Te Adoro - Book 2 ✔️

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You can't tell me the video isn't funny. Come on now.

Tides were high. The waves crashed loudly against the sand, making Luca's hairs stand on end. The sun looked red, the waters not so clear as he remembered them to be. Instead, it looked almost black.

He seemed to be in the middle of it all, standing where the waves hit up to his waist, human from there up. The waters seemed to be out for a hit, leaving a stinging sensation each time it hit him. Yet he couldn't move, he felt glued to that spot, as if his feet were in quicksand.

"Luca."

He turned sharply to see a tattered and beaten Alberto, with the same pained expression he wore that day.

"Why didn't you help me?"

Blood trickled from his mouth as he spoke, his hands on the wooden rod of the harpoon still buried in his ribs. He looked to be trying to pull it out but didn't seem strong enough.

"I..." Luca couldn't speak. Tears burned his cheeks as he took a step forward, wanting to hold Alberto.

But he wasn't having it.

Furrowing his brows and stepping away from him, the injured teen sneered at him, "What kind of friend watches their best friend die?"

Luca was struck numb. His tongue turned to sand as he opened his mouth to speak, his whole body frozen.

"What kind of person kills?" Alberto's glowing eyes glared at him with hurt, anger, and hatred.

It pulled at Luca's heart. He let out a whine; a failed attempt at trying to defend himself. It wasn't my fault, he wanted to scream, I did it for you.

Alberto looked down at the protruding harpoon and gave one last tug at it, finally freeing it. He looked at Luca, clenching his jaw.

At first, Luca was relieved to see it heal a decent amount until the bloodied harpoon was drawn back, aiming directly at him, "It should've been you" Alberto growled, before finally lunging for him.

Luca awoke with a start, panting, sweaty, and sobbing. The dreams were getting worse, more real. Beside him, Giulia stirred, giving him one look and she was by his side in an instant.

"What happened? What's wrong?" She sat beside him, moving to cradle his head softly as he sobbed. "You're shaking. Are you cold?"

Luca sobbed as he tried to speak, instead of shaking his head and looked at her through blurry eyes. He felt cold, his limbs jerking as if he was shivering. But he knew better. He was having a panic attack.

They only started as the dream progressively got worse. He very recently found out he had episodes like this, where he'd feel agitated, sad, jumpy yet cold all at once. His mind ran a mile a minute, not at all helping his case. If he dared to speak, he knew a meltdown would occur, and looking at the time, it was too early to do that.

Giulia seemed to get it, moving closer to him, laying him on her shoulder with an understanding sigh, "Another one? Want to talk about it?"

Luca shook his head. He never liked speaking about his dreams. He didn't want people to pity him, he knew it would cause that. Instead, he did his own research, and based on what he's read, the dreams were some form of PTSD.

He wasn't surprised when he found out. He saw enough bloodshed that day to last him forever, and enough stress it surprised him how his hair hadn't turned gray.

His mind was known to wander as it did now. He was back in the water, and unlike the usual flashbacks, this one was a happy one. One he didn't expect.