When Love Gets in the Way

Chapter Forty-nine

James

I feel horrid.

Luca has never done anything wrong yet I've hurt him.

Luca I am so sorry.
I know that I've hurt you but please just text me so I know that you're okay.
Luca?

He doesn't respond. I wait two more hour but he still doesn't respond.

The windows have been replaced and the police have been informed. I should feel happy about that but I'm not. It's just a constant reminder that I've hurt Luca when he's never hurt me.

Talking to Luca over the phone isn't going to cut it. To make it fully up to him, I have to see him in person. If that means that I have to search every place in the city in the pouring rain so be it.

My behaviour has been disgusting. I've only been worrying about myself, not really caring about the impact it had on Luca. Of course I care about him but I was too blind to see how much I've hurt him.

I stand up from my desk and grab my phone. I rush down the stares and start to put my shoes on.

"James? What are you doing?" My father asks as I grap my coat and pull it on.

"I'm going out." I tell him. I always ask if I can go out but I don't have time to negotiate with them. I need to see Luca.

"Not in this weather. You'll catch a cold." He tells me but I only shrug.

"I have to. I've messed up." Is all I say before I open the front door and leave.

I rush along the street, the pavement coated in a layer of rain water. The wind blows my hood down and I don't bother putting it back up.

"James! Where are you going?"

I turn to see Becky standing in the doorway of a shop. She hasn't spoken to me in ages but I'm guessing my sodden state and desperate expression is enough to spark her interest.

"Have you seen Luca?" I ask her desperately. She frowns but then shakes her head.

"No I haven't. Why?" She asks and I raise an eyebrow at her. She knows what I've done. Well, she doesn't know about how I blamed him for smashing my windows but she knows most of it. She probably just wants to hear me admit to it.

"I've really messed up Becky." I tell her and she smiles.

"I'm glad you've realised." She says. She leaves the shelter of the shop doorway and walks over to me. She grabs my hood and pulls it back up so it's covering my head.

"Thank you." I say but she only shrugs.

"What are best friends for?" She smiles before she pulls out her phone and calls someone.

I watch her as she talks. She asks for Luca's whereabouts and then talks a bit more. I have no clue what the person on the other side is saying and the suspense is killing me.

I have a really bad feeling inside and the pain in my chest has increased. The negative feeling grows whenever I think of Luca.

I'm scared...

I'm scared that something has happened to Luca. He was extreamly angry and upset earlier and I know how much his emotions can rule him. I don't want him to get into a fight or a situation that could possibly be dangerous.

"That was Rosa. She hasn't seen him either. Her and the boys are going to go looking." She tells me and I nod.

I go to say something but the pain in my chest is too much. I can't breathe or think. Tears well up in my eyes and my knees give out.

Love is a mental thing yet it can cause so much physical pain. I always laughed when people said that love hurt. I thought that they were just being overdramatic. I didn't understand how a feeling could cause so much physical pain but now I do.

"James..."

Becky pulls me to my feet and holds me tightly in her arms as I start to sob loudly.

"I promised him that I wouldn't hurt him!" I sob.

"It's okay. We'll sort this." She tells me. I nod but then shake my head.

"But what if it can't be sorted? What if it's too late? What if I hurt him too much?" I ask her but she shakes her head.

"Luca's really missed you." She tells me and I frown.

"How do you know?" I ask and she smiles.

"I've been texting him." She tells me and I smile.

"Thank you."

"No problem. He's actually a pretty nice guy once you get past all of the violence and aggression." She explains and I nod.

"He's lovely."

"Well come on then. Let's go and find your man!" She exclaims before we both hurry down the road.

_________________________________________

"Any sign of him?" Oliver asks once we regroup and much to my dismay, we all shake our heads.

"He can't have just gone missing." Becky states. We all stand in silence for a second before Seb suddenly punches me in the face.

I stumble back and then slip on the went floor. I fall, groaning when I hit the hard ground. Tears sting my eyes and I want to yell but the pain in my chest is stopping me.

"This is your fault! Ya fuckin hurt him!" He bellows at me. I know that he's angry and I can't blame him. Luca is like a brother to him and thanks to me he's missing.

"I get that you're angry but don't take it out on him!" Becky yells, seemingly unafraid of Seb's tall and muscular figure.

"Luca could be anywhere!" He spits at her. She placed her hands on her hips and stares him down.

"Yes, he could be anywhere well done! We're never going to find him though if you injure the members of this tiny search party!" She snaps. She grabs my arm and pulls me to my feet.

"I think I just fell for ya even more." Rosa states as she smiles at Becky. Becky blushes and smiles awkwardly.

"Thanks." Becky gushes and her face turns a brighter shade of red.

"Why aren't Luca's parents out looking for him?" I ask as it suddenly hits me. They must be worried about their son going missing. Surly they should be here with us trying to locate the missing boy.

Seb, Oliver and Rosa all look at each other sharing the same grim look. I watch them all not understanding what's wrong.

"They're busy." Oliver finally says and it's obvious that it's a lie.

"Okay, well maybe we should -"

"What ya all doing out in this rain?"

I spin around so fast that I almost slip over.

"Luca!"