Silenzio Bruno!

Chapter 8~ Luca

The next morning, Luca got out of bed with a grin already plastered on his face. Memories of last night had been swirling around in his head, allowing him only a few hours of rest before shaking him awake.
Alberto actually liked him back, and now he was his boyfriend. And he had kissed him on the cheek.

Luca flopped back onto the bed and buried his head in his pillow, his heart threatening to burst straight out of his chest. He couldn't believe that this was actually happening, and that he hadn't made it all up in his head. Alberto was really here, and they were really dating now.

Eventually Luca built up enough courage to walk out the door and into the living room, but immediately felt the need to run and hide under the covers again.

It was pretty early in the morning, but Luca had gotten used to waking up early for school. Alberto, on the other hand, clearly wasn't; he was still fast asleep on the couch, his arms and legs splayed in different directions. At the sight of his crush (now boyfriend) asleep, Luca's heart almost melted. He wanted to go over and hug Alberto, but instead went to the kitchen. It was better to let him sleep, he decided. After all, he looked so peaceful.

After a while, Giulia joined Luca at the table, sipping a large mug of espresso. Luca had opted for a bowl of cereal instead, remembering the horrible caffeine-crash that had followed his first time trying the drink.

Eventually, Alberto woke up as well. As he walked to the kitchen to retrieve his breakfast, his eyes caught Luca's. Both boys looked away in embarrassment, hearts beating rapidly. Giulia looked suspiciously between the two of them.

"Did I miss something?" she asked, taking a long sip of her coffee.

"Nope!" Luca cried quickly at the same time Alberto said, "Maybe." Luca shot Alberto a glare while the other boy blushed. Giulia narrowed her eyes.

"Obviously something happened between the two of you, but if you aren't going to tell me, I won't push." She got up and headed towards the door. "I'm going out with a couple of friends, you two can either stay here or explore, I don't care. Have fun!" she said over her shoulder before slamming the door.

The boys stood still before Luca finally broke the silence. "Would you maybe want to walk around Genova with me?" he said timidly. Maybe he had come off too strong with the kiss, and now Alberto was uncomfortable around him. Instead, the other boy beamed.

"Of course! You have to show me around this place. It's so big!"

Luca grinned. "Definitely!"

"First," Alberto said, his stomach growling. "I need to get some breakfast."

They laughed and smiled together, warmth filling their hearts.

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Once they were in the streets of Genova, Luca pointed out every shop and restaurant that he had ever visited, making sure to distinguish the good from the bad.

They stopped by a couple of stores, one being a flower shop where Alberto had bought a small bouquet of violets and presented it to Luca, blushing the entire time. Halfway through the day, they ate lunch at a waterfront cafe that had the best insalata caprese in town. They laughed, joked, flirted, and walked until they had worn themselves out. By then, the sun had started to dip into the horizon, painting the sky with warm colors.

They arrived back at the house in time for dinner. Giulia's mom could clearly tell that there was more between them than just friendship, but she didn't say anything about it.

After dinner, the two boys watched the stars in the sky, pointing out the constellations that they could see.

"There's the Big Dipper!" Luca said enthusiastically. Astronomy had always been interesting to him. Alberto smiled and put his arm around Luca's shoulders.

They leaned into each other, peaceful under the endless night sky.

When it was time to go to sleep, Alberto pressed his lips to Luca's cheek and hugged him tightly before slipping through the door to the house. Luca beamed and knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep again tonight.

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