Save the Date

17

Luca.

My stomach flipped. I could feel the electricity run through me as he tipped his top hat and smiled. I didn't know what I was feeling, it was undeniable that I found him attractive but whenever he opened that mouth of his I just wanted to shut it for him with my fist. We had only spoken twice and each time I got the same overwhelming urge to punch him. I hadn't seen him in years and now suddenly he was everywhere I turned. I took in his appearance. He was wearing black dress pants with a white shirt, no tie and a purple waistcoat that matched a ribbon around his top hat. He should have looked out of place but he didn't. He brought his camera up and snapped a picture of me before I could protest. He walked towards me leaving a couple who was waiting for him to take their picture in front of the backdrop. He had the same saunter in his step as he did yesterday. The uncertainty of my emotions evaporated and was replaced by annoyance. No matter how good-looking he was I could not forgive his bad manners. I wanted to turn and walk away but that would have made my behaviour worse than his. He took long strides and reached me in no time. "Are you stalking me?" he said. The annoyance I felt became anger. How was I supposed to answer that? I couldn't let him win. "Shouldn't you be taming a lion somewhere?" I said pointing at his hat "And don't flatter yourself." I said haughtily, "If I was really stalking you, you would certainly not know about it." "You'd be hiding in trees? Following me from behind corners?" he smirked. "Oh yes, because I just have all the time in the world to follow someone I've met only once before." I rolled my eyes and turned around; again he grabbed hold of my arm. He pulled me back around to him, his face inches away from mine. My arm burned at his touch and my stomach flipped again.

"Twice, If you count last night." He breathed into my face. His breath smelt like fresh peppermint and something I couldn't quite put my finger on. "I'm just glad you're fully clothed this time." His eyes glinted. His sarcasm was tangible. I pulled my arm back and he looked over my head. His proximity made my mouth go dry. "So where's your boyfriend?" he said looking around. "I told you Chris is not my boyfriend," I said through gritted teeth trying to free my arm. There was just something about Luca that drew me in even though he infuriated me. "Right, right," he replied with another smirk. "Chris," He repeated it like the name was sour, "Chris. How old is he? Like 60?" I looked away from him trying to hide a smile pretending to look for someone. He knew fine well that Chris wasn't 60. Luca unarmed me so much that I didn't know what else to say so I decided it would be safer to go. "If you'll excuse me, I'm actually looking for someone." I nodded in the direction of a line that was forming at his backdrop. "And by the looks of it, you have work to do." He glanced back over his shoulder to the booth, "This stuff just pays the bills. You should see what I really do some time." "You take pictures, how exciting can it be?" I wasn't in the mood to humour him. "Next weekend, I'm going to be shooting at Malcolm Park, if you're not busy with Chris you should come." He said. The emphasis he kept placing on Chris's name wasn't lost on me. I couldn't quite place what he meant by it though. One half of me wished it was jealousy so that I could flaunt Chris in his face. The other half-remembered how he'd reacted to me at Annie's wedding, which made me angry all over again. Before I could answer, the lady who had been waiting with her husband at the backdrop shouted something, bringing me back down to earth, "Excuse me! We've been waiting here, are you the photographer or not?" Luca smiled his crooked smile ignoring the lady, "I take my break in an hour. I'll find you." And without waiting for my reply he turned and left. My mind was spinning, what did that mean? I didn't want him to find me. Or did I? Were we not sworn, enemies? And for heaven's sake, why had Chris not contacted me yet? It would have made it a lot easier to ignore the tension between myself and Luca if I knew that there was someone else. The universe must have heard my internal anguish, my phone began to ring in my clutch and I jumped with fright at the sound. It was only a message from Patrick saying that he was still on his way. I decided to walk back inside and see if I could find McKenzie. The number of people in the 'great hall' as I had come to call it in my head had almost filled and I recognised Legrey from pictures that Patrick had shown me. He stood in a group that was captivated by the story of their engagement.