know, I've been single for seven years.

- Yeah. Yeah. - It's wild to say

and it's been a long time, and I've been craving some love in my life.

- Yeah. - And I think there is also another side

where 35 has been a milestone, where, like...

- It's okay. It's okay. - [sobs] Um...

- I got you, girl.

You need a hug?

- You know, in the Indian culture, there's this pressure of, like,

being married, and I'm the oldest daughter, and...

when my sister got engaged, who's four years younger,

my mom, she was just so angry.

She stopped talking to me.

It's like my birthday is, like, a reminder

of how many years I've been single and I haven't found love.

- But just know that there are so many women in society that have that pressure.

You know, "Get married." Get married by a certain age

and not really allowing that woman to follow her true happiness

and what makes sense for her. - Right.

- You have to make decisions that are right for you...

- Yeah. - ...and that they're not always right for your family.

- Right. Yeah. - And honestly,

where you're at today, 35, yes, you're still single.

But we're in Rome, we're looking for love.

Two years ago, I mean, would you even have been in that headspace?

Honestly? - No. No, I wouldn't have.

- So, so then you're doing what feels good for you in that moment.

- Yeah. And I want to do it for me, and I think that's what this was.

Is like, you know... - And you're doing it, too.

- ...focusing on my birthday again to, like, hopefully revive it

to be a special thing. - Yeah.

- But happy tears.

Now I just want to focus on, you know, having fun in Rome

and just finding my love... - You're having fun.

...you know, on my own terms.

- Girl, we got you.

- Thank you.

[emotional music plays]

[Léo Delibes "Flower Duet" plays]

LORENZO: This guy, I think, really did something bad to cut off his head.

- This one's missing a toe. [chuckles]

Should we see some more stuff? - Yes.

Want to be on the left?

Sorry, I'm really superstitious.

- About being on the left or right?

- Yes. Think that on my boat, I use pepper.

So, in Italy, we use the pepper, the red pepper.

So, on my boat,

I wear a swimsuit with pepper,

and then I have a little red pepper on top that brings me luck.

- What does the pepper do? It's just lucky.

- Is, eh, um, what's called, how you say that, um,

eyes of the devil? Something like that.

- That keeps away the eyes of the devil. - Yes.

[quiet playful music plays]

- No? Which is good. - And I think

that's what most people mean when they ask that question.

For me, it's all about a spirit,

and that is kind of... - Oh.

Do you like Italian spirit? - ...something that

must be discovered, you know?

- Do you need to love the culture of a person? So...

- That certainly is a plus. - That's for sure.

But do you like Italian culture?

- I love Italian culture. I love it. - Okay, which is...

That's what I wanted to hear. - Yes.

- Are you about-- - How about you? What are you...

- What's my type? - ...looking for?

- So, my type has never been like an Italian, actually.

Always been an American girl.

- Hmm.

And do you picture yourself being in a serious relationship?

Do you-- - Yeah, I do.

- Do you want to get married? Do you want to have kids?

- I love kids. I want kids.

That's my goal.

I'm starting to think about having a future

and with a girl, but I'm also thinking about my job.

So, owning a company, bringing, like, to a certain level

where I can afford to have a family.

- Hmm. - Yeah?

- You're preparing for your future. - Yeah.

I want to be able to provide.

That's how I feel. - That's beautiful.

- Thank you. - That's very traditional. I like it.

[gentle music plays]

■

LORENZO: Is, uh, where you live?

CHRISTA BELLE: Yes. You like it?

- Is it all pink?

Barbie out. [both laugh]

LORENZO: I love it.

- I had a really nice time with you.

- It was a great day.

And you're an amazing person.

■ Is this even real love? ■

■ Oh-oh, oh-oh ■

■ Oh-oh-oh ■

■ Oh-oh, oh-oh ■

■ Oh-oh-oh ■

■ Wish I could write a song ■

■ To love a little better ■

■ Keep from ■

■ Going wrong ■

■ Oh-oh, oh-oh ■

■ Oh-oh-oh. ■

■ It's your world ■

■ Do what you want to... ■

- [gasps] Oh, my goodness.

What are you doing here? - What are you doing here?

It's nice to see you. Give me a hug. - It's so good to see you.

Oh, my goodness. I--

- Wow. - Wow.

Are you exploring Rome without me?

[laughs] - I-- Apparently.

I'm just getting lost in Rome.

- We can get lost together now.

["Addicted" by Pilot Paisley-Rose begins]

- I would love that. - It's a deal.

- Yes. Yes. - Are you in?

- Wow. - Let's do it.

- This is a sign of destiny.

■ Boy, I'm addicted ■

■ I'm so addicted ■

- Hi, hello. [laughs] - Ciao.

- Good to see you. - Ciao.

- You look gorgeous. I love this. - Thank you, you look great as well.

- I'm Brayden. Nice to meet you. - Hi, I'm Dhruva.

- Hi. Christa Belle. - Nice to meet you.

- Do you know what you're doing?

- We're going to gladiator school.

- Are you ready? - Ready. Yeah.

- You guys have to fight for us.

- Oh, my God. You ready?

- You're going down, dude. - Dude, you're done.

[triumphant music plays]

- Oh, yeah.

MAN: Welcome to the

We actually train and fight like gladiators,

the same way 2,000 years ago in the Colosseum.

- Okay. - Gladiators.

[intense dramatic music plays]

■

- Ooh! Ah!

- Finish him!

DHRUVA: Whoo! Whoo!

- That was amazing. - Yes!

[laughs]

- Here. Okay, ready? - Ready?

Oh, my God.

- Oh!

■ Pick me up at five ■ CHRISTA BELLE: Ooh, wow!

■ Let's be on the way ■

■ Chase the golden hour ■

■ We got so much left to say... ■

ALESSANDRO: We are in, like, one of my favorite place.

- What do you call it, the sweet life?

You love that...

- The dolce vita. You love that.

I can see from your eyes that you love

all of this. - I do.

- You do. - It's super romantic.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

- Yeah? - Yeah.

■ Oh, yes ■

■ I'm going up to you ■

■ I'm going up to you, yeah ■

■ I want a piece of your sunshine, baby ■

- And your kiss is so sweet. - [laughs]

- This is super

■ I'm going up to you, yeah ■

■ I want a piece of your sunshine, baby. ■

Okay, wait.

- You know how to juggle?

- I think anytime you see oranges,

the instinct is to juggle. [squeals]

And... I can't juggle. - [laughs]

- Juggling kind of feels like

what we're doing with all these boys.

- [laughs]

- Um...

I haven't even had a crush in so long. - Yeah.

- It feels good to even have a crush. - Which is fun

to have the butterflies...

- Yeah. - ...to be smiling.

To be, like, yes, is he going to call? Is he going to show up?

That's the thing is, like, with Brandon, he's a wonderful person

and he really, like, has his life together.

He's very kind and chivalrous... - He's funny.

- ...and funny and...

I don't know. With Lorenzo, like, he has his boat business.

He's trying to grow it.

Like, you never know what you're going to get with Lorenzo.

He's like a whirlwind of energy,

but in a kind, fun, irreverent way, you know?

I just want to spend more time with him and get to know him better, you know?

- Mm-hmm. - It's opened me up again to dating and...

to interacting with men. - Mm-hmm.

Do you believe in true love?

One true love?

- I believe in true partnership.

- Mmm.

- I was actually engaged before,

and I broke it off.

Well, we broke it off.

- How long ago was that?

- We broke it off, like, three years ago.

- Okay. - And since that ended, it's...

it's been hard to really connect with anyone else.

- Yeah. I mean, I've been there.

Not engaged, but in a serious relationship like that.

It changes you.

And it's like, how do you navigate to the next steps forward?

How do I open up myself to love again?

I keep a guard up.

I feel like you might keep a guard up as well.

- Yeah. - But the fact that you've even been open,

so giddy and embracing the moment,

it's... it's beautiful to see, especially in a sexy place like Italy.

- Yeah, I don't know. We'll see how it goes.

DHURVA: Ladies,

morning! - Good morning.

- Is that a script?

- Oh, my God, wait, scripts! - Whoo!

Here we go.

[dance music with woman singing in Italian plays]

■

NARRATOR:

■

[phone chimes]

■ I get the feeling that we going all the way ■

■ 'Cause we fall in deep, boy, and I got so much to say ■

■ And when I'm falling ■

■ You'll still believe it ■ [knocking on door]

■ 'Cause I don't want to be with anybody else ■

■ Am I the one you want? ■

- Hello! How are you? - Hey.

- I'm good. How are you doing? - So good to see you.

- Likewise, likewise. - Good.

- Good, good. I got you... - I'm excited for you to be--

- Thank you. - ■wine, so...

- Thank you. Thank you. - Yeah.

- Hello. - Hi!

LAUREN: Hello.

- I'll be your nonna for today.

And I'm very pleased to have you here.

- We're so grateful. - Like my grandchildren.

- Oh, we're so grateful. - That's amazing.

NONNA: Why don't you have a glass of red wine before we start, you can--

- Perfect. - So he can loosen up?

- Yeah. NONNA: Yes, sure!

- I don't need wine for that.

We can, we can loosen up.

But yes, yes, yes.

- [gasps] NONNA: Beautiful!

This is good luck. Come on. - Is it?

[laughs]

- So what are you supposed to do?

- Just behind your ears, yeah?

- Behind the ears, okay, so I'll put a little bit...

- Ah, this is great. - [laughs]

- Wow. - There you go.

- Wow, you, too, you, too.

This is how you do it. - Okay.

ETHOS: Uh, surprisingly, we didn't get anything on us.

So... - No.

NONNA: Should we start?

ETHOS: Have you done pasta before? NONNA: Here. Okay.

- Um, I never have, no. - This is your first time you make it?

- First time. I'm really excited. - Yes, same. - Great. This is great.

■ You and I are special... ■

NONNA: Ah, you're great. - I am?

■ You don't have to go slow ■

- This would be so romantic for you to make at home, eh?

ETHOS: Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- [laughter] ■ Sunset watch when you go ■

■ Yeah, I know you're the one... ■

ETHOS: So do you want me to, like, turn it?

- Yeah. Hurry up, though, because it's, it's hard.

- The thing is, it's kind of melting.

So are you, like, a romantic type or passionate or■?

LAUREN: Um, it just, it depends.

- You're, like, you're not into PDA?

- Am I, am I a PDA person?

I don't think anyone's ever asked me that. I'm, like, "Mm."

- No. I, I ask, uh, I guess

one of my relationships was, like, no PDA.

Like, just nervous in general when it came to...

Yeah, yeah. You know what I mean? - Oh, no, I'm not like that at all.

- Exactly. If you feel it, you just do it. You don't have to--

- Yeah, you just, I just go with the flow.

- So, I guess, why are you, why are you single right now?

Like, what's making it difficult for you to just

finding the right person? - Um, I think it's just...

I think it's the balance

of working and having someone

that can fit the lifestyle that I do.

Um, in 2017,

I made history at the New York Stock Exchange.

- Yeah? How so? - Yeah.

As the youngest trader on the floor and--

- Are you serious? - Yeah.

- That's amazing. That's impressive. - Yeah. Thank you.

So, yeah, it's like finding that person I can be

able to do both with. - Right. Right, right, right.

That can adapt and kind of be there... - But not, like, yeah.

But not, like, always around. Yeah.

- And I think that's kind of what broke off my relationship, as well.

- Yeah. Yeah. - Was not understanding that lifestyle.

In order to have a good life and be able to travel,

you also had to work for it, right?

- Yeah, yeah. - Yeah.

Not everybody, you know, not everybody's... - No, no, no, no. Not everybody gets that.

- ...in the same page, so, yeah. - Yeah, for sure.

- If you understand that, for me, that's perfect.

- Yeah.

- Okay. NONNA: Enjoy.

LAUREN: Oh, my goodness. We made this? - Oh, my God.

- This is us? - This is you.

LAUREN: This is beautiful.

[both speaking Italian]

- Wait, what did she say? - Eh...

A lot of happiness for your love, basically.

- Aw! That's so cute. - Yeah, so. Yeah, it is, it is.

This looks very good. - This looks ama-- We did this.

- So-- Exactly. We did, right? - This is amazing.

Oh, my God. - It's good.

- It's so good. - It's like orgasm. Like...

I literally love pasta to that level.

So, um■ - [laughing]

Oh! - What?

- Wait, what was your initial reaction to me?

- Um, you seem guarded, to be honest.

- Yeah. - I kind of felt

you were kind of sensing or kind of trying to understand me

before you kind of showed your-your true self.

- I just was trying to, like, process.

- Yeah? - I was thinking, I was processing.

- Getting all that information? - Yeah. Am I as guarded today?

- No, no, no, no. You're night and day. - No?

Night and day?

[both laughing]

- You seem a lot more confident. - Well, you are in my kitchen

in my house... - E-Exactly.

- ...so I guess I could let loose a little bit more. - So you do feel, yeah...

Exac-- exactly. - Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. - Yeah.

I-I like that side of you.

I really like this, and I enjoyed the time. This is amazing.

[romantic music plays]

■

[upbeat music playing]

■

- Today's such a nice day.

- I know. That bike ride was perfect.

- Cheers.

- Are we gonna do like the Romans do?

- [laughs]

[upbeat music plays]

- Oh, no. [grunts]

- [laughs]

- Thank you. - I love it.

So, where do you live? Are you in...

- I'm in L.A. Like, Santa Monica.

- I live in Marina.

Like, probably down the street from you. - That's...

That's a good-- that's some good news. - Yeah.

I know, so it's pretty convenient. - Amazing.

Why haven't we bumped into each other?

- I don't know. Honestly. - It takes us to get to-to Rome

for us to-to cross paths? - I know.

I'm kind of excited because I left L.A. to kind of, like...

just get out of the pressure of dating... - Yeah.

- ...and just go somewhere and explore, and behold,

I meet you, and you live, like, really,

down the street. - Right next door. Yeah.

What are the things that you get into for fun?

- I will go to dinners. I like to go on hikes.

- I-I backpack. Like... - No way.

- But I typically do more the, like, "everything I need to survive

on my back" camping version, so... to survive.

- Honestly, I've never been camping.

- Is that right? - I-I feel like I would be, like, the glamping type of girl.

- Uh-- fair. A million percent. - But I'm always willing

to try it. - I'm-I'm the first to be a glamping girl.

- Yeah? - I mean, so that's no big deal at all.

- I definitely want to travel more. - Absolutely.

- I want to do some things

before I want to settle down. - Yeah, of course.

- You know, do you see kids in your future?

- A million percent, yeah. - Yeah?

- I think I'd be a really great dad, but... - Yeah?

- Both of your parents live together? - Yeah.

- Yeah. - Yeah, yeah. They're still together,

and, uh, they're both-- all in Atlanta, and the extended family.

I was kind of was raised in a big, like, Italian family. - Yeah.

- My dad and my parents were such great models and parents to me

that, you know, they've instilled that kind of desire to follow

in their footsteps and-and kind of build that family of my own.

- It's funny, 'cause everything you're saying

is so similar to how I am. - Yeah?

■

- Even when we were drawing our ridiculous drawings,

I really didn't want to leave.

Did you want to leave? - No.

But you make me nervous a little bit.

- Do other girls make you this nervous? - Mm-mm.

- Why? - That smile, those eyes, I don't know.

- [laughs]

[romantic music plays]

■

I feel like I don't want this date to end.

- I-I know, I don't want it to, either.

■ I put my feet on the floor ■

■ And everything is looking upside down, yeah ■

■ Tried to make it to the door ■

■ But I'm looking up at the ground ■

■ Can't get out of my head ■

■ Might just go back to bed ■

■ But I'm already dressed, mm ■

■ Gonna go outside ■

■ Fill my lungs with some smoke and breath ■

■ I think it might be a good day ■

■ I think the sun's gonna shine ■

■ I think it might be a good day... ■

■ I'm in love ■

■ I'm in love with it all ■

■ I'm in love, I'm in love with it ■

■ All day all night. ■

- Look at this view. - These views...

- Unreal. - I can't.

- Waterfalls?

This is a real-life fairy tale.

- Chips! - [laughter]

[gentle music plays]

[Lauren gasps] CHRISTA BELLE: Oh, my goodness.

Scripts. Scripts. - Scripts.

- Stop. Not again. - Oh, my gosh.

Here. CHRISTA BELLE: "Exterior,

"Sibilla restaurant, afternoon.

"With their time in Rome limited and big decisions to come,

"Christa Belle, Dhruva and Lauren must choose

"which suitors have the potential to become something more

in order to find love."

[all moaning] DHRUVA: Stop.

LAUREN: You first, Dhruva.

- Honestly, I've had amazing dates, and I came into this

letting go of pressure and just going with the flow, and I've done that.

I did, like, all the three of the guys,

but I feel like Christian

I was a little bit giddy because it just felt so natural.

And my goofiness, he kind of played with that.

- Do you feel like Christian

breaks your old patterns? - Would be breaking the pattern?

- I think when I was, you know, dating previously,

maybe I didn't think about the future as much

because I don't think I was ready.

I've never brought a guy home to my parents,

and I told myself I never would unless if I saw a future or a fit.

And I think I never saw that in my exes 'cause I was having fun,

And so, I think that's why I'm, like, trying to break that pattern.

You know, I want to find that guy I can have my forever with

and introduce my family to,

so I think I can definitely see myself introducing Christian.

- Wow.

- What about you?

- I think Lorenzo is the first choice.

And Brandon was such a surprise.

Like, out of nowhere, I was just, like,

So I'm looking forward to spending more time with him, too.

- I love that. - What about you, Lauren?

- I think...

I think, for me, it's gonna be Ethos.

and, like, really get to know each other.

He travels, and he speaks so many different languages, he can cook.

But there's also a hesitation in me

because there's a lot of fear that goes into sharing with people.

And so, I'm scared to navigate the next steps.

■

CHRISTA BELLE: Apparently, the average man

thinks about Rome all the time.

They think about the Roman Empire. - Is that a joke?

- No, it's real.

Men are obsessed with the Roman Empire.

- It's the fighting. I think it's- Yeah.

- How excited are you that Lorenzo's coming?

I feel like you've been bitten after him after the museum.

- Yeah. I think, like, my first impression,

I didn't really know what to think.

And then, as time has gone on, I'm, like,

kind of can't stop thinking about him, you know?

- I'm so happy for you. - I'm nervous.

He's, like, coming into our world,

you know? - Yeah.

Really? - You have to help me, like...

- I will. I will third-wheel. I-I will make him feel comfortable.

I feel like he's so easygoing, too.

- Yeah. - So I'm here for it.

- I'm curious how it's going with Christian.

- Honestly, I can't stop thinking about him.

- Um...

- Hello, guys.

- Stop! LORENZO: Hi.

- What a beautiful surprise.

DHRUVA: Um... - Mm. You're beautiful.

- Hi. DHRUVA: I didn't know you were bringing a friend.

- You see? I came.

- Hi, how are you? - How are you, Dhruva?

- Good. - Well, hello.

- How are you? - Good job.

- So, how were these days? - It was good.

- Yeah?

- Of course I do.

- It's really nice.

DHRUVA: Christa Belle. - Yes, my love?

- Are you gonna open the limoncello?

- Oh, yeah, uh, let's have a taste

of the limoncello. - Wow.

- Let's have a... - [laughter]

- Please don't get, uh, don't get drunk, huh?

CHRISTA BELLE: Ooh.

- You like it? - I already had a tequila shot.

Ah...

- You guys have a pool? NICOLA: Is that okay?

- This is the house you're staying? CHRISTA BELLE: Yes.

- Beautiful view. - So, can I have a seat here,

close to you? Do you mind? DHRUVA: Yeah.

- Yeah, no. I don't. - Okay.

Let me slide. How are you?

- Want to go for a dip? - Sure.

DHRUVA: Honestly, when I first saw you,

I was like, you're so attractive, obviously you are.

NICOLA: You think so? - Yeah.

- Also, you know, of course, you are a really beautiful girl.

- Yeah. - I like the...

that you opened up with me,

about family. - Mm.

- So that always I open myself,

also, to someone. - Yeah.

Do I make you comfortable? That's why?

- Yes, you do. I told you, I wouldn't be here otherwise.

That's why I like you.

- I'm glad I-- you're here, because I get to see another side of you.

I definitely want you to share more, like, deeper stuff.

Maybe later.

[gentle music plays]

Maybe we should get a drink.

Do you want to get a drink? - Okay. Let's get a drink.

- Yeah, let's drink.

carpe diem

- I wasn't really expecting to see you tonight.

■ Because, girl, I'm turning bad for you ■

■ I only wish I'd turned sooner ■

■ All that I had to lose ■

■ Was already given up to you. ■

LAUREN: You're doing a great job. - You're doing great. In heels, as well.

There's nothing in front of you.

- Ready? One, two, three.

- Oh, my God! - We are at a winery.

Thank you. - Happy birthday.

Love you, guys. Thank you so much.

We just might have one more little surprise for you.

- Okay...?

- Gentlemen? - Oh, my God.

- It's gentlemen. [laughs]

- Hey, ladies.

- Hi. - Happy birthday.

- Happy B-day.

- [exhales]

Oh, my God.

[gentle guitar music plays]

■

- Hello. - Hi.

- So, what I would do is snip it right from there where it hits the...

- And, uh, from the stem, right? - Yep, that's great.

- Okay. - Beautiful.

- Look at that. - Wow.

- So beautiful.

I have a very serious question for you. - Yes.

- How often...

...do you think about the Roman Empire?

- Wow. I actually have thought about it q-quite frequently, recently.

- You do, right? - Yeah.

Before even coming to Rome, right?

- Before coming to Rome, for sure. - Yeah.

- The Roman Empire, like, made some cool stuff.

They developed aqueducts, roads,

sanitation.

- Boys really love the Roman empire. - Yeah.

[Dhruva squeals]

It's so weird! Aah!

- Oh, my gosh. Yep, yep, yep.

- Oh, my God.

- Okay, now we're working. - Gooey. [squeals]

There's some slippery little suckers.

- Slide in here. - This is so weird.

- Ugh. Okay, we got to make sure

no grape is left out. [Dhruva laughs]

- Do a little spin. - A little spin?

- Yeah, a little dance.

Well, it was gonna be...

- Love it.

[squeals]

[pants]

[squeals]

Don't fall.

- I got it. I got good balance.

- Run.

[light whimsical music plays]

BRANDON: Do you, uh, do you have a big family?

- I do, I have eight older brothers. - Oh, no way.

- Um... - Eight.

- But four of the boys are from my mom,

four from my dad, and...

my mom was a single mom

raising five kids.

She had three jobs

and was incredibly independent.

I think that's kind of where I got it from.

I've always taken care of myself.

There's no, like, family...

money or legacy or anything to really fall back on,

so I've always been very independent.

- Wow, that's wonderful.

- How about you?

- Um, when I was about six, my dad left,

and then he ended up passing away a few years later,

so I was raised by my mom, along with my brother.

And just, you know, seeing her firsthand go through that,

you know... you know, that journey of raising two boys on her own,

it really taught me that, like, women are queens

and men should be there to protect, to provide.

- That's really beautiful.

[uplifting music plays]

■

■ So let me go ■

- All right, you come here, you. - Okay. [squeals]

- Up you go.

- Oh, why, thank you. - Of course.

■

- Love it.

- Hm. Definitely wasn't expecting to find this connection,

but here we are. What does it look like to

potentially be in an exclusive relationship?

- I told you, I haven't been in a relationship in seven years.

Eventually, I do want to settle down to have kids.

I do want to get married.

My entire life, my parents have kind of asked me

to do things that they wanted me to do.

'Cause my parents are Indian, so it was this mentality of

always, you date Indian.

After I finished school, my dad tried to set me up

with an Indian résumé... - Okay.

- ...to find, like, Indian boys.

And I just want someone

to create a life at my terms. - Absolutely.

- In your past relationships... How many relationships have you...

- I've only had one long, committed relationship.

- Is she the only one you've introduced to your family?

- Yeah, she was the first and only,

and, uh, that's a big deal for me. And, so, uh, you know,

took that leap of faith a little bit,

and, uh, you know, it didn't work out.

You know, that was tough,

but I think you have to step away from that and learn.

- I've never introduced a guy to my parents.

Not one. - Wow. Yeah.

- But whoever I bring into my life,

I've always told my parents I need them to respect my parents,

and I think that's so important

because family is everything.

- A million percent. Well, for me, like, again,

it's been a long time, too.

But one of the, you know, core tenets about me and just how I move

and how I am with love is that, you know,

when I'm in, I'm all the way in. - Yeah. Yeah.

And so for me, you know, that exclusivity,

that locked in, us being, you know,

in a position to take on whatever comes our way,

is kind of where my heart leads. - Yeah.

- So while being here,

like, I've really been taken by you,

and I haven't wanted to pursue anyone else.

Monogamy is important to me.

I just want to make sure we're on the same page.

[introspective music plays]

■

- Getting to know you, I can see the softness in you.

I can see your gentle heart

and kind of opening up, and it's amazing.

You want to be strong,

but I know there's a lot more to you. - Yeah.

- You don't have to be strong all the time.

I know it feels that way,

but it's-it's okay to, you know,

to let your guard down.

- This is really tough.

My family, they're everything.

Especially my brother. I-I have a twin brother.

He's disabled,

and I think people don't understand the responsibility of

what that actually means long term.

- Of course. - That's not something that...

I don't know, it's like having... it's like having a child.

- Yes. - Like, it's a big responsibility.

- Right.

- A lot of the work that I do today is 'cause of my brother.

- Yeah, and I can see that now. Yeah, I understand.

- I'm happy that you get my seriousness.

- I get it. 100%, I get it.

You've done so much to this point to get here...

- Yeah. - ...that you have to be able to

enjoy it as well.

- I hope there's a time

and place that I'm able to enjoy it. I feel like I'm always

working and going, going, going, and I'm really grateful for it.

It's not a complaint.

But it's really isolating.

Really, really isolating, and, um...

I'm... I'm just, I'm ready for the next chapter

'cause it's really freaking lonely.

[chuckles] - So here's this.

You mentioned having to work

and not having time for yourself...

- Yeah. - ...and I kind of want to change that.

So, I'm taking a train to Tuscany

in a couple of days, and I would love for you to come with me

and kind of enjoy life and just be in the moment.

Kind of forget about, you know, work and be present and...

What are you thinking?

[romantic music plays]

■

DHRUVA: Ooh. So pretty.

- Oh, this is so nice.

- Oh... - Whoa.

- So pretty. - Beautiful.

- You're the best. Thank you.

He's just trying to pull me closer. - Yeah.

- Birthday girl. - Yes.

ETHOS: Wow. - This is the best day.

LAUREN: The food here is so fresh and so good.

CHRISTIAN: The pasta just, like, hits.

Like, you can taste how fresh it is.

CHRISTA BELLE: Brandon, Brandon.

BRANDON: Anytime. - [laughs] Let's try a blueberry.

- Five, six, seven, eight...

[all cheering]

[gentle music plays]

- Everyone, I don't mean to pause,

but I'm gonna have to steal Dhruva for a moment,

so we'll be right back. CHRISTA BELLE: Okay.

LAUREN: Bye, guys.

[gentle music plays]

■

[door creaks] - [gasps softly]

Oh, my God.

This is so sweet.

■

CHRISTIAN: Being here in Rome,

never thought that we'd cross paths,

but I'm really glad to be here, and be here with you.

- I really appreciate that. Thank you so much.

- Absolutely.

- Oh, my God.

- Happy birthday.

- [shrieks] - One more.

- [chuckles] - There it is...

- I really appreciate you doing this.

- Of course. - So sweet.

Obviously, I came to Rome to find love,

and, you know, I think trust is really important for you.

Um, so I did want to share,

you know, while we've had our journey...

...I've been seeing other men.

[somber music plays]

But at the end of the day,

I think I realized that, out of those other men,

I want to be with you.

- Um...

Have you kissed anyone since we've met?

- Um... yes.

■ So don't try ■

■ To play me like a fool ■

■ 'Cause I've been a fool for you. ■

[insects chirping]

[somber music plays]

■

A-And I said yes.

I don't know if he was angry, pissed, like, I could not put my finger on it.

I don't know, I don't know how it's... I don't know.

CHRISTA BELLE: I mean, but he knew

that would happen, right?

- I don't know. I think...

he clearly has his own past and has been potentially hurt,

so I hope, like, you know,

he can... forgive.

I really like him, and I just don't know if I just ruined that by telling him or...

LAUREN: You-- no, you didn't ruin that. - ...if it was good to tell him.

- You needed to tell him. - Yeah, I did.

I think that made me realize that Nicola is just fun, you know?

- Yeah.

- I definitely feel like I've learned a lot, regardless.

Feel like we all have.

That's all I can ask for.

CHRISTA BELLE: So glad we had this experience.

- I know. - I mean,

that's kind of the journey I'm having right now.

I feel like I came to Rome,

you know, just kind of excited to have a fun experience,

but I'm realizing I had, like...

kind of, like, a fear...

definitely a fear of dating.

Maybe a fear of men?

Back at home, I was, like, not even...

People would ask me out, and I'm like, "I am busy that night.

"I've got TV to watch

and, like, popcorn to eat." DHRUVA: You're, like, dodging the question.

Like, somehow. - Yeah, like, I would find any reason...

- Yeah. - ...to just not spend any time dating.

I don't even think I fully realized I had that fear,

and now I'm, like, having the time of my life.

- The best time.

Like, Lorenzo's fun.

- I don't know, last time we were on this couch drinking wine,

Nicola and Lorenzo showed up. - Limoncello?

They drank that entire bottle. - [laughs]

And then, Brandon, he is very quick-witted in a group.

He's very good in, like...

- Yeah. - ...good in a social situation.

I was very impressed. - Yes, he's sweet.

- Yeah. - It's gonna be hard. It's gonna be hard.

CHRISTA BELLE: Decisions do have to be made.

DHRUVA: Yeah.

CHRISTA BELLE: Lauren, how are you feeling?

DHRUVA: You're, like, happy.

LAUREN: Yeah. Ethos asked me

to go to Tuscany with him. [Christa Belle gasps]

- Stop. What? - Yeah. After this is over.

- I'm sorry. - Are you gonna do it?

- We'll see. So many things to... at play.

I don't think I've ever dated anyone

that actually, like, matches my level work ethic.

Like, he says he's a workaholic, and he loves it, and so am I.

- That's what you said. - Yeah.

- You need that. - Yeah. - But...

my hesitation is like, "Well, what does that actually look like?"

CHRISTA BELLE: I know you mentioned,

you know, coming into this, opening up was...

like, part of your journey. - Yeah.

- How do you see that going? How do you see it playing out?

LAUREN: I think...

I've always kept a guard up, and I like keeping my guard up.

It's not even just men. Like, my best friends, my family.

I've never given many individuals to really...

...to really be able to use that power against me,

because I know how people can be.

So I just don't allow myself to get to a place with people-- friends, family--

to see this side of me, because it's opening up Pandora's box.

The moment you give somebody your power and...

...they break that trust, it is really freaking hard to go back.

So, I just... I just don't do it.

But I don't want to always have to feel like

I'm carrying the world on my shoulders and feeling like...

I have to do it by myself.

Like, at some point, the journey is, like,

I do want a partner to show me that level of trust.

And I don't want to be separated from people for my entire life.

DHRUVA: With Ethos,

it seems like it can get there.

- I would like to give him that chance.

- I love you guys.

- Love you, too. - I love you, too.

[Colt Wolf's "Daylight Dream" playing] ■ We are on the run ■

■ From the setting sun ■

■ But when I'm looking backwards ■

■ There's nowhere to turn ■

■ Horizon, save me ■

■ Wave me ■

■ To this daylight dream ■

■ Horizon... ■

■ Fading ■

■ Into mystery ■

■ There's no history ■

■ Where we're flying to ■

■ The future ■

■ Is the past reversed ■

■ Nothing to rehearse ■

■ What a lovely view... ■

- [speaks Italian]

- Ciao. - Ciao.

[ducks quacking]

How you doing?

- Here I am. - Here you are.

- When I first got here,

I had pretty much sworn off men.

I've just had a lot of, you know,

less-than-positive experiences

when dating, you know.

I've been kind of closed off to the idea of,

you know, really connecting with someone

for a while, but, um,

you know, you really... you really changed my mind.

- Which is good.

Are you willing to explore more with me?

- Yeah. - You are?

- You opened my mind.

- I opened your mind? - [chuckles]

- This journey been amazing, actually.

- It's really funny, because

when I met you, I was like, "Oh, great." - Mm. Yeah.

- "Another, like..." - Another what?

Another what? Sorry. Another...?

- Another guy pouring prosecco... - Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- ...in girls' mouths on a boat. - Yeah.

Oh, oh, oh, yeah. Yeah, I give you that.

- Very professional. - Yeah, I know. Very professional.

[Christa Belle laughs]

- People think about me, like, as a fun person.

And it's been a long that I haven't been romantic with a girl.

And then you...

You make that part of me, like, come out.

■ Cause it's perfect ■

■ Life's perfect today ■

■ Oh, oh-oh, oh, oh... ■

Look what I got. It's a compass.

■ The sweeter flowers blossom... ■

Sorry.

- This is so nice.

- This will help you find me.

- [speaking Italian]

■ And it's perfect ■

■ Life's perfect today ■

[Christa Belle laughs]

■ Oh-oh, oh, oh ■

■ Oh, oh, oh... ■

- Hello. - How's it going, beautiful?

- All right.

- You look amazing. - Thank you.

- Breathtaking. - Thank you.

- Yeah.

- You know, something that I think I've realized...

on this trip is that...

life really doesn't mean anything

if you don't have people next to you on the journey with you.

And it's easy for me to put work before anything else,

but...

[gentle music plays]

I cannot express enough

how terrified I am in this moment.

- I appreciate you opening up,

knowing that you're guarded, knowing that you have this wall up.

And for me, that's amazing.

- But it's scary. - I know.

- It's really scary. - I know.

- 'Cause this means more than just...

going to Tuscany.

- I want you to come with me.

- And I-I just know that I-I want to be with you,

and that's something that I have very clear.

It would mean the world if you said "yes."

[romantic instrumental music playing]

■

- Yes. - Yes?

- Yes. Yes.

■ Touch my heart, touch my heart... ■

[phone buzzing]

- You need to get that?

- Nope. - Are you sure?

- Mm-hmm. - Good.

[phone continues buzzing]

■ Touch my heart. ■

[soft, gentle piano music playing]

■

■ What is this I feel? ■

■ Foreign and new ■

■ Well, it's becoming clear ■

■ All I want is you ■

■ Now every night when I go to sleep ■

■ You're in all ■

■ All my dreams ■

■ I close my eyes ■

■ You're all I see ■

■ And you're all I want ■

■ All I want... ■

■ And you're all I want ■

■ All I want. ■

- [sighs]

[phone chimes]

[piano playing soft, gentle interlude of "All I Want Is You"]

■

[sighs]

[piano plays final chord]

[slow, gentle melody playing]

■

[bicycle bell dings]

- [crowd chatter]

[phone chimes]

[upbeat, romantic music playing]

- [laughs]

■ It's all or nothing, it's all or nothing ■

■ And I know there's no other way ■

■ No holding back, no holding back. ■

- Hello. - Hi. [sighs]

How do you feel about our conversation from the winery?

- It was a... it was a lot.

But....

forget whatever's in the past.

I don't... I don't care about that. I just...

I want to see where this can go.

- I love that.

I was scared coming here.

I didn't know how Rome was going to be.

And I didn't think I was going to meet someone I liked so much.

Obviously, turning 35 is such a big deal for me.

And I've had extreme pressure from my mom.

Knowing that she feels like I'm not going to find anybody,

you know, it's been really tough,

but obviously, I found someone I really like,

and I never expected that.

- Through being here, it's almost been surreal.

I mean, I haven't been in a relationship in a long time, and

have been somewhat of a pessimist that I would ever find that again.

So the fact that on somewhat of a whim and being out here

hopelessly looking for love that I found it is unbelievable.

- I'm happy to hear you say that because

I've never introduced somebody to my parents before.

When we're ready,

would you come meet my family in Boston?

- I would love that.

■ Loving you changed me ■

■ Loving you saved me ■

■ Loving you made me ■

■ Free, free, free ■

■ Loving you changed me ■

■ Loving you saved me... ■

CHRISTA BELLE: So, how often do you girls think about the Roman Empire?

- Hmm. Every day. - Oh. - [overlapping chatter]

- Every day. Every hour on the hour.

■ Loving you changed me ■ ■ You changed me ■

■ Loving you saved me ■ ■ You saved me ■

■ Loving you made me ■ ■ You made me ■

■ Free, free, free ■

■ Loving you changed me ■ ■ You changed me ■

■ Loving you saved me ■ ■ You saved me ■

■ Loving you gave me ■ ■ You gave me ■

■ Liberty ■

■ I hope you live a life that's rich and full ■

■ And that you shine wherever you may go ■

■ Don't ever doubt that you're a miracle ■

■ Because you're loved more than you can know ■

■ Loving you changed me ■ ■ You changed me ■

■ Loving you saved me ■ ■ You saved me ■

■ Loving you made me ■ ■ You made me ■

■ Free, free, free ■

■ Loving you changed me ■ ■ You changed me ■

■ Loving you saved me ■ ■ You saved me ■

■ Loving you gave me ■ ■ You gave me ■

■ Loving you saved me ■ ■ You saved me ■

■ Loving you made me ■ ■ You made me ■

■ Free, free, free ■

■ Loving you changed me ■ ■ You changed me ■

■ Loving you saved me ■ ■ You saved me ■

■ Loving you gave me ■ ■ You gave me ■

■ Liberty. ■